Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory Part 4-Episodes 11-13

UC0083.  The race is on to stop a colony from falling on the Federations headquarters in Jaburo.  Despite being ordered not to pursue by corrupt Federation forces, the Albion spearheads the Delaz Fleet, with Uraki and the Gundam Unit 03 at the front of the assault.  Through a labyrinth of lies, betrayals and revelations, Uraki heads towards one final showdown with Gato…with Nina caught in the crossfire.  And as Stardust reaches it’s climax, a darker direction for history lies on the horizon.  This is the event that changes the Universal Century forever.

 

Pros: The action and animation are stellar, Gato’s final blaze of glory, setups for Zeta Gundam

Cons: Kou and Nina-especially Nina, too many last minute twists and turns, hopeful epilogue isn’t hopeful

 

Before we begin the end of Gundam 0083, I need to talk about Macross for a moment.  Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, one of the biggest giant robot hits of the 80’s and the basis for the first season of Robotech here in the US, is known for more than just it’s space age adventure and incredible battles.  It’s well known for the infamous love triangle between pilot Hikaru Ichigo, Macross second in command Misa Hayase and singer Lynn Minmei.  Macross did an incredible job building this element up and paid it off so well at the end that it is still regarded as one of greatest romances in Anime.  It’s such a well done story, it has become common place in the Macross saga to have a love triangle: Macross Plus had Isamu, Gould and Myung and Macross Frontier had Altoh, Sheryl and Ranka (Not sure about Macross 7 or Macross Delta though im sure Delta probably has one).  The love triangle was integral to Plus and Frontier.  It wasn’t sprung up at the last moment and it was written in such a way that it was natural and felt just as important as the rest of the onscreen conflicts.  It’s romance done right.

 

Ok…that’s done…now it’s time to rant.

 

Gundam 0083’s biggest problem with the second half of this series is the sudden revelation that, wait for it, Nina was involved with Gato prior to the series.  And now, all of a sudden, she is determined to keep Kou from killing him and vice versa.  She is so desperate, she steals a core fighter in the middle of a battle, flies (crappily btw) to the falling colony and tries to talk a (very uninterested) Gato out of dropping it onto Earth.  Which then leads to Kou showing up, wounding Gato, only to have Nina point a gun at him and escort Gato to safety…the scream that Kou gives is reminiscent of my own and can only be summed up with a legendary line delivery by Ed Helms in The Hangover movies, “WHAT THE F*** IS GOING ON???!!!” 

 

Seriously, when did Gundam 0083 ever feel the need to force more conflict between Kou and Gato more than what was already going on?  And even Gato wasn’t even really interested in anything beyond completing Operation Stardust, Kou was just an afterthought to him, and rightfully so.  Kou was just so determined for Sempai to notice him that he even defies orders to defend the Albion cause Gato is all that matters and Gato WILL KNOW HIS NAME!!!...and yet Gato doesn’t even kill Kou, he lets him go cause he realizes, just like we have, that Kou isn’t worth it.  We’ll get to Gato’s awesome demise in a moment.  Anyway, forcing this needless wedge between Kou and Nina was it for me.  I didn’t care about Nina for a lot of this series but this twist in the plot just makes me flat out hate her.  Nice body and good fashion sense…but dum is mud and mud is dum and they have a sibling named Nina Purpleton.  Her character arc was all over the place, torn between caring for nothing else but her Gundams, then falling for Kou and forgetting she was in love with Gato once upon a time, to remembering she loved Gato and suddenly wants to save his life.  This isn’t just bad writing, it’s Gundam F91 bad writing.  I have plenty of bad things to say about Uraki but at least he gets some cool moments in.  Nina is the worst thing about Gundam 0083 and she really, REALLY comes close to distracting me from what’s actually a really awesome looking finale.

 

The writing wasn’t bad in just Nina’s area.  The sudden turn of Cima against Delaz was…well come on.  Even Delaz finally admits he was blind to Cima’s duplicity when clearly, she was going to do something stupid towards the end.  Her team up with the Federation is so out of left field and just serves as an excuse to throw things into further chaos.  This does, however, give Delaz a pretty cool death in that he stands his ground and asks Gato to carry on.  He gets a headshot, Gato screams and takes out his anger Delaz’s ship, it’s a good start to the final battle.  I did kind of wish Cima had gotten killed by Gato.  However, her death at the hands of the BFG on Kou’s Gundam Unit 03 was just so cool.

 

Speaking of, Kou and Gato both got new mechs for the final battle.  Kou got the aforementioned Gundam Unit 03 and, well it’s strange to even call it a Gundam.  It’s more of a Gundam Tank than a Mobile Suit.  The main unit is housed in a Mobile Armor like platform with rocket up the wazoo, long arms with beam sabers and rifles and enough ammo to fight a small war, which I guess this is.  The Unit 03 itself reminds me of the F91 and it’s not a bad design, it’s drawn really well.  It just relies too much on that bulkiness, which doesn’t really suit a Gundam to me.  Gundam Seed would later use this same kind of model in its own series and I think it might’ve done it better. Gato’s Neue Zeil is more impressive.  Even though it was weird watching the sizable hulk basically smash itself against Kou’s Gundam, it’s ability to take out battleships in one blow was great and, if things had gone differently, Gato could have used it to kill Kou…and is it wrong I wish that was the outcome?  Fun fact: Cima’s Mobile Suit at the end, that she got secretly from the Moon, was actually supposed to be Gundam Unit 04 but was incomplete and just given a Zeon esque finish, it’s pretty neat.  All of this is made possible by the best animation in the series.  The battles are beyond epic.  This is the first Gundam to follow Char’s Counterattack’s example of how to do large scale combat in Gundam.  The mechs are drawn really well and many of those still frames, especially the close ups of Unit 03, are worth a purchase if you can find animation cells of them anywhere.  You almost want to forget the shows faults when it looks this damn good.

 

Then there’s the end.  Kou and Gato fought, Nina cried when she had no right too, the colony fell not on Jaburo but on North America (not sure why) and Gato led one last desperate charge against the Federation.  This was one of the best but saddest moments to watch.  All series, I respected the hell out of Gato and even applauded when he not only gave Kou, but also Nina, the time of day cause, well they weren’t important (and they never were to anyone).  It’s actually good that Kou didn’t get to finish Gato because the final charge was the real way to send him out.  And all the while, I kept saying “He should have made it”.  Gato was one of the best characters in the Universal Century.  No, I’ll say he was one of the best characters in all of Gundam.  I could not have asked for a better end to his character.

 

And really that should have been where they ended it.  Somber but it was always going to be for everyone, Federation and Zeon alike.  No we got a brief epilogue that sets the stage for Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.  The Titans are officially announced with Zeta villains Basque Oum and Jamitov at the helm (both actually appear briefly, Basque himself partakes in the final battle).  It’s strange to see the Albion’s crew folded in with who are pretty much the bad guys in Zeta Gundam.  I cant see Synaps and his bridge crew joining up (maybe they defect to the AEUG).  The Albion pilots though?  Mancha flat out tortured a Zeon prisoner at one point so I can see him being on board with being a Titan.  His teammates…well they didn’t have much in terms of brains anyway so they probably went to.  But wait, there’s more.  Kou ends up back on Earth and the final shot is of him running into Nina at a new testing base…God I almost wish I could see the argument that followed.  But no, chances are he let bygones be bygones and just went to be with her again…screw you Kou Uraki…screw you.

 

It was rough watching Gundam 0083 sometimes.  Coming off an OVA as strong as Gundam 0080, which managed to give us great animation, a solid, heart tugging story, likeable characters and a strong message for the kids in just six episodes, I expected better.  When it came to the animation, 0083 blew 0080 out of the water.  God this is a gorgeous show, 90’s Anime at it’s best and a solid template for other Studio Sunrise shows to come, like The Vision of Escaflowne.  The music was good, the action very well done.  The writing and characters suffer from poor character motivations, a lot of whining and no real reason to like the good guys at all, especially Kou and Nina.  Gato and the Zeons steal a lot of the show with the deeper depth of their characters and their general likeability, though some like Cima lacked depth and just came off as one notes to get killed off at the end.  I still like this OVA for everything it does right.  The things it does wrong are way to evident and cannot be ignored.  Nina cant make up her mind what the hell she’s supposed to do on this show and Kou is all about “SEMPAI NOTICE ME!!!”…while Gato pretty much replied with, “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME YOU F****** NUTJOB”.  It’s not a bad thing we haven’t seen these characters again throughout the Universal Century.  Seeing them again would only drag down whatever other story they’d appear in.  Though I would love just a short scene of Gato and Char running into each other, what an epic that would be (hey The Origin, you’ve got two more episodes coming right?  Make it happen please).

 

So in the end, the final score I give Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory is a…

 

7/10

 

PS
I should take a moment to note how amazing the end theme for the second half of the series is.  “Evergreen” is one of the most epicly soothing end themes in any Anime and it has a special place in my heart.  At my first Otakon in 2010, I saw some of the second half of 0083 in a screening hall and hearing the theme echo in a large room during one of the biggest experiences of my life…well a theme like that stays with you forever.  The other two opening themes and one other ending theme are fine but Evergreen…that’s my theme.

 

And that concludes Gundam Month Mark II.  Check back in next week as we begin summer with some sexy women in some sexy looking mecha.  Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 starts next Monday.  See ya then.

T5W#89-Top 10 Gundam Pilots (T5W Special Edition)

This list…is impossible.  This is like asking me to choose who my favorite child is…if I had kids, which I don’t (whew).  As strong of a draw as the Gundams themselves are, it’s the pilots behind them who give them their true memorable moments.  I haven’t seen every Gundam series in existence but ive seen enough to know I love a crap ton of pilots…and in retrospective should have done this as a two part list so some of them can get their due as well.

Well you know what? I’m going to do something a bit different.  This might be a lengthy one but it should be if im beginning to close out Gundam Month Mark II with this kind of entry.  Ok, yeah, let’s do this.  This weeks Top 5 Wednesday is officially a double sized one, so TOP 10…Gundam Pilots…

 

#10: Roux Louka (Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ)

Funny enough, I don’t know much about this purple haired cutie outside of a few factoids.  I know she took over as the pilot of the Zeta Gundam following Kamille Bidan being taken out of action (not dead but not great either).  I know she’s a snazzy dresser in full on 80’s gear.  And she’s a lot of fun in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3.  Roux looks and sounds tough and bad ass and since piloting a Gundam can sometimes be seen as a “Guys Only” club, it’s nice to see cute girls like her stand out in the crowd.

 

#9: Zechs Merquise (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

Long before I knew about Char, there was this man in the mysterious mask.  Zechs was the first big rival character in Gundam for me, able to match wits with Heero in both combat and philosophy.  And while he may be better known for his skill with the legendary grand daddy of Mobile Suits, the Tallgeese, he’s on this list because he did get to pilot two Gundams.  He gained the Wing Zero in a botched attempt by OZ to kill him before he traded it to Heero for the Treize built Gundam Epyon…and it was one of the smartest moves he ever made.

 

#8: Setsuna F Seiei (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)

Child soldier, assassin, hero, Innovator, legend.  Setsuna can be seen as the far off child of Heero Yuy with many of these traits (save for the Innovator bit).  He’s cold and detached in the cockpit of a Gundam, which gives him the ultimate edge.  He’s also got Heero’s knack for playing with the hearts of women around the world…but mostly Marina Ismail.  Setsuna sort of threatens to kill her but she doesn’t become his stalker.  Rather it’s Setsuna who finds something missing in his life being around her.  Plus Setsuna’s got two of the coolest Gundams in existence, the Gundam 00 Raiser and the Gundam 00 QT and man can he make them dance the dance of death well.

 

#7: Heero Yuy (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

My first Gundam pilot.  His iconic intro scene from Gundam Wing set the standard that other pilots had to follow.  From his cool exterior to that slightly psychotic laugh to his infamous “ill kill you” line to Relena, Heero is one of the key definitions of cool in the Gundamverse.  Sure he may seem like a robot (and I actually thought he was for a little bit when I first saw the show).  But that’s just Heero being Heero and you just wish you were as cool as he was.  Women from around the world would follow you just to see if you’d carry out that death threat…well ok maybe just Relena, that girls got some issues.

 

#6: Anavel Gato (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory)

Yeah, this guy is basically one of the key reasons I enjoy Gundam 0083.  He has the respect and admiration of his troops.  He leads through inspiration rather than fear.  And he has his own Darth Vader style Gundam to kick the Federations ass across the galaxy.  I sometimes think of Gato as the spiritual successor to Char in this series, just without a lot of Char’s emotional baggage or questionable philosophy.  Gato is straightforward: cripple the Federation and give his people hope for the future.  And damn anyone who gets in his way, including a snot nosed rookie who thinks he’s his equal.

 

#5: Lockon Stratos (Neil Delandy) (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)

This guy is the big brother every Gundam team needs.  Lyle has some stand out moments in Season 2 but it’s Neil who set the bar his character had to live up to.  I talk/joke about Heero and Setsuna being ladies men but Neil is the quintessential one.  Strikingly handsome with a snipers eye, both with a rifle and a Mobile Suit.  Plus he actually tries to keep the peace between his fellow Meisters and is a strong voice of reason all across the board.  He’s just the definition of cool…at least when it comes to Gundam 00.

 

#4: Tierria Erde (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)

It’s funny, I did not like Tierria when I first watched Gundam 00.  That stuck up, hollier than thou attitude always pissed me off.  But leave it to 00’s sharp character writing, following Lockon sacrificing himself to protect him, Tierria changed dramatically.  He learned to value not just his own existence but that of his team as well.  I never imagined Tierria would become the closest thing Setsuna had to a best friend.  I could go on about how he’s got Gundam’s with bazookas.  But it’s his ever growing and endearing character arc that puts Tierria so high on my list.

 

#3: Christina Makenzie (Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket)

Chris may only be in one Gundam series but she leaves the best impression.  She’s the girl next door with amazing looks that any guy would crush on.  Oh and she can pilot a Gundam that was originally intended for Amuro Ray himself.  Not that she would brag about that, so we all have to do it for her.  If there’s one female Gundam pilot I wish we could see more of in another story, it’s Chris.  There have been plenty of kick ass female in the Gundamverse…but Chris will always be the one I love the most.

 

#2: Amuro Ray (Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack)

Sure he starts out like a whiny brat.  But one of the perks of being in three consecutive Gundam features is that one gets to grow as a character, hopefully.  And Amuro does just that.  He is a far different person in UC 0093 (Char’s Counterattack) than the boy he is in UC 0079 (Mobile Suit Gundam).  That’s 14 years of straight story right that where one can change a lot.  Amuro is a bad ass as an adult and even gets better by the end of the original series.  By the time we see him in Char’s Counterattack, he’s more than earned the right to sit in the cockpit of the Nu Gundam he designed himself.  Many have come after him, but, love him or hate him, we wouldn’t have a wide roster of awesome pilots if it weren’t for Amuro Ray.

 

#1: Duo Maxwell (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

“THE GOD OF DEATH IS BACK FROM HELL!!!”  Duo is my boy.  From the moment he first appeared with his Gundam Deathsythe, I learned the meaning of “Men want to be him and women want to be with him.”  The ponytail was awesome, the priest inspired look stood out, plus he had a cool voice courtesy of Scott McNeil.  And did I mention Deathsythe and Deathsythe Hell are like THE coolest Gundams out there?  When Wing debuted in late middle school for me, Duo was the one we all wanted to talk about, the one we cared the most about and we all had looks of horror on our faces when the original Deathsythe went down.  Duo was the friend I really wanted in school and, in a way, he became one of my first Anime heroes…and still is up there to this day.

 

 

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory Part 3-Episodes 8-10

At long last, the Delaz Fleet makes it’s move.  The Gundam Unit 02’s warhead is launched and the Federation is dealt a near crippling blow.  In the midst of the chaos, Uraki and Gato square off once again.  Even as their duel claims both of their Gundams, there’s a strong sense that what has transpired is only the beginning.  As shifts in power begin to unfold within the Delaz Fleet, the true scope of Operation Stardust is about to be revealed.  The Albion is the only hope but they’ll need something special: A third Gundam prototype.  The countdown to destiny has begun.

Well now it becomes clear what Gundam 0083 really is.  The second episode of this set takes us to a familiar setting of the Universal Century, the asteroid Axis.  Here we see the surviving Zeons argue whether or not to join Delaz’s fight and while they seem to back down, one beautiful figure in the distance ponders how much longer they’ll have to wait to join the battle.  The connection is made.  This one quick visit to Axis and the much welcome, if not terribly brief, return of Haman Kahn connects this plot right to the events of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.  I don’t want to say more beyond that for now as im sure I’ll come back to it in greater detail in the final episodes.  Still, seeing an OVA version of Haman was cool, she has never looked better. 

Anyway, onto the meat of this weeks set.  Stardust was carried out, apparently.  Gato, finally back in action after being away for several episodes, unleashed the might of the nuke his Gundam was carrying on the oh so confident Federation Fleet.  It’s kind of baffling how the Federation wouldn’t take the nuke threat so seriously, or at least they kind of assumed Jaburo was always the target.  Yet they assemble their entire fleet in one spot, how is that not a tempting target?  The arrogance came back to bite them big time.  The attack on Solomon (I refuse to call it Kompei Island) was well done and we got to see Gato cut loose before carrying out his mission.  It was great to have him back.  I really enjoyed Gato’s scenes with Karius, one of his remaining friends from the One Year War.  As Gato pondered the weight on his shoulders, he continued to be intriguing and compelling.  Seeing how he inspires his troops, it’s no wonder the Federation is continually slacking during this whole series.

Looking to not be left out of Gato’s shadow, Uraki flies towards him in the Gundam Unit 01 Full Vernian basically screaming, “SEMPAI NOTICE ME!!!”  Uraki almost reminds me of Graham Acker from the second season of Gundam 00.  At some point I feel like he just stops caring about duty and wants to just show Gato he can stand on the same level as him.  I loved that Gato just ignored him, even when Kou was barking at him over the radio.  Our “hero” is a child and Gato is content to treat him as such and it is so much fun.  That being said, my issues with Kou aside, the duel between Gundams was freaking epic.  The OVA production shines here, also in other fights but here most prominently.  This was the duel we were promised in the promos and it did not disappoint.  It does suck that both Gundams are now gone, worse for the Full Vernian since Kou just got the damn thing.  But seeing the slow pan up of both suits going down in flames was rough, it’s hard to see Gundams fall (I still shiver when I see Deathsythe get blown up in Gundam Wing).  It’s one of the best duels in all of Gundam and this series has been worth enduring just to get to it.

But, since this OVA wants to find ways to tick me off, the negatives cant be ignored.  I did like the character of Burning, the grizzled and bad ass mentor to Kou and Keith.  However I feel like he was never given as much screentime after the beginning of the series.  His death was a shock, though you knew it was coming when he apparently found the complete Delaz Fleet “Stardust Memory” playbook.  But I feel like it would have more impact if we had more than the few really good scenes he had with Kou, Keith and Captain Synaps throughout his episode.  No, his wasted screentime went to plodding out Kou and Nina’s less than compelling romance.  Nina is all over the place, more than Kou.  At first she’s happy theyre a thing now, then she call Kou her little brother cause he wont eat carrots (A. Ewww and B. Sorry but not liking carrots isn’t nearly as entertaining as Edward Elric refusing to drink milk in Fullmetal Alchemist), then suddenly gets glum when Kou fights Gato and manages to survive?  I know exactly where that last bit is heading and ill have more to say on that in the next review.  Suffice to say, once again, being pretty cannot save Nina from her poor character arc that has really dragged a lot of this series down.  She shouldn’t feel too bad, Kou may not be the best boyfriend but he is shouldering a lot of my dislikes along with her…so there’s that.

We ended things on a big cliffhanger.  That ominous clock we saw on both Delaz’s and Cima’s ships is a countdown to a colony drop happening in two days.  And since we cant really go the rest of the series without its namesake, the Albion is off to get a brand spanking new Gundam to take into battle.  I wish Gato would get a new Gundam as well but the hints of a new Mobile Armor being given to the Delaz Fleet kind of dash those hopes.  Is the colony drop the attack on Jaburo everyones been scared of?  With Zeon succeed with its resurrection?  Will Gato Sempai even notice the whiny Kou…actually they did share a moment as their Mobile Suit were about to blow up where Gato got in Kou’s face and told him he'd remember him…and Kou looked so disappointed…WHY?!!

Here's hoping they’ve saved the best action for last.  Cause outside of Gato, everyone else in this series is just a tiny blip on my radar (not totally true, I do like the Albion bridge crew).  Whatever the case, you wont have to wait long for the final review. I’ll see you all Friday for the grand finale of Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory.

Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV

On the verge of marrying his beloved Lady Lunafreya, Prince Noctis of Lucius sets out on one last road trip with his best friends and royal guard: Gladius, Ignis and Prompto.  When word reaches them of Neffilheim’s attack on Insomnia, the quartet of friends find themselves pursued by the Empire.  As their journey takes an unexpected turn, Noctis and his friends reflect on the bonds of brotherhood that brought them together years ago.  It is that bond they will need to survive the coming days ahead.  Insomnia has fallen but the real battle is only getting started.

Wheras Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV extended a story, whose outcome we were well aware of from the game, with a protagonist no one really cared about, Brotherhood does what any real supplemental material for an established project should do…focus on what really matters.  And in this case, the focus is in the title.  Final Fantasy XV was always about brotherhood, right in from the opening cutscenes to the first shots of the quartet stranded by a broken down Regalia.  To me, the game never lost sight of this element and it carried the game even through the worst parts of it.  In truth, this Anime didn’t need to happen but I’m glad we got it anyway cause it is the best Final Fantasy Anime I have ever seen.

The (criminally) short segments all focus on Noctis meeting the three young men who would become his closest friends and his greatest family: Gladio, the muscle and his trainer; Ignis, his advisor and chef; and Prompto, photographer and heart.  Like I said, there was enough dialogue and well written characters in the game that I don’t think any of these were really necessary but theyre all fascinating all the same.  Of those three meetings, I liked Prompto and Gladio’s stories the best.  Prompto was a very different person before we meet him in Final Fantasy XV.  He loves his photos but is a big kid and doesn’t think he’d do good to be friends with a Prince like Noctis.  His journey to the man he becomes, who Noctis reunites with in high school, is pretty inspiring.  Likewise, Gladio’s change with Noctis from not being able to stand the kid to respecting the Prince when he covers for a mistake by his sister, Iris, had a lot of heart to it.  Ignis’ episode is…kind of just there.  He’s trying to make sure Noct is ok on his own while trying to recreate a pastry that Noct had once before but cant remember the exact taste. 

Actually, my favorite episode of this short series is the end.  Seeing King Regis in action, coming to the defense of his son and standing by his side tugged at all the heart strings and it’s perfectly mixed in with a present day battle between an old monster foe and Noctis’ group.  It’s easy for a lot of characters (especially in Kingsglaive) to say Regis doesn’t give a damn about anything.  In these few short minutes, however, I got and never doubted that Regis loved his son more than anything and would do equally anything to get him to his destiny, no matter what it would be.  That’s fatherhood right there, just as strong as Brotherhood.

Cudos to the look and design of the Anime, it feels so much like the actual game.  The locations, the soundtrack, the food porn, even the battles play out as I experienced them in the game.  Monsters clash with Magitek soldiers and it’s all Noctis and his friends can do to just survive.  Even a clash with a powerful monster plays out like much of my encounters (I still have a dungeon I need to return to so I can kick that bosses ass), with all hope seemingly lost until you get enough power to use Arminger and man does that technique look awesome in Anime.  The production team clearly paid more attention to what made Final Fantasy XV work beyond the core characters than Kingsglaive did and it shows.  I couldn’t wait for Kingsglaive to finally wrap up but I wanted a bit more time with Brotherhood.  Maybe not a full blown 26 episode series but…idk more and I don’t mean that in a negative way.

Kingsglaives visuals may kick a ton of ass but Brotherhood sacrifices being a CG epic for being a more intimate, true to the source expansion.  I already knew and liked Noctis, Gladio, Ignis and Prompto well enough from the time I spent with them on the road and in battle.  But these fives shorts just made me love them more.  Their bond is real and the beginnings of each feel natural.  If there was one story I would have wanted in addition, it would be when all four finally met for the first time.  It’s clear they all gel really well together but did they from the start?  I don’t really get why a lot of this couldn’t just been folded into the final game but I’m not going to knock a good thing either.  At the end of the day, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV does what fancy CG fight scenes and nostalgia for older games couldn’t do…it gave me the best Final Fantasy anime I have ever seen.

8.5/10

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

They are the Kingsglaive, the elite fighting force of King Regis of Lucius.  Their power is tied directly to their king and his crystal source of power.  They stand against any threat to the beloved kingdom…until now.  When Neffilheim betrays King Regis during a peace ceremony, the apocalypse comes to Insomnia.  At the heart of the conflict is Nyx, a Kingsglaive tasked with protecting the Lady Lunafreya, the betrothed of Regis’ son Noctis.  As the world falls apart around them, Nyx, Luna and Regis race towards their shared destiny.  For where this doomed battle ends, the journey of another and his three companions is about to begin.

It has been a long time since I’ve seen a media push this intense alongside a Final Fantasy game release.  I really think the last time was when they did the massive expansion on Final Fantasy VII: with a sequel film-Advent Children; an short Anime prequel-Last Order; and three games-Before Crisis, Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus.  Most of these were met with mixed reception at best (though I hear Crisis Core is pretty solid).  I’m not sure what to say yet of Final Fantasy XV’s other project, Brotherhood (though I will shortly).  However, in regards to Kingsglaive, it still seems like Square Enix has yet to find that perfect balance of visual marvel and sharp writing.  And this is their third attempt too.

Credit where it is do, Square Enix does know how to make anything look like the greatest piece of artistic marvel known to man.  The same can be said about Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and it’s no different here.  The quality of animation in Kingsglaive is staggeringly awesome.  It is really hard to keep up with the action sometimes, especially in the pretty chaotic finale.  But when the camera does try to focus on the central battle (I guess), it boasts some impressive feats of magic and swordplay.  I’ll also give credit to the expanded roles of King Regis and, especially, Lunafreya.  Luna I enjoyed more so because I felt that, as big of a role as she plays in Final Fantasy XV, we don’t see all that much of her.  Regis has more of an impact throughout the game I thought bit it was still good to see him again and in action.  Likewise, Luna is a helluva lot more active here, even if she is part of a movie long escort mission by films end.  The roles of these two characters are set up even more for future events by this film, I’ll give them that.  The extended use of blade warping techniques that Nyx uses also feels right out of the game itself, kind of made me want to play it again.

And that’s just about where all the praise kind of ends.  The concept of the Kingsglaive is cool but the characters within it are boring or never given enough time to shine.  Crow is cute but barely around.  Libertus has some tragic character moments but that’s barely of consequence later.  And our main character, Nyx, is…well kind of bland and not as exciting a character for such a short story.  I was nowhere near as invested in any new character as I was in the characters I already knew about from the game.  Final Fantasy XV’s greatest strength is its bond between the core four protagonists and none of that great character writing is anywhere to be found here.  Even when they were reacting to events that happened off screen (like the fall of Insomnia which we only see in glimpses of the game) their performances made me feel every bit of their loss.  Here, once things start going to hell for Nyx and his comrades, it feels kind of empty, especially considering this guy doesn’t really matter in the long run of things.  It doesn’t help that the story is so confusing it’s hard to keep up with who is betraying who, who is mad at who, who looks to similar to who and why the hell the movie is obsessed with quick cuts to black for dramatic effect.  It’s a mess really and just feels like leftovers from the production of the game that might’ve been meant for DLC before deciding to push for a movie tie in.

The biggest shame for such a project is the perfectly good waste of voice talent.  Game of Thrones alums Sean Bean and Lena Heady voice Regis and Luna respectively…if you’re a Sean Bean fan you’ll know why it’s kind of funny he’s in Regis’ role.  And Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad is Nyx.  They all do what they can with these mostly underdeveloped roles but it feels like they could have been saved for better projects.  I also don’t get why they didn’t just use Luna’s original voice actress from the game, as she feels a bit older her than she does in the main story (no offense to Lena Heady, she still does a good job).  This was definitely an attempt to draw in a general fantasy crowd, especially the Game of Thrones fans but it feels like a waste.

When your Anime looks good, it looks good, no one will deny that.  When the emotion and heart is absent from it, even the most kick ass action scene wont be able to save it cause…well we don’t care who loses or wins.  And yet Square Enix, on their third feature length project with a franchise that is the reason they exist, has yet to figure out how this kind of storytelling works.  Kingsglaive is gorgeous, the best looking Final Fantasy move yet.  But if you’re not familiar with the Final Fantasy XV game itself, youre going to be lost and the movie will never let you forget that.  Nyx is kind of boring, the rest of the Kingsglaive aren’t interesting either and the story feels plodded out (longer than two hour) into a cutscene that expands on one of the most important moments of the game…when really the game kind of did it fine already.  Had the focus kept more on Regis and Luna, the story could have been a bit tighter.  Throwing in a hero for the sake of someone who can do cool action scenes doesn’t immedietly mean they’ll be likeable or memorable…cause Nyx is neither.  It’s almost a shame they threw in a post credits scene with Noctis, Gladio, Ignis and Prompto…no it’s not a shame cause if anything this movie made me yearn to play Final Fantasy XV is only to reunite with this amazing crew and forget the two hours of good looking letdown I just observed.

It may be the best looking Final Fantasy movie yet, but Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV just continues the disappointing streak of retreading lessons yet to be learned.

4/10

T5W#88-Top 5 Non Gundam Pilots

Everyone should know that when it comes to Mobile Suits, the suits themselves may look cool.  However it’s the man (or woman) behind the controls who can really make it dance.  While there are plenty of Gundam pilots out there, todays Top 5 is dedicated to the people who can make normal Mobile Suits stand out on the battlefield.  For criteria purposes, none of the following characters have ever stepped inside a Gundam.  They have to have piloted a mass produced model on either side of the conflict to qualify.  That means some favs like Zechs Merquise from Gundam Wing wont make the cut, cause even though he’s awesome for piloting the Tallgeese, Zechs did get his own Gundam towards the end of the show.  So on we go, my Top 5 Non Gundam Pilots.

 

#5-Sergei Smirnov (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)

The Wild Bear of Russia, so he has two cool names.  Be it his cool voice or his air of veterancy, or the cool scar on his face, Sergei stood out immediately when he popped up in Gundam 00.  He seemed a bit too kind hearted at times.  But that never stopped him from entering the fray and even challenging the Gundams themselves if the need did arise.  Outside of the cockpit is where he shinned the most, especially when it came to caring for his surrogate daughter, Soma Pierres.  Even in the worst of times, Sergei can see the humanity in children made to be weapons and help them rediscover their humanity…screw what his son Andre thinks, this guy is a great dad.

 

#4-South Burning (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory)

If 0083 is the “Top Gun” of Gundam, then Burning is easily the Viper of the show, well maybe a combination of Viper and Jester.  This guys got a lifetimes worth of Mobile Suit experience and, while his training may seem a bit severe, it does pay off…God only know how Kou got any skill but I guess that’s thanks to this guy.  I could easily see Burning piloting a Gundam way back in the day.  Instead he settled for one of the sweet new GMs of the 0083 era.  And man is he a bad ass in it.  He can dance circles around Uraki (even with his GP01 Full Vernian) and he can even take on Cima Garahau on equal footing.  As it stands now, Burning is probably the best Federation character on Gundam 0083 and that is far from a bad thing.

 

#3-Treize Kushrenada (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

It’s hard to think of this guy as a villain but he’s done some pretty terrible things in his rise to power.  Still, Treize is one incredible leader and has the charisma to bring a planet together to defend itself.  Oh and he takes on remote control Mobile Dolls with only a Leo to prove a point…and he survives (granted that Leo had more armor on it than normal or maybe…idk it’s a cool but strange scene).  But for all his speeches and philosophys, Treize isn’t one to totally sit on the sidelines.  His Tallgeese II may not be as cool as the OG Tallgeese (or the Tallgeese III he was apparently building that got used in Endless Waltz) but cudos to the guy who actually lead the world into battle against a former friend and his Skynet drones.  Plus he has a cape…girls love the cape.

 

#2-Norris Packard (Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08^th MS Team)

“Not bad for a Feddy…BUT I BET YOURE NOT READY FOR THIS!!!”

Norris makes it so high on this list because, while he was seen in brief action a couple of times prior, his biggest claim to fame is at the tail end of 08^th MS Team.  With minimal ammo and the knowledge he wont be coming back alive, he heads out to take on the 08^th Team and the Guntanks they’re guarding single handidly…and he kicks everyones ass six ways to Sunday.  He may gloat every once in a while but Norris never comes off as a jerk.  He is 100% dedicated to Aina and her mission to evacuate her base.  To that end, he shows the 08^th Team the true meaning of the term “Ace Pilot” and gives us one of the greatest battle in all of Gundam history. 

 

#1-Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam)

Was it going to be anyone else?  So much of Gundam’s amazing history, especially in the villains department, is owed to this Darth Vader mask wearing king of the badasses.  He can take on armies all on his own with one red sporting suit.  He can inspire loyalty through sheer charisma.  He can make women of all ages swoon (some of inappropriate age butttttttt that’s not here or there).  Oh and he’s been piloting Mobile Suits since he was a kid.  The history of Char from The Origin, through Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam and Char’s Counterattack is one of the most complete character arcs across the nearly 40 year franchise and he has yet to be topped in the villains department.  What’s more, you know he’s the bad guy but you will still root for him.  Few can match his popularity and man CANNOT match his skill in a Mobile Suit.  Just imagine if he did get behind the controls of a Gundam…and yes I know the suit he pilots in Zeta was meant to be a Gundam but, much like Cima’s Gebera Tetra in 0083, it never made it that far so it doesn’t count for me.

Huh, guess I should close it out with Top 5 Gundam Pilots next week…we’ll see.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory Part 2-Episodes 5-7

The Albion heads into space, where a powerful new enemy awaits them.  Desperate to prove himself, Uraki challenges the Cima Fleet, now allied with the Delaz Fleet, and loses horribly, dealing catastrophic damage to his Gundam.  Shaken, Uraki finds solace in not only Nina, but a washed up Zeon veteran who may or may not be trying to find his way back into Delaz’s good graces by challenging the Gundam on his own.  All the while, new alliances are made and new mystery’s begin to unfold.  What is the purpose of Operation Stardust and how does it involve the Gundam Unit 02?

A thought occurs to me.  And I’m kind of glad I’m reviewing this now so this reference is a bit more meaningful.  Kou Uraki is the Netflix Iron Fist of Gundam, and that’s far from a compliment.  Kou is a brat in a 20 year olds body who thinks hes the best, has one of the greatest powers in the universe (the Gundam) and brags about how awesome a pilot he thinks he is.  While the latter is debatable (he can make a Gundam move, God knows how), the other two are not.  All Kou does is whine, and whine, and whine his way through every situation, hoping it will come out for the best. What’s worse, even when the Gundam Unit 01 is torn up in battle, I doubt he’s learned his lesson.  Kou’s character has been on a set course and it will not deviate right up until the end, I garuntee it.

While Kou and the rest of the Federation cast, especially Nina, continue to grate the mind, the Zeon’s continue to shine brightly in Gundam 0083.  One of the newest additions is Cima Garahau and her fleet.  Cima reminds me of Khyron from Macross.  She’s a total wild card who does things her way despite having a rep for burning more villages than she should (in a manner of speaking).  It intrigues me that Delaz would trust her but he seems confident he can keep her in line.  I like that Gato wants to believe in this man and every choice he makes.  Even in a short scene, you understand the bond built between these two men over the last three years.  But Gato knows Cima is trouble just like the viewer and it’s only a matter of time when she does something to derail Delaz’s plans.  It’s also noteworthy that Delaz’s epic speech to the world is very much in the same vein as Ghirren Zabi’s iconic speech from Mobile Suit Gundam, Admiral Cohen even calls him “The Ghost of Ghirren Zabi”.  Wheras Ghirren was more inspiring yet tyrannical, Delaz is more straightforward and heartfelt.  He’s not in it for the power, like Ghirren was, he’s in it for his people.

Lastly on the Zeon front is Kelly, a one armed bad ass who ends up befriending Kou when he lands on the moon.  I’m just gonna say it now: happy montages of guys fixing a Zeon Mobile Suit will always be the kiss of death for a character.  I saw shades of Bernie and Al fixing the damaged Zaku in Gundam 0080 in this scene and knew someone was going to get killed.  Of course it cant be Kou (cause life’s just not fair that way), so it sucks to see Kelly go.  All he wanted was a chance to fight alongside Gato again.  Once more, the motivations of the Zeon cast are a whole lot deeper and meaningful than anything the Albion crew has going on. 

While Kou may have bested Kelly, I attribute the win to the kick ass new upgrade the Gundam Unit 01 got this week.  Now THIS is what it always should have looked like.  This is a Gundam that looks as iconic as the original or the Zeta or the Wing Zero and man can it move (even with Uraki at the helm).  The move to space benefited from better animation all around.  The action is sharp and intense.  As much as I wasn’t a fan of the Unit 01’s original look, it was still rough to see Cima blow it almost to pieces.  Even some of the still frames, like the ending with the Gundam kneeling on the moon while Kou hugs Nina, look pretty damn impressive.  This really is one of the better looking Gundam shows out there, that’s for sure.

Oh and one more thing: How does Nina know Gato but didn’t recognize him on Earth when he stole Unit 02 and why haven’t we seen any indication during the chase that she has some knowledge of who he is?  Her office of sexy coworkers even pointed out that Nina had a love interest who she seemed to trade in for being a workaholic.  Plus Kelly knew Nina too.  If this is going where I think this is going then…yeah not even a shot of Nina in just a T-shirt on the bed will save her from the verbal freak out I’m gonna have when it comes to it.

The good guys still suck, the bad guys are intriguing and the animation continues to impress.  As we reach the halfway point of this series, one can only hope the overall quality improves.  Right now, as an action Anime, Gundam 0083 delivers.  On the characters side, well it’s embarraing to admit that teen Amuro from the original 0079 series would probably kick Kou’s ass in battle (Newtype power or otherwise).  Right now, Gato (who was criminally left out of much of this week), seems more the hero of the story than anyone else.  Again, why isn’t this series told entirely from the Zeon side? 

I’m sure I’ll ask that again next week as well as Gundam Month Mark II carries on.