Friday, December 8, 2017

FIF#44-Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096


Universal Century 0096.  Three years after the second Neo Zeon war and the disappearance of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable, the remnants of Neo Zeon, now known as the Sleeves, and the Earth Federation, continue to drag out their eternal conflict.  The eyes of both sides now turn to retrieving Laplace’s Box.  No one knows what it contains, only that its secrets date back to UC0001, the birth of the Universal Century.  Two star crossed youths become caught up in the struggle for the box: Banagher Links, secret son of one of the Earth’s most powerful industrial entities; and Mineva Zabi, the long lost heir to the Zabi Family and Zeon itself.  With Banagher at the controls of a specially designed Gundam Mobile Suit, he and Mineva will seek out the box and determine which side is best suited to possess it.

This is going to be a pretty short one today.  That’s mostly because I’m not sure I can explain why I would continue watching this or why I wouldn’t just recommend the OVA Gundam Unicorn as the best way to enjoy this story in full.

In the history of Gundam, it’s been known for entries to receive a set of theatrical or OVA Compilation Films following the end of their tenure.  This goes back as far as the film trilogy that immedietly followed the original Mobile Suit Gundam series and continues on even today as ONA series Gundam Thunderbolt and Gundam Twilight Axis are both receiving the same treatment.  Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 is kind of a step in the reverse.  Had this started out in the 22 episode format this show is set, then it would make sense to rework it into a set of OVA compilation films.  My big question after the first couple of episodes…is why?

Gundam Unicorn was originally made up of seven, near feature length episodes released between 2010 and 2014 (I ended up covering them back between December 2015 and February 2016 if you’d like to go back and take a look at those reviews).  The first couple of episodes of the RE:0096 TV edit don’t even make it through the first OVA episode and I suspect that the rest of the series is going to be awkwardly chopped the same way.  It’s strange.  Everything from the OVA is here from the amazing animation to the mystery laden story to the characters, mecha battles, heck the first episode of the OVA feels pretty much intact despite the dissection.  So I ask again…why not just watch OVA Episode 1 and get the full experience there?  If anything, that question nagged me the most watching the first two episodes of this series.  There’s always a chance that more new footage could be added down the line but what purpose would that serve?  This isn’t like watching the Madoka Magica Movies and recommending them because they could fit 13 episodes into 2 well put together films.  This is…reverse logic in my mind: cutting down a project that already worked well enough as an event level OVA into a 22 episode TV series for the sake of…what, I ask?

As you can imagine, with that kind of a ramble, I wont be pressing on with this series.  If someone else has seen the show, is anything even remotely different?  If you have to choose between watching this series or the OVA, go for the OVA.  This is meant to be watched the way it was originally, a set of episodes that are long but feel large in scope and nicely paced.  You’ll probably get more mileage out of it than having to break every thirty minutes…which I really just don’t get.  I will give some credit: the opening and ending theme songs are nice, performed by the same group that did the themes for Aldnoah Zero (which is an equally forgettable show btw).

Ok that’s enough of this one.  And again, I’ve reviewed the full Gundam Unicorn OVA here on the Anime Corner and ill actually link those reviews below.  Check them out and see if they might be your cup of tea.  See ya next Friday for another Gundam titled First Impression Friday as GundamCember continues.
Part 1: Episodes 1&2
Part 2: Episodes 3&4
Part 3: Episodes 5&6
Part 4: Episode 7

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