Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower

Universal Century 0080.  It’s been seven months since the end of the One Year War.  Former Federation allies, the cultist South Seas Alliance, plots to declare its independence using captured tech from both sides, including the Psycho Zaku once piloted by Zeon Living Dead Division Sniper Daryl Lorenz.  Thunderbolt Sector survivor Io Fleming is dispatched to Earth piloting the new Atlas Gundam, to destroy the suit that once tormented and defeated him in battle.  Though on separate mission, Io and Daryl’s road lead them to the same enemy, one that might be more dangerous than either of the monsters both men have become.

When I said that Gundam Thunderbolts first film, December Sky, was the darkest entry of Gundam ive seen so far, I didn’t mean that as a criticism.  It was probably the biggest compliment I could give.  Sure it was uncomfortable to sit through sometimes but it was a very effective and different story for the Gundam franchise.  Despite a cast I largely didn’t like, it succeeded in it goal to hammer in the “war is hell” message of Gundam harder than ever.  I say this because the follow up film, Bandit Flower, tries to go back to the way Gundam usually does things while still retaining elements that made the previous film so hard hitting and effective…and it just doesn’t work as well.

The setting has shifted from the chaotic and unpredictable Thunderbolt Sector in space to the jungles of the South Pacific on Earth.  This isn’t a bad change first off.  One of the things that made Gundam: The 08^th MS Team so good was its emphasis on ground/urban combat.  It’s not quite “Gundams in the Jungle” but the Mobile Suit combat across the board is still very well done.  Actually, there should be an emphasis on the “Mobile Suit” part of that term as every other regular kind of Federation/Zeon suit is doing the bulk of the grunt work here.  The new Atlas Gundam only sorties twice and not for very long before it sits out most of the last act.  That’s kind of an odd move but ill also admit, im not a fan of the overly complicated design of the Atlas.  It just feels like too much has been given to it, making it feel overstuff and way to complex to enjoy…kind of like Io himself with his ego and lust for battle but ill get there.  Still, this give the GMs, Goufs and Ackguy’s time to shine in most of the action scenes in lew of the titular Gundam.

While I don’t think December Sky really needed a sequel, as I felt it stood out fine on its own, I was curious to see what happened to all of the survivors of the Thunderbolt Sector post One Year War.  And…only one character has any real substantial damage, poor Karla.  On the flipside, Daryl and Io are both actually better off than you’d expect.   Both are hailed as heroes and met with a ton of skepticism.  Was it Daryl’s overpowered Zaku that won him the Battle of Thunderbolt Sector?  Is Io a heartless bastard who sent children to die without a care?  The movie does explore both sides of their newfound fame with equal amounts success and less success. Io’s story actually dominates the bulk of the movie as he deals with the scorn of some of this new teammates and the fascinations of the beautiful Bianca, a tattoo sporting red head bad ass who teeters back and forth between being her own powerhouse and just being Io’s number one fangirl.  I like to think she leans towards the former as Biana does get to stand out a lot in this film.  However, it’s hard to find anyone to like in this series over all that I kept feeling hesitant (but later leaned towards liking her cause…well she is cute and could do way better than Io).  Daryl’s story is a bit harder to follow outside of his caring for the damaged Karla.  I was not a fan of the Newtype member of his new unit (who doesn’t believe he himself is a Newtype cause he doesn’t believe in them).  Daryl’s been through a lot in Gundam Thunderbolt and im kind of sick of characters giving him grief when he deserves a happy ending more than anyone.  Still, Daryl does get to do his thing better than ever.  Heck I didn’t think much of the Zeon Ackguy before I watched Daryl make it dance.

Story wise, Bandit Sky is a mixed bag and it is probably the weakest aspect of the movie as a whole.  Changing the scenery to Earth and bringing in the Newtype element of the Universal Century, I feel, takes away from what made Thunderbolt special to begin with.  Now don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with Newtypes in Gundam, none whatsoever.  I do think that they don’t need to dominate every single aspect of the Universal Century, it’s one of the highlights of the aforementioned 08^th MS Team.  Taking the story from a brutal portrayal of war to introducing a brainwashing Buddhist Newtype cult seems like a step in the wrong direction for Gundam Thunderbolt.  And actually, a lot of what we learn about this new threat isn’t really explained until the last few minutes of the movie, ending things on a still unresolved cliffhanger until Season Three ever arrives followed by the compilation film afterwards.  What’s worse, while their separate stories have their moments, Io and Daryl do not meet each other again in Bandit Flower.  The movie is missing a lot of what made the first so special but right at the top is the fiery feud between these two monsters of the One Year War. 

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower is an ultimately disappointing follow up to one of Gundams most intense entries.  It’s always good to see more grounded combat with Mobile Suits and the jungle setting is always a welcome sight.  But there’s a massive lack of the darkness and unrelenting reality that made December Sky so memorable.  And as much as I hate to rag on it, reintroducing Newtypes into the mix might not be the best move for Thunderbolt to make, especially for a more realistic feeling Gundam series.  Part of me will reserve judgement until this series continues (as of yet a third season and the compilation film that comes with it hasn’t been announced).  But part of me will also wonder if the original December Sky movie, and in effect the first season of Gundam Thunderbolt, should have been all the story that needed to be told from this chapter of the Universal Century saga.

6.5/10