T5W#192-Top 5 Favorite Gundam Evolve Shorts

Back at the beginning of March, I reviewed the CG Anime compilation collection, Gundam Evolve.  It pretty much hit me as I was about a quarter of the way through the 15 episode marathon the a Top 5 Best Episodes list was a no brainer.  After all, Evolve gave us digitized look backs at a little over 20 years of Gundam mythology (from Mobile Suit Gundam through Gundam Seed, though a few series are omitted for reasons I don’t know or might understand).  Cant be much more straightforward than that, these are my Top 5 Gundam Evolve Shorts.

#5-Episode 12: RMS-099 Rick Dias

There are four shorts alone dedicated to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (seriously I know it’s a popular series but come on, what about 0080, 08th MS Team or Victory?  There should’ve been a 1 short per series rule), but this is the best of that bunch.  The premise finds Quattaro Bajeena (aka Char Aznable) running a simulation in his Rick Dias.  His opponent for this session: a computer simulated Char Aznable himself.  That’s right, it’s Char vs. Char in this trippy headgame experience that proves Char might’ve been better handling Gundam Wing’s Zero System better than Heero or Zechs.

#4-Episode 1: RX-78-2 Gundam

Of the 15 shorts in Gundam Evolve, this premiere is the only one to feature any handdrawn animation.  Which is a shame because I wished I could have seen more of a mix in this anthology.  There isn’t too much in the way of new footage, just Amuro sitting in the Gundam conflict waiting to be launched into the Battle of A Boa a Qu, aka the last battle of the One Year War.  As he sits, we get treated to a montage of the original series’ greatest hits.  All the battles and their victories, losses and participants are highlighted in a very moving tribute to the series that started it all.

#3-Episode 4: RX-78 GP03 Dendrobium

I have a few complaints about Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 but few of them are in the mecha department.  One I did have there was that the GP03 never got a chance to sortie without the massive armory it flew around with during its short time on screen.  This short fixes that by showing us a test run of the Dendrobium prior to the arrival of the Albion.  Not only does it look like the GP03 handles like a dream, but its doomed test pilot, Defrah Kar, is kind of a bad ass and doesn’t require the GPO3’s extensive arsenal to handle Zeon remnants.  Why couldn’t 0083 have had her as the main character?  She’s so much better than Uraki ever was or ever will be.

#2-Episode 14: Rekka Musha Gundam

SD Gundam shorts can be hit or miss but this is a hit. The Super Deformed character designs, especially on the smaller ones meant to be kids are so damn adorable awwwww.  This is one of those instances where Gundam can step back from the doom and gloom and have some fun with an outrageous premise: the Samurai like Rekka Musha must stop Mazaku who has stolen the Scroll of Light and he gets some help from some eager young Gundam Warrior fans along the way.  It’s cute, it’s fun, it def deserves a spot on this anthology and this list.

#1-Episode 8: GAT-X105 Strike Gundam

Can your Gundam do Kung Fu and dodge bullets?  Well im sure Domon Kasshu and the God Gundam can but somehow in the Cosmic Era, there’s a mystery pilot who can make the Strike Gundam do the same.  Episode 8 boasts the best use of the CG animation that dominates Gundam Evolve.  It really does feel like we’re watching The Matrix if Neo could pilot a Gundam.  The Strike’s enemies stand no chance as they’re laid to waste by this pilot who Kira Yamato wishes he was.  Truly, this short made me look bewildered and go “whoa”.