T5W#248-Top 5 Best Looking Gundam Entries of the 1990’s

One of the more divisive aspects of Gundam Seed (and trust me that is a long list) is the look of the show.  The early to mid 2000’s was the era of Digipaint in Anime, when computers were being used more and more to animate new shows rather than handdrawn animation.  Shows like Gundam Seed, Full Metal Panic, Hellsing and X-1999: The Series were all children of this era and their successes varied between projects.  Gundam Seed looks…ok but it isn’t as spectacular looking as the era of Gundam that preceeded it, the 1990’s, which is also home to some of the more popular entries of the franchise.  On this weeks Top 5 Wednesday, were taking a step back to that decade to talk about the Top 5 Best Looking Gundam Entries of the 1990’s.  We’re not talking about how good these shows or movies are overall, God knows ive done that plenty.  We’re looking at how pretty they look compared to one another and thus made them memorable even if the stories for one or two might’ve been a little lacking.

#5-Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz-Special Edition

I’m choosing the Special Edition, aka the theatrical film version, over the original OVA of Endless Waltz for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, I feel like this is the way Endless Waltz was always meant to be presented, kind of like Macross Plus was originally supposed to be a movie before it got cut down to 4 OVAs.  Secondly, it just looks better.  Sure the OVAs definitely gave Gundam Wing the visual update it really needed.  But the Special Edition feels more polished and complete and even includes important scenes cut from the original presentation.  Plus, OVA or film you cant deny Wing Zero’s first true appearance is still one of the most epic moments in Gundam history.  Might be the best but Endless Waltz is still a gorgeous looking send off to one of the most important chapters in the Gundam saga.

#4-Mobile Suit Gundam F91

Ok, you’re not going to find anyone talking exstensivley about Gundam F91 because it is, at the end of the day, a terrible film and a blemish on the Gundam franchise many want to forget.  HOWEVER, in its defense, I think F91 is at least a really nice looking trainwreck.  I don’t get what the heck is supposed to be going on but at several spots in the movie, particularly the beginning, the animation overtakes its predecessor, Char’s Counterattack, in spades.  It’s one of the reasons I continually wish a remake would one day become a reality.  If the version of Gundam F91 we got was a very bad rough draft that still looked pretty, just imagine what a fully fleshed out and completed production could look like?  God I cant believe I still want this to happen.

#3-Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

08th MS Team was supposed to be a more grounded entry in the Gundam franchise.  I’m sure the pitch was as simple as the second episode title, “Gundams in the Jungle”.  Gundam trades in the sleekness of space combat and shiny space models for getting down and dirty in the jungles of Southeast Asia.  Gundams and other Mobile Suits show a tons of wear and tear even when they’ve received repairs.  And you can definitely feel for the cast being forced to wait in intense environments for battles to begin or end.  Gundam is a scifi series first and foremost.  But 08th MS Team’s animation gave the entry a more real world feel and weight to it, nothing short of brilliant.

#2-Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

In 1988, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack set the standard for large scale Mobile Suit battles in space and, in my honest opinion, few shows have been able to match that majesty.  Sure Gundam F91 might have a slight presentational advantage but 0083 takes both films successes in animation and jumps them to 11.  0083 went for the largest scale battles possible and it shows with hundreds of Mobile Suits clashing in space at once multiple times.  It’s a fast and furious and explosive experience and is still so stunning today.  Truly, the animation factor of Gundam 0083 is one of the few reasons I like this series where other elements of the story failed to live up to expectations.

#1-Turn A Gundam

I bragged about this a lot when I reviewed it last year but DAMN this is how Gundam has always wanted to look.  Though it’s a TV Series, the artstyle of Turn A Gundam makes it feel like a theatrical feature made by Studio Ghibli.  It’s also going for the most unique look of any Gundam entry, even by present day standards, with its out of the box Mobile Suit designs, especially the mustache sporting Turn A.  Yoshiyuki Tomino got a chance to give the franchise he began plenty of love for it’s 20th birthday and, whether the rest of the series compares to this or not, he made Turn A Gundam not just the prettiest Gundam entry of the 1990’s but in the entire franchise, if not the best of the bunch.