Hmmmm…how best to being this one? Well, the subtitle, “A New Translation,” finally lived up to its namesake here. The epic finale of the Zeta 20th Anniversary project recaptured much of the powerful emotional impacts that came along with all the action. In the process, it also delivered us an ending that could take a while to discuss cause it’s both the most memorable and questionable decision of the whole New Translation saga. Guess I’ll cover everything else and work my way there.
Love is the Pulse of the Stars makes the bold choice of keeping all of the action in Space. This means that the amazing Kilimonjaro and Dakar battles, the death of Four and the moments that made me weep for Char’s lost positive future and him being the best speech giver in history are all gone. Instead we keep the focus on the three way struggle between the AEUG, Scirocco and Haman Kahn as they try to outplay and outmaneuver each other in the constantly changing landscape across the stars. There are a lot of moving parts here but it isn’t hard to follow: the AEUG are the good guys and Haman and Scirocco are trying to seize power while using each other, simple. Much like the TV Series, Haman shines not just as a sinister beauty but also as one of the most confident and menacing women in all of Gundam. No wonder I’m looking forward to what she has planned as the central villain of Gundam ZZ. And yes, her newly animated form looks as sexy as ever too.
While covering the last 18 episodes of the Zeta series, I cant help but think of one nagging feeling: missed opportunity. Were it not for all the old animated segments, Yoshiyuki Tomino could’ve done a full blown update or reworking of several character arcs that weren’t so well defined on the show. Reccoa Londes defection and betrayal of her allies feels comes first time mind. Her reasons for doing this are still jumbled and confusing as heck. And what about Jerid? Not that his arc needed tweeking but he’s barely in the movie, showing up basically at the end just to die by Kamille’s hand. Come on, Jerid’s one of the most consistently entertaining parts of Zeta, use him and his arrogant face. And then there’s Katz and Sarah. Easily the weakest area of Zeta as a whole, these two could have been written stronger and made more likeable. There was time for all of this and more considering we not only jettisoned the Rosamia arc but also all of Char’s character growth on Earth…which is dumb because seeing him being a total Boss at Dakar and sort of making peace with Amuro Ray was a thing of beauty, something that made me feel so bad for where Char goes from Zeta. No, instead Katz and Sarah remain the weakest link and Katz’s death still doesn’t feel the least bit sad…mostly cause his death isn’t by an enemies hand but because he didn’t watch the freaking road. I could go more into this but we’ve got something more important to talk about with this final film.
Guess we should just go ahead and talk about the ending…it’s a happy one…for Kamille anyway. He doesn’t get brain fried and he gets an emotional reunion with Fa. How do I feel about this? Well on the one hand, yeah Kamille deserved a happy ending after all the crap he went through in Zeta Gundam. Even though a few of those tragic experiences were shortened or excised altogether in the film trilogy, Kamille still endures the most trauma of any character in the story. But then again, his TV Series fate is legendary and a reminder that the good guys don’t always win in the end. It keeps in tone with the overall bleakness of the Zeta TV series and while somber, it is one of the most memorable parts of its legacy. Granted, Tomino directed both versions of Zeta so this was his call. Maybe he wanted to show he's lightened up since his “Kill em All” days…and yet everyone else still bites it. So yeah, much like the other films, the new happy ending is both the best and not best parts of the movies, both sides have merit, so I’ll say it’s just a matter I wont come down on hard either way.
HOWEVER…the happy ending does open up a whole new can of worms. No, the “New Translation” films are not cannon and there are no plans for a follow up or any new versions of subsequent Gundam tales. But think about it though: if Kamille survives the end of Zeta intact, is there any need for Judau Ashita and his friends in Gundam ZZ? Do they still show up and Judau becomes Kamille’s protegee like Kamille was to Char? Do Kamille and Haman continue their rivalry into the First Neo Zeon War? And what about Char’s Counterattack? How would Kamille react to Char’s decision to destroy the Earth? Would he side with him or join Amuro and Bright in the Londo Bell to resist him? You know it’s kind of good that Zeta Gundam: A New Translation is just this one trilogy of films…cause I don’t know if my mind could handle an alternate Universal Century timeline spinning off from this.
Anyway, back to the rest of the finale movie. Overall, it’s better than the second chapter but not as good as the first. I think Heirs to the Stars flowed better even with material cut from it. Love is the Pulse of the Stars tries to hang onto the important lessons and messages from the series and does in some regard. But in the end, this is an all out action packed finale with small, peaceful moments just there to nudge us from one big set piece to the next. At least the new animation is put to its best use here, with much of the finale at Gryps 2 being given the best 2006 facelift. Plus, in doing so we get an extended ending where we get to check in with the White Base crew one more time and see Haman planning her next moves towards the First Neo Zeon War. I do wish the entire trilogy had picked a lane with the animation and that lane had been the 2005-06 way, cause all of those sequences had my favorite moments from this entire watch.
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars (jeez what a title) closes out the saga of Zeta with a weirdly optimistic note despite including the shows more apocalyptic moments. Whether you like the changed fate of Kamille Bidan or not, there’s no denying that this film at least captures all of the epic action of the Zeta finale perfectly. With a tighter focus on the three main factions and an emphasis on action, it flows better as a movie than Lovers did. It might not match the majesty of the original Mobile Suit Gundam Compilation Trilogy. As far as love letters to Anime of yesteryear go…Zeta could’ve done worse. But this wasn’t a bad experience at all…strange sure…but not bad.
7/10
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