Everything that’s been happening in Zeta Gundam has been building to this epic event and, for the most part, it didn’t disappoint. This set of episodes was basically one big trip down memory lane with a return to a popular Gundam locale and a reunion tour with some very old friends…some who are doing better than others. Needless to say, these were some more excellently paced and overall very awesome episodes to watch.
Let’s start with the old crew of the White Base. Except for Sayla and Mirai, we got to see every White Base crewmember this time around and see what they’ve been up to. Fraw and Hayato got married and adopted Katz, Letz and Kika AND theyre expecting a child of their own. I’m glad that little romance paid off, especially since it was brought in kind of late in the original series. And oh, all the feels hearing those three grown up war orphans call Fraw and Hayato “Mom and Dad.” Hayato’s even leading the charge in the Earth resistance group Karaba and the guys a natural leader, no doubt bolstered by his experiences as a Mobile Suit pilot on White Base. And what about Gundam’s OG hero, Amuro Ray? Well, he’s been under some kind of forced confinement thanks to the Federation fearing his Newtype abilities. Amuro’s changed because of this. He’s hesitant to get back into the action, having had his fill from the One Year War. Is the death of Lalah also weighing him down? That’s always very likely since he accidentally killed her while she was protecting Char. Still, seeing Amuro so indecisive and moping alot didn’t suit the guy. Oh yeah he got in a true moment of badassery crashing a plane into a Mobile Armor and surviving. But I guess Amuro’s still got a bit of growing to do before we see him as the more confident fighter and leader he is in Char’s Counterattack.
Man oh man though, could Char’s reunion with Amuro have been any more epic. They didn’t share as much screentime as I’d hoped, but Amuro isn’t going anywhere yet thankfully. Still, the moment when Char and Amuro laid eyes on each other when Kamille rescued the Gundam pilot was amazing. They didn’t even say much to each other but that whole assortment of mixed feelings and emotions was there. This is probably the first time these two have seen each other since the Battle of A Boa A Qu. Now theyre supposed to fight on the same side with all the baggage between them? As much as I’m enjoying Kamille’s story (more or less), you could do a whole story around Amuro and Char alone and it’d be one of the best entries in all of Gundam. However, Char needs to drop his act already. His insistence that he is Quattro Bajina when everyone including Hayato, Kai and obviously Amuro, all know the truth, is getting really old. I find it ironic that Hayato told Char he’d make a great leader for the Federation considering where Char goes after Zeta Gundam. Char will always be one of the greatest big bads of the Gundam franchise but you’ve gotta admire the man on some level. I’m guessing he will eventually drop the bad false name and step up to a more prominent role in the AEUG before the show is over. Char’s gotta become a second Neo Zeon leader by Char’s Counterattack somehow.
It felt strange returning to Jaburo considering the last time we saw it in Mobile Suit Gundam, it was the prized HQ of the Earth Federation and Zeon wanted nothing more than to take it down anyway it could. Now it was a key base for the Titans and needed to be captured. Just goes to show how different of a series Zeta is from Mobile Suit Gundam and emphasizes how upside down things have become. Oh and the Titans don’t mind blowing it up to get rid of the bulk of the AEUG’s fighting strength…again, cause BAD GUYS. It didn’t make the overall battle any less exciting. Even with the bases defenses minimal, cause it was a trap, it was one of the largest scale fights yet. The reentry battle wasn’t bad either, probably the best of its kind ive seen in all of Gundam. Kamille definitely felt the weight of the chaos and was even bolstered by seeing a poor little monkey tugging at the arm of its parent which had been crushed by a tree before Jerrid blew it up. If that doesn’t incentivize you to go tear up some Mobile Suits I don’t know what will (granted Kamille’s no John Wick…yet.).
Couple other things to go over: this set also saw the intro of Rosamia Baddam, a Cyber Newtype who subscribes to the “Chicken Little” way of thinking aka “THE SKY IS FALLING.” She may be a beautiful bad ass in a Mobile Suit but outside of one, she’s clearly messed up, probably a result of being a Cyber Newtype…cause forcing human evolution rarely ever goes so well. Rosamia managed to survive her multiple clashes with Kamille and Char so I’m sure she’ll be back. While Kamille can still be his impulsive self, he is listening to Char without question more and more and showing some signs of maturity. However, I feel like Katz will end up becoming the successor to his immaturity. Just because you survived the One Year War on White Base doesn’t mean you’re ready to pilot a Gundam. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Katz and his family pushed Amuro back into the fight. Still, I really hope Katz doesn’t become a full blown Kamille 2.0. Oh and Jerrid moment of mention: kicking survivors off of a jam packed Jaburo escape plane just to survive…what a dick.
Having the two generations of Gundam heroes meet was a
real treat and neither cast overshadowed the other, thankfully. Still, looks like Kamille and Char will be
hanging out on Earth for a little bit longer.
I just hope that Amuro can get his head back in the game (maybe that
cute Beltorchika can help with that) and give Kamille some good Gundam/Newtype
pointers before Kamille heads back up to space.
With two of the best pilots in Universal Century history being his
mentors, Kamille’s got no excuse to not be an absolute bad ass by the end of
this series. Next Monday, Mobile Suit
Zeta Gundam continues.
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