War to me is a double edged sword, on one hand for whatever reason your protecting the people in your end of the spectrum but on the other hand the price of that protection means the loss of so many and worst of part or all of your soul. This is one of my favorite anime TV shows and it's my second favorite Gundam show that I personally think it's underrated.
It's true this show doesn't have much action but that's because this show is more of a war drama, which I thought was brilliant and really broke the convention of the mecha sub genre where usually their actioneers. This show also in a way is a presequel since it takes place during the final days of the war in the first "Gundam" series, which makes this twice as brilliant because this to me is an example of a presequel done the right way, most pre sequels make that mistake of trying to hard to explain how this and that happened without any suspense or allowing itself to be it's own story. This show is it's own story because in this show were in the perspective of the opposing side the Zeon. Kind like with Clint Eastwood's film "Letters from Irijima" where we were in the Japaneze perspective, this just goes to show that war is never a one way affair.
Plus the music I think is excellent, mainly the end credit song which is sad but beautiful because it has an emotional sensibility on the reality of war. It's personally one of my favorite songs in anime in general.
The animation I think is great I really like the use of color and detail. From how the mecha are designed really showed how up to date they were becoming as the franchise went on. However it was really the animation on the human characters and the background art of the colony which is impressive, the colony looks like the kind of places that I grew up in which increases the emotion more.
It's the dynamic between both Al and Bernie that really powers this show, it' a very good back and forth almost a big brother and little brother dynamic and both are equally sympathetic.
Al is a slightly relatable character because like him when I was his age, yeah I was into war toys I played with "G.I. Joes" or even those cheap plastic army figures a lot. For me they were just fun toys to play with, however unfortunately for Al it because a bit more as he has misguided desires to be in the war right now and kick some butt.
You sympathize a bit with Al though not completely due to how terribly naive he is. To him working with the Zeon in their covert mission is just a game to him, Al is too caught up in the delusions of the romanticism of war. Which makes him oblivious or completely unaware of the fact the Zeon team is just using him as a tool for a means to an end and after their mission is complete they'll destroy the colony and him with it. However we do see slowly if not entirely surely the truth does sink in and he learns the hard way, war isn't a game. As the casualties and even destruction of everything familiar to him starts to mount, it signifies his childhood ending sooner than he thinks.
However it was the character Bernie that is the most sympathetic. And on a side note for the English Dub he's played by David Hayder whom is most known for the voice of Snake Soild in the "Metal Gear" video game franchise which is cool since their my favorite video games. Personally I feel he's a person that is playing on the wrong team, and you get a lot of depth on him which made me like him all the more and shows how solders are people and have lives; the way he describes his life really made me wonder why the hell did you join at all. His time with Al really makes him remember all the things he left behind and gives him some hope he can get them back.
As we see despite what he's doing he begins to question the ethics of the team he's on, from not just using Al but also just simply the end result. Honestly what would destroying a colony really accomplish, sure it would destroy the new Gundam but also lots of civilians as well. At least when both mechas are in the battlefield it's a fair fight, but destroying the colony isn't a fight at all, it's just plain murder. As well as whether he should try to even destroy the Gundam himself at all, though if you've seen and remember the first Gundam series the Federation was winning so it wouldn't of made a difference whatever it was taken out or not; and also due to the capabilities of the new Gundam you already know from these two facts it's a doomed mission. What Bernie say in the confessional video near the end of the series is emotionally crushing which made me cry, and is something that will haunt you forever.
The show is a mediation on pro and anti war philosophy, as well as questions if we're all living a lie. Despite everyone in that colony living in peace, you also remember the current war going on and the new Gundam they have to maintain the peace. However the fact that this mission and the battles happening in the Coliny and how even though someone in one mecha or another dies, hundreds of unlucky civilians that didn't manage to get out of the way have also died, shows how in times of war it's always the civilians that pay the most.
War is never far from home.
Rating: 4 stars
