Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

7 years have passed since the events of the original MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM and the battles lines have shifted once again. Yesterdays heroes are today's oppressors as the once heroic Earth Federation has degenerated into a nearly fascist ruling party whose iron law is upheld by the "Titans", an elite task-force created to quell any form of possible insurrection. Opposing them is "A.E.U.G", formed by a number of ex-ZEON members including the legendary Char Aznable, a secret group of freedom fighters slowly gaining support and power among the colonies. Enter the brash and hot headed Kamille Bidan who, during the events of an A.E.U.G attempt to capture some experimental mobile suits, lands up piloting the newly developed Gundam MK2. A series of tragedies occur which forces Kamille, who already harbors a dislike for the Titans and the Federation, and his friends to join up with the A.E.U.G as they make their way to earth.

What struck me about this series was how the various players in the war were portrayed. Instead of going for a morally ambiguous stand and make each side seem "good" in their own way, this show is quick to bring out the "ugly face" of each side, ally or enemy; it is either you root for the devil or the demon. Even the heroes do some morally questionable things over the course of the story, but it all plays into some very well thought out character development.

This series focuses more strongly on its main character of Kamille Bidan,his point-of-view and how me meets the various different characters as the story advances. Kamille starts off as, quite honestly, a self-centered brat with an identity crisis and a dysfunctional family relationship. But his development over the course of the series is heart warming and emotionally engaging as he matures and is given a crash course in "growing up" and being a responsible soldier. I would not spoil anything here, but let us just say that the poor kid experiences quite a good number of deaths, especially involving some people close to him.

How the characters react to their situations are realistically logical, in a style that one would expect from any real life person thrust into that situation, and lead up well into their subsequent actions, be it a subtle change of attitude or even defecting to the other side. From the inner turmoil of Kamille Bidan, to the crazed obsession of Jared Messa. to Quattro Bajena's loss of faith in his leadership capabilities. All of them are equally compelling.

The story moves along at an excellent pace with enough twists to keep you coming back for more. It may start off a little slow for the first few episodes, mainly just to get all our main cast into place, but manages to pick up after that. The episodes never seem to drag and the intrigue just keeps building especially after the introduction of the cyber newtypes and "Axis Zeon".

Created in 1985, Zeta Gundam's animation is actually quite good for its time. It can hold up to many anime series up to those in the late 1990s thanks to its detailed artwork. The director does use a number of stock footage and repeated scenes especially in battles, but he does it in such a way that it is never really obvious the scenes are re-used. Little things like using a stock footage in mirror-image or re-coloring the background of a stock footage or even playing with the speed of the animation all helps to "mask" the re-used scenes and animation. A very shrewd bit of directing there that allows the animation to look great while saving on cost. In fact, one can argue that the style of the art and animation here lends a very "gritty" look to the show that goes well with its darker storyline. Thanks to that, the action in Zeta Gundam is intense and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Some psycho-babble about newtypes and psychic powers near the latest parts of the series may tend to seem "far removed" from the otherwise realistic feel of Gundam, but that is my only gripe here.

Personally I enjoyed MOBILE SUIT ZETA GUNDAM very much. With animation beyond its time, a dark but highly engaging story and an emotionally identifiable cast with strong characterization, it is no wonder many long time Gundam fans regard MOBILE SUIT ZETA GUNDAM as the best Gundam series ever. Totally Beats the crud out of any other modern Gundam series.

Following the original series, the Earth Federation has appointed an elite force of soldiers to make sure there are no more one year wars. However, this new force, known as the Titans-is corrupt, and is suppressing the space colonies. In order to oppose them, the AEUG(Anti-Earth United Group) is formed, with Char Anzable as one of it's leaders(Although he's under an alias). In addition, the original White Base crew-mostly under house arrest due to their possible influence-are also secretly backing the organization. However, the returning characters aren't the focus of the show, it's the new ones. Camille Vidan is the new Gundam pilot, and is definitey more aggressive than the original series's Amuro-it's hard to think of a single episode in which Camille isn't beating someone else up or getting beat up himself. Camille's love interests, although similar to Amuro's from the original, are interesting characters, and aspiring ace Jerid Mesa is thankfully not a copy of Char. A lot of the Titans are pretty despicable villains, as well. The mecha designs are pretty nice, incorporating a lot of wires into their design. The animation is pretty good, considering this was made on a television budget in 1985, and much better than Gundam Wing, which was made over decade later. Overall, perhaps one of the best Gundam series. Hurry up and import this thing!

Z Gundam is an excellent Gundam series, and considered among fans to be the best and most serious. Unlike Gundam Wing or G Gundam (which debuted on Cartoon Network) this one takes place in the same "universe" as the original Gundam (which was also on Cartoon Network for a time). It is 8 years after the war against Zeon, but during this time, the Earth Federation has become corrupt. In fear of other Zeon-like uprisings, they create a police force known as the Titans. However, the Titans are mere bullies, and the law doesn't apply to them (think the Nazi SS during WWII). A rebel faction, the Anti-Earth Union Group(AEUG) are the good guys in this series.

Among the AEUG is ace pilot Quatro Bagina, (who is really a disguised Char Aznable, villain from the original Gundam), and 17-year old Camille Vidan, who is the main character of this series. Camille is a powerful Newtype, and what happens to him and his family in the first few episodes will prove to you how dark this show is. Even Amuro Ray returns and plays a big role in Z Gundam. The best part? ZZ Gundam, which has a whole new set of characters and takes place one day after Z Gundam ends, begins.

When I first saw Zeta Gundam at Fry's I had already heard good things about it. I bought it because I'm a huge gundam fan and expected a lot from it. What I saw surpassed my expectations.

Bad stuff the is that at times it will be confusing to those who haven't seen the original gundam and have only watched Gundam SEED G Gundam, and Gundam Wing. The animations more then 20 years but who cares it still holds up. The English voice actors suck as well.

Good stuff it has a great storyline, excellent characters, awesome mecha designs, great pacing, and some of the best action sequences. The music is also very catchy. If your a long time gundam fan you should buy this series. You won't be disappointed.

After the success and popularity of the original "Mobile Suit Gundam", it was going to be a tall task to deliver a follow up that stood up to it's predecessor. I tell you not only did they create something that was as good as the original, but better in many ways.

"Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam" is the second installment in the franchise but stands alone as a more gritty, dark, and emotional experience that is rarely seen in the often shiny and bright mech genre. The gut-wrenching and horrifying realities of war was something only touched on occasionally in the original series, here it is something that dominates the landscape from start to finish. It really causes pain to watch new and old characters go through the ordeals they do in these 50 episodes. The show is, in a word, depressing.

The quality and depth of characters in this installment rivals any other Anime series while the artwork is dated, it still holds up well. The mechs featured are all pretty awesome and make up some of the best battles of the franchise, giving the viewer plenty of that sweet, sweet, 'splosion porn. The storyline is the best the franchise has offered and the voice acting is top-notch as well. Sub vs. Dub is a win/win, while the English cast is good- the Japanese cast is great with many, if not all, the previous actors reprising their roles from the first series.

The one downside of this show is it might actually be TOO dark at times. The amount of loss and pain experienced might be too much for the average mech fan. There were moments in this show that actually made me tear up. I own this entire series on DVD, but it grows dusty on my shelf because it's 50 miles of bad road and not something I am eager to experience again.

This is a must-watch for all Gundam fans, not so much for the plot points, but for the experience and ordeal you go through. If nothing else, you respect this franchise a lot more after watching Zeta. Cheers!