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SUMMARY

It is the year 0087 of the Universal Century timeline. Seven years have passed since the end of the One Year War, and the defeated Principality of Zeon has become nothing more then a ghost of the past. In order to prevent further rebel uprisings from the space colonies similar to that of Zeon’s, the Earth Federation has created an elite task force, the Titans, responsible for crushing Zeon sympathizers and other insurgents.

However, the Titans have become increasingly tyrannical and brutal in their methods, going as far as killing off the entire population of a single colony in order to quell a political demonstration. As a result, the Anti Earth Union Group, or AEUG, was created by those opposed to the Titans in order to put a stop to them and their ruthless ways. As tensions rise between the two groups, it becomes only a matter of time before full-scale war breaks out. 

Enter Kamille Bidan. Kamille is an extremely bright yet moody student living on the Green Noa 1 space colony who doesn’t seem to get along with anyone and has a problem with authorities. After getting into a scuffle with Titan officers stationed on his colony, Kamille responds by stealing one of the Titan’s latest mobile weapons, the Gundam Mk. II, during the confusion caused by an AUEG raid. Kamille decides to leave the colony with the AUEG rebels, and with Gundam in tow, abandons his home and everything he has ever known. 

A grand adventure now lies before him, as Kamille’s involvement in the war between the AEUG and the Titans has only just begun.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Zeta Gundam is a relatively old series, originally airing way back in 1985, so as expected the overall look of the show is old. However, Bandai has done an excellent job cleaning up the video, making it look as sharp and clear as possible.

AUDIO: Available on this disc are the expected English and Japanese audio tracks, both presented in Dolby Digital sound. The two tracks sound excellent and have solid stereo mixes, warranting no complaints.

EDITS: Much to my dismay, the original Japanese openings and ending have been removed and replaced by background music found from within the show. This isn’t Bandai’s fault, as Bandai was unable to license the songs for overseas distribution in the first place, and the musical pieces used as replacements for the openings and ending actually fit very well, but that doesn’t make me any less sad. Otherwise, no other edits were noted.

EXTRAS: By themselves, the individual DVDs contain absolutely no extras. However, as the DVDs are at this time only available with the purchase of the Zeta Gundam series box set, when you buy the box set you not only get the entire Zeta Gundam anime, you also receive 9 mini pencil sharpener figures of various mobile suits from Zeta Gundam, a poster with art done by Tsukasa Kotobuki, and a 48 page Zeta Gundam viewer guide by Gundam-guru Mark Simmons.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: The original creation of Yoshiyuki Tomino, the father of Gundam, and the direct sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam continues the Gundam saga by skipping several years into the future. One of the most revered Gundam series of all time, Zeta Gundam weaves an exciting tale of epic proportions that manages to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. The story itself moves at a brisk pace and in doing so stays fresh and interesting while not alienating the audience. Although the sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam can be viewed by itself as its story is self-contained within the UC timeline and should be easy enough to understand to newcomers to the Gundam franchise.

ACTING: The acting is top notch, with both the English and Japanese casts providing excellent dubs. Although a few of the secondary characters on the English dub sound a bit stilted, they are easily overshadowed by the quality of the voices given to the main characters. 

In particular, I can’t get enough of Tom Edwards as Char Aznable, who makes Char sound as cool as he is. Also worth mentioning is Matthew Erikson, who does a good job of portraying the anime’s protagonist, Kamille Bidan, as he grows and matures throughout the series. 

The Japanese dub is not something to balk at either, as each of the original VAs from Mobile Suit Gundam return to play their roles alongside the VAs for the characters new to Zeta Gundam. The returning VAs know their characters better than anyone else, and combined with the exceptional talents of the VAs new for Zeta Gundam, the Japanese cast provides a first-rate dub.

FAN SERVICE: Char Aznable. Having the Red Comet play a major role in this show should be enough fanservice for anyone, let alone myself. If it isn’t, the fact that Zeta Gundam even made it to America, after what feels like an eternity of delays, should in itself be fanservice. 

If that still isn’t enough, the amount of free swag included with the box set and the thinpak DVD cases that Bandai specifically tailored for the consumer with too little space on his shelf should more than whet your appetite. But if for some reason you still want more, say like a shower scene or two, well than, you get those too. But really, how can anyone be thinking about nudity when there’s Char?!

CONCLUSION:

Here it is. The entire Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam anime series, presented in a limited edition DVD box set that’s filled to the brim with free goodies. It’s been delayed time and time again, yet the show still doesn’t manage to come to America in a completely unedited form. Slap on a price tag of about $200, and the question arises if it’s really worth spending that much money on an anime, particularly Zeta Gundam. My answer: Hell yes. But than, not everyone might find Zeta Gundam to be his or her proverbial cup of tea. In that case, maybe I should elaborate. Does hardcore mech-on-mech action, specifically the kind originating from before 1990, make your blood boil? Do you find yourself excited by character driven stories with the main protagonist being a young male who matures throughout the course of the series? Can you see yourself sitting in front of your television watching 50 episodes of space opera unfold before your eyes? Does the mention of the name Char Aznable make you weak in the knees? If you answered yes to any of those questions, than once again I’ll tell you that, hell yes, Zeta Gundam is worth your money. However, if you just glanced over the above without feeling your interest piqued in the least, than Zeta Gundam probably isn’t for you. But stick around; by review’s end you might find that Zeta Gundam is just what you’ve been looking for.

When Mobile Suit Gundam, the series that first gave birth to the Gundam franchise, originally aired on TV in 1979, it was greeted with below average ratings. It was soon cancelled, but through subsequent reruns Gundam quickly gained popularity, and after the anime was adapted into three movies that were shown in theaters across Japan, it became apparent that Gundam was around to stay. Several years later, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam made its way onto the airwaves and into the homes of the Japanese and instantly became one of the highest rated Gundam series’ ever made, even in comparison to some of the newer Gundam incarnations such as Gundam Wing and Gundam SEED. Zeta Gundam adds on to the initial story started in Mobile Suit Gundam, and although familiar faces like Char Aznable and Amuro Rei make return appearances, a new hero in the form of Kamille Bidan is introduced as well as a new conflict. This allows Zeta Gundam to feel familiar to fans of the original Gundam while still being new and original. 

The story presented in Zeta Gundam is one the series’ major strong points, as it is extremely well written and is very easy to become addicted too. Nothing is straightforward, as new plot twists and developments lie around every corner, keeping the anime entertaining from beginning to end. Something I also greatly appreciated while watching Zeta Gundam was the level of realism and sense of believability present throughout the story. Despite being an anime about giant robots fighting in space, Zeta Gundam feels like it could be a glimpse into our future. There are no bishounen casts, or impractical mechas of Wing and SEED. Zeta pulls no punches with its story and in the process doesn’t dumb itself down in order to appeal to the mass market. This is straightforward science fiction anime at its best, and is easily one of the better shows available to the American anime consumer.

What with Zeta Gundam dating its origin back to 1985, many might be turned off by the overall quality of the animation. However, in comparison to other series’ from back then, as well as a few from today, the actual animation of Zeta Gundam is relatively fluid. Despite it’s old look, Zeta Gundam is still an excellent piece of animation, and those that allow themselves to be turned off just after glancing at Zeta’s art will doing themselves a major disservice. The character designs, done by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, are attractive to say the least and lend themselves well to the feel of the show, and the mechanical designs by Kazumi Fujita and Kunio Okawara are some of the best. The mobile suits seen in Zeta Gundam are intricately detailed and awesome to look at while still managing to seem functional, a very important factor.

The musical score by Shigeaki Saegusa is fittingly epic and covers a wide range of tunes and emotions. From pieces that convey the horrors and desperation of war to more light-hearted melodies that help to develop the budding romances present throughout the series, Zeta Gundam has all of the bases covered. It’s just a shame that the original openings and ending themes weren’t available for the American release.

When all is said and done, there’s no denying that Zeta Gundam is definitely one for the fans. Providing one of the best science fiction stories ever conceived, Zeta Gundam certainly won’t disappoint those that have been eagerly awaiting this release. Since at the time there is no other way to purchase Zeta Gundam legally in America, consumers that are still unsure about putting down $200 for a DVD box set would best find some way to see Zeta Gundam before making a purchase in order to make sure that Zeta Gundam is something worth forking over hard-earned cash for. Despite being an anime masterpiece, $200 is still a lot of money, even for Zeta Gundam.

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