Kidou Senshi Gundam, being one of the oldest franchises in the anime industry, is frequently overlooked by a lot of anime viewers, especially new ones who are getting into anime, as they don't want to watch it because of how wide the franchise is or they don't know where to start from, which is understandable, but just jump in to a series which catches your attention loll as I believe the Gundam franchise is one of the best out there for people who like SciFi, Space, Robots, Wars, and Politics!
Fans who have been following GUNDAM for a long time were overjoyed to hear that it was returning, and after it released its prologue, we all kinda knew what to expect from the GUNDAM franchise, but GUNDAM took all of us by surprise by announcing that it will be based on a school setting this time around. So I'm bringing this up because I believe a lot of people are confused about why this had a school setting that is polar opposites to what we saw in the PROLUGE. So here's some context, so I believe yall remember how there was a week's delay before for episode 7 so instead of the episode we got the full version of the opening and there was also a special programme held in which we had VA's of both Suelltea(Ichinose Kana) and Miorine(Lynn) participating where it was mentioned that it was due to attract new people/help people to get into the gundam franchise as the duel school setting is popular these days which really worked considering the views on YouTube,the number of fanarts we received and how it trended #1 in Japan every Sunday (not #1 globally), but it was in the trending section, but was that really the main reason why people decided to watch this anime? I'd say NO, not because it was set in a school, but because it revolved around two female characters and, most importantly its YURI. So not really in the way they wanted to but they primiarly achieved their objective.
That's enough of my rambling, Ig loll
Moving on to the anime, as I've already stated, this is not your typical Gundam series, but what distinguishes it from others is how the Gundams are portrayed in this anime; in most cases, Gundams are meant to be saviours/heroes to the people of the world, but that is not the case in this world, so this anime already gives itself a foundation to build upon but completely fails in capitalising on it and yeah it is just as you guessed it's beacuse of the duel-school setting and they comepletely make a mockery out of the word duel here. The anime goes to great lengths to demonstrate the corruption of this world, even having anyone manipulate the duel behind the scenes, so you get a sense of how important power is in this world which wasn't really needed. The first few episodes are so duel-centered that they serve as convenient plot devies to solve any problems the characters encounter, which doesn't really help in building a connection/dynamics between the characters. Speaking of duels, it reminds me of the duel wielding coucil or whatever they are, they usually have a lot of power in this school, which I'm very upset about because it makes the other events less effective because it is so focused on duels and Suletta, they don't put much effort into developing other characters, making them far less engaging to the audience than the MC's. To summarise, the anime is constrained by stupid typical academy tropes and gags.
With that said, it's not all about duels because we have all the political stuff, conflict between the companies, mind games against each other, and space-eathian war stuff going on in the background, so it's really interesting to see where this goes, and it's also the part that I'm most concerned about. Now that the seeds have been planted, I'm curious how they will handle it, as the shocking revelations and developments could have a much greater impact, but they may feel rushed, which could really ruin the potential that these setups have. So I would have preferred that they focus on the major plot points rather than the stupid school tropes because we have a lot of unknowns or vagueness. However, this also allows the audience to do a lot of theory crafting, which Gundam excels at because it keeps them anticipating/interested, resulting in a lot of discussions, which promotes the anime and keeps the community engaged, which is always a plus. So, depending on how the second cour handles things, this anime could drastically change, so it's a double-edged sword, so I really hope the buildup of this cour pays off.
When it comes to gundam fights, the most important aspects are the Gundam designs and the power system employed by the anime, both of which I must say I find extremely impressive. Talking about the Gudam designs, they look so clean and detailed, and I love the colours that represent each of the companies that made them, but the most important thing is the number of weapons they have equipped in a single machine that is insane, which allows them to have a variety of battle situations and allows the animators to use their creativity in the fights in various ways. But one thing that stands out in this anime is the use of Gund-bits because they have multiple uses. Not having those or having those might decide your victory in battles for the most part, but it's not guaranteed that you'll win, so it builds up a good suspense for the fights so we can expect the unexpected.
In terms of power system, it is kinda similar to the Alaya - Vijnana system from IBO. So, what makes these systems so unique? It allows people to pilot Gundams as if they were themselves, with powers based on both their emotions and physical condition, causing them to fight as a unit rather than the person piloting it as a tool to meet their demands, as well as building an emotional relationship between the pilot and the machine, which creates a lot of tension in the battles and opens up many possibilities for how they can go either way. As a result, I find systems like these quite impressive, as a machine responding to the pilot's emotions can have an emotional impact if used correctly. The power system of this anime is also at the centre of why this anime exists, which also adds a lot of weight to my previously stated point about why gundams are despised in this anime.
The main issue with most Gundam animes is the production quality, which doesn't always hold up or is inconsistent at times, resulting in a delay of episodes. Keep in mind that this one was not delayed due to production issues loll. This looked too good right from the Prolouge, which was one of the best anime to air last year in terms of visuals. It had everything, including music, animation, voice acting, colour choices, sound designs, cinematography, character acting and expressions, and how well the fight scenes were directed, complimenting the scenarios in a wonderful manner so let's hope the production quality remains the same!
Nevertheless, watching Episode 12(Everything went so well that I couldn't help but be disappointed that they didn't start with their usual style :sighs:) reminded me of why I enjoy Gundam anime, and it was most likely a glimpse of what we can expect in the upcoming season. What Gundam does best is have the perfect pacing probably the best I've seen the epsiode starts off with a lot a lot of things happening all around at a normal pace and before you know it things get so intense that you don't have time to catch a breather or take your eyes off the screen lmfaoo at least that's how it feels to me and of course it's not possible if there are a lot of things missing which I stated in the above paragraph, Gundam expertly depicts the calm before the storm metaphor.
Spoilers ahead because I'm going to talk about the post-credit scene
I've heard people complain about how suletta is perfectly fine with killing, but I find it perfectly natural. If you read my previous review of Lycoreco, I mentioned how Chisato would've been a different character if words were used wisely. Suletta exemplifies what chisato could've been because she is literally brainwashed by her mother and the word If you move forward, you gain two has such a large impact on her that it is at the centre of her actions, so squashing the man like an inscet had no effect on her because she was able to save Mio Mio by doing so, she loses sight of everything once she decides something, for better or worse.
Miorine, standing there, is more surprised/shocked/terrified by her smile than by the fact that she killed a person like any other normal person would, and the visual shots are similar to those seen in the final scenes of the first episode, and I loved it because of the colour representation of how bright it was in that first episode to how dark it has become. Now I'm more concerned about their relationship than I am about the rest of the show because that is what made it so enjoyable for me, and with this scene, they have a solid substance to help their relationship bloom in the best way possible.
If you ask me how things will turn out, I hope they don't drag it out too long considering the kind of person Miorine is. She was quite shocked because it was her first time experiencing something as distressing as this, but we have seen that she didn't overreact like we see in many other animes, and I believe that once she grasps the situation they are in, she will accept Suleta for who she is and save her from her messed up thinking!
Finally, we still don't know who the series' antagonist will be, which makes me eager for the second season, which feels so far away. Until then, goodbye.
