As my introduction to such a legacy franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) is a series I would confidently recommend to any mecha fan that is interested in experiencing where the legendary Gundam all began.

Mobile Suit Gundam follows the story of Amuro Ray, a teenage boy forced to pilot the Gundam (a giant war robot) after he is thrown into the desperate world of war. Despite this intriguing premise, the bulk of Gundam follows a simple Monster of The Week structure that is supplemented by a journey from point A to B. Although this may sound like a structure that would grow stale when spread over 40+ episodes, Gundam is able to avoid this outcome by utilising a diverse range of environments, as well as their respective conditions, while also introducing new and mechanically distinct enemies every episode. We progress from small-scale sky battles at the start of the show, to underwater fights where the Gundam must fight in unfavourable conditions before ending in grand space conflicts where our cast are on the offensive. These small changes ensure that the episdoic mecha fights never feel too similar to the ones before or after it.

Despite all of this, I believe the story of Gundam is not the primary focus of the series but, rather, an element used to highlight and develop the true core: the characters. So how do they hold up? They're okay. Most characters in Gundam are cookie cutter cliches which, although not themselves problematic, are never used or developed well. To elaborate, characters in Gundam are either: (1) not developed sufficiently, like Hayato or Fraw Bow (2) have rushed developments, like Mirai (3) developed to a passable degree, like Kai, Bright or Amuro.

Let’s begin with the positives; Amuro, Bright and Kai undergo a simple character arc. Although the audience is likely to predict the outcomes of their admittedly simple character arcs from the first three episodes, I still find it satisfying to watch them slowly unfold. It’s enjoyable to see Kai learn that his cowardice can lead to others getting harmed or killed and how that motivates him to fight seriously, or how Bright must learn that his personal feelings and jealousy have to be replaced by trust if he wants to grow as a leader and a person. It is always exciting seeing these characters fall into a period of stagnation where they felt they were at their lowest before rising and becoming greater than they were before.

To move onto the weaker characters of Gundam, I think the relationship between Mirai and Sleggar sums up my complaints effectively. My problems with this relationship is not with the reality that it exists (although Bright should have been the one to get the kiss…) but rather the build up to the relationship, or the lack thereof . In the few scenes these two characters share there is never once any indication of any romantic feelings from either party. For example, in Sleggar’s introductory scene he flirts with Mirai prompting her to respond coldly. A few episodes later Sleggar slaps Mirai for being childish on rejecting her fiancé's offer to risk his life for her as he explains she should see the scene for what it is. I can understand if Sleggar treating Mirai as “just a normal girl” rather than “just the daughter of a politician” is the catalyst for Mirai’s feelings towards him but, if this is the case, the Gundam team should have implied this change through Mirai’s actions before she kisses Sleggar. Because of the lack of any build-up Sleggar's final scene with Mirai feels random and strange rather than romantic and moving. Despite this, I am a fan of the one-sided nature of the relationship- I don't believe Sleggar had any feelings towards Mirai -as it helps develop a character who needed development before his death. On the other hand, I think other characters like Fraw Bow and Hayato are less problematic as their issues stem from the incompletion of their character arcs.

Moving onto the animation and style , I think it's great. The animation, music and sound design are good and not so outdated that I think a modern viewer would find it difficult to experience. I'm also a big fan of Gundam's habit of including small scenes and animations, like Sayla annoyingly leaving the bath to prepare for combat or an enemy general asking his lieutenant for more coffee, as they help to humanise and ground the world.

In conclusion, Sayla is the best girl and I'm excited for Zeta Gundam.

3/5 stars