Going into this series I was a complete Gundam novice with no experience in the franchise and knowing pretty much nothing about it beyond it’s overall impact on the mecha genre and anime as a whole. A lot of reception I read about the 0079 show (not the movie trilogy) was very measured and average, with some saying it to be just a decent villain of the week mecha show. Going in not sure what to expect, I have found my self loving this show and I want to explain why I think 0079 specifically deserves a better reputation and to possibly draw in some people to watch the show in it’s entirety.
Starting off with what many see as one of the show’s main drawbacks, especially to newcomers, is the show’s visual style and general animation. One problem that specifically irked me was the frequent use of re-used shots throughout the series. Occasionally these limitations were used well, for example the re-use of the Gundam preparing and ultimately lifting off helped hype me up for upcoming fight (as well as these specific shots having an in-universe reason to look the same). But many other examples were just jarring and took me out of the show’s atmosphere, one shot in particular of Amuro violently swaying back and forth after an attack is used very regularly early in the series and quickly becomes a tiring sight to see, as well as a couple of examples where the shot was used in times where it didn’t seem that the attack was heavy enough to cause Amuro to do that. On a positive note regarding the show’s visuals, some of the scene-setting shots that give us a wide view of a space station or planet can look gorgeous, with drawings seeming incredibly intricate and making the world of Gundam feel incredibly large. The show’s use of colour is also fantastic, explosions and metal clashes pop off the screen and feel incredibly vibrant, some of the best moments coming with a dramatic thought or reveal in which the colour of a character’s gear and face change to a primary colour and really get across the drama and shock of a new turn to the story or change in a character’s motivation. It is true that the visuals of Gundam are very outdated, and even by the standards of the time some of the animation can feel quite stilted, but overall I think the direction and passion from the animators that you can feel in the visceral and sharp ways each scene is drawn help negate these drawbacks.
The plots and sub-plots of the show are typically very good, with character progression feeling natural and earned as well as emotionally resonant in certain scenes. The amount of time you spend with the crew on the White Base and the focus each major character gets really helps draw you in as a viewer, and makes you have very strong-held opinions on the major crew-members. This focus of building up a progressing sense of familiarity also greatly helps with the show's worldbuilding, with the world and it's factions/ideologies feeling more real when these characters express their views on the world and make it feel dynamic with multiple opposing viewpoints on the same conflict.The only exception with the show's focus on characterization1. being Hayato, who never gets any real focus in any episodes leaving him without a character arc and with much weaker characterization than the rest of the cast. There are other downsides to the character writing in occasional sub-plots that miss the mark whether it be due to the age of the show or just confusing writing. I found this to be most prevalent in the character of Sleggar Law, who the show seemed to centre as a moral core in his plotline despite the questionable way he interacted with the crew members. As said previously it was hard to tell whether my values were different because of me being born much after the show’s release or if this sub-plot was always morally confusing.
Gundam’s character design is absolutely excellent, the designs and gear of Char, Amuro and Bright have become iconic in their own right, especially Char’s clothes and mask/helmet. But the way in which Gundam’s character designs excel is not in its main characters, but rather in its background characters. Pretty much every background character in Gundam has their own unique character design that is unlike any other in the series, and this care that is given to all these obscure characters helps accentuate the main theme of Gundam, as it's easy to imagine a bunch random no-names being mercilessly killed in a war, but knowing their names and faces reminds you that every life is unique and precious. This is again helped by the way Gundam handles its background or one-episode characters in the narrative. Many of these characters will be specifically named and have a shallow but established dynamic with a comrade or two, and occasionally even a major character. Despite the fact that many of these characters die off in one episode, they are given these elements of characterization to show that many on both sides of the war are just typical soldiers trying to get through a war, giving the viewer a small amount of empathy for their fate, similar to Amuro’s own feelings when in combat. These small touches help establish that there is a wider world beyond the confines of Amuro Ray and the White Base, and that these characters all lead lives of their own outside our view. Without giving away too many spoilers, the climax of the show is excellent and also very thematically impactful. The show does take a hard turn into a new plotline about three quarters into the show that could leave some viewers feeling surprised and confused at this new development, but said development has enough foreshadowing and thought put into it for it to feel justified and important. The surreal turn and strange places the show head towards really cement the empathetic themes of Gundam, as opposing views are challenged and painfully fought over in some incredibly well animated/directed scenes.
I wanted to write this review because I see 0079 presented by anime fans as an important series in starting a massive franchise but being average in terms of the quality of the show, with many complaints surrounding the show’s age and animation. Obviously, I very much disagree with this viewpoint, I really believe that a fan of modern anime could begin and easily start to enjoy it. Some others label the show as nothing more than an advertisement for toys, although what eventually became of Gundam the franchise is inexplicably linked with the Gunpla craze, it is disengenoius to label the show as a mere toy ad when 95% of anime are "advertisements" for Manga/Light Novels/Visual Novels. This claim also takes away from the passion, effort and genuine feelings that the staff would have put into the series. In conclusion, although it is true 0079 has much importance as a historical series, I think it’s value goes much beyond that as a genuine classic people should watch not because of it’s historicity, but because it’s just an overall great series that is worth your time.
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