Of Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta
This post treads spoiler territory lightly–but we’re talking about ancient television anime, so it’s okay, right?
I’m actually on target to finish a good portion of my Universal Century Gundam backlog by the time I get my full Gundam Unicorn Blu-Ray treatment, and it wouldn’t do any justice to not talk about Mobile Suit Gundam and Gundam Zeta at all in the meanwhile. At the same time I feel that the nature of my viewing doesn’t lend itself to allow me to do justice on any sort of meaningful discussion, because I’m not watching them for the sake of enjoying them first and foremost. So if you disagree with me, you’re probably on to something.
Through the exercise of catching up, I’ve gained a new-found respect for the original Gundam TV series and the movie trilogy. I actually didn’t watch all of the original MSG TV, just parts of it. But despite being dated it was actually interesting. In fact it’s surprising to me that the movie version was not really better than the original series (although it is definitely the sane alternative for someone who just wants to catch up). For a point of comparison, the Turn-A Gundam movies were probably superior than the TV series if just for better cohesion alone.
On the other hand, I can’t really say any of that about Zeta Gundam TV. Not only because I didn’t watch the “New Translation” films, but also I just didn’t think Zeta TV was really what people crack it up to be. In fact I got through Zeta mostly because of Camille and the developing Tomino thematic parallels. I found myself caring less about Char and Amuro, less about the future of spacenoids and the fate of Earth, and less about the whole backstory and references to the 0080 and 0083 OAVs. It just wasn’t as interesting. In fact, I can understand (and agree with) why Tomino did the kill-them-all thing. It makes sense, as the nature of the series became more character-driven than rather idea-driven.
Confession: I almost fist-pumped when a particular MSG character went up in a glorious ball of light. I thought it was a good decision to do it, although the timing might be off.
Confession 2: Why do I care about Camille? Probably he is one of the most intriguing character I’ve seen in anime since…forever? It doesn’t mean I like him however and I still want to punch his whiny guts.
But it is still a great exercise. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. In some ways it made me appreciate Gundam 00 a lot more. Zeta and 00 share a lot of the same flaws, at the very least. It’s crystal clear now that Gundam 00 is a retooled, 21st century, post 9/11 version of Zeta… Too bad it comes from the perspective of a Gundam Wing-appeasing business rather than an animator outfit trying to prove himself and make something revolutionary. Well, to be fair, Zeta pushed pretty hard on the Char-is-your-wet-dream angle too…
I think the key difference is in the politicking. In all honesty, Mobile Suit Gundam and Gundam Zeta are closer to true space operas than most mecha shows. Just like how Battlestar Galatica is, well, not Star Trek Voyager. The narrative construct in which the very same, recycled themes play out between similar, oft-recycled characters differ pretty much only in the context that the viewers perceive them. If we’re told to put on our 9/11 jihad goggles, we’ll see a different world than if we were to look through a Rosy Revolution between dancing beautiful men and women. Or if we were told to perceive the meaning of “sora wo kakeru” as a Sunrise fanservice vehicle versus a mentally stunted, ex-mecha pilot.
Being a guy who enjoys post-shark-jumping anime harems, none of that really bothered me. Rather it came off with a certain charm, like looking at American or German WWII propaganda posters. The narrative in Zeta kept that breakneck Tomino pace and even if I didn’t like one thing, I didn’t have to dwell on it.
During my trek through Zeta, I kept thinking about Maya Okamoto’s Emma. Why? Because it’s sort of amusing that I was able to meet and talk with her years ago, but without this huge swath of fanboy knowledge about the work she has done during the 80s and 90s, and all that Gundam chop. Amusing as in, “man I was an idiot” kind of way.
I’m not so different even now, I guess. And I know having caught up on UC Gundam probably made me a better person, if just a little.
With all that said, I’ll probably excuse myself from ZZ and V for now. Maybe another time.
Gundam and Retail Potato
I mouthed out some nonsense about True Tears, but in reality I was just cheering for joy. I don’t understand why people don’t grasp that the typical anime otaku who would buy True Tears in the first place won’t stand for a DVD unless it’s dirt cheap (ie., a throwaway purchase). That is, once they’ve tasted what that show looks like in HD! And of course, I’d suspect most anime otaku who could afford buying anime (in Japan) in the first place have a PS3 by now.
That said, it wouldn’t be fair to say that every high-def title out there is worth it. We have things like Bakemonogatari, which is more like an OAV since the TV airing was significantly different; it’s a worthy buy but it’s not because of production values per se. We have shows that probably don’t look any different on 1080p than 480p because the production value is too low. And then we have shows that actually look good enough on DVD that a Blu-Ray doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. We also have some upscales. Once you remove all of that you’re left with the shows that truly make a difference on a big screen.
Did I ever mention that Simoun had a high-def broadcast?
Well, no matter. I hope that Gundam Unicorn thing is at least a step in the right direction. Yeah, the price point is no good, but that puts Xam’d’s costs in perspective I say!
Lastly, some Dance in the Vampire Bund music (aff. link) for Momotato. I neglected this title from the last post because the first episode was clearly not enough to make an opinion on the show. I can’t even say if I could make up my mind at all after the second episode, but that is probably not a good sign.
A Last-Minute, Visual Review of 2009
I wasn’t able to squeeze in these “year in review” pictures in my earlier posts, but here they are anyways. These are some screen caps w/ captions that somehow I have kpet around this year. Minor spoilers are present. Enjoy at your own risk. I may have an odd sense of humor, but I believe it’s at least backward compatible!
Why I watch Bakemonogatari in a nutshell.
Year In Review: N-Squared List
Just like last year, I guess some things have not changed. This could be a reference.
True Tears for Fears
Two little Bandai Visual tidbits:
1. People whines about Kurokami’s reverse-importation schtiks. Do you care about Kurokami? Most people don’t. Which is why this nonsense continues, IMO. If it was a top selling title then I seriously doubt Bandai USA would let the Japanese have their way. Which is to say all this righteous indigination, while sensible, is not really worth much in dollars. Most of these high quality releases are for those old-timer otaku, who are generally not a force to be reckoned with or a voice to be heard nowadays. Plus, far most people watch dubs. I guess this is what happens when the Bandai Visual USA thing failed–they have to resort to some other way to pacify fears! But the whining is awfully reminiscent of the people who complained that BVUSA titles were too expensive. Of course, the true villains are those Japanese execs who are afraid of reverse importation. It happens, sure, but just how much does it hurt? I don’t know.
All bets are off when it comes to Gundam Unicorn, namely because of its profile and it being one of a kind in terms of release format. [By the way, Gundam Unicorn Japanese BD will have English dub and subs]
2. True Tears Blu-Ray box is pre-order only, and it is made only after a x number of units have been preordered. Given this special case, you can preorder it only from Bandai Visual directly. And you have to pay in advance! If the prerequisite unit of preorders (2000+) is not reached by the time the preorder deadline has past (November 10 to December 16), then that’s all folks…probably. You can find the website here. Note, they obviously do not allow oversea orders (since their payment methods are kind of limiting and they say they don’t ship out of country), so get a proxy if that’s what you want to do. As mentioned elsewhere, it’ll come with additional animation and bonus material.
At least you know Nagare-san is happy about it! That is one very BD Hiromi right there.
