Anime DVD

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985) gets increasingly complicated, as Amuro Ray and Char Azanable from the first Gundam series appear. The confrontation between the rebel forces of the A.E.U.G. (Anti-Earth Union Group) and the power-hungry paramilitary Titans becomes a triangle of competing powers when a relict Zeon force arrives on the scene, led by Haman Karn, who is determined to restore the Zabi family to power. The storyline gets even more tangled as Kamille Bidan uses his Newtype powers to establish psychic bonds not only with his girlfriend Fa Yuiry, but with Sarah, Four, Reccoa, Emma, and Rosammy. These links feel repetitious, as do the metal-hand-to-metal-hand duels between Kamille’s Zeta Gundam and the enemy Mobile Suits that occur in every episode. There’s little sense of a broad story arc, and at this early phase of anime, the filmmakers were still learning how to write credible female characters. Fa comes across as a twit along the lines of Minmei in Robotech, and she’s saddled with two thoroughly obnoxious orphans. Zeta Gundam lacks the depth of characterization that made 08 MS Team memorable and the CG-assisted space battles in Gundam Seed and other recent installments. But for viewers interested in following the development of the popular and long-running Gundam franchise, it’s must viewing. (Rated 13 and older: violence, violence against women, nudity, alcohol use) –Charles Solomon

In Zeta Gundam, the sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, the Universal Century world is locked into an escalating conflict. While the AEUG resistance group strives to convince the world of the justice of its cause, the brutal Titans continue to suppress dissent through violence and fear. Now the struggle enters a new phase as a powerful third force enters the battlefield, and the AEUG and Titans race to enlist the support of the mysterious Axis renegades. Confronted with his past, Char Aznable at last decides to embrace his role as leader of the AEUG. But his choice may have come too late, for the Titans have completed their most terrible and devastating weapon.

The follow-up to the popular Gundam Seed (2002), Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny (2004) takes place two years later, in year 73 of the Cosmic Era. Hot-headed Shin Asuka, whose family was killed during the previous war, becomes the pilot of the Impulse, the latest and most complex Gundam, which assembles itself in midair. Athrun Zala, the hero of Gundam Seed, has given up combat duty, but by the end of Episode #5, he’s back where he belongs: in the cockpit of the aptly named Gundam Savior. The conflict between the Naturals and the genetically enhanced Coordinators remains the underlying cause of the political conflicts. Renegade Coordinators disturb the orbit of the asteroid Junius 7, positioning it to strike the Earth. Shin, Athrun and other Mobile Suit pilots destroy as much of Junius as they can, saving the world from complete destruction. But the enormous devastation precipitates a declaration of war from the Earth Alliance against ZAFT and the satellite worlds of the PLANTs. Characters and mecha from Gundam Seed join the new cast in a complicated series of political and military maneuvers, highlighted by the rip-roaring Mobile Suit battles. Director Mitsuo Fukuda skillfully blends CG and traditional animation to give the fights in space, under water, and on land their maximum pizzazz. The endless flashbacks and the clips from Gundam Seed occupy so much time that when Shin and the ZAFT forces find the secret biological lab where children were mutated into the cyborg pilots Sting, Auel, and Stella, it feels like an afterthought, rather than the climax of the first half of the story. Gundam Seed Destiny reflects contemporary political issue more clearly than any other entry in the long-running Gundam continuity. The revolt of the indigenous people of Western Eurasia against the Earth Alliance Forces; the mounting chorus to purge Coordinators from “our pure and blue world;” and ZAFT Chairman Durandal’s lengthy denunciation of defense contractors who foment wars to increase profits have a disquietingly familiar ring. (Rated 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, minor risqué humor, alcohol use) –Charles Solomon (1. Angry Eyes, 2. Those Who Call for War, Those Who Call for War, 3. Warning Shots, 4. Stardust Battlefield, 5. Scars that Won’t Heal, 6. The End of the World, 7. Land of Confusion, 8. Junction, 9. Bared Fangs, 10. A Father’s Spell, 11. The Chosen Path, 12. Blood in the Water, 13. Resurrected Wings, 14. Flight to Tomorrow, 15. Return to the Battlefield, 16. Struggle in the Indian Ocean, 17. The Soldier’s Life, 18. Attack the Lohengrin, 19. The Hidden Truth, 20. Past, 21. Wandering Eyes, 22. Sword of the Blue Skies, 23. The Shadows of War, 24. Differing Views, 25. The Place of Sin, 26. The Promise)

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 01/13/2009

Although the subsequent television series, theatrical features, novelizations, manga, and merchandise have made it one of the most popular properties in film history, Yoshiyuki Tomino’s landmark mecha series Kido Senshi Gundam (Mobile Suit Gundam) was not a success when it aired in Japan in 1979. But when the series was recut with new animation into three theatrical features in 1981 and 1982, it connected with audiences, sparking a craze that climaxed with near-riots in Japanese toy stores over Gundam merchandise. Inspired by George Lucas’s Star Wars trilogy, George Pal’s Destination Moon, and the films of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu, Tomino set out to create a universe that would enable him to go beyond the standard duels and battles to explore politics, mysticism, ecology, and social prejudices. The robots in earlier science fiction adventures were generally remote-controlled machines owned by boys who treated them almost like pets. Beginning with the Mobile Suit RX-78, the Gundam robots resembled outsized space suits that could function as one-man space ships. Kunio Okawara’s anthropomorphic designs blended the flamboyance of traditional samurai armor with high-tech angularity. The eye-catching results added to the visual power of Tomino’s well-choreographed sword fights and wrestling matches on Earth and in space. The Gundam features ushered in a new era of mecha adventures–and anime fandom: decades later, their influence can be seen in countless other animated sci-fi epics. This collection belongs in the library of every serious anime fan. Rated 13 Up: Brief nudity, minor profanity, and violence. –Charles Solomon –Amazon.com

Amuro Ray finds himself caught up in the war between the Earth Federation and the Principality of
Zeon. He unwillingly becomes the pilot of a prototype Mobile Suit called the Gundam. Now he and the
crew of the White Base will have to fight for their very lives as the enemy attempts to destroy this new
weapon at all costs. Combatants will face triumph and turmoil as they battle their way through space to
get to their final destination on Earth. The outcome of the war lies in the hands of the Newtype in the
anime series that started it all.