Anime DVD

While Heero and Quatre wage their battles on the ground, the other Gundam pilots remain in space. Duo must take the offensive while piloting an incomplete Gundam Deathscythe into battle. Back on Earth, Zechs continues his crusade to destroy the Romefeller’s Mobile Dolls. The Treize Faction faces near destruction at the hands of the Romefeller Foundation, while Heero must head alone towards the battlefield and with him, the destructive power of a new Gundam is leashed… DVD features: Interactive menus, Dolby Digital audio, bilingual format (Japanese/English) with English subtitles, extras – character/Gundam information. As seen on the Cartoon Network! Hit series backed by extensive licensing – including Toys and models by Bandai!

The Alliance is still reeling with the failure of their attack on the plants. Meanwhile, in Orb, Cagalli battles against allying with the Earth Alliance, but her words fall on deaf ears. On the PLANT’s Athrun wonders what his next course of action should be, and spends some time with some old friends. Things deteriorate quickly, and the Minerva leaves Orb, in international waters, Yuna orders the Orb navy to attack them. Meanwhile, a group of Coordinator commandos comes to Orb and infiltrates the house where Kira, Lacus, and the others are staying. Their target: Lacus. Enraged, Kira boards the Freedom for the first time since the war. Sequel to the blockbuster hit Gundam SEED. Characters by Hisashi Hirai. Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Mecha.

Gundam Wing (1995-96), a 49-part series in the Alternate Universe continuity, scored a hit in the U.S. when it aired on the Cartoon Network. In the year 195 A.C. (After Colony), much of humanity has emigrated to orbiting Space Colonies; those who remained on Earth are governed by the oppressive United Earth Sphere Alliance. But the real power is wielded by the sinister Romefeller Foundation, whose directors plot to control Earth and the Colonies through their puppet military entity OZ, led by Zechs Marquise and Treize Khushrenada. Five teenage pilots in Gundam mecha suits strike at Earth, hoping to aid the rebel Colonists: sullen Heero Yuy, happy-go-lucky Duo Maxwell, former circus acrobat Trowa Barton, sensitive Quatre Raberba, and icy WuFei Chang. The convoluted story line pits the Romefeller Foundation, the rebellious “Treize Faction” of OZ, the Gundam Pilots, and royal pacifist Relena Peacecraft against each other. But it’s primarily a battle between the adherents of a samurai-style code of honor and the soulless adherents of realpolitik. When the Romefeller Foundation begins manufacturing Mobile Dolls (pilotless battle robots), the Gundam pilots, Zechs, and Treize object, not because they can make the Foundation all-powerful, but because they will deprive human warriors of the singular emotions experienced through heroism in battle.

The uninitiated may have trouble following the plot: strange revelations abound (e.g., Relena discovers Zechs is her long-lost brother) and characters disappear for a dozen or more episodes, only to return when a deus ex machina is needed. But Gundam fans aren’t interested in tightly woven story lines or credible character arcs, and Gundam Wing delivers plenty of battles between the splendidly designed robots. It’s a classic confrontation between good guys with invincible weapons and soulless bad guys who can’t hit the broad side of a robot. (Rated 13 and older: occasional profanity, robot vs. robot violence) –Charles Solomon

The latest installment in this popular franchise, Gundam Seed (2002) resembles a reworking of Yoshiyuki Tomino’s original Mobile Suit Gundam (1979). Kira Yamoto accidentally becomes a mecha pilot when he stumbles onto the top secret GAT-X105 Strike Gundam during an attack on his home satellite-colony, Heliopolis. The Earth Alliance and ZAFT, the fighting arm of the genetically enhanced humans known as Coordinators, are at war. Heliopolis is caught between them. Kira is a Coordinator, which explains his ability to pilot the Strike and reprogram its OS with no training. All the elements of a solid Gundam story are in place, including a reluctant hero, a masked enemy general, and an old friend who tests Kira’s loyalty. Mitsuo Kukada uses CG to choreograph some very snazzy mecha battles, in space and on the surface of Heliopolis. Released in Japan 25 years after the initial series, Seed introduces a new generation of viewers to the Gundam universe. However, the series is set in the Cosmic Era, rather than the previously explored “Gunda Saga” timeframe or the “Alternate Universe.” (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor profanity) –Charles Solomon

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 08/10/2004 Run time: 125 minutes

In the first three episodes of this 13-part original animation video first released in January 1996, Lieutenant Shiro Amada comes to Earth to lead a Mobile Suit unit in the war with Zeon. He quickly establishes himself as a likable, enthusiastic officer who believes his first duty is to ensure the safety of the soldiers he commands. As his company includes tough-as-nails Sergeant Karen Joshua, spaced-out Corporal Eledore Massis, “jinxed” Sergeant Terry Sanders Jr., and anxious Corporal Michel Ninorich, Shiro has his work cut out for him. Unlike the stoic pilots of the Gundam Wing series, Shiro is excitable, kind, and often funny–which makes him an appealing character. Little is seen of the Zeon enemy, except for the aristocratic Aina Sahalin, whom Shiro meets in an impromptu space battle. Directors Takeyuki Kanda and Umanosuke Iida handle their characters’ maneuvers through a sea of space junk much more skillfully than Don Bluth did in Titan A.E.. The bulk of the fighting takes place in lush tropical jungles, whose varied green palette provides an effective backdrop for the angular red-and-white Mobile Suits. Gundam: The 08th MS Team is set in 0079 UC (Universal Century), within the main Gundam continuity: the popular Gundam Wing series takes place in an alternate universe that uses the AC (After Colony) dating system. Rated 13 and up: violence, profanity, brief nudity. –Charles Solomon

Universal Century 0079. Federation commander, Shiro Amada has now assumed control of his unit, the 08th MS Team. Their first missions have not been easy, and they don’t look to be getting any easier. On their third mission, the 08th MS team encounters a new enemy Mobile Armor, the experimental Apsalus. After engaging it in battle, they return to base. Meanwhile, the Apsalus has been forced to land to make emergency repairs. And the Zeon have taken over the local village. A village where some of the 08th MS Team are heading for some R&R. Now, they lie in wait in the desert for the enemy Mobile Armor to make another appearance. It’s a long wait, and with one of their team injured, it’s going to be a rough road.

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 03/22/2005 Run time: 125 minutes

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 11/03/2009

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 04/06/2010 Run time: 175 minutes

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 12/14/2004

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.