Mobile Suit Gundam Movie II

Continuing its epic struggle across the desolate universe, we follow the rag-tag crew of the White Base (a.k.a. the Trojan Horse) as it’s trailed over land, sea and space by the mysterious Char Aznable and his loyal crew of Zeon soldiers. Our hero (if a “hero” truly exists in war) is the talented but emotionally confused Amuro Ray; months of fighting on the front line in his famous Gundam mobile suit have taught him some harsh truths of war- friends can be here today yet gone tomorrow, life is lost at the click of a finger, it’s fragile and insignificant. Amuro is no longer the kid that half heartedly jumped into his mecha all those months ago; if anything, his continued battle for survival has simply hardened his resolve. Protecting his friends is everything.

This second movie in the Mobile Suit Gundam trilogy begins as it eventually concludes, with White Base fighting off near constant volleys from the Zeon military. Naturally, the ship’s outstanding survival rate in the face of certain death precedes it- White Base is now both an emblem of hope for the Earth Federation and an attractive scalp for any ambitious Zeon forces. Its success has even led to its crew, most notably the talented Amuro Ray, being unofficially tagged as fabled “Newtypes”; evolved humans with skill and ingenuity far beyond the average man.

Gone is the teenage whining of the first movie as the White Base crew acclimatise to (and even grow fond of) their military positions. They are now on Earth and looking to rendezvous and regroup at the Earth Federation headquarters- this is the blinding light at the end of this dark and desperate journey, strewn with twisted metal and dead soldiers, they began this mission to protect White Base and sure as hell aren’t going to give it up on a whim.

I can’t believe I ignored everything Gundam for so long; these movies are fantastic! Awe inspiring is a phrase I’d use to describe White Base’s limping across the known universe. Amidst the electric scenes of kinetic mecha combat where literally anything can happen there is a real sense of epic personal struggle about this story and its young cast of likable soldiers. The characters of White Base, who started out as understandably reluctant heroes have grown and changed, like this reviewer, with each battle. Their developing comradely and acceptance of their positions in life is heart warming and brave, if not tinged with a sense of impending tragedy. Mobile Suit Gundam is far more than a study of war, it’s a study of (the many ironies of) human nature; many people join a war to protect their friends and family only to end up killing someone else’s friends and family; by the time we realize the error in our ways, it is inevitably too late.

The animation and character designs range from clunky (the White Base kids look like they have fallen right out of the Flintstones) to beautiful (stylish female characters like Lt. Matilda have a sleek, attractive and timeless aesthetic that seems very rare in modern anime). When the action kicks off, the animation easily matches the ambition and scale of the battles (even if there are a few glaring similarities with Star Wars) by diving in between the smaller dogfights and then cutting back with a birds-eye view of the action.

In Summary

Mobile Suit Gundam Movie II confirms (with flying colours) that the Gundam franchise justly deserves its place within the hall of fame of Japanese animation. It’s so rare to find such a multilayered story that manages to balance valid observations on war while building up a cast of likeable and romantic characters. For a story created in 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam is proving to be a timeless story that is well worth the attention of anyone in need of a harsh coming of age yarn set in motion by sweeping  epic circumstances.