CLXXXV: "Mobile Suit Gundam"

Ah, I say this name often, partly because it's one of the mecha series I tend to live for. After covering other Gundam titles, I guess it feels only right to review the franchise origin: Mobile Suit Gundam. It is here where the titular white titan made its debut, spanning other series with the namesake machine.

The timeline here is known as the Universal Century. People have migrated to space colonies that had conditions fit for human living, monitored by the governing Earth Federation, who served a role similar to the United Nations. Independent from Earth Federation was the Republic of Zeon, located on Side 3. However, following the death of the founding leader, Zeon Zum Daikun, they called themselves the Principality of Zeon, and after amassing their guard force into an all-out military, utilizing machinery piloted by man, the term of them being called "Mobile Suits". Featuring that mass of power, Zeon soon declared war on the Earth Federation in order to declare their independence, sparking an atrocious conflict graved into history as the One Year War. The story begins 8 months after the conflict's beginning, and both sides were at a stalemate.

In the year U.C. 0079, the war was still on stalemate status, until the Zeon Army caught wind of intel regarding Project V, in which the Earth Federation Special Forces were having their own mobile suits, one of which that could play a huge part in the war. Picking them up was the newly developed warship White Base, known to their foes as the Trojan Horse. Under orders by Zeon ace pilot, Lt. Commander Char "Red Comet" Aznable, a reconnaissance team was sent to investigate the colony of Side 7. However, one of the members jumped the gun, ignoring orders and opening fire on the place, hoping to disrupt Project V.  Side 7 civilian Amuro Ray stumbles upon one of the mobile suits. He then awakens the white mobile suit, called the RX-78. The name given to it was: GUNDAM. After dispatching the foes, he, along with other refugees, make an unlikely crew to serve as the E.F.S.F. flagship, led by Ensign-turned-Captain Bright Noa, with Amuro piloting Gundam. Through many conflicts and losses, it not only stood as the starting point of Amuro's military career, but it also brought forth the knowledge of Newtype pilots, and sparked a longtime rivalry with Char.

Initially intended to be longer, Mobile Suit Gundam ran for 43 episodes on TV, spotted on the likes of Cartoon Network's Toonami block. It was created in the Sunrise studio, with Bandai Entertainment licensing the animation. As such, the merchandise was also licensed by them, among which are model kits, clothing, and games (which are now under the Namco Bandai Games label.) There are also compilation films, which changed some features here and there to set it slightly apart from the anime. Nobody would expect that Gundam would become this big, as it lacked a fanbase before Bandai received the license. It's fame would erupt to a multi-title franchise we know of today, which is currently continuing with the young Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. Brad Swaile (who did other roles like Rock of Black Lagoon) voices Amuro Ray in the dub, with Char Aznable voiced by Michael Kopsa (who also voiced Commander Volcott O'Huey of the Galaxy Angel metaseries.)

Mobile Suit Gundam is a doubtless classic to what has become a common name in anime to this very day. Maybe that's saying too much, but this anime has its place in history, and in my book, scores a 9 of 10. Long live Gundam.