Embers (Day 302)

I finished up the original Mobile Suit Gundam series last night after putting it off for awhile. It's definitely dated in a lot of ways, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. Char Aznable is an effective (and often sympathetic) antagonist. I think it's challenging to create a villain that is also relatable in some way. Despite the science fiction setting, the impression was that Char was like any other soldier on one side of a war, fighting for what he believed in. Granted, there were some examples of textbook villainous characters such as Lady Kycilia--but I'm under the impression that there are layers that I don't understand as far as her motives are concerned.

I'm interested to see how Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam continues the storyline. I know already that Amuro and Bright Noa reappear mostly thanks to playing a lot of Super Robot Wars. I'm not sure how many years have passed since the end of Mobile Suit Gundam and the destruction of White Base, but Amuro has grown noticeably older if the artwork from Alpha Gaiden is to be believed. Granted, it could be a case of the art style evolving. Zeta was released a good six years after the original series and the leap in art quality is noticeable. The animation is still very clumsy, but I think this must result from either technological or budgetary limitations of the time.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam tells the story of Kamille Bidan, a teenage Gundam enthusiast who is really sensitive about his feminine name. You'd think if he were sensitive about being confused for a girl, he'd not sport such long hair--but if the initial episode is any indication, he must use it as an excuse to get into fights. Kamille is more than ready to fight anyone who has the audacity to ridicule him. I'm sure he must grow as a person during the story's arc, but for right now he's quite immature.

I know that Kamille is a newtype only because of Alpha Gaiden--it is not revealed during the first episode, although the term is mentioned. In the latter episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam, Newtypes come into prominence. A Newtype is theorized to be a new stage of human evolution, although no hard and fast explanation exists at present. Characters from the original series like Amuro, Char, and Lalah are revealed to be Newtypes, humans that have heightened senses and telepathy. In the case of Lalah, she can actually predict the future. I'm not sure if this continues to be a trend in other Gundam series outside the Universal Century timeline or not. 

I'm probably going to watch a little bit more of Zeta tonight. The art is better and the score seems pretty solid--but I don't like Kamille yet. That's a real bummer too, because he's one of my favorite characters (combat-wise) in Alpha Gaiden. I'm sure he gets better, though.