The first Z Gundam movie is titled Heirs to the Stars

In 2005 the 50 episode Z Gundam television series from 1985 was compiled into a movie trilogy titled Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation. I grabbed the DVD set when I saw it on Amazon.com but waited to watch them until my surround sound system was working. It was worth the wait! The movies use dolby 5.1 surround and, together with the full-screen animation, make for an awesome cinematic experience.

The movies were really cool and a lot of fun to watch. They’re a real treat for Gundam fans already familiar with Z Gundam. However, I have a hard time recommending them to people who haven’t already seen the Z Gundam episodes.

The movies mix old, remastered animation from the TV series together with new animation. The new animation is both lush and brilliant. Mobile suits and ships come alive in a way I didn’t know was possible. Battle scenes in space take on new dimensions and captivate the viewer. Details of mobile suit mechanisms (like transformation) are demonstrated proving the animators cared about the material with which they were working – and the fans as well. New animation also showed viewers interesting day-to-day details of life aboard space ships. Details like navigating corridors in zero gravity and the devices provided for crew members to live more efficiently in space were added to the movies. My only complaint is the jarring difference at times between old and new animation. The difference in quality becomes more noticeable when the scenes are mixed together so thoroughly. Although I learned to accept it I doubt new viewers would be so forgiving.

The second Z Gundam movie is titled Lovers

Compressing around 21 hours into three feature films meant many things had to be cut. Sub plots, lighter moments and scenes detailing relationships between characters had to go. For a longtime Gundam fan that isn’t a problem but for someone new to Z Gundam it could give wrong impressions. I wouldn’t doubt that a westerner who knew nothing about Gundam, after seeing these three movies, would think Z Gundam is light on plot and character development. Also, the relentless pace of action scenes, although incredible to see in the movies, can tire a person out. That’s why I wouldn’t show the Z Gundam movies to someone not already familiar with UC Gundam.

One thing that was interesting to see was the emphasis in the movies on the relationship between Emma Sheen and Captain Henken. The original TV series didn’t give enough time to this character relationship and the death of Captain Henken at the end suffers as a result. The movies take time in several scenes to show not only Henken’s pursuit of Emma’s affections but also Emma’s grudging acceptance. This makes Henken’s sacrifice towards the end of the story more moving.

The third Z Gundam movie is titled Love is the Pulse of the Stars

The movies show a radically different ending for Camille Bidan, Z Gundam’s main character. The TV series ends with him suffering so much trauma that he’s a mental vegetable. After 20 years the creators decided to give Z Gundam’s dedicated hero a happy ending with his love and childhood friend, Fa. Although I’m usually a purist on details of plot and theme, I found myself accepting this change easily. After 20 years Camille deserves a break.

Important characters from Z Gundam.

Every mecha fan eventually reaches a point where he (or she) contemplates Tomino’s classic sci-fi anime shows. The potent concoctions of drama and tragedy mixed with epic casts of characters and intricate political maneuvers draw so many of us. After the roller coaster ride is finished we’re left wondering what to make of it all. Why did Camille Bidan, after so heroically defending his friends, have to end up as a vegetable at the end of Zeta Gundam? Why did everyone – I mean everyone – have to die in Dunbine and Ideon? This article is one mecha fan’s attempt to explain what Tomino may have been trying to get across to his viewers. Although what follows is the speculation of a fan from the wrong side of the Pacific Ocean I don’t believe that themes in anime are impossible for non-Japanese to understand. I’ll need to discuss some ideas from Japanese culture but what anime fan isn’t also a student of Japanese culture?

Characters from Legendary God Giant Ideon.

There’s Only One Tomino

First let me clarify what I mean by “classic” Tomino sci-fi anime. Tomino Toshiyuki is a name well-known to most anime fans. He has been involved in a great many anime projects since he began his career in 1964. Mecha fans remember him best for his many science-fiction anime shows. To this day, many fans in North America call him “Mr. Gundam” for his brilliant work on the first several Gundam anime shows. During the 70s and 80s Tomino produced and/or directed a lot of science-fiction anime for television. His trademark during that period of his career were shows with large casts, intricate political situations and bleak stories where the heroes battled against superior forces to save the lives of countless civilians. These stories so often ended in tragedy for characters the audience had grown to love that some Tomino fans call it his “kill ‘em all heyday.”

Despite the harsh stories he told the anime from Tomino’s classic period remain popular today. The Gundam franchise is constantly trying to recapture the magic of Zeta Gundam. Toys and models from Mobile Suit Gundam, Dunbine and Ideon still sell well today – decades after the shows finished their runs on television. With so many obvious similarities between these classic sci-fi shows it’s easy to discern Tomino’s classic style. But why did Tomino adopt that style? Why did he tell such bleak stories? Why did he want us to learn the details of the complicated relationships between so many characters? Why so many factions that created such nuanced politics in shows that were targeted primarily at younger boys? Above all, why did we have to see such tragic deaths after tuning in to the heroes’ fortunes for 50 episodes?

This clip shows the death of King Foizan, Elle’s father.

A Japanese Idea
Tomino wanted to stress the importance of a very Japanese idea: community. By community I mean the values that hold a large group of people, a society, together. Unity, concern for others, self restraint, cooperation – these are the values that lay at the heart of classic Tomino anime. This may seem like a rather abstract set of ideas but they tie together neatly when you consider the fact that the Japanese hold these as traditional values. The Japanese language has many words that mean types of relationships between people (both individuals and groups). Several of these words specifically refer to harmonious social relationships. Words like these in everyday use make this concept more concrete to Japanese people. It was a Japanese audience that Tomino was writing for. In the 70s and 80s not much anime was officially exported from Japan so the animation studios weren’t thinking about how their shows would play for international audiences. A lot of anime of that time stressed the importance to boys of learning these values but Tomino wanted to show what happened when a society lost sight of these lessons.

It Takes a Village to Tell a Story
A large cast of characters is necessary for demonstrating these themes. Unlike a lot of the stories we see, Tomino wasn’t concerned with a character learning to value his or her own circle of family and friends. In order to deal with the issues affecting a society a story needs to show a decent sampling of that society. Tomino’s classic anime featured a group of heroes that helped the audience get a handle on things. However, unlike most anime, Tomino showed us a really large number of characters. The heroes had brothers, parents, friends, etc. Also, a lot of time was spent on the villains so that the viewer was seeing both sides of the conflict. Not only that, but the villains’ family members, friends and acquaintances were also brought into the story. As the story progresses the audience sees how events affect everyone. This stresses the idea that no one is an island. Every decision, every action sends out waves that are felt by everyone. A small cast of characters would make it impossible to see this.

Characters from Mobile Suit Gundam.

Shades of Gray

Western fans have praised Tomino for avoiding the simplicity of good vs. evil in his tales. They point to examples like Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) and say that there are no heroes or villains, only shades of gray. As enticing as this sounds it is untrue. Tomino anime had heroes and villains but he didn’t represent them in simple lights. Mobile Suit Gundam is a good example of this. The Principality of Zeon was murdering whole colonies full of people, dropping those colonies on Earth to create disasters that killed countless civilians and using nuclear weapons in battle. They were villains. The Earth Federation was working to stop these atrocities so the Federation were the heroes of the story. To his credit, Tomino showed us Zeon’s desire for freedom from the Federation’s oppressive government so the situation was not as simple as black and white. Still, the story had heroes and villains.

In classic Tomino anime it’s important to see what makes people villainous or heroic. The Zabis, the ruling family of Zeon, by declaring Zeon an archduchy  were returning to a medieval model for society that placed them squarely on top. They placed their own desires before those of the people of Zeon. In their ruthless military tactics they killed many thousands of people without a care and harmed Earth’s natural environment. In their propaganda they declared spacenoids innately superior to people living on Earth. What made Zeon evil was they disregarded the good of other people in their race for their own selfish desires. They were working against the values of unity, cooperation and self-restraint. Zeon’s evil manifested in the fighting that occurred within Zeon’s ranks. Kishiria and Gihren, both members of the Zabi family and leaders in the military, hated each other and wasted resources and lives in their struggle to be on top. Char worked from within to assassinate Zeon’s leadership so he could get revenge on the Zabi family for killing his father. The Federation didn’t have infighting like this. Tomino was showing us the severe disunity within Zeon to emphasize their evil nature.

Camille’s final battle in Z Gundam episode 50.

The Federation’s government, although not nearly as bad as Zeon’s government, also disregarded the values of community. The Federation saw those living on Earth as a kind of elite that deserved a better life. The Federation found it easy to ignore the needs of people living in space colonies. The One Year War of Mobile Suit Gundam was a terrible ordeal for humanity but it wasn’t all Zeon’s fault. The Federation and Zeon shared fault for the situation. The heroes aboard the White Base didn’t want to extend the Federation’s superiority. They fought because Zeon’s evil clearly needed to be stopped. The White Base’s crew were mostly from space colonies and were heroes because they wanted to see society return to a proper balance where those on Earth and in space received equal treatment.

Keep It Together
Tomino was constantly using disunity to make clear who the villains were. In Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985) the AEUG held together well but the villains were an uneasy alliance of the Jupiter fleet, Axis, the Federation and the Titans. Haman Kahn, Paptimus Scirocco and Basque Ohm, each a leader of one of the villainous factions, worked together but were constantly looking for their chances to backstab each other. Aura Battler Dunbine (1983) showed a tight alliance of heroes but terrible discord among the villains. Neal Givens, Elle Hammu and Queen Lapana, leaders of the resistance, cared deeply for each other and never flagged in their loyalty. Drake Luft, King Bishott and Shot Weapon, leaders in Drake’s invading army, were all planning treachery against each other.

Characters from Aura Battler Dunbine.

A Death in the Family
The many tragic deaths of well-loved characters in classic Tomino anime happened for a reason. The tragedies that occurred on both sides of the conflicts we saw in Tomino’s stories brought home the consequences of ignoring the values of community. Tomino was trying to tell us that, ultimately, the results of turning our backs on our community and pleasing our own desires is the loss of loved ones. All people have many bonds with others. Siblings, parents, children, relatives, friends, coworkers – all suffer when someone dies. Each of the characters we see die in Tomino anime had those connections. The conflicts that resulted from people losing sight of the importance of others lead to many losses. The most heart-rending of these on-screen tragedies was probably the conclusion of Legendary Giant-God Ideon (1980). In the grand battle that tears through the Terrans and Buff Clan we see children killed by soldiers as they try to seize control of the Solo Ship. Tomino didn’t pull any punches.

Powers of the Mind
The final point to discuss is the mind powers that showed up in many classic Tomino anime shows. Aura Battler Dunbine (1983) had aura power, Mobile Suit Gundam and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam had newtype abilities. Legendary Giant-God Ideon had the Id. Other shows had mind powers by other names. Tomino used mind powers in his classic anime to emphasize the grief that ensues when people forget their connection to society. In the anime, mind powers were a newly discovered phenomenon that allowed people to better connect with others. Newtype ability and aura power allowed people to sense others at great distances. It allowed insight into the emotions felt by others. These new abilities offered the promise of a new era. An age where people would have additional tools to help them understand each other. An age where it was harder for less outgoing people to be ignored. Sadly, in the anime stories where these mind powers surface people find ways of using them for war. Aura powers helped aura battlers move more quickly and win in battle so people with these abilities were recruited as pilots and sent to fight. Initially, newtype abilities helped people piloting mobile suits avoid enemy fire. Advanced technology let newtypes control sophisticated weapons like remote weapons (bits and funnels). People began to fear newtypes and what should have been a boon to society was instead used to tear it apart with distrust and more destructive fighting.

An Enduring Legacy
The popularity of Tomino’s classic science-fiction anime stories will endure for many years to come. The thoughtfulness he poured into his carefully constructed stories show through so well that their appeal spans the world. Understanding the themes he wanted to impart to his viewers helps us understand why he used the techniques he did. The next time you encounter a fan that scratches his or her head over some of the details of Tomino’s classic style perhaps you can help them to see what Tomino was probably getting at. If my speculations have missed the mark or if you have something to add feel free to leave a comment and speak your mind. I’d like to thank the Austin Otaku for valuable help in writing this piece.

Knights follow Shio as he pilots the Sirbine on his way to attack the Black Knight's fortress

The Tale of Neo Byston Well (1988) is a 3 episode OAV that takes place 700 years after the events of Aura Battler Dunbine (1983). This time the story takes place entirely in Byston Well as no one has access to the Aura Road that was used so much in the first Dunbine story. I first heard about the Dunbine OAV when I was a teenager and have been waiting many years to see it. My enthusiasm was dampened somewhat when I saw that the subtitles, prepared by a group called Freebird, were truly awful. English wasn’t even their second language. My limited understanding of Japanese helped me make sense of the awkward subtitles well enough to feel like I wasn’t missing much of what was being said.

The Tale of Neo Byston Well is one of those OAVs that suffered from a limited budget. The story, although quite different in nature from Aura Battler Dunbine, was interesting and the artwork was very good. The lack of budget showed in the quality of animation. Many scenes consisted of still images being moved slowly across the screen. It wasn’t annoying so much as sad. Mechanical designs as good as the Sirbine and new Zwarth deserve better treatment.

Shio and Remuru, the two main characters of the story. The Fiorene Silky Mau sits on Shio's shoulder.

Neo Byston Well took a very different look at Byston Well than the first Dunbine story in 1983. Aura Battler Dunbine showed us complicated human politics in a fantasy setting with medieval technology. The world of Byston Well was changing as new technology was slowly being worked into human society. The Dunbine OAV takes us to the Byston Well of 700 years later. The new technology that was being integrated 700 years earlier has been forgotten and human society has even lost much of the medieval technology it had before. Neo Byston Well has a strong fantasy feel. Humans scrounge most of what they have and wonder at the mysteries left behind by the people of past ages. The two aura battlers seen in the OAV reflect this fantasy feel with a more ornate and organic look. This time, the aura battlers look like they were hand-crafted by wealthy courts rather than pulled off of an assembly line like in the Dunbine TV series. Since aura battlers were always constructed from the body parts of the immense wild animals of Byston Well, the OAV style actually looks more appropriate than the style of the TV series.

The aura battler Sirbine appears to be a descendant of the Dunbine.

In the midst of this later age, a warlord called the Black Knight has the only functioning aura battler, a new model Zwarth, and is working to expand his domain.  When he attacks the small city of Baran-Baran in an attempt to steal their rumored treasure he makes an enemy of Shio. Shio is a sort of far-ranging hunter scavenger who becomes a warrior when he sees that the Black Knight has captured Princess Remuru and decimated Shio’s favorite trading post. Before long Shio discovers that the treasure hidden in Baran-Baran is a second aura battler, the Sirbine. With the help of a fiorene named Silky Mau, Shio takes the fight to the Black Knight. During a siege of the Black Knight’s fortress by Shio’s new army we discover that a mysterious figure who has been supplying the Black Knight with advanced technology is a cursed character from the first Dunbine story who plans to use ancient missiles to open the Aura Road.

Although the animation quality suffers and the subtitles are poor I still enjoyed The Tale of Neo Byston Well. The character and mecha designs were inspired. The artwork for settings and creatures was top-notch. Although quite different, the new look at Byston Well increased its appeal for me. This OAV is only available via download but it’s worth it for those who have seen the Dunbine TV series.

Captain Harlock

Now that I’ve finally completed all 113 episodes of Galaxy Express 999 (1978) I can understand creator Leiji Matsumoto’s ideal of heroism. Matsumoto anime has been entertaining audiences for thirty years now and I can understand the appeal. Matsumoto’s stories are full of strong heroes fighting against impossible odds but that’s not the whole of the stories’ appeal. Matsumoto is a person who tries to get to the bottom of the concept of heroism. What motivates a hero? What does a hero give up when he faces evil?

Hoshino Tetsuro, hero of Galaxy Express 999

Most of Matsumoto’s heroes are lonely, quiet souls who wander the stars tirelessly carrying out their vows to help those in need. Although these stories have a timeless appeal Tetsuro, the hero of Galaxy Express 999, shows us a different kind of hero that helps us see Matsumoto’s true ideals of heroism.

Every hero needs a villain but a hero that holds to his ideals for a lifetime needs more. A lasting hero needs a rugged frontier – a place where danger is the order of the day and people in need are numerous. Matsumoto grew up watching American Westerns on Japanese television. Wild west themes are constantly cropping up in all of Matsumoto’s science-fiction adventures but the cowboy hats and six shooters aren’t the only thing Matsumoto borrowed from the genre. Matsumoto understood that the stories he took in as a youth took place in a wild frontier. A less civilized place where society’s order was difficult to enforce and strong-willed people could have their way. Matsumoto decided space would be that frontier for his stories. Whether it’s Galaxy Express 999, Captain Harlock or any other Matsumoto science-fiction story space is where adventure is to be found.

Young Tetsuro soon learns that only the tough survive the 999′s journey through a vast and lawless frontier that lies between the few civilized planets of the galaxies. Forged in the furnace of mankind’s last frontier, Tetsuro develops into a hero that can stand tall next to Captain Harlock and others. But a ten year old boy such as Tetsuro could never hold his own in any kind of fight with Captain Harlock. If the ability to mop the floor with enemy troops doesn’t make one a hero what does?

For Matsumoto, the two qualities every hero must possess are compassion and determination. Determination enables a hero to develop the qualities needed to save others. Compassion is necessary to motivate a hero.

Thoughout the episodes of Galaxy Express 999 we see how misguided people can become if they fail to develop both of Matsumoto’s cardinal virtues. Those who have determination but lack compassion become tyrants. Pursuing their dreams without concern for others makes them into dictators that oppress whole planets or schemers that travel between the stars ruining people’s lives. Those with compassion but without determination are sacrificed thoughlessly by tyrants or manipulated by schemers. Though their hearts may be right, people who lack determination can never attain their dreams and have to watch as their lives go nowhere.

Captain Harlock didn’t start out as an unstoppable warrior. He was a man with compassion in his heart who saw others suffering. His determination allowed him to set his mind on gaining the skills needed to become the person other people needed – a warrior. His great determination allowed him to develop great skill in combat, stategy, leadership and all the other qualities he brought to bear on the Mazones and other villains.

Hoshino Tetsuro from Galaxy Express 999 may seem like a different sort of person than Captain Harlock but to Matsumoto he was equally a hero. Tetsuro had a big heart and simply couldn’t stand still when he saw people suffering. Constantly throughout the show Maetel is telling Tetsuro to mind his own business and stay out of trouble but Tetsuro doesn’t listen. He just can’t ignore people in need. Tetsuro discovers during his journey between the stars that the determination needed to stand up to evil was in his heart. Although a boy of only ten years he acquires a warrior’s pistol and uses it fearlessly along with his wits. His courage never falters in the face of danger. He stands by those who need him and always finds the solution needed to save the day.

It isn’t being tough that defeats evil. It isn’t a desire for adventure that leads people to bravery. Compassion for others and the determination to never give in makes a person into a hero. That’s what Matsumoto was really trying to say in his stories. It’s a lesson I hope we all take to heart.

The main characters of Galaxy Express 999

Galaxy Express 999 ran from September 1978 to April 1981 and comprises 113 episodes. It is based on Leiji Matsumoto’s manga of the same name that ran in Shonen King from January 1977 to November 1981. Many consider Galaxy Express 999 to be Matsumoto’s greatest work (though I prefer Captain Harlock).

The story takes place in a future very different from our own. Hoshino Tetsuro is a ten year old boy born into a very poor family. Earth society has statified into the rich who take on mechanical bodies and live in high-tech cities surrounded by comforts and the poor who must remain in their flesh-and-blood bodies and eke out a miserable living in vast, sprawling slums. One of the primary modes of transport between planets in this future world are high-tech space ships that are built to resemble trains of past eras. The most famous of these is the Galaxy Express 999 which resembles a steam locomotive from the 1800′s. The poor people of many planets believe that the Galaxy Express will take passengers to a planet far away in the Adromeda Galaxy where mechanical bodies are free. A mechanical body is a passport to the upper levels of society and a better life. However, tickets for the 999 (commonly called “the Three Nine”) are very expensive.

Tetsuro’s loses his father to the extreme physical labor so many poor men are expected to carry out to feed their families. Tetsuro’s mother decides to take him to work in the city near the 999′s station so they can work to pay for their tickets on the legendary space train. On the way to the city tragedy strikes when Count Mecha, a rich and powerful man who hunts poor people for sport, kills Tetsuro’s mother. In his attempt to escape Count Mecha’s hunting party, Tetsuro is aided by a mysterious woman dressed all in black named Maetel. Maetel offers Tetsuro a free pass for the 999 if he agrees to travel with her. Resolving to get a mechanical body and live a long, happy life for his mother’s sake, Tetsuro agrees. Thus begins the long journey through space that forever changes Testuro.

The 113 episodes of the show tell the story of this journey between Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy and Promethium in the Andromeda Galaxy. Although only ten years old, Tetsuro has the qualities a person needs to complete the dangerous and wondrous journey. Tetsuro learns many lessons that shape his character and prepare him for the nasty surprise awaiting him on Promethium.

I enjoyed Galaxy Express 999 and will show it to my two boys when they’re a little older. However, I hesitate to recommend it to many of the mecha fans I know because it isn’t the sort of science-fiction show that Westerners expect. Matsumoto places very little emphasis on technology and details in his stories. His science-fiction tales swing awfully close to the fantasy genre with their anachronistic technology, lack of detail on technologies pivotal to the story, and his capacity to take all sorts of cultural practices from bygone eras and shove them into high-tech futures. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Galaxy Express 999.

We see a distant future where technology has advanced to the point where humans have colonized countless planets and found ways to transfer themselves to mechanical bodies that enable them to live well beyond a thousand years. Yet in this future setting people travel between planets and stars mainly by way of “space trains”. These trains resemble old Earth trains in every detail. The seating is the same as commuter trains in modern Japan. Many planets have cities that exactly resemble Japanese cities of the 1970′s. Other planets have high-tech, futuristic cities while many more have cities that perfectly resemble American cities from the early 1800′s. It makes for a truly odd galactic society but Matsumoto doesn’t sweat the details.

Matsumoto is a sentimental sort of person who wants to express certain themes and when story details or futuristic technology gets in his way he doesn’t hesitate to jettison them. Although ignoring the details of technologies vital to a story (like how space flight works when the characters are constantly travelling between planets) is usually a hallmark of a bad science-fiction writer, Mastumoto’s characters are so appealing and his stories so compelling that I’m ready to put up with some silliness to enjoy the story. Japanese audiences seem willing to do the same but Western audiences rarely agree.

Galaxy Express 999 has 47 hours and 5 minutes of running time altogether. With all that time one can tell a complicated story but instead Matsumoto tells the story very slowly. The plot develops in small ways once every 12 episodes or so. Tetsuro’s long journey through space is used as a platform for Matsumoto to communicate his views on life. In each episode the 999 arrives at a station on a new planet and Tetsuro is faced with a different place. Each planet has a unique culture with its own problems. Tetsuro visits a planet where the economy has fallen apart and everyone begs for food. Tetsuro contemplates the value of hard work and how it imparts dignity to those who engage in it. Another planet shows Tetsuro a society where everyone obsesses about being the best in their profession and work so much that they lose sight of everything else. Tetsuro muses on how hard work must be balanced with leisure time and directed towards the proper goals. Hard work should help others and enrich one’s life. It should never consume a person’s every waking moment and shut them off from friends and family.

The main idea that connects these stories is Matsumoto’s desire to ask “What makes us human?” and “What really makes our lives better?” In humanity’s push to adopt mechanical bodies people seem to have forgotten the value of having a real flesh-and-blood body that is a part of the natural world. Almost endless life spans give people so much time to waste that they lose sight of what’s important. Tetsuro has many opportunities to consider whether or not he really wants a mechanical body and if a 2,000 year life span is really necessary to accomplish his dreams. Those who are concerned about too much philosophizing need not fear. The episodes have plenty of action and comedy to keep a viewer interested.

One problem with Galaxy Express 999′s lack of science-fiction details is difficult to overlook, however. The inconsistencies with how mechanical bodies are handled makes the central idea of the show suffer. In the first handful of episodes people with mechanical bodies are shown as looking very mechanical. They look like human-shaped robots with dials and bolts showing. Soon after and for most of the show, we see mechanical bodies that look so much like normal human bodies that Tetsuro is surprised to discover that people he’s met have mechanical bodies. Once Tetsuro reaches Planet Promethium mechanical bodies once again look very mechanical. Towards the beginning of the show Tetsuro slowly learns that mechanical bodies ultimately make people unhappy and have bad influences on their character. Later, Tetsuro meets good people who prove that mechanical bodies don’t have to have a negative influence on a person. But when he reaches Promethium it is once again demonstrated that mechanical bodies dramatically lower a person’s quality of life.  Matsumoto’s main theme gets damaged by these inconsistencies.

Although the 2-part episode that wraps up the show leaves a lot of questions unanswered it did resolve many of the most important plot points. It’s easy for me to see why the manga and the television show it created became such a phenomenon in anime. Galaxy Express 999 has spawned many movies, OAVs and television shows. From the beginning until the most recent anime (2007) is a thirty year span. Not many anime franchises have that much staying power. Although it took 47 hours and 5 mintues of my time, I enjoyed Galaxy Express 999 and hope that other English-speakers discover this anime gem as I have.

The blog AltJapan has reported on a momentous find for mecha fans. Anime fan Roger Harkavy has discovered a box that belonged to Imai Company that contains artwork from Artmic Studio. The box contained black and white production drawings for Genesis Climber Mospeada and Super Dimensions Cavalry Southern Cross.  He has made the file available to mecha fans everywhere.  AltJapan has the full report. You will certainly want to download the PDF and take a look at the designs that almost made it into Mospeada. I was fascinated by the rare look into the show Southern Cross was originally meant to be.

Promotional poster outside the mall.

From October 19th through the 27th in Bangkok, Thailand a large Gundam exhibition was held in the Siam Paragon shopping mall to celebrate Gundam’s 30th anniversary. My father was on the scene to take photos. I wish I could have been there!

The RX-78-2 Gundam helps promote the event.

Gundam 00 and Gundam Unicorn were well-promoted.

A nice exhibit near the entrance gave people an overview of the Gundam anime over the years.

A huge model from Gundam 00 was on display.

It's nice to see cosplayers. However, I find it disturbing that girls look better than guys when cosplaying as the heroes of Gundam 00. Kind of says something about our latest crop of Gundam main characters, eh?

Another cosplayer poses for photos.

Gundam models were on display in large numbers.

And you thought you had a big collection!

A store was set up for the exhibit to make sure everyone had enough models to build.

Gundam fans were working on their models right at the exhibition.

There was plenty of Gundam merchandise on hand to buy. Wish I could have shopped there!

Gundam Unicorn anime

 If you’re anything like me you’re waiting anxiously to hear about the anime for Gundam Unicorn.  It’s been too long since we’ve seen new anime in Gundam’s U.C. universe.  Even longer since we’ve seen something new that happens after the One Year War.

MyAnimeList reports on a Japanese report from Anime!Anime! that indicates Gundam Unicorn won’t air on television.  Bandai Visual has decided to try movie theaters and the Internet to hook new viewers instead of the traditional boobtube.

Well, Gundam fans, it’s out. The latest edition of the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia. This time it’s called Mobile Suite Illustrated 2009. This is at least the 6th edition. The earliest edition I have is the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia which appears to have been published in 1989 and claimed to have 370 mobile suits. After that came the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia Ver. 3.0 (1992) which claimed 559 mobile suits. 1998, 2003 and 2006 saw new editions.

Now we’ve got the 2009 edition that weighs in at 472 pages (200 in color). If you’re a Gundam fan then you can’t convince yourself that this purchase isn’t worth it. It rounds up mobile suit designs from most of the Gundam franchise (certainly all the ones that were animated). Many designs from manga and video games show up too. It’s divided into chapters called Universal Century, Experimental and Event Movie, Another Century, and Games Variation.

At this point, Gundam fans are no doubt discussing how much it too much. It’s nice to have so many mobile suit designs in one place. However, the book is growing so enormous that I think it’s high time they separated out the Universal Century material from the alternate setting material. I’m not recommending this just because the book is growing so thick and heavy. In order to fit so much into one book many images are reduced in size or removed altogether. The majority of mobile suit designs have only small “front” and “back” images. The detail images showing their weapons, special parts and so on are largely discarded.

I’m enjoying the book and recommend it not just to any Gundam fan, but any mecha fan as well. I got my copy from Hobby Link Japan.