So I've started rewatching Gundam from the beginning over the past couple of months- re-watched First Gundam, finished Zeta, and started watching ZZ. I'm almost finished with ZZ, but I think I'll be able to critique it to some degree-
I started watching ZZ immediately after Zeta, and a lot of people complain about the mood whiplash when they do so. To be honest, I thought the real whiplash came at the end of Zeta. That might just be a result of the non-standard pacing of Zeta- in First Gundam, the events leading up to the end were very clear, where the military operations as a whole led up to the invasion of A Baoa Qu, sort of like how Normandy led up to the invasion of Berlin(WWII is not my strong suit, so that's a more abstract comparison). Whereas the tension of Zeta led up to a victory against the Titans, and their being wiped out. In terms of the setting of a whole, I find Zeta and ZZ to be lacking, because they focus so much on the crew of the Argama/Nahel Argama, this ship that's part of a rebel organization, that we don't get as much of an idea of the whole conflict- either that, or the conflict as a whole is rather small. There's not as big an impact on the entire earth that Neo Zeon creates, even after dropping the colony on Dublin.
I'm sorry if it seems like I'm ranting/blogposting, I've had some drinks tonight.
I apologize for the unusual picture as well, I don't have a lot of ZZ-related pictures.
I thought the beginning of ZZ started out well- of course, the crew of the Argama had suffered a lot, but the kids at Shangri-La were just living their normal lives, and the Gryps Conflict had no bearing on them. Judau and crew's obsession with stealing the Zeta was strange- if it was so famous, who would buy it and corroborate their involvement in the theft of an important mobile suit?
But the overall tone of the opening arc was good, even great. It feels more like Xabungle than Gundam, and really lightens the mood after such a heavy ending for Zeta, with the death of Emma, Katz, the crew of the Radish, and the disappearance of Char. Believe me, Emma and Henken were my favorite characters and pairing in Z Gundam.
The only real whiplash for me came in episode 19/20 with the episodes where that one bridge guy's childhood friend operated as a spy for Zeon. It was really outta place so far, but then the more serious aspects of the series started happening, and when they did, I thought they were good for the most part.
Puru really comes off as a superfluous character, and it seemed like she only really existed as a way to introduce Puru Two and her clones as Glemy's Newtype Troops for his Beta Uprising. Leina's death ultimately seems pointless when it turns out she survives and Sayla's taking care of her, which is really out of place considering she was doing fuck-all during Zeta, which also really undermines Sayla's character as a whole. The episodes where the Gundam team was fighting their way up to Dakar were alright, 7/10 overall, but ultimately seemed like filler.
And again, now that I'm at episode 46 where Glemy's rebellion is underway and Neo Zeon's in a civil war, it feels sudden, even after his character development in the desert planted the seeds of him being an independent leader of Zeon- though really, there was a step or two that weren't present in the show that showed the jump to him declaring civil war.
cant wait for /m/ to be renamed "mecha anime" so tokushit and zz get filtered out
>>13646657
Alright, so I just got to the part where Bright meets Sayla and Leina, and I'm reminded of Acting-Captain Emaly. Her character was almost entirely 'gosh I sure do love Captain Bright,' but her character design was appealing. She really would have benefitted from an entire character arc, where she was told that Bright was married and had children, and was admonished for trying to pursue him. She dies in a sort of sudden way, if you can call it that when the episode she died in was named after her, but I think that could be an acceptable theme, where people die in a war all the time, and the way they develop as a human can't be helped or completed.
>>13646663
>it's not anime
You know, that's a real dumb way to consider ZZ not canon, unless you're a troll in which case whatever.
The opening song isn't about the show not being anime
>and therefore being exempt for discussion
but rather the idea of youth not being taken seriously by adults for what they have seen or believe in, which I think ties into Gundam's themes as a whole, where the younger generation has to overtake the older generation's beliefs and ideologies.
>>13646680
>zz
>anime
fuck off retard
>>13646663
your constant shitposting about it is worse than tokushit
I'm rewatching ZZ now too.
One thing I've noticed is that lots of the low points early on are just were Mashymre isn't doing much.
>>13647009
I really appreciated Mashmyre during the early parts of ZZ where he's not only a villain, but also part of the comedic tone.
While he's an enemy, and arguably a threat, he's as dumb as the main characters, and on the same level as they are, as a result. He's arguably a threat, but that's tempered by his will to not do harm to Shangri-La. Once he reappears, that aspect of him is pretty much swept under the rug, and his dying moments are of non-specific cyber Newtype powers that manifested between the last time we see him and the current time, without a view into what it was like for this light-hearted knight of Zeon to turn into a more serious knight of Zeon. A similar thing happens with Chara, though she's just more crazy than she already was.
![[EG]ZZ_Gundam_BD_37_Resub(720p)[95F7882C].mkv_snapshot_11.08_[2015.12.20_05.32.14].png](https://i.imgur.com/Z7kc54o.jpg "[EG]ZZ_Gundam_BD_37_Resub(720p)[95F7882C].mkv_snapshot_11.08_[2015.12.20_05.32.14].png")
>>13647043
>without a view into what it was like for this light-hearted knight of Zeon to turn into a more serious knight of ZeonDropping a colonymesses with your head like that.
>be Beecha
>get to join the Argama even though Bright was only really interested in Judau
>betray the Argama's position and bully your childhood friend Iino into not telling because you can't be bothered to work
>go over to the Endra
>actively work against everyone on Moon Moon
>get treated like the piece of shit that you are by Axis
>come up with a plan to kidnap Leina and take her to the Argama not because she's your friend, but because you know it's the only way they'll take you back
>ditch that plan at the first opportunity and try to steal the Double Zeta jeopardizing Judau's life at the very least
>get let back on the Argama somehow
>come up with a plan to have the Double Zeta blown up and Judau killed because you're jealous
>steal Double Zeta and almost get it destroyed and yourself killed because you're jealous
>get given the Hyaku Shiki
>treat Roux like shit
>use Roux as a literal shield in battle and cause her to leave
>get made acting captain of the Nahel Argama
there's probably some stuff I'm forgetting and I'm not quite at the end yet but I just can't understand why he has such an upturn in fortune or even why he was allowed to come back to the Argama after going over, Bright starts vouching for him for literally no reason
They should have left him on Axis
>>13649070
Some people seem to believe that Beecha being made captain somehow makes him any less of a shitter. It doesn't. He and Mondo should have been fucking spaced at some point.
Dublin Arc is very important in Overall UC saga since it showed how EF really is and how the whole colony drop is terrifying with warcrimes commited by Neo-Zeon forces.
I really wish they had included that plot from Victory Side story manga in the anime. It gives conclusion to Judou's story. Maybe we could have got that if Tomino was not depressed.
