Yoshiyuki Tomino, the director and creator of Gundam, wrote his own interpretation of the first gundam series in three novels back when it premiered, and I finally finished reading those novels today. When comparing them to the series they’re very interesting in their differences. Amuro and Sayla actually pursue a relationship, the characters never go to the earth at all, Ramba Ral isn’t a badass soldier but a somewhat cowardly secret policeman, and most surprising of all (spoilers here) Amuro dies. It’s actually kind of a cheap death, but the ending still manages to be pretty good.

Tomino’s thoughts on Newtypes and the future of humanity really come out clearly in the novels, much more so than the TV series or movies. This is partly because almost every major character gets their own soliloquy on Newtypes. That’s the only real complaint I have against the novels, in that there’s a ton of times where the story slows down dramatically for what is essentially a philosophy essay. The action, drama, and characters still shine through, though, and it’s a unique retelling of the One Year War. Stone Bridge Press republished the translation recently with all three novels in one book, and it should be a definite read for any Gundam fan.