Otakuism

Finally got my hands on the first boxset for the series and marathoned the first five episodes. It’s a surprisingly addicting series, full of intrigue and action from the start. Zeta Gundam is the sequel to the original Gundam, set in 0087 where the Earth Federation has transformed into the fascist Titans and only the resistance group AEUG stands in their way. The very first episode offers an immediate surprise to gundam fans when the AEUG ace is shown to be Char Aznable - one of the main villains of the original Gundam - here known as Quattro Bajeena and sporting a ridiculous pair of eighties sunglasses. The real main character of the show is the angry youth Kamille Bidan. Like every other gundam protagonist he’s angry, smart, a newtype, and annoying. The guy yells for most of the first episodes, though he does have very good reason to.

The animation is very solid for the mid-eighties. Some of the designs are a little funny, especially the multiple chins on various Titans officers, but the rest is very good. The battles, which really matter, are also great and I love new designs, especially the Rick Dias. The only disappointing thing so far is that somehow Bandai failed to get the song rights for the OP and ED, so they’re replaced by instrumentals. The new songs aren’t exactly bad, though I wonder why the OP sounds like the Gunbuster march, but a far cry from the original OP. Zeta Gundam so far is a true joy for a fan like me to watch, and I can’t wait to see how everything develops.