Kidô Senshi Gandamu Yunikôn

If they didn't have such a baby as the protagonist gundam pilot, this would have been much better. Instead we get a whiny little twerp, who cries all the time and just makes more trouble for everyone. Stupid character.

Words that mean nothing. A story that is the same to you even if you miss the majority of episodes.

Barring some remake compilation movies of Zeta Gundam in 2004, Gundam's original universal century time-line, the brainchild of legendary director Yoshiyuki Tomino has taken the back seat to waves of alternate universe Gundam series that favor flashy new mecha, fan-service, bishonen and overly "emo" characters over the gritty, realistic character drama and political undertones of Tomino's Gundam universe. That tone and vision has been kept alive in the form of some excellent OVAs like 0083 and War in the Pocket. Fourteen years after 08th Ms team in 1996, Sunrise has returned to the Universale Century with the worldwide release of "Gundam Unicorn".

Within the opening moments of Gundam Unicorn, we are treated to A flashback to the tragic beginnings of the Universal Century era. The destruction of the Laplace space colony turned an era that would have united the world into one of ongoing hostilities between earth and the space colonies that would culminate in the wars chronicled in the other UC Gundam shows. A hundred years and many bloody conflicts later in present day, an unsteady peace has formed. The aristocratic "Vist Foundation", who has been playing both sides in the war, possesses the mysterious "Laplace box". Rumours of its contents claim that it is the key to ending the ongoing conflict between the colonies and earth, embodied by the remnants of the ZEON organization and the Earth Federation respectively. Over the years, the Federation have desired total control over the people of the colonies whereas ZEON has advocated a near Nazi-ish doctrine of the genetic superiority of Newtypes: special people who possess telepathic powers that they claim will lead them to victory. The remnants of ZEON, now called "The Sleeves" have arrived at the colony to bargain for the possession of the coveted Laplace Box.

Into this conflict comes Benegher Links, an unassuming young man from the "Industrial 7" colony going about his mundane life. One day, he as a fateful run in with one Audrey Burne, who is soon revealed to have arrived on the colony aboard a Sleeves shuttle. She intends to contact Cardeus Vist and prevent the Sleeves from getting Laplace box and using it to start another war. But the Sleeves would do anything to get it, and an unprovoked attack by the Federation security forces launches the entire colony into chaos. At the same time, The Zeon Sleeves attack Vist, suspecting him of selling them out to the Federation. War has begun once again.

What is inside the Laplace box? Only those who have read the novel would know. But clues are dropped throughout the show such as how Vist claims that Neo Zeon's philosophy about newtypes is actually a corrupted form of the original philosophy, twisted to serve their own agenda. Another clue is that the box would "restore the future that was meant to be"; the original intent behind the space colonies and the original purpose of Newtypes. Also a mystery is the secret of the Unicorn Gundam that Vist created. It can only be piloted by one of Vist's bloodline. What is so special about it? What is its purpose?

With 5 more episodes to go, unanswered questions and an open-ended finale are expected. What Gundam Unicorn succeeds in doing is providing a captivating setup and drawing the audience right into the story and its characters. Viewers familiar with previous Universal Century Gundam productions would be able to catch all the little references but new comers to Gundam can also enjoy this OVA for what it is.

Although only episode 1 in a planned 6 episode OVA, it manages to hold its own with a strong cast of characters and actually surpasses the debut episode arcs of both Gundam Seed and Gundam 00. Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi (who also directed Rurouni Kenshin and Le Chevalier D'Eon), Gundam Unicorn's creative team has the utmost respect for Yoshiyuki Tomino's work, keeping the character designs close to the more tame "classic" look as opposed to the modern design aesthetic of sharp features, neon bright hair colors and model-like figures. The animation is a slick combination 2D and CGI. Most notable is the mecha animation which is possibly the best Sunrise has produced in the digital age. The mecha all have a realistic sense of mass; they take time to accelerate, they have visible inertia, gears crank and hydraulics hiss with every limb movement. All this is a testament to the studio's attention to detail.

Similarly, Gundam Unicorn contains many elements lifted directly from other Gundam shows. A Newtype protagonist with bloodline ties to the creator of the titular Gundam, a mobile suit theft, a runaway "princess" who is at first mistaken for a normal civilian; we have all seen it before. Some of the plot revelations might not come as a big surprise and other plot components have been used so often by anime that were inspired by Gundam that they do not seem wholly original anymore. Thankfully the clever writing and excellent acting by the cast makes the familiar seem so fresh.

Gundam Unicorn's Japanese and English language tracks were released at the same time so it is up to personal preference what language to view it in. Both tracks are of impeccable quality with every voice actor fitting snugly into their roles, but one might prefer the English track as it has a greater sense of realism; all the characters have English or European names with non-Asian appearances and facial features thus hearing them speak English feels more "real".

Watching Gundam Unicorn is like meeting an old friend after so many years. Physically, he has changed a lot, but inside, he is the same. It is the familiar gritty feel of the beloved classic shows given a modern day face lift. More realistic and grittier than recent Gundam shows, it is sure to appeal to fans both old and new alike.

Stay tuned for episode 2

Great, but only for gundam fans that already know the story of original gundam anime. If you never know gundam, you will confused

With its 7th feature length episode, Gundam Unicorn bows out with a beautiful, albeit mind boggling, finale. CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK may have been the conclusion of Amuro Ray's story, but GUNDAM UNICORN brings the tale of the entire Universal Century Gundam universe to its satisfying conclusion.

Taking place in UC 0093, six years after the fall of Char Aznable's Neo Zeon, the earth federation and its colonies are once again threatened by war. This time, the race is on between Neo Zeon remnant forces know as "The Sleeves" and the federation's "Londo Bell" unit for the mysterious "Laplace's box"; an artifact with a secret so terrible, it could bring the Federation to an end. The mysterious Vist foundation, led by Cardeas Vist, holds the key to the location of the box. Caught in the middle of a new war is Banagher Links, a teenage "Newtype" with psychic powers and insane mech piloting skills. When he unwittingly rescues a girl named Audrey, Banagher is swept into a world of political intrigue, lies, and hidden truths; a world of life and death as he joins the crew of the Nahael Argama to search for the box. All the time, the ruthless Sleeve Warlord "Full Frontal" is in hot pursuit.

This epic miniseries bring back and combines all the story tropes that universal century gundam fans know. It follows the same beats as the original gundam series with our young protagonist bumping into a female member of aristocracy disguising as a commoner, getting netted into a war, finding a powerful new mecha called Gundam, joining a space ship's crew and facing off with a mask wearing warlord and another teenage rival. These are characters archetypes we have all seen before, only with different names and slightly altered back-stories. But that's not to say everyone is a cardboard cutout. Banagher is a genuinely relatable protagonist; not as whiny as Kamile Bidan or younger Amuro Ray, not as boring as Heero Yuy, and definitely no crybaby like Kira Yamato. Like most of the main characters, he is given a decent amount of development across the 7 episodes. Of course, the first thing that would catch the eye is how good the show looks.

Combining mystery, drama and mecha action, Gundam Unicorn is beautifully animated. Boasting art detail and animation smoothness rivaling big screen anime movies, Gundam Unicorn is easily Sunrise studio's most stunning work to date. Some computer graphics are seamlessly blended with the traditional animation which results in near perfection in the visual department. The mecha are also drawn and coloured intricately; scratches, dents and char marks show off these massive machines as true weapons of war, unlike the unrealistically pristine look and bright colours of new millennium Gundam shows.

Like i said, near perfection. Perhaps the only downside is that it requires a decent amount of knowledge of other universal century Gundam shows to fully appreciate and understand the story of Gundam Unicorn. If you were confused by all the name dropping i have been doing (Char Aznable, Amuro Ray, The One Year War, Neo Zeon, Gryps etc) then this would be difficult for you to get into.

Reviewing more of this series would spoil the mystery, which is a stronger part of the plot here than in any other Gundam show. That being said, with all the hoohaa surrounding Gundam AGE's and other alternate universe gundam shows, Gundam Unicorn is a welcome return to everything that made the original Gundam series so great. For long time Gundam fans, here is your cure for all the alternate universe series that have been dominating the franchise for the longest time. For those who have grown up on said alternate universes lie Gundam seed or Gundam 00, come and rediscover what made Gundam such a classic without having to endure dated animation and aged designs. For newcomers, this is a great way to get them started on one of the most endearing anime franchises ever.