She’s treated as important, but it’s hard for new fans to see that. She has a minor role in Z Gundam, the second ever produced Gundam series. Then one of them is taken in by a character named Stephanie Luio, whom I recognized but couldn’t quite place. It suggests that these new characters have been there all along. Like the colony drop at the beginning of the film, it helps to know that it precedes even the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. Yet, for it to make any sense, one really needs to know the timeline. The story itself comes across pretty clearly. At least it’s easily surmised that a mobile suit is piloted mecha and a Gundam is a specific kind of mobile suit. And then mentions of Char and mobile suits that referenced previous mobile suits. Then there are all of the flashback scenes which fans were grateful to see (anything related to Z Gundam makes me happy, personally) but stood out as old footage to newbies. Minovsky particles and normal suits are commonly understood to some degree by many Gundam viewers, but no one-off the street would know what they are. But the film hits viewers pretty immediately with unexplained content. At least, most films are meant to stand alone. Gundam NT, I think, is meant to be a standalone film while also functioning as a sequel. There are alternate universes in the franchise to consider, but they usually go out of their way to reference the UC in some fashion because it’s what gives the franchise life.
The main thrust of the Gundam franchise is the UC, which has four television series (not counting the Unicorn adaptation), three films (not counting the live-action G-Saviour), 8 OVA and internet entries, and countless manga and novels. I was considering also calling this section, “Gundam is too up its own ass for its own good.” While not delicate, it probably would have gotten the point across more clearly. NT leans in, but it seems to lean in on the criticisms rather than successes of the entire franchise.įans need to be historians to know what’s going on -or- It’s too self-referential for anyone but the hardcore to understand While Dragon Ball has encountered criticisms itself over its 30+ years, it discovered where to lean in and where not to.
There were always lingering issues, and they seem to have come to a head with NT. There have been many criticisms of Gundam over the years. While this seems to speak to the endurance of the franchise, which has indeed died twice now, it also should suggest that there were many lessons to be learned.
There have been many successes and many failures over the decades. So why didn’t I love it? Why are so many other fans expressing disappointment about the film? Where did Sunrise misstep with what should have been a slam dunk? Well, Gundam is a franchise that officially turns 40 years old this April. The mecha designs are nice, despite the fact that they’re pretty derivative of what we’ve already seen in the series. The characters are likeable, despite the fact that we don’t get to spend enough time with them. It has a decent story and a decent animation. Since F-91 takes place in 0127, there is quite a bit of space to fill.īefore I get into what went wrong with the movie, I want to note that I enjoyed it. It’s worth noting that there are already a couple of animated stories that taken place within that timeline: Gundam F-91 and V Gundam. The story takes place in 0097, meaning future stories will be taking place in 0100 and beyond. NT continues the storyline of the popular Gundam Unicorn OVA series that was surprisingly released on Netflix last year. According to the mini-documentary shown in the theater preceding the film, it’s not only continuing that storyline but moving the franchise into the next century of the UC. I’m not sure if Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz ever got a release in theaters or how wide that release was, but this seems more momentous. And this was a huge deal in America because this was the first big Gundam theatrical release that we’ve gotten. You could say that Gundam fans were excited about this release. Gundam NT, also known as Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, is the first theatrical film released in the Gundam franchise in eight years and the first film from the original Universal Century (UC) timeline in 27 years. It’s about understanding what fans actually enjoy and what doesn’t – despite the fact that some writers might want to go in that direction. It’s about understanding what works and what doesn’t. It’s funny how I’ve written about how Dragon Ball Super: Broly has managed to succeed by leaning into, essentially, the Dragon Ballness of Dragon Ball but now find myself criticizing Gundam NT for attempting to tap into the Gundamness of the Gundam franchise.