GUNDAM MOVIES AND OVA, PART ONE
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK (FEBRUARY 1988)
Remember that time during Zeta when Char was a friend to all humans and just wanted to see justice done to the Titans and Axis Zeon? Remember the time he left the stage so another blond pedophile could get stomped by Haman? Well, old asshole Char is back in this theatrical release. And he brought other assholes such as Hathaway and the super detestable Quess with him. Why yes, Char is clearly stringing this underage girl around to get her to do newtype shit as he conspires to drop bigger and bigger rocks on earth. He wants to clean the place up, you see, by creating a nuclear winter. I'm sure the surviving Federation government will just let bygones be bygones when they are forced into space. Quess meanwhile is a spoiled brat looking for a newtype to fawn over her adolescent, unbalanced pig tailed ass. There's Something About Quess could be the real title of this. Anyways this movie looks absolutely stunning for 1988. Also it has some great mecha. Nu Gundam, Char's Sazabi, this crazy fucking French flag painted Hobby Hizak, Jagd Doga, which sounds like a map from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Jegans are also super dope. It's crazy important to the shitty back half of the UC, but most people don't need to watch it.
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0080: WAR IN THE POCKET (MARCH 1989)
Hands down the best Gundam OVA/Movie. It's like what if Studio Ghibli was handed a Gundam project. Bernie isn't some combat ace; he's just a regular joe drafted by Zeon in the final days of the war. His mission wasn't important, he wasn't a man of destiny. But he did what he thought was right even though it was pointless. Pour one out to the only likable Zeon. The OVA looks good, sounds great. All the standard OYW suits with the only really new thing being the Gundam Alex, which...isn't really that different from the 78-2. This is one of three Gundam properties I recommend to general anime fans and yes, it's also a Christmas story!
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM F91 (MARCH 1991)
Tomino wanted to make another TV show. The powers that be didn't want to do that and instead wanted a theatrical release. So what happens when you try to cram a 13 episode proto version of Gundam Victory into a two hour movie? You get this piece of good looking garbage. The pacing is completely wack. Nothing makes sense, characters admit to not even knowing what they are doing. The villains are laughably weird. Pirate themed autocrats who want to kill 9/10ths of humanity to rule over the rest by the code of nobility. Democracy was a mistake; the common man can run away from battle while the noble has to stay and fight...because nobility. Weird stuff that would actually come back in both Victory and Wing. Anyways the good guy's mother makes a Gundam, this time not with Anaheim Electronics as the Federation finally got sick of them making shit for all the many space rebellions. The bad guys attack the colony he's on to kidnap his girlfriend who is the grandaughter of these weird pirate nobles. Her dad is a robot dude who controls genocide bots with his iron mask; the ultimate cyber newtype. She joins the bad guys until realizing they are crazy and joins with her boyfriend to kill her dad, while another Char like pirate dude watches and goes great, I never liked the robot dad anyways see you in the manga presumably. Some of the mecha looks okay and the movie does admittedly look great in the HD restoration done in 2011...but no one needs to watch this.
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0083: STARDUST MEMORY (May 1991)
This 13 part OVA, which would be considered a full tv series length today show, is the interquel between MSG and Zeta. How did the Titans form? How did North America get fucked up in between the two series? Why are Haman/Paptimus in such good positions to return to cause chaos? Will anyone love an EXTRA THICC Gundam (answer Yes) Do people irrationally hate Nina Purpleton? Also yes. Is Kou Uraki a Man of Destiny? If the Destiny is to lose to Gato, then yes, yes he is. This show is fun; it's short, it has cool Gundams and Gundam accessories. Gato and Delaz are a hoot and the initial theft of the Nuclear Equipped Walking Death Mobile known as Metal Gear Gundam RX-78GP02A Gundam GP02A "Physalis" is really cool. Some of the other mecha introduced are also quite nice. It looks and sounds amazing for a home video released in 1991.
WOULD I HANG OUT WITH THE MAIN CHARACTER?:
1. CCA era Amuro is a bit of a tsundere to be honest. He's got a lot on his mind but still, he snaps at people a bit too much. I'll come if he invites me but I'd be wary if he showed up out of the blue.
2. Bernie is the only Zeon worth a damn. He can come over whenever he wants. Al is a nice boy as well, he can come by whenever.
3. It's not proto Banagher/Uso's fault F91 sucks...but then again I'm not inviting him to the good parties either.
4. Kou is okay in my book.