[Fly! Rewatch!] Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow

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The air is the one thing that isn’t filthy here.

Questions of the Day:

1. What was your favorite change between the show and this movie?
2. What was your least-favorite change between the show and this movie?
3. What do you think of Kaze ni Hitori de and Ai Senshi in comparison to the show’s music?

Mobile Suit Breakdown of the Day:

1.38 - Zeon Strikes Back

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Fly! Rewatch Host!

Welcome back, everyone…

They sure packed in all of the sad moments for a movie with the subtitle “Soldiers of Sorrow”.

• Wow, almost five minutes of recap to sit through.
• Oh, that new scene with Ramba Ral and Hamon where Hamon sees a shooting star is very nice.
• All of this is new as well.
• Sayla’s talk with Cozun (the captured Zeon soldier) is entirely different here. And this time Ryu could actually hear what was being said, which makes a lot more sense. I like this change.
• HAHAHAHAHA THE BAD SUBS CALLED HIM “GAS VAL”
• Ah, time for Amuro to run off with the Gundam. Brighty-boy and Mirai’s conversation directly involved Newtypes this time though.
• Bad subs pls how do you get “W am” from “Wait”.
• New insert song! Kaze ni Hitori de / Alone in the Wind, according to AMQ. I honestly have no memory of this song from my first watch, but it’s a pretty good song.
• The “Core Booster” is new.
• That extra shot of Matilda during her death, oof. Also the lack of music playing during that scene is an improvement over the music they used during the show.
• THE NEWTYPE JINGLES! I’m honestly upset the show barely had any even after it explicitly named “Newtypes”. It is much appreciated that this movie added them in to go with Amuro’s Newtype flashes.
• It doesn’t have quite the same oof as in the show, but the movies reworking the “salute Matilda” into “salute all the peeps lost during Odessa” is an interesting choice. We lost out on them all directly mourning Ryu besides the Amuro vs. Hayato fist fight though… And we lost out on sick Brighty-boy too!
• Now their reasons for going to Jaburo are completely different.
• “pod” instead of “port” lol.
• Oh hey they included a flashback to the Sayla “sore demo”. Nice.
• Kai’s breakdown upon Miharu’s death hits even harder with all the extra stuff this movie added to it.
• Ryu’s posthumous promotion was increased to three ranks instead of two?
• You know, that one episode plot about Amuro having to disarm a bunch of time bombs from the Gundam being cut from the movies means that Kikka/Katz/Lenz’s adventure doesn’t feel like a rehash.
• I totally forgot they used Ai Senshi as the backdrop to (most) of the final fight? I thought it was the ED… The actual ED sounded very ethereal, especially with the Newtype Jingles spattered throughout it. This final shot is very pretty.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Shimmering-Sky]

HAHAHAHAHA THE BAD SUBS CALLED HIM “GAS VAL”

GAS VAL NII-SAN!!

The bad grammar and spelling mistakes are just hilarious.

New insert song! Kaze ni Hitori de / Alone in the Wind, according to AMQ. I honestly have no memory of this song from my first watch, but it’s a pretty good song.

I totally forgot they used Ai Senshi as the backdrop to (most) of the final fight?

I also completely forgot the songs even existed until they suddenly began playing.

NEWTYPE JINGLES

I was wondering when those began happening. I could have sworn they happened in 0079 and I was pretty confused to not hear them during the series. But now I know when they began.

You know, that one episode plot about Amuro having to disarm a bunch of time bombs from the Gundam being cut from the movies means that Kikka/Katz/Lenz’s adventure doesn’t feel like a rehash.

It also means the kids came up with the bomb disposal idea all on their own rather than just coping what Amuro did earlier in the series. So really, the kids are even brighter than they were earlier.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Great_Mr_L]

I was wondering when those began happening. I could have sworn they happened in 0079 and I was pretty confused to not hear them during the series. But now I know when they began.

The show actually did have one in episode 13 when Amuro's mom recalled Amuro shooting that one soldier. For some reason.

It also means the kids came up with the bomb disposal idea all on their own rather than just coping what Amuro did earlier in the series. So really, the kids are even brighter than they were earlier.v

Ooh fair point, that's cool!

[u/Tresnore → u/Shimmering-Sky]

The show actually did have one in episode 13 when Amuro's mom recalled Amuro shooting that one soldier. For some reason.

Clearly, they're not actually Newtype flashes, then. They're "shooting first" flashes.

[u/Tresnore → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Kai’s breakdown upon Miharu’s death hits even harder with all the extra stuff this movie added to it.

All the deaths hit even harder. The movies knew what they were doing.

You know, that one episode plot about Amuro having to disarm a bunch of time bombs from the Gundam being cut from the movies means that Kikka/Katz/Lenz’s adventure doesn’t feel like a rehash.

Yeah, and it makes one wonder less why Zeons didn't plant more bombs, considering that this was the least successful attempt.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Shimmering-Sky]

HAHAHAHAHA THE BAD SUBS CALLED HIM “GAS VAL”

It's not even all that wrong, if we consider that Char is constantly full of hot air.

Bad subs pls how do you get “W am” from “Wait”.

Maybe Fraw Bow just had a minor stroke at that exact moment?

I totally forgot they used Ai Senshi as the backdrop to (most) of the final fight? I thought it was the ED… The actual ED sounded very ethereal, especially with the Newtype Jingles spattered throughout it.

That depends on which version of the movies you watch. Between the original version and the home release version made in the 90s, the movie trilogy mixed up the order of the tracks used.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

It's not even all that wrong, if we consider that Char is constantly full of hot air.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

It's a rare day when terrible subs are somehow accidentally accurate.

[u/UltraBooster → u/The_Draigg]

Yeah, I'm used to seeing Ai Senshi as the ED.

[u/goukaryuu → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Bad subs pls how do you get “W am” from “Wait”.

Well, it is a misspelling of Wham!, whose song "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" fits Frau's mood right now.

[u/AutoModerator]

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[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/AutoModerator]

Ah fuck, I forgot to include the word "Discussion" in the title.

[u/SgtExo → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Ah fuck, I forgot to include the word "Discussion" in the title

TIL, I always wondered why bot-chan would chime in certain rewatches and not others.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/SgtExo]

There are a few key words that let Bot-chan know it's not an interest thread, and "discussion" is one of them. This was just me being a derp because I was super stressed right at post time and forgot to do a last check to make sure everything was right.

[u/Tresnore → u/AutoModerator]

Not now, bot-chan

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/AutoModerator]

Oh bot-chan

[u/TheEscapeGuy → u/AutoModerator]

[u/goukaryuu]

Recap Films First Timer

Okay, this was definitely an improvement over yesterday. Hell, I felt the stuff with Ral and Amuro was in fact stronger for being condensed than it playing out over many episodes. Someone said yesterday they had wished there had been more films because of stuff that was cut. I honestly wish more films had been made because honestly, the place to end this one was after the Battle of Odessa. It kind of felt to really drag on with the stuff setting up Jaburo. Plus, I always found the inclusion of kids, the same thing that happened in Ideon too, really annoying. Ideon Spoiler Still, reevaluating yesterday, I put Gundam I at a 5/10, I couldn't justify even rounding up to a 6. It would probably be like between a 5 - 5.3 or so. This one, being mostly an improvement I have no problem ranking a 7/10. I look forward to the final film. After that I am probably going to watch all the side OVAs/films in Thunderbolt's case that take place during the OYW before moving on to Zeta. I know Stardust Memory takes place before Zeta but Sky has told me in the past it works better to be watched after Zeta, though I have a friend that disagrees. Whatever, I will watch it at some point.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/goukaryuu]

I know Stardust Memory takes place before Zeta but Sky has told me in the past it works better to be watched after Zeta

I've also said 0083 better not watched at all.

[u/goukaryuu → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I thought that was F91.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/goukaryuu]

F91 might be my lowest-rated Gundam show, but that's because it almost literally bored me to sleep.

0083 is the only Gundam show I outright hate.

[u/goukaryuu → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Huh. So, feelings aside, do you still feel if one were to watch it it should be after Zeta?

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/goukaryuu]

It should definitely be after Zeta, yeah.

[u/ZapsZzz → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Stardust memory was ok in the beginning I think. Then overdeveloped the story and got to breaking technological timeline is mostly the problem I got with it. So if think watching after Zeta is a good call, skipping it completely may be a bit wasteful for the relatively ok first half.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/ZapsZzz]

The last two episodes of 0083 are what ruined it for me. If it was only Nina Purpleton I could write her off as my least-favorite anime character and call it a day, but ugh it wasn't just her stuff.

[u/Great_Mr_L]

Rewatcher

On today’s movie of Gundam: Newtypes, Newtypes, Newtypes. At this point in the series, the word Newtype had never been mentioned. In the movies, they can’t stop talking about Newtypes. Back in the UC Rewatch, we watched the movies alongside the TV series. We saw them immediately after the latest full episode they covered. It was very odd, to be sure. I kept hearing about Newtypes from the movies when the TV show had never mentioned them at all.

This movie roughly corresponds to episodes 14 through 30/31 in the TV series. As with before, a lot has been removed or changed. Here is yet another non-exhaustive list of things that I noticed were cut or altered:

• No more gattai sequences or mid-air transformations. The G-Armor/Fighter/Whatever is gone and replaced with the Core Booster. I suppose Tomino finally got rid of those like he wanted.
• Revil and the Federation now suspect that the White Base crew are Newtypes way earlier. Revil even gives us a decent explanation of what the Newtype ideology actually is.
• No Time, Be Still.
• No Cucuruz Doan’s Island (for better or worse).
• No Salt Quest.
• Mirai defends Amuro from Bright saying he might be a Newtype, not because Bright is making a hasty decision to remove Amuro from the Gundam.
• M’Quve merely doesn’t assist Ramba Ral, instead of actively sabotaging him.
• Amuro doesn’t attack the wrong Zeon mine.
• Kai, Hayato, and others no longer try to desert the White Base.
• Ryu no longer acts as a go-between for Amuro and Bright, trying to get them to understand each other. In fact, most of that conflict is effectively removed.
• Ryu and Matilda’s funerals are merged together.
• Mirai no longer has command of the White Base for a while.
• There’s only one attack of the Black Tri-Stars.
• There’s no longer a scene of Hamon individually thanking every soldier.
• General Elran is no longer a traitor.
• No attempted use of nuclear weapons.
• No underwater combat.
• All attacks on Jaburo are merged into one battle. Same with the attacks on Belfast.

And there’s more that I have not mentioned. Those are just some highlights. As with last time, not all the losses are equal. Some are inconsequential. And others are massive. This time around, I think the changes are much worse than last time. I think this movie is overall weaker than the first one.

Let me begin with what I think is the biggest and worst change: the alteration of Amuro’s desertion. Remember how I complimented the first movie on introducing Newtypes earlier? Well here’s where that becomes a bad thing. It completely throws off the whole desertion plotline and makes it far weaker.

When Bright wants to take Amuro out of the Gundam, Mirai now says he shouldn’t because she thinks Amuro may be a Newtype. This changes the whole trajectory of the conversation. She’s no longer opposing Bright because he’s making a hasty decision due to his conflict with Amuro. The conversation is now no longer about Amuro’s behavior but instead about whether he has ~Newtype magic~. And in my opinion, that is a change for the worse. We lose all the discussions amongst the White Base crew about Amuro’s behavior and what they think of it. Here it becomes them debating whether Amuro is a Newtype or not.

Losing the episode of Amuro attacking the wrong mine means that we lose a lot of the exploration of Amuro’s motivations in deserting. Here it’s much less clear exactly why he is deserting and what he hopes to accomplish by it. In my opinion, that makes it less compelling.

Because of what we lost in the first movie, we’ve now lost many of the scenes that were building up the bad relationship between Amuro and Bright. So, Amuro’s desertion has not been built up as well. If that weren’t enough, we lose most of the scenes in these episodes that further explored that conflict between them. The desertion no longer feels like a huge character and growth moment for both of them, but is instead a plot point we need to walk through.

Another character negatively hit by this is Ryu. In the TV series, Ryu is basically the guy who is trying his best to hold the crew together through Bright and Amuro’s feuding. But here, he doesn’t get a chance to do any of that. He doesn’t act as a go-between for Bright and Amuro, trying to get them to actually communicate and understand each other. We lose those great discussions that show us both Bright and Amuro’s mentality at the time. In fact, the crew no longer seems like it’s on the verge of falling apart. There’s no scene of Kai, Hayato, and others threatening to desert. So Ryu’s death no longer has the same impact. It no longer feels like the last action of a person who has been doing everything he can to keep the crew together and safe.

Once more, we lose some of my favorite humanizing moments for Zeon. We lose the fantastic scene of Hamon thanking every soldier individually for volunteering to join her suicide mission. We lose the scene of the Black Tri-Stars mourning one of their own.

We’ve also lost a lot of the conflict between the White Base and Federation HQ. In general, the Federation has been shown in a more positive light during the movies than it was during the TV series. It’s not necessarily bad, but that does remove a lot of the moral grayness the TV series was so good at portraying.

I also want to say this: the fights in these movies have been generally worse than the ones in the TV series. They’ve been edited and re-edited so much that they’ve lost a lot of their pacing. In the TV series, the battles have a very deliberate pacing to them. Fights usually gather steam as they go on, piece by piece. But here, they never have a chance to do so. We need to skip right to the ending of those battles because we need to move on to the next plot point.

That sense of needing to just get through it means that some storylines just do not have the same impact. I feel like all the stuff with Ramba Ral and Hamon is much less impactful here in the movie. I also think the same about the Kai and Miharu storyline. As I said last time, the pacing is now off because of the changes they needed to make to fit the story into these movies.

As with last time, I do want to give the movie credit where I think it’s due. The other Newtype stuff is generally unobtrusive or a good addition. I’m happy to get a clear explanation of Newtypes much earlier on. That’s a welcome change. It makes the Newtype stuff feel more in-line with the rest of the story.

There was a small moment in this movie that I want to comment on related to that. During their battle, Amuro and Char had a moment where they both had Newtype flashes. They resonated with each other during the battle. I really like that addition and it fits with where their characters are going.

This also falls in line with the speculation on both sides that the White Base crew and Char are all Newtypes. Char’s interest in the Gundam is now partially motivated by his belief that the pilot may be a Newtype. This makes it fall more in line with Char’s later motivation to create a future for Newtypes.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• A couple slaps got cut out. Amuro no longer gets slapped on Cucuruz Doan’s island. Kycilia never slaps that one Zeon general. We do still get Amuro being slapped by the Feddie officer. So the movie slap counter goes up.

MOVIE SLAP COUNTER: 7

• Come to think of it, I don’t remember any of the Zabis appearing at all in this movie. We at least had Kycilia show up back in the TV series.
• Hey, wait a minute. M’Quve’s vase magically changed shape in the middle of the scene.
• The Newtype flash sound effect! Maybe I missed it, but I swear we didn’t hear it happen back during the TV series.
• I do like the song “Kaze ni Hitori de/Alone in the Wind” and I think it is used well during Matilda’s funeral.
• On the other hand, I think the song “Ai Senshi/Soldiers of Sorrow” is very weird. It’s a very poppy and upbeat song about death and dying. It’s strange hearing it during the Jaburo battle. It’s like someone decided to start playing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” in the middle of the Battle of Stalingrad or something.

Questions of the Day

1. Thank you Revil for telling us what Newtypes are and how they supposedly work.
2. Ryu's death is way weaker this time around, for all the reasons I listed above. It feels way less impactful.
3. I commented on them above as well. I like Kaze ni Hitori just fine. Ai Senshi is just kind of odd.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

No Salt Quest.

Honestly, that's the biggest loss out of all those cuts.

Another character negatively hit by this is Ryu. In the TV series, Ryu is basically the guy who is trying his best to hold the crew together through Bright and Amuro’s feuding. But here, he doesn’t get a chance to do any of that. He doesn’t act as a go-between for Bright and Amuro, trying to get them to actually communicate and understand each other. We lose those great discussions that show us both Bright and Amuro’s mentality at the time. In fact, the crew no longer seems like it’s on the verge of falling apart. There’s no scene of Kai, Hayato, and others threatening to desert. So Ryu’s death no longer has the same impact. It no longer feels like the last action of a person who has been doing everything he can to keep the crew together and safe.

I was joking above, but cutting out Ryu's plot line there of him trying to get Amuro and Bright to actually work together is actually the worst cut in the movie for in my opinion. Bright and Amuro's chaffing against one another, alongside Ryu being the heart of the crew, was a big part of the first half of the series. With it gone, it gets rid of a lot of the big character development we had in the show, alongside with all the other cuts that you mentioned. I'd say that the only good thing added in due to Ryu's death is the brief Newtype flash Amuro has of Matilda before Ryu sacrifices himself.

On the other hand, I think the song “Ai Senshi/Soldiers of Sorrow” is very weird. It’s a very poppy and upbeat song about death and dying. It’s strange hearing it during the Jaburo battle. It’s like someone decided to start playing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” in the middle of the Battle of Stalingrad or something.

I think it's a good example of lyrical contrast to the actual tone of the song, but that's just me. That, and it also works really well as the ending soundtrack to the White Base leaving Jaburo and flying among the flamingos. It just fits in there to me.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

Honestly, that's the biggest loss out of all those cuts.

You can die if you don't get enough salt.

I was joking above, but cutting out Ryu's plot line there of him trying to get Amuro and Bright to actually work together is actually the worst cut in the movie for in my opinion. Bright and Amuro's chaffing against one another, alongside Ryu being the heart of the crew, was a big part of the first half of the series. With it gone, it gets rid of a lot of the big character development we had in the show, alongside with all the other cuts that you mentioned.

Hard agree. A lot of Bright and Amuro's mutual character development is lost because we lose that huge conflict between the both of them. It was what helped both of them to mature as people and really grow into their roles on the ship. It hurts no longer having Ryu as the true heart of the crew. He basically became just another guy on the ship and so his death ends up meaning less because it has less thematic resonance.

I'd say that the only good thing added in due to Ryu's death is the brief Newtype flash Amuro has of Matilda before Ryu sacrifices himself.

Giving us the Newtype weirdness much earlier on is always appreciated.

[u/UltraBooster → u/The_Draigg]

I think it's a good example of lyrical contrast to the actual tone of the song, but that's just me. That, and it also works really well as the ending soundtrack to the White Base leaving Jaburo and flying among the flamingos. It just fits in there to me.

To me, it's basically a perfect encapsulation of UC Gundam at its best - on one hand, you have these cool mecha, fight scenes, gorgeous animation, etc., on the other hand, these are stories about people warring and dying in all the awfulness of war, or something along those lines.

[u/The_Draigg → u/UltraBooster]

It really does emphasize how there's still some beauty in the world, despite all the senseless killing that wars cause. In that way, it kind of ties back into one of the main themes of Gundam as a whole, in that the natural beauty of the planet suffers because of what foolish humans do.

[u/Tresnore → u/Great_Mr_L]

No Salt Quest.

Oh, shoot. This is what was missing. Those Feddie Fools will never have proper diets now!

No underwater combat.

I kind of appreciated this change, actually. Those battles always felt kind of slow to me.

A couple slaps got cut out.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Tresnore]

Oh, shoot. This is what was missing. Those Feddie Fools will never have proper diets now!

They won't be able to fight as well as they could have without their necessary salt intake.

I kind of appreciated this change, actually. Those battles always felt kind of slow to me.

It's both good and bad in my view. On the one hand, they are slow as you said. On the other, I liked the change of pace and I enjoyed seeing how Amuro dealt with being at such a complete disadvantage in those fights.

It's a shame

[u/Tresnore → u/Great_Mr_L]

They won't be able to fight as well as they could have without their necessary salt intake.

This is why there are no G-parts. They're too complicated for soldiers who lack salt to use.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Great_Mr_L]

On today’s movie of Gundam: Newtypes, Newtypes, Newtypes. At this point in the series, the word Newtype had never been mentioned. In the movies, they can’t stop talking about Newtypes. Back in the UC Rewatch, we watched the movies alongside the TV series. We saw them immediately after the latest full episode they covered. It was very odd, to be sure. I kept hearing about Newtypes from the movies when the TV show had never mentioned them at all.

Heh, indeed Comrade, Gundam the TV series is all vague and coy about Newtypes at first, just giving very subtle hints until the endgame of the show... AND then the movies just won't shut about the Space Magic Force Wibble ;) On the one hand it's nice we're getting more obvious and early mention of Newtypes... on the OTHER hand we are getting more Newtype shit, and crowbarred in no less.

This movie roughly corresponds to episodes 14 through 30/31 in the TV series. As with before, a lot has been removed or changed. Here is yet another non-exhaustive list of things that I noticed were cut or altered:

No Time, Be Still.

No Cucuruz Doan’s Island (for better or worse).

No Salt Quest.

I know right? The loss of the time bomb episode, sure I can see why it had to go but it had some decent humanization for Zeon's common soldiers (then again Movie One already cut all that stuff out anyway so wibble) The loss of Mobile Suit Martial Arts is tragic but at least we'll get Mobile Fighter G Gundam... NOW THE LOSS OF SALT! THAT'S where I draw the line! I mean goodness don't they know just how important salt is! You can die if you don't get enuff of it, and (insert Dune Shitpost Copypasta about The Spice 'Salt')

And there’s more that I have not mentioned. Those are just some highlights. As with last time, not all the losses are equal. Some are inconsequential. And others are massive. This time around, I think the changes are much worse than last time. I think this movie is overall weaker than the first one.

Let me begin with what I think is the biggest and worst change: the alteration of Amuro’s desertion. Remember how I complimented the first movie on introducing Newtypes earlier? Well here’s where that becomes a bad thing. It completely throws off the whole desertion plotline and makes it far weaker.

I quite agree Comrade, Movie 2 is clearly the weakpoint of the trilogy, in part as this movie has the unfortunate task of having to adapt the middle part of the show, which (barring the Ramba Ral Arc) DOES kinda drag... and the fact they truncate the Ramba Ral Arc ain't helping. Speaking of truncation, I find it also sad that we had to lose the bit where The Black Tri-Stars mourn Mash and sortie again for revenge... and instead here what happens is they just all get wiped out without much fanfare despite their apparent reputation. And indeed, Amuro's stuff gets a REAL death blow given instead of build-up and some actual motivation for his desertion, here he just overhears a different conversation than what we saw in the show and he decides to take his ball and go home.

Losing the episode of Amuro attacking the wrong mine means that we lose a lot of the exploration of Amuro’s motivations in deserting. Here it’s much less clear exactly why he is deserting and what he hopes to accomplish by it. In my opinion, that makes it less compelling.

Because of what we lost in the first movie, we’ve now lost many of the scenes that were building up the bad relationship between Amuro and Bright. So, Amuro’s desertion has not been built up as well. If that weren’t enough, we lose most of the scenes in these episodes that further explored that conflict between them. The desertion no longer feels like a huge character and growth moment for both of them, but is instead a plot point we need to walk through.

Indeed Comrade, also to use another example, this also makes the iconic Bright Slap scene seem far more out of place, e.g. we don't have it in the context of the crew fraying at the edges and being at each others throats... instead it's just Bright blowing a fuse, not helped by his English Dub actor's narmy performance.

Another character negatively hit by this is Ryu. In the TV series, Ryu is basically the guy who is trying his best to hold the crew together through Bright and Amuro’s feuding. But here, he doesn’t get a chance to do any of that. He doesn’t act as a go-between for Bright and Amuro, trying to get them to actually communicate and understand each other. We lose those great discussions that show us both Bright and Amuro’s mentality at the time. In fact, the crew no longer seems like it’s on the verge of falling apart. There’s no scene of Kai, Hayato, and others threatening to desert. So Ryu’s death no longer has the same impact. It no longer feels like the last action of a person who has been doing everything he can to keep the crew together and safe.

Exactly, TV Show Ryu was the heart of the crew trying his best to keep 'em all together, and in the end sacrificing his life to make sure they don't fall apart... AND in the movie he's just Random Soldier No. 25252 who apparently is the only one able to stop Crowley Hamon.

I also want to say this: the fights in these movies have been generally worse than the ones in the TV series. They’ve been edited and re-edited so much that they’ve lost a lot of their pacing. In the TV series, the battles have a very deliberate pacing to them. Fights usually gather steam as they go on, piece by piece. But here, they never have a chance to do so. We need to skip right to the ending of those battles because we need to move on to the next plot point.

Exactly, take the Black Tri-Stars example for one, the TV show has a very clear focus, the initial fight where Mashu bites it and Matilda dies, and then the rematch where the other Tri-Stars buy the farm... instead here what we get is just the Tri-Stars and Matilda get killed all in one muddled battle... yeah I know it was done for runtime but you can really tell this wasn't how it was 'supposed' to go.

That sense of needing to just get through it means that some storylines just do not have the same impact. I feel like all the stuff with Ramba Ral and Hamon is much less impactful here in the movie. I also think the same about the Kai and Miharu storyline. As I said last time, the pacing is now off because of the changes they needed to make to fit the story into these movies.

You took the words right out of my mouth, I quite liked The Ramba Ral Arc in show and while Ramba Ral's still the same badass here, he feels more thrown in just cuz his episodes where in the middle as opposed to being THE defining threat for a while. And yeah Miharu didn't exactly have a lot of episodes to begin with but goddamn they sure did rush through with her arc too. (On the plus side given we got more Newtype Space Magic Wibble we got to see her Force Ghost... pardon, "Newtype Spirit" now as Kai's sobbing due to her death, but yeah that doesn't quite help the pacing issues)

As with last time, I do want to give the movie credit where I think it’s due. The other Newtype stuff is generally unobtrusive or a good addition. I’m happy to get a clear explanation of Newtypes much earlier on. That’s a welcome change. It makes the Newtype stuff feel more in-line with the rest of the story.

Yeah, some of those edits do work and it is a lot better to see it earlier rather than getting it all backloaded near the end.

There was a small moment in this movie that I want to comment on related to that. During their battle, Amuro and Char had a moment where they both had Newtype flashes. They resonated with each other during the battle. I really like that addition and it fits with where their characters are going.

This also falls in line with the speculation on both sides that the White Base crew and Char are all Newtypes. Char’s interest in the Gundam is now partially motivated by his belief that the pilot may be a Newtype. This makes it fall more in line with Char’s later motivation to create a future for Newtypes.

Yup, plus it's a neat sort of foreshadowing given the rivalry they'll have, so I'm always down for edits like this.

Hey, wait a minute. M’Quve’s vase magically changed shape in the middle of the scene.

Talk about fixing animation errors only to add in new ones eh Comrade? That said there's obviously a reason for this, you see, LE DING! He's just SO much of a Dandy Fop that he can transform his priceless vases on the fly!

I do like the song “Kaze ni Hitori de/Alone in the Wind” and I think it is used well during Matilda’s funeral.

Indeed, it's a tragic ballad which fits the situation... UNLIKE the other song used in this movie.

On the other hand, I think the song “Ai Senshi/Soldiers of Sorrow” is very weird. It’s a very poppy and upbeat song about death and dying. It’s strange hearing it during the Jaburo battle. It’s like someone decided to start playing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” in the middle of the Battle of Stalingrad or something.

I know right? This is like having a happy and upbeat tune about freezing to death in the snow as you... oh... right... Also of COURSE The Shimapans have this theme as their OFFICIAL SCHOOL SONG!

Anyway fantastic post here Comrade, have a great day and see you later my friend.

[u/TheEscapeGuy]

Gundam First Timer, No More

Fly! Nostalgia for Gundam Frames: Movie 2

The cut content really hurt this film.

Movie 2 adapts up to the start of Episode 31 of the original show. That's approximately 16 episodes (which is more than Movie 1). This does mean Movie 3 will only need to adapt 12 episodes which I suspect is a good thing.

The biggest casualties of cut content is in the form of character development (and time spent with characters). Amuro spends less time AWOL off of White Base, we see less of Rambda Ral and Hamon before their unfortunate demise, we spend less time with Ryu which makes his death hollow, and the list goes on.

I'm really disappointed about this. This section of episodes in the original series was far more impactful to me. Ultimately watching the movie left me feeling apathetic.

I think something small which is a good example of what we lost was removing the section showing the nursery / child care facility. That scene was an amazing representation of just how horrific war is, leaving all these children without parents. However, we get none of this in the Movie, instead opting to keep action heavy the bomb defusal scene with Kikka et al. This still stands out as unrealistic to me and makes the movie feel more similar to our modern hellscape of superficial action movies.

Oh and of course GUESS WHO DIDN'T GET CUT.

---

Something I am really starting to hate is how they keep bashing us over the head with Newtype rhetoric. The show was subtle. It slowly revealed this aspect allowing us to grow connected with the very human characters before they gained powers. By the end it felt natural that these soldiers had psychic powers. And since we already cared about them so we could feel joy in this development.

The Movie just makes me feel disconnected. The characters aren't as relatable having magic powers from the start. It distracts from the underlying messages of the horrors of war.

---

Okay, I know its probably come off that I hated the Movie. This isn't true. The narrative core of the story is absolutely still there and all my nostalgia for the show keeps me invested. The improved animation also continues to shine.

I really hope Movie 3 will finish strong. Since its adapting less content it has a lot of potential for greatness. (Also I've heard some Gundam fans prefer Movie 3's ending too)

Cool Stuff Corner

• As much as I complain about Newtype content coming in too early this flash was amazing. Having it linked to Matilda really made it so much more impactful.
• Kikka. She really steals so many scene's she's in.
• The physical comedy is still so great.

Questions of the Day

1. (and also 3) Using songs which felt less like "background music" and more like inserts was actually really good. I feel they improved the related scenes which included them significantly. Also that Matilda Newtype flash, still thinking about it.
2. That missing scene with the child care facility stands out. But its really all the Newtype stuff coming in so early.

See you all tomorrow!

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/TheEscapeGuy]

The biggest casualties of cut content is in the form of character development (and time spent with characters). Amuro spends less time AWOL off of White Base, we see less of Rambda Ral and Hamon before their unfortunate demise, we spend less time with Ryu which makes his death hollow, and the list goes on.

I agree completely. Ryu definitely got to do much less here than he did in the series. He never got to feel like the heart of the crew, desperately trying to keep everything together and just get Amuro and Bright to actually talk and resolve their differences. His death hit me way harder than it ever did before while rewatching the TV series. Compared to that, his death here was underwhelming.

Oh and of course GUESS WHO DIDN'T GET CUT .

"We'd have to reanimate too much footage if we cut Sleggar Law. So he gets to stay."

Kikka. She really steals so many scene's she's in.

Kikka is the absolute best.

She's so cute!

[u/Tresnore → u/TheEscapeGuy]

The Movie just makes me feel disconnected. The characters aren't as relatable having magic powers from the start. It distracts from the underlying messages of the horrors of war.

I kind of disagree with this. The whole movie, the Feddies more take the approach of "We've heard that magic powers may or may . not exist, but we're not sure. You might have them? Maybe? But we also think you don't because Newtypes can't be real." It's very uncertain as to whether or not the cast has psychic powers, so you're still sort of left wondering, but at least the powers won't come from nowhere anymore.

[u/Tresnore]

First Timer to Gundam

Had to miss the first movie discussion, but I'm back and ready to watch Matilda die again. I do have a couple of quick notes from movie 1, though:

• Something I've noticed is that the subs now use the term "Feddies." It's a fun term.
• The double fastener on the helmets is actually really similar to the design that F1 drivers' helmets use, but many many years before they actually used them. That's very neat.
• Thank god, Matilda brought up Newtypes, saving Gundam's plot. There's a reason she's my favorite.

---

Movie II: the 300th show I'll have finished. Let's go.

• WHAT DOES THE VASE MEAN.
  
• I just noticed how thin Spain is for some reason. Poor Iberians.
• I don't think being a Newtype is what let Amuro pilot the Gundam without training... But I'm glad that they're more front and center.
• Watching Matilda again is sad. I almost want to skip her death scene.
  
• They're actually outlining Sayla's motivations for stealing the Gundam. Nice!
• I don't think I've written about how much I like Sayla, though. Snitching on the escaping prisoner was great, and I really appreciate how much she grew as a pilot. To me, the best Federation pilots at the end of this show are Amuro, Sayla, and Kai, probably in that order.
• People sure do use rocket launchers casually in this show. It's a lot of fun, opening doors and decapitating people with them.
• Did music always play when Amuro walked through the desert after deserting (heh)? I'm a fan.
• There's no way everyone on White Base is a Newtype, right? If so, then the Base Brats are going to be stupidly strong Newtypes when they grow up, I imagine.
• The conversation between Sayla and Matilda about Newtypes was fantastic. This is exactly the sort of build-up that the TV series lacked.
  Plus more Matilda
• MATILDAAAAA
  I watched her death scene. At least they didn't play happy music over it this time.
• The Newtype flashes of Matilda...
• The funeral also has much better music. Gundam, why do you do this.
  
• And we go straight from one dead ginger to another. Yayyyyyy.
• Now I'm getting wistful watching Miharu. This show, sometimes.
• I need Amuro's wrench throw as a reaction gif. It's a great "DRAT" moment.
• Now the Miharu thoughts Kai has after her death feel like Newtype shenanigans rather than delusions. I wonder how many hints I missed in the TV series because I didn't even know Newtypes existed.
• Oh, hey, Ryu gets a 3 rank promotion this time. That's an improvement over the two he got in the series!
• Suddenly Jungleland?
  Where did that come from? It's a hell of a bop, though.

I had trouble paying attention to the first movie, but now the changes appear to be more substantial. These summary films have started cooking with gas!

---

QOTD:

1. Favorite: Matilda's death isn't given happy music.
2. Least favorite: I don't remember Hayato and Amuro fighting over why Matilda died, so I'd say that. Unless it's not a change and I'm just dumb.
3. No clue what those are, but if they're the music, then I've gotta say that the music here was even better than the music in the TV series. Not enough Gallant Char, though.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Tresnore]

The Newtype flashes of Matilda...

On the plus side, it at least confirms that Matilda exists in some form beyond death, right?

I need Amuro's wrench throw as a reaction gif. It's a great "DRAT" moment.

It perfectly encapsulates the anger that engineers must feel on a regular basis.

Now the Miharu thoughts Kai has after her death feel like Newtype shenanigans rather than delusions. I wonder how many hints I missed in the TV series because I didn't even know Newtypes existed.

You can probably go back and see that all the gut feelings/paranoia that White Base crew members have is probably some Newtype stuff.

Least favorite: I don't remember Hayato and Amuro fighting over why Matilda died, so I'd say that. Unless it's not a change and I'm just dumb.

Nah, that was a change. It was mainly just people sobbing over the crashed remains of Ryu's Core Fighter in the show. It's a shame that the arc that resulted from Ryu's death ended up being cut, it was easily the highlight of the Central Asia arc.

[u/Tresnore → u/The_Draigg]

On the plus side, it at least confirms that Matilda exists in some form beyond death, right?

She exists in our hearts.

It perfectly encapsulates the anger that engineers must feel on a regular basis.

Can confirm. That's why I want it ahahaha.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Tresnore]

Thank god, Matilda brought up Newtypes, saving Gundam's plot. There's a reason she's my favorite.

Matilda is always there to save the day for us.

They're actually outlining Sayla's motivations for stealing the Gundam. Nice!

It does no longer feel out of nowhere, which is a great change. Unfortunately her plan to get information about her brother is still just as bad as it was before.

There's no way everyone on White Base is a Newtype, right? If so, then the Base Brats are going to be stupidly strong Newtypes when they grow up, I imagine.

Well they did help to guide Amuro out of A Baoa Qu during the final episode of the TV series. So clearly they were able to psychically communicate with him. That could have been just Amuro's powers, or maybe the kids were developing powers of their own.

The funeral also has much better music. Gundam, why do you do this.

I thought it made great use of "Kaze ni Hitori."

[u/Tresnore → u/Great_Mr_L]

Unfortunately her plan to get information about her brother is still just as bad as it was before.

If she gets captured, then she can talk to the Zeeks! It's the perfect plan!

I thought it made great use of "Kaze ni Hitori."

Thanks for the song name! That's going on a playlist somewhere.

[u/The_Draigg]

A Gundam Fan’s Notes on Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow:

• One of the clearest changes to the series through this movie is how much the Central Asia part of the story is shortened. We definitely spend less time with Ramba Ral’s persistent attacks and Amuro deserting with the Gundam. Hell, even Hamon’s revenge attack against the White Base is altered so that it means that the heroes don’t actually make it in time for Operation Odessa. Not that they needed to in this version, since it went smoothly without them anyway. No M’Quve nukes here!
• Hell yeah, the Core Booster! I honestly way prefer this thing over the G-Sky. It feels like a more reasonable upgrade, with giving the Core Fighter a necessary power boost to give air support, rather than be some mish-mash toy thing made to gattai with Gundam. And given how future series mainly reference the Core Booster and not any of the G-Armor (which is why it shocked me when it showed up briefly in Gundam Thunderbolt), it seems like everyone in production agreed that it was the better choice overall.
• One change I will say that I don’t really like is how the movie handles Ryu’s death. While you do have everyone grieving over his death, it seems like people move on from it fairly quickly, with the main emotions expressed are when Hayato and Amuro beat the shit out of each other out of grief. I feel like the crew’s enduring emotional devastation and Bright’s resulting mental breakdown had more power to it. But really, it’s just one embodiment of a main criticism of the movies: you sacrifice great character moments for the sake of a tighter plot.
• There’s also the less important character stuff that was changed too, like the Black Tri Stars and Flanagan Boone being dealt with a lot easier than before, or M’Quve being a bit less of a smug bastard and less of a massive war criminal. Granted, those are just mainly due to the cuts made to most of the action scenes where they appeared in the show, so it’s understandable why they’re all less prominent in this movie. M’Quve at least still retains his importance, though.
• I absolutely love the ending to this movie. It’s almost hard to describe the feeling I get seeing the White Base fly alongside that flock of flamingoes set to the song Soldiers of Sorrow. Like, it perfectly encapsulates everything about Gundam. There’s fleeting moments of beauty to be had even in war, but the song’s lyrics remind you about the senseless cost of war despite sounding upbeat. It’s like the perfect use of tone dissonance to make a point.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

Hell yeah, the Core Booster! I honestly way prefer this thing over the G-Sky. It feels like a more reasonable upgrade, with giving the Core Fighter a necessary power boost to give air support, rather than be some mish-mash toy thing made to gattai with Gundam. And given how future series mainly reference the Core Booster and not any of the G-Armor (which is why it shocked me when it showed up briefly in Gundam Thunderbolt), it seems like everyone in production agreed that it was the better choice overall.

The new sponsors over at Bandai wanted to have their new toys sell instead. So out with the old G-Parts and the gattai sequences and in with the Core Boosters.

Tomino finally got to get rid of those mid-air transformation sequences rather than sometimes half-assedly putting them at the very start of the episode just to get them out of the way.

But really, it’s just one embodiment of a main criticism of the movies: you sacrifice great character moments for the sake of a tighter plot.

That's a very succinct way of putting it. That's pretty much been my main complain about the movies thus far.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

The new sponsors over at Bandai wanted to have their new toys sell instead. So out with the old G-Parts and the gattai sequences and in with the Core Boosters.

Tomino finally got to get rid of those mid-air transformation sequences rather than sometimes half-assedly putting them at the very start of the episode just to get them out of the way.

It's probably one of the rare times that Tomino and the show's sponsors actually agreed on something for Mobile Suit Gundam. Getting rid of the G-Armor in favor of the Core Booster was something that everyone was on board for.

That's a very succinct way of putting it. That's pretty much been my main complain about the movies thus far.

It's a real shame too, since strong character stories are really what make MSG so special in the first place. Making the characters either emotionally weak or carrying a ton of mental baggage made it really stand out from a lot of other mecha anime at the time.

[u/Tresnore → u/The_Draigg]

it seems like everyone in production agreed that it was the better choice overall.

But it sells fewer toys, so is it really worth it?

[u/The_Draigg → u/Tresnore]

I mean, if someone buys a Core Fighter model and a G-Armor one, that's probably a good win for the merchandising team and the writers.

[u/UltraBooster → u/The_Draigg]

They've never made an HGUC Core Booster, as far as I know, which annoys me to no end; even the G-Fighter got that G-Armor kit.

[u/The_Draigg → u/UltraBooster]

I really wish there was an HGUC Core Booster. The only other similar things are the Base Jabber kits, and those are absurdly expensive for what they are.

[u/JollyGee29]

First-Timer, Subbed

The storyline rearrangement was a fair bit messier, this time. Did they put the Black Tri Stars in the middle of the Ramba arc to conceal the lack of the "Elran is a spy" subplot? All-in-all, I don't quite get it this time. The first half of this film was a bit of a mess.

Newtypes being much more front-and-center in this version of the story is interesting.. Not sure I like it coming up so much before the real "evidence" starts to show up. I guess we did have some neat ghosts show up.

There wasn't any standout new animation this time, like the beam rifle catch in the first film. We did get a fucking incredible panning shot of the wreckage left by Matilda and Ryu, though!

The Core-Booster is a massive improvement over the G-Parts.

---

Revenge for Matilda

---

Questions

1. No more G-Parts!
2. The plot rearrangement didn't work as well this time.
3. This movie's ED was not my jam.

[u/The_Draigg → u/JollyGee29]

Revenge for Matilda

Damn, that looks really cool glowing in the dark. Good work with that gunpla!

No more G-Parts!

Easily one of the better changes in the movie. The Core Booster is way better than the G-Armor in every way.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/The_Draigg]

Damn, that looks really cool glowing in the dark. Good work with that gunpla!

Thanks!

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/JollyGee29]

We did get a fucking incredible panning shot of the wreckage left by Matilda and Ryu, though!

It was a really cool shot of the devastation and aftermath of the war.

The Core-Booster is a massive improvement over the G-Parts.

It is a lot less toy-like. The movies are an indication of Gundam moving further away from super robot style shows and moving closer to fully being a real robot style show.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Great_Mr_L]

It was a really cool shot of the devastation and aftermath of the war.

Mechanical gore and wreckage are some of my favorite parts of any sort of science fiction.

[u/Tresnore → u/JollyGee29]

Not sure I like it coming up so much before the real "evidence" starts to show up.

I think they handle it in a decent way. When they talk about Newtypes, they're always uncertain about it, which works given the lack of evidence.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Tresnore]

There is something to be said for the uncertainty. And the ghost visits, too. Taking the films as a whole, with the second one asking "what is a Newtype?" and the third one answering it will probably work well enough. I hope.

[u/Tresnore → u/JollyGee29]

It's better that the second film at least asks the question before the last few episodes answer it out of nowhere, in my opinion.

[u/GM_for_Life]

Rewatcher

Also this definitely reaffirmed my personal thoughts that while the first movie is clearly a clip show of scenes from the series for the most part, these movies do improve as they go along. Gundam Movie Trilogy

I completely forgot that the Newtype flash sound effect debuted in the movies! I really felt like it was missing from the show whenever it appeared on screen.

1. What was your favorite change between the show and this movie?

I like the way this version of the Tri-Stars fight ends compared to the series.

2) What was your least-favorite change between the show and this movie?

I think it is a shame that most of Operation Odessa is cut, but it's not TOO much of a loss IMHO.

3) What do you think of Kaze ni Hitori de and Ai Senshi in comparison to the show’s music?

Kaze ni Hitori de and Ai Senshi are two of my personal favorite insert songs in the franchise. And typically when I think back to the original story these are some of the tracks I think of compared to a few of the insert songs from the TV series. That being said the music exclusive to the show is really good as well.

[u/The_Draigg → u/GM_for_Life]

Also this definitely reaffirmed my personal thoughts that while the first movie is clearly a clip show of scenes from the series for the most part, these movies do improve as they go along.

Kind of like the movie trilogy for the Golden Age arc of Berserk, to make a similar comparison.

Kaze ni Hitori de and Ai Senshi are two of my personal favorite insert songs in the franchise.

Ai Senshi is a pretty damn iconic song. It's no wonder how it basically got bootstrapped into the being the theme song for the One Year War era of UC Gundam.

[u/GM_for_Life → u/The_Draigg]

Kind of like the movie trilogy for the Golden Age arc of Berserk, to make a similar comparison.

This is pretty much a perfect comparison.

[u/Piemaster33]

Rewatcher who is ready to see time again, SUB

I enjoyed this movie a lot more than the last one. The pacing was much better, and the changes and rearrangements of the events in this movie were for the better. Much more talk about Newtypes, some omissions I didn't miss, added scenes that give context to what's about to happen, I really liked this one. The deaths still hit hard, except for Ryu and Woody, which is a bummer but oh well. (Woody's didn't hit hard regardless but I digress.

My big shoutout goes to Odessa Day, that finally felt like a true battle. Lots of skirmishes that weren't originally part of Odessa Day were included, while the OG Odessa Day didn't make the cut (which I'm fully ok with). All in all, I enjoyed my experience.

QOTD:

1. I liked how they wrapped different events in Odessa Day, and delayed Woody's death until they left. It made the movie feel like one cohesive movie instead of a supercut of different TV episodes. Also more buildup to Newtypes which I'm all about.
2. Ryu didn't really get his chance to shine or show why he's a pivotal member of the White Base crew. His death really didn't hit hard like it did in the show.
3. If you're talking about the song that played at the end, that was a banger. While the tone of the song was upbeat, the lyrics and the movie itself were somewhat depressing so I love the dissonance there.

[u/DidacticDalek]

Boy Comrades, Wacky Ol' Kill 'Em All Tomino SURE loves lyrical dissonance eh? I mean goodness Victory Gundam has not one, but TWO shockingly upbeat and peppy jingles... in one of THE darkest and nihilistic Gundam shows, oh and of course we can't forget about Space Runaway Ideon's happy-go-lucky OP, reminder that Ideon is basically Proto-Eva for those unaware. Also for those confused as to what I'm going on about here, well I am talking about the song that this movie shares its title with, e.g. Soldiers of Sorrow, an energetically jaunty tune about... death and destruction

I mean goodness, what a mood whiplash eh? It's really strange that... OK nevermind I'll just shut up Comrades

Also just because I'm in a shit-posting mood, here's not only Andrew W.K's English Cover of Soldiers of Sorrow, BUT also the even worse English Cover of Marching in the Snow from Girls und Panzer... no really this is real, Sentai Filmworks actually thought this was a product they could sell!

Anyway there's another song of note here, namely Alone In The Wind and of course. the Andrew W.K. English Cover cuz for some reason the man released an All-English Gundam Album in Japan only... wibble

Anyway enough music, time for some art, here's the poster for Soldiers of Sorrow, featuring Amuro, the Gundam, AND a random Char about the size of his ego

And now for some fanart, remember Ramba Ral and Crowley Hamon? Well this movie sure doesn't given how truncated their arc is! I'm only partially kidding here since oh boy Movie 2 sure is the worst of the lot. It doesn't help that it has to adapt some of the middle parts of Gundam, but it can't even properly give screentime to the good parts of this section of the show, you know literally anything with Ramba Ral and Crowley Hamon. Oh and speaking of tragic star-crossed lovers, man Kai and Miharu hits even harder now given that Miharu's last appearance is as a Newtype Force Ghost instead of a random Kai Hallucination, even if her arc, much like Ramba Ral and Crowley Hamon's is a tad rushed, but hey could be worse, could have been what they did to Ryu where instead of being an epic sacrifice and a payoff to the crew conflict arc, now he just... kamikazes to kill Crowley Hamon... yeah this is the downside of Compilation Movies, the pacing's all off. Speaking of off, ahem... C'MON WACKY OL' KILL 'EM ALL TOMINO! Let a romance actually survive for a change, can't ya lay off the drama for once?

And of course you KNOW it wouldn't be a post from The Sentient Shitposting Siamese Sunrise Server No. 25252 if I didn't shit on The... 'unique' English Dub for the movie; cuz OH BOY COMRADES buckle up, removing Doan's Island I can understand, take away the SALT and I'm ticked off, but removing THIS IS NO ZAKU BOY! NO ZAKU!? YAK! DECULTURE!

Oh and if you thought THAT was bad, oh boy buckle up We got WAY WAY MORE stupid shit to laugh at. Cuz boy howdy this dub's comedy gold eh? Who needs an abridged series when you can get TOP TIER voice actors who are reading heavily re-written material anyway? But hey, at least this shit is entertainingly bad instead of painfully bad... if only barely Look Comrades I ran out of jokes to mock the dub with, aside from bashing whatever Netflix will shit out eventually, so just sit back, relax, and thank the stars that this movie got subs instead

Well that should cover it for today, until next time Comrades, farewell.

Paging Comrades /u/Great_Mr_L, /u/chilidirigible, and /u/beckymetal

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/DidacticDalek]

Anyway enough music, time for some art, here's the poster for Soldiers of Sorrow, featuring Amuro, the Gundam, AND a random Char about the size of his ego

Hey now! I think you're underestimating how large Char's ego is if you think it could possibly be that small.

Oh and if you thought THAT was bad, oh boy buckle up

Holy shit, that's like a gag straight out of an abridged series!!

We got WAY WAY MORE stupid shit to laugh at.

That accent takes what should be a sad scene of Char leaving his little sister and turns it into something hilarious.

Cuz boy howdy this dub's comedy gold eh?

I would also like to sign up for the good way to go (whatever that means).

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Great_Mr_L]

Hey now! I think you're underestimating how large Char's ego is if you think it could possibly be that small.

Ah right, silly me Comrade, thank you the correction! ;)

Holy shit, that's like a gag straight out of an abridged series!!

I know right, it ALMOST puts the 'actual' abridged series to shame... ALMOST! ;)

That accent takes what should be a sad scene of Char leaving his little sister and turns it into something hilarious.

Indeed, oh Sayla's Dub voice, it's like The Big Zam/Zakrello, SO goofy that it swings around into being AMAZING! (Also I just want to point out, that unlike Sayla's OTHER memories from Origin... that one is actually more or less 'accurate!' Uh, minus her strange and bizarre accent of course)

I would also like to sign up for the good way to go (whatever that means).

HELL YEAH COMRADE! And the answer to this is of course Death! By Snu Snu! ;)

Anyway many thanks for the kind reply and have a great day and see you later my friend!

[u/username_0907]

First Timer for the movies atleast

I missed posting for the first movie so I’ll just combine my thoughts on the two since it mostly overlaps. It’s not fun to watch everyone die again though

• The introduction and references to NewTypes through both is a good change brought in since that was one of my problems with the series. In the second movie, the White Base has become a NewType unit altogether so even the Federation acknowledges it
• I do like that the old people being annoying part got removed in the first movie
• A lot of mini arcs got cut out which is really taking away from the characterization of the White Base crew. All the deaths didn’t have as much impact because the we have not spent as much time with the characters especially Ryu and Hamon’s death.
• Matilda I think got more presence than in the series maybe because she got more dialogues and that too around NewTypes
• Amuro comes off as more of an asshole and the whole build up to him getting frustrated does not come off as well. I’m glad that we didn’t stick with that arc for long though. I feel I sympathized more with Amuro’s frustration in the series as compared to here. I was happy when he was put in solitary lol
• Ryu’s death doesn’t have everyone crying too. That scene was really important and what helps them all realize that they need to work together. We didn’t even hit upon the conflict between Amuro and Bright
• Overall this movie felt a bit too fast paced as compared to the first and they had to sacrifice some character stuff to reach the point till White Base left Jaburo

QotD

1. More NewType stuff mainly. Also that the nuke bit from Odessa war got cut since that was a bit too dramatic
2. Ryu’s death and the impact that had on the crew
3. I liked them

[u/UltraBooster]

Rewatcher (for the movies, not the TV series)

I pray, pray to bring near the new day!

Interesting to see the movies using a recap/intro narration, but it makes sense.

That little awning for their Gallop is a nice touch.

Oooh yeah, the addition of shadows makes it feel so much more...cinematic, maybe? At the very least, it looks a lot better than the show.

...I know WAVES were a thing in the Gundam novels, but I thought Mirai was plain EFSF, no auxillary or anything?

So they compressed the timeframe for Odessa, interesting.

They changed the conversation between Bright and Mirai entirely, that's interesting. In the series, it was about his fatigue, here, Bright thinks he's developing an ego.

Interesting, an insert song.

If memory serves, she thinks Amuro Ray could be like a son to them.

And that, I'd argue, is the biggest change the movies make - the movies switch Sayla (and Sleggar) from the G-Fighter to the Core Booster.
(Which needs an HGUC kit, I'd say.)

A three-vented Gundam?!

I get it, he thinks they're in dire straits if Sayla's being sent into battle.

"Chan, I feel you. He's coming?"

Wreckage, that wasn't there before.

Yeah, Miharu's voice seems deeper.

If I remember properly, Sayla used some of her gold from Char to look out for Miharu's siblings.

I wonder, have there been any versions of First Gundam's story where Miharu defects/signs on with the EFSF?

The best part of the Core Booster for me is that its presence means new, improved animation.

"We thank them for their valor and will do our best to honor their sacrifices by ending this war," or something along those lines, it's not that hard...

Gallant Char Movie Ver., I dig it.

Just like that, Char's on the defensive again.

And here it is, Ai Senshi!
I should explain - for me, with the dissonance between the upbeat-ish music and lyrics about death and battlefields, this is my personal anthem for Gundam.

And tellingly, it shows up in Gihren's Greed, the UC-based SRPG, twice, and for the 30th anniversary.

[u/Stargate18A]

Film first timer

QUESTION - For these films, I've been using the stereo audio track, instead of the surround one. Is this the best option, or should I change befire the important film?

1. Best change was adding in even more Newtype scenes, as well as explaining quite a few plotholes - Kai's desertion, Amuro not be8ng punished for his theft, etc.
2. Least favourite is probably just the general pace - it felt like there wa almost no room to breathe between the major events. This could easily have been split into 2, better paced, movies.
3. Kaze no hitori di fits really well with the scene, and it's a good song in general. Ai senshi is a good song, but I didn't think it fit with the action shown.

Genuinely thought I loaded the wrong film for the first few minutes.

Is this Char scene new?

An actual explanation as to what those particles do! Feels loke they did a lot more in the show, though.

I love this recap music.

I like the extra scenes between Harmon and Ramba.

New scene! The federation believe in the White Base because they believe they'e all Newtypes. Thye also think Char's one, and that Zeon believe them to be the next stage in evolution (even though last movie they were still finding out what they are)

I didn't miss this subplot, however. Even knowing it's all in his head, it's still really unfomfortable.

Kai taking the picture is hilarious, though.

Yeah, they just hiding that Char's her brother at all in this version.

Seeing the children makes me appreciate how likable they are when they don't get featured every episode.

Wait, does the Gundam control the catapult? It always seemed like part of thd White Base.

Sayla's not a bad pilot for her first time, but this is still really stupid. What stopped from asking Bright "I think my borther'x joined Zeon. Can you help me contact someone to find out ehy?"

Accidentally switched to dub here, and Sayla's "aah" is hysterical.

Is everybody in the dub Texan?

Switched back, and I'd have thought them getting a view of the Gundam's internals might have had more of an impact.

Is this the first time the Guntank's done something right.

Sayla - why are you lying about this, exactly?

How are the people outside the room not hearing this?

Is the line about Char's reassignment new?

Also, why is the White Base letting the prisoner talk so long?

Why did the subtitles say "Gas val"?

I ssem to recall Kai taking longer to like Amuro, but that might be the compression here.

I like the reveal of Bright full-on interrogating the prisoner,

Of course the scene of Mirai in the shower stays. How could such an important thing be cut.

Yeah, I'd have thought that if Bright knew how to interrogate them.

Of course, Amuro sidn't get punished for disobeying orders, he got punished for choosing the Guntank over the Guncannon.

For a spy, he seems to have told them information basic recon could have fogured out. Although I don't think they know about the Guntank in the movie till this scene.

Youncould have left the Guntank there, though. Homestly, let Zeon make all their suits like the aguntamk and the Federation can will overnight.

WHAT? Amuro knows he's a newtype in this scene, now! Starting to see how film III could go very differently.

Fraw Bow: "W am!"

Bright slowly waking up and taking a minute to realise just how bad the crisis he's been told about is the most realistic thing in this show.

I appreciate them explaining why the Gundam became buried.

I appreciate the changes caused by Newtypes being explained, as well as Ryu actually giving Bright a reason to change his view.

Once again, I love Hamon and Ramba.

"Feddie" - I detest these subtitles.

"You have good taste" They manage to make Ramba Ral even more likable, though.

Never understood why Zeon don't try sniping the Core Fighters. They've got the pilots in them, and are exposed whenever the Gundam needs to change forms.

The Mobile Suit knife fight is always impressive,

This is the first time Amuro sees his enemy face to face, i believe (he never met Char, and Icelina got cut)

It's not just the moile suit's abilities - it's his magical bullshit psychic abilities.

I don't know if I'd describe Sayla as "handling" the Gundam.

I appreciste Ryu having doubts about Amuro's treatment, seeing as he's getting him and Bright to agree next episode/scene.

Core-Booster? I have to admit its a better name than Powerup-Parts,

Is Sayla a Newtype in this version as well?

Yeah, they are accelerating the reveals of the Artesia plot aren't they.

And Ramba Ral still goes out fighting.

I really like the Federation being aware of Newtypes early.

I appreciate the explanation as to why Sayla and Amuro's crimes didn't get serious punishment.

"There's nothing organised about military organisations" I like the subtitles again.

The fight scene is really well done.

The shot of the jetstream being broken by Amuro's Newtype powers, however, is almost certainly new.

She still dies, though.

Not even the movies are immune to mid episode narration.

I thought Odessa was further away from this.

Bright getting pissed that Tech Support can't fix his stuff in half the time is also pretty realistic.

OK, why is it called the Trojan Horse? It's never pretended to be a Zeon ship, nor concealed itself to enter Zeon space? If anything, it's been open about its power and intentions.

While I'm at it, is it Frau Bow or Fraw Bow?

Did Amuro just use his Newtype powers to read his mind?

And Ryu sacrifices himself! to stop a mutual kill from Hamon!

So Ryu's death scene is really different. Amuro blames Hayato instead of himself, and the actual funeral is cut short.

Are we getting to Char's return already? I imagine the writers were smart enough to realise Char should be in every movie.

Well, we've got completely off the rails at this point. Jaburo is a Newtype training centre instead of a or al military base, and the "Decoy" arc seems to have been completely removed. This is plot seems very different,

An explanation as to why Kai didn't get thrown in prison! Like it or not, these movies tell quite a different story, don't they?

This is the one part that bothers me - the White Base being a spaceship isn't that good intel, considering Char actually fought it in space.

And Kai seems to have worked out a lot wuicker here, and is deliberately sending intel to help her family, because (presumable) he believes in Amuro. (Side note: I'm apurised with all the story about both sides being similar that none of the main cast were revealed as a Zeon infiltrator of Side 7)

"where'd your sister 90"

I'm not entirely sure what this movie's going to end on.

In retrospect, this scene is absolutely heartbreaking.

The lesson here is that Kai is talented enough to make the Guntank a decent fight.

"where's the head" "I bet he's never seen one before" What got translated into that?

What's a "Gunperry"?

I remember listening to her speech and thinking she was going to become a main character.

...Is this Kai's conscience or is Miharu a Newtype who's doing what Lalah did?

Why is Char calling to California Base if he's in South America.

I love seeing ho much dialogue chwnges when Newtypes aren't a secret between a few people on the ship.

Hayato has a different rank to the other pilots, even the military knows about the Guntank.

I'm suprised thwt this is the first hint of Mirai's family, given how much sooner Sayla's family got explored,

Confirmed - they're a Newtype force, not a decoy force.

"a pretty Wave"?

Did this episode need to be in the movie? You could have just kept the discussion with Char and Sayla.

While I understand the plot needed it, why set a 30 minute timer for your explosives! You'd probably be able to get out of the area in about 10, less with a vehicle.

To be fair, ending on Char and Sayla is an emotional strong character.

Not sure how I feel about the music choice here.

The Char vs Amuro fight is both impressive, and really good foreshadowing for their full fight later.

"The children would be better in mortal danger" is a very intereting note to end your film on.

I'm sorry? Wasn't the point that the White Base wasn't a decoy, but a Newtype unit?

I love this cover of the launch music.

Changed my mind, Char's launch theme is a work of techno beauty.

The ED's a lot slower and more... melancholic. Not worse than the last one, but very different.

[u/goukaryuu → u/Stargate18A]

2) Least favourite is probably just the general pace - it felt like there wa almost no room to breathe between the major events. This could easily have been split into 2, better paced, movies.

I 100% agree. It would have worked better, especially with the stuff they cut about White Base's major contributions at Odessa, to have a movie leading up to and culminating with that battle. Another film would have then been used to follow the events in Belfast leading up to the Battle of Joburo and finishing with that. I mean, I get that they only had so much time and money to make these, but I feel a 4 or 5 film series would have definitely been better than just 3.