WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT!

Yes I’m very excited to review this show.

Gundam has not had a non UC (Universal Century) or build series (aka the ones all about Gunpla) since 2015, which was Iron Blood Orphans. So, when I heard we were getting a new Gundam series and it was going to be set in a new continuity, I was excited… and then I found the lead character was going to be a woman, (and insert gif shocked explosion meme image) So my first response was “Please be good Please be good Please be good” Well as you can tell from my first reaction, it was.

It does feel like they made sure this show hit the ground running and we would be ready for it. First up they posted on the official Gundam YouTube channel a special prologue episode and released 2 model kits for it. They also made sure to upload the full version of the opening legally, and even an English translated version. Gundam being one of the corner stones of all anime and the series people think of when they think of the mecha genera, makes sense they want to make as big a deal about this as possible.

Set in the future to the point that they use a new calendar AD stella, we are introduced to our lead Sulleta Mercury, a red headed girl from Mercury who’s heading to the Asticassia School of Technology. On the way she spots someone drifting out in space and uses her Mobile suit called Aerial to grab her. The student Miorine Rembran daughter of the President of the Benerit Group, was not happy about this as she was trying to escape. We soon find that she is arranged to be married to the top duellist of the school, which is currently Guel Jeturk, heir of the Jeturk Heavy Machinery. After shenanigans involving tomatoes and a butt slap by the lovable ball of social anxiety Sulleta. Suletta and Guel are to duel, though Miorne steals Aerial to duel in her place wanting to take control of her own fate. Once Sulleta gets into Aerial though, Aerial shows what she can do and wins… and learns Mirone is now considered Sulleta’s fiancé… and then Sulleta and Aerial get arrested under suspicion of being a Gundam.. this is all in the first episode, and a short bit of the second.

While the first 3 episodes have their own little warm up story to get Sulleta into the school proper, which features 2 absolutely gorgeous mech battles, it’s after that we get to see more of the cast proper and more of the world building begins. Now this is a Gundam series so, we’re all expecting something to go down and Gundam tonal stuff to start, so if you watch this and just think “oh its school life stuff with mech battles” A. you really weren’t paying attention to what was going on in the background and B. this is probably your first Gundam show.

Interestingly enough if you watch the prologue you get some info that while helping to answer some questions “like what’s the deal with Gundam’s, why people don’t like them, what happened to such and such” you also start to get new questions that you wouldn’t ask if you don’t watch it. All stuff I suspect for the second half of the show to answer.

The show is very well paced with enough information being given that we can get the gist of what is wrong with this world but still have questions. Small bits of teases about the past that may one day be answered but won’t really hold back the story if not.

The show definitely has a anti big conglomeration theme going on as even the children of the heads of large businesses are just treated as means to make business connections, all the while everyone makes rules that they themselves don’t follow, everyone saying Gundam’s are evil and cursed, yet all want that technology to give them an edge over their competitors. And then there’s the imbalance between the economies of Earth and Space, which we can see is beginning to shift into violence. But I’ll let you check all that out.

The first half is currently up on streaming services like Crunchyroll with episodes going up weekly on the Gundam YouTube channel, and a Dub of the series has also started. So, sit down and enjoy… just… don’t get too attached to the song Happy Birthday.

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