Finally a new Gundam series and with a nod to the series of yesteryear, this retro-styled outing was met with eager anticipation. Excitement just isn’t enough to describe the feeling of sitting down to watch a fresh new Gundam series, with the first two episodes done in one sitting, emotions were running high. Fast forward five weeks and the big ball of excitement has started to unravel.
Gundam Reconguista In G’s first two episodes got the ball rolling really well, giving the character’s emotion and intrigue. The story so far feels a little odd as the main character and companions willingly become hostages of their enemy, putting up no fight at all and seem to be just going along with it, then happily fighting against their allies. While this is all glossed over, some slight efforts were made to shift the focus of anger towards their previous home. Staying up to date with the latest influx of characters can be a chore as you’re never really given enough time to get to know the many supporting characters that are introduced in the short amount of time the show has been airing. The way everything changed from one side to the other so quickly makes you feel that the show was rewritten as soon the first two episodes aired.
Blue is the new blonde in this series, with our introduction to the resident ‘Masked’ character that Gundam is famous for. Swapping the formulaic blonde hair and white mask for cool blue hair and blue mask, our masked man of mystery is so far only referred to as Mask, not the most imaginative on names. If you are following the series you may have noticed that Mask bears a striking resemblance to one of the previously mentioned supporting characters that popped up briefly only to disappear again. In the show’s defence though by the sixth episode it’s starting to find its feet, you can’t ignore what’s already happened but hopefully, the rest of the series will be a smoother ride.
Story issues aside, the technical quality of the show is great, I’m still enjoying the retro style and feel of the artwork and animation. The mecha designs, while not as advanced looking as those from SEED or 00, have a real charm that is simple but also cool. If nothing else this Gundam series has given us one hell of an opening video thanks to the song ‘Blazing’ by GARNiDELiA, The Gundam franchise generally has some badass opening videos where the song and animation just click and this is definitely up there with the best of them.
