Gundam Unicorn Episode 2

Anyone reading this probably knows that I am a fan of the mecha genre.

I also know that mechas are probably a bore for many people.

That's why I would never recommend Brain Powerd even though I enjoyed it; because robots aside, objectively it's a show that's 70% of the way there in terms of plot and characters.

That said, Gundam Unicorn is good.

You see, Gundam has always had a certain formula. Reluctant protagonist somehow gets finds himself piloting a extremely powerful weapon and gets taken into a conflict that he doesn't want to be a apart. Both sides are dicks, but he keeps fighting because he has people he wants to protect and along the way we see the personal tragedies of war and a message of hope at the end.

Yes, it is formulaic. Yes, there is a running joke about the consistently lax security surrounding powerful experimental weapons. But most good stories are derivative in some way; it's a matter of execution.

Gundam Seed is what you would call Doing It Wrong.

Unicorn on the other hand, takes all the unmistakably Gundam elements and hits all the high notes every time. We have high production values, great attention to detail and a suitably epic soundtrack that doesn't involve T.M. Revolution.



The first episode had the corrupt Earth Federation battling a resurgent Neo Zeon threat, our protagonist's colony is suddenly under-siege and he finds himself being the unlikely operator of a Gundam and joining the Federation's cause. This is the Ruy Lopez of Gundam openings.

By the end of the second installment, Banagher, has been captured by Zeon and is their prisoner on a colony sympathetic to the Zeon cause. The episode concludes with the Federation planning to assault the Zeon base and a side operation to rescue Banagher is being plotted by his friends.

Here's where the series distinguishes itself: In a lesser show, this would be an excellent turn of events. Our hero will be gloriously rescued in the next episode and the bad guys will be forced to retreat and regroup.

No.

The series makes it clear that this is going to be a very bad thing. By all indications it looks as though the Federation will get thoroughly beaten down in the subsequent assault and though the rescue may be successful, Banagher, who had just witnessed his own colony being trashed in a battle between giant robots, will witness this new colony suffer through the same fate. Plotting that out is one thing, but to make you feel it, that's not such an easy task. I certainly know that I can't.

And it does it with some of the best looking mobile suit designs in the entire franchise: Kshatriya, Unicorn, Sinanju and even the ReZELs.

Downside: As it manages to slot itself comfortably into the UC multiverse, it becomes very hard to comprehend the meaning of many events without knowledge of prior happenings. Which is a massive amount of story encompassing Mobile Suit Gundam, Gundam 0083, Zeta Gundam, ZZ Gundam and Char's Counterattack. Not all of them having aged well or being strong pieces to begin with. Unicorn isn't entirely incomprehensible otherwise, but the story does suffer.



Gundam checklist:
A Gundam being hijacked by an unlikely protagonist: Check.
Gundam breaking free of its restraints amidst flaming ruins: Check.
Someone exclaiming "It's a Gundam!" to great shock and awe: Check.
A Char: Check.