Getting to Know Gundam Again: Part 3

Posted On December 26, 2025

After a bit of a delay due to a somewhat extreme life event^[1]Refer to the end of my last post for details., I will be concluding my look back at Universal Century Gundam in Part 3 of my Getting to Know Gundam Again series! Here’s part 1 and part 2 for those keen on going back to read my thoughts on earlier UC entries, and learn about why I even started going back through UC Gundam again in the first place^[2]Long story short, I had a lot of free time in 2020 during the pandemic, which allowed me to go back through the Universal Century..

Anyway, on we go!

Gundam Unicorn

Gundam Unicorn dropped at the tail end of my “huffing UC Gundam vibes” era, right as I was about to graduate college and embark on my life here in Japan. And its timing couldn’t be more perfect, because I ate up the first episode right as it dropped–the show had the epic scale and scruffy texture that defined the Universal Century for me, and I eagerly looked forward to more. As time went on, I did continue to follow the series through to the second or third episode, but between the gradually lagging release schedule and me trying to get adjusted to my life here in Japan, I fell off of Unicorn. While there was a part of me that wanted to catch up and be up-to-date for at least the theatrical screening of the final episode, I just never got around to it. However, as part of my new journey through the UC which started in 2020, I figured it was time to slap down for the Bluray boxset and finally see what the big deal with Unicorn was.

And hey! Surprise, surprise–it’s extremely good. While the original UC Gundam entries are great, it’s hard to recommend them to complete civilians without caveats, be it giving folks a heads-up about the dated animation, or just instilling in people that these old series were made quite haphazardly, and at times just kind of… break down… but in a “good” way? Meanwhile, Unicorn is crafted with the extreme precision that a gigantic franchise like Gundam warrants. Be it in the exquisite animation of both the characters and the robots, or the finesse and nuance of the storytelling. It is with no question Gundam For Adults, and I would be happy to whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone interested in getting into the franchise for the first time.

As someone who has seen a decent chunk of UC Gundam–and especially after taking in a concentrated amount of it prior to watching Unicorn–if I had to level any criticisms against it, it would be that Unicorn more or less plays the hits, complete with the hero escaping into the desert mid-series. And by the end, I do think it ends up a bit as UC Gundam mush, but on the whole it’s a great ride. And even if it is playing the hits, since it pulls off everything so adroitly, the fates of some characters play out differently than if someone like Tomino was at the wheel. Furthermore, because it’s playing the hits, it’s easy to recommend to Gundam newbies who want a taste of what the franchise has to offer in a compact and polished package. 

Gundam F91

If Gundam Unicorn is the short, compact and polished thing to show to newbies, Gundam F91 couldn’t be further from the opposite. They’re both remixes of Gundam tropes, but F91 is too compact, and while the animation is mostly polished, the story is a hot mess. If Unicorn is a stir fry of Gundam cliches, it’s cooked with the best ingredients and perfect seasoning. Meanwhile, F91 has good ingredients, but they’re quite poorly cooked, and the mix has been hit with far too much salt.

But you don’t need me to add my voice to the choir of people saying F91 is kinda bleh–it’s well known. Per its rep, I was ready for it to have a strong opening and gradually drop-off, but I thought at least the visuals would hold me. But even then, the character animation starts getting inconsistent as the film goes on, and while the mecha animation is impressive, I don’t remember the battles being particularly interesting or exciting. It really just is a somewhat confounding and not particularly engaging clusterfuck.

I do think there’s something to F91 though, and I think it would be worth it for Sunrise to take another crack at it with a longer run time and a better director. But as it is, I don’t see myself watching this film again unless it’s for homework.

Hathaway

I got to Hathaway quite late, because it dropped right in the middle of my revisit through the UC, so I opted to wait until I made it to the part of the timeline that it slots into before diving in. Seems this was a wise choice, as I had to wait far less than others for the sequel, which is set to drop early next year. And without that sequel–and presumably the third and final part–it’s hard to say much about Hathaway aside from that it owns, and I can’t wait to see more. Which is likely enough of a ringing endorsement…?

What makes the first part of Hathaway stand out is its commitment to realism, be it in the depiction of the lush exotic locations the characters traverse, or the horrifying depiction of the combat between mobile suits from the human level. With regards to the latter point specifically, this is something Tomino has reached for, but the craft behind the framing and animation in Hathaway really drives this terror home. Also, it feels like one of the few entries in UC Gundam where adult relationships feel real, with the sexual tension between Hathaway, Gigi and Kenneth hitting a bit too close to home. 

Unfortunately I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the bulky robots, but the battles are pretty slick, so I’ll cut ‘em some slack. Anyway, it’s good!

Bonus: G-Witch vs G-Quack and Visiting Mr. Doan’s Island

During my revisit through UC Gundam, it goes without saying that a bunch of other Gundam stuff–both large and small, UC and non-UC–dropped on a myriad of entertainment platforms. Of them, I made time to catch the two TV series that dropped, as well as Yasuhiko Yoshikazu’s latest film.

G-Witch vs G-Quack 

I had fallen off of Alternate Universe Gundam after Gundam Seed, but the announcement of G-Witch intrigued me, between its unique title and the fact that the main character was… a girl! I managed to catch more or less all of it in real time, and while I moderately enjoyed it, I wasn’t as taken as many others were. Probably the biggest disconnect between me and the greater fandom was that I found the school antics to be completely generic and boring, and I just really wanted to see shit hit the fan fast. Once blood did start splattering every which way, I was far more locked in. But as the record shows, the show wrapped things up a bit too quickly, and it kind of ended in a weird space. 

Meanwhile, the announcement of a Khara-helmed Gundam with G-Quack^[3]AKA Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX took me by surprise, as I imagine it did for many others. This was far more my jam right from the theatrical engagement of The Beginning, which sucked me in with its UC Gundam fanservice, slick aesthetic and funky cast of new characters. Once again, the record shows that this one also went off the rails–but if something goes off the rails because the dudes making it are sickos and just want to cram in more references, I’m all for it. And more than anything, the finale was incredible, and made it all worth it. I am of course a bit disappointed that the crew felt the need to bring back a certain voice actor for one line, but from my point of view that’s just a poor note in an otherwise bombastic orchestra of insane Gundam love.

If it’s not clear, of the two new AU^[4]Okay, whether G-Quack qualifies as AU is up for debate. Gundam shows of the past 5 years, I far more enjoyed G-Quack, warts and all. G-Witch certainly isn’t bad, but for how far it went out of its way to stand out with its female lead and her same-sex partner, the execution felt far too normal, and very few of the characters stood out to me^[5]Secelia Dote eventually became my prime reason to watch the show.. Meanwhile, G-Quack was locked straight on to my sicko tendencies, and the main cast felt like real weird and awkward kids. I also far preferred the post-Gainax aesthetic that Khara brought to the table in the world design and mechanical design… and it also helps that Machu is super cute.

A Visit to Mr. Doan’s Island

I don’t have much to say about Doan’s Island except for the fact that I watched it, and it owned^[6]Seeing a pattern here?. It’s always great to see Yas’ designs in motion on a big screen, as well as experience his far more humanistic take on First Gundam. 

This is one I really need to find an excuse to revisit. Perhaps when I start this whole UC watchathon all over again–which I hope to do some time next year, starting with those 0079 films again, and maybe I’ll even dive back into the TV series for the first time in forever. Also, between Doan’s Island and the UC Gundam bits in G-Quack, Gundam’s powers that be are making a very convincing argument towards just redoing the original story with modern animation. It would also be a good excuse to force a complete recast to keep people from vomiting whenever Amuro opens his mouth.

Lastly, alongside the two new AU series and Doan, the new Gundam Seed film also dropped during this time–but of all things I wrote a review of that here for those who are interested. 

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…and that’s it! While I did miss some important entries (like 0080) and some less important ones (…Gundam NT) , my recent journey through UC Gundam treated me well. As alluded to earlier, I do plan on doing the whole thing over again before too long. But before that, there’s a new Hathaway film dropping in the new year! And you know I’m not going to miss that.