zer0hue
Angel's Love Slave
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Posts
- 916
[Note: I will attempt to keep spoilers to a bare minimum.]
I just finished watching Gundam F91. For those of you who don’t know what Gundam is, do me a favor... stick your ball sack in a blender and hit “puree” because you do not deserve to spawn. If Gundam just isn’t your thing or you haven’t watched much of the series’ you might want to start with something other than F91, but fans of the Universal Century timeline won’t (I should say shouldn’t) be disappointed.
To answer everyone’s question, “No. F91 hasn’t been released commercially stateside.” If you’re interested in watching, I suggest a few reputable *coughs* retailers [read: bootleggers]. On the other hand, if you’re a cheap bastard or just impatient, I’m sure Mr. Overnet might assist you in your acquisition.
But enough introduction...
To begin, F91 carries on in the lineage of the Universal Century timeline, but its style is more of a departure than one might be accustomed to. To begin, the film was made in the years directly following the enormous success of Akira, to which the film owes a great deal in terms of aesthetic. Whereas most Gundam sagas are comprised of precise technical drawings and speckled with rigid, lifeless animation, F91 brims with motion and life. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the opening sequence as the Crossbone Vanguards invade the colony Frontier 4. Never has the chaos and terrible humanity of war been so explicitly captured within the context of the Gundam Universe. While most Gundam battles are seen from the sterile, mechanical vacuum of a mobile suit cockpit, F91 portrays the violence and bloodshed of combat from the vantage of the innocent and the terrified.
There are some minor scenes in the very beginning that are especially worthy of merit. In one instance, the expired shell casing of mobile suit weapon hits a woman on the head, killing her instantly. Where else have you seen this level of tragic, even awkward, realism in the Gundam saga? Also, after a group of kids hijack a disheveled guntank, they run into a squad of Federation soldiers whose first thought is to use them as human shields. And while the scene comes across as mildly comical, I think it says something rather profound about the affect that war has over the rational mind.
From there, the story follows the young, renegade kids as they join a Federation training vessel and are recruited as expendable soldiers (remind you of anything...?). The main character, Seabook Arno, (complete with quasi-Engrish name and teenage angst galore) fits comfortably into the Amuro Ray archetype. And while I’ve never been much of a fan of this tired character mold, at least this incarnation comes off better than others... *coughs* Kou Uraki *coughs*... His friend/enemy/love-interest, Cecily Fairchild, is the typical porcelain, mindless anime beauty you’d want to smack if you had the chance. Even so, all the main characters do have their redeeming moments. The villain is dastardly and mysterious. His boss is a dark philosopher, drunk with power. Everyone fulfills their role, standard as it is, as best as could be expected.
My only complaint in regards to characters is that the film, like many in the Gundam canon, is guilty of introducing too many supporting characters, most of whom get killed or are just ignored completely. Since F91 was originally intended to be a full-run series (usually 52 episodes), I can understand why this happened, but it doesn’t really excuse it. Certain characters didn’t need to be there and their presence, though brief, detracted from the overall narrative.
The plot itself is typical. A radical colony faction wants to fuck with the Federation. Their leader is charismatic yet wantonly fascist. Divine right and all that garbage. And, of course, people spout philosophical rhetoric in the middle of battle, incessantly. Still, while the practice is its own convention, I did manage to catch a few genuine moments of insight from the buckshot of rambling philosophy...
Meitzer Ronah, speaking after the Federation fires upon civilian targets to defeat the Crossbone Vanguard: “[Then] the Federation does this. It's a true depiction of an army under an absolute democracy. Without justice, they just follow other's opinions when they see change before them.”
And at the risk of sounding unbelievably pretentious, it makes you wonder about the wars being fought today under the banner of democracy.
I even thought some of the shoddier plot devices had a rather compelling subtext to them. And while I couldn’t help but feel that the “bugs” were a little juvenile in concept, the manner in which they were presented was rather fascinating. The way people would say “Such little things. How could I die to such little things?” stuck a nerve. I think the idea they were attempting to convey was that the machines of war diminish the humanity of death. Endowing a machine to kill of its own volition cheapens the value of a human life. Those who will not risk their own life have no right to take it from others [see: Gundam Wing for further exploration of this].
The final act of the film weaves the tattered ends of the narrative together. Not all of them, [What the fuck happened to Cecily’s mother?!?], but enough to give you the impression that you’ve witnessed a coherent story. What’s unique about the conclusion to F91 is the manner in which it departs from the very philosophical themes of “individual liberty vs. divine right,” central to the Gundam universe, to more practical themes of love and optimism (ala Macross). Some might find this much to their dismay, but I thought it rather refreshing and synched well with the new feel the creators of F91 were striving for. In essence, at least they were consistent in their endeavor to be unique.
The music was a mixed bag. For one, I will never understand the Japanese’ fixation on sappy pop idol ballads and their desire to saturate every article of their culture with them. Fine, you have terrible taste in music. However, that doesn’t give you the right to have a big, flaming J-Pop orgasm in the middle of every fucking Gundam movie. I’m not going to say it the ruined the film or anything, but... Another curious oddity of the soundtrack were all the curious musical homages to The Empire Strikes Back. I’m not saying they’re blatantly stolen, but if John Williams had any clue what the fuck anime was, their ass would be hearing from the nearest Lucasfilm legal representative mighty quick (there’s one stationed on every city block, last I heard).
Finally, the geek stuff... All in all, the new mecha were superb. The designs had a distinctly Arthurian feel that meshed well with the monarchial aspirations of the Crossbone Vanguard. The Federation mecha designs were as aesthetically inconsistent as always [They’re still using Jegans in 0123?!?], but they sure looked all new and spiffy. Of course the centerpiece was the new F91 Gundam, which was actually quite impressive. Not to radical or conventional, it struck a good balance of design and functionality... though I still have no idea what the whole “mouth” thing was about. The battles (and there were a lot of them) were as exciting as anything in Char’s Counterattack or Stardust Memory but, as stated earlier, were more realistic and less flog-fodder for mecha fanboys.
All in all, despite its flaws, F91 is a worthy addition to the Universal Century timeline. Though sparse in regards to certain plot elements, the film more than makes up for this fact with a unique aesthetic, fantastic new mecha, and an odd realism all its own. Bandai has even hinted at an American theatrical release [Yeah, right after they release Zeta Gundam...], so if F91 shows up at your favorite crazy indie theater, you owe it to yourself to at least check it out...
I just finished watching Gundam F91. For those of you who don’t know what Gundam is, do me a favor... stick your ball sack in a blender and hit “puree” because you do not deserve to spawn. If Gundam just isn’t your thing or you haven’t watched much of the series’ you might want to start with something other than F91, but fans of the Universal Century timeline won’t (I should say shouldn’t) be disappointed.
To answer everyone’s question, “No. F91 hasn’t been released commercially stateside.” If you’re interested in watching, I suggest a few reputable *coughs* retailers [read: bootleggers]. On the other hand, if you’re a cheap bastard or just impatient, I’m sure Mr. Overnet might assist you in your acquisition.
But enough introduction...
To begin, F91 carries on in the lineage of the Universal Century timeline, but its style is more of a departure than one might be accustomed to. To begin, the film was made in the years directly following the enormous success of Akira, to which the film owes a great deal in terms of aesthetic. Whereas most Gundam sagas are comprised of precise technical drawings and speckled with rigid, lifeless animation, F91 brims with motion and life. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the opening sequence as the Crossbone Vanguards invade the colony Frontier 4. Never has the chaos and terrible humanity of war been so explicitly captured within the context of the Gundam Universe. While most Gundam battles are seen from the sterile, mechanical vacuum of a mobile suit cockpit, F91 portrays the violence and bloodshed of combat from the vantage of the innocent and the terrified.
There are some minor scenes in the very beginning that are especially worthy of merit. In one instance, the expired shell casing of mobile suit weapon hits a woman on the head, killing her instantly. Where else have you seen this level of tragic, even awkward, realism in the Gundam saga? Also, after a group of kids hijack a disheveled guntank, they run into a squad of Federation soldiers whose first thought is to use them as human shields. And while the scene comes across as mildly comical, I think it says something rather profound about the affect that war has over the rational mind.
From there, the story follows the young, renegade kids as they join a Federation training vessel and are recruited as expendable soldiers (remind you of anything...?). The main character, Seabook Arno, (complete with quasi-Engrish name and teenage angst galore) fits comfortably into the Amuro Ray archetype. And while I’ve never been much of a fan of this tired character mold, at least this incarnation comes off better than others... *coughs* Kou Uraki *coughs*... His friend/enemy/love-interest, Cecily Fairchild, is the typical porcelain, mindless anime beauty you’d want to smack if you had the chance. Even so, all the main characters do have their redeeming moments. The villain is dastardly and mysterious. His boss is a dark philosopher, drunk with power. Everyone fulfills their role, standard as it is, as best as could be expected.
My only complaint in regards to characters is that the film, like many in the Gundam canon, is guilty of introducing too many supporting characters, most of whom get killed or are just ignored completely. Since F91 was originally intended to be a full-run series (usually 52 episodes), I can understand why this happened, but it doesn’t really excuse it. Certain characters didn’t need to be there and their presence, though brief, detracted from the overall narrative.
The plot itself is typical. A radical colony faction wants to fuck with the Federation. Their leader is charismatic yet wantonly fascist. Divine right and all that garbage. And, of course, people spout philosophical rhetoric in the middle of battle, incessantly. Still, while the practice is its own convention, I did manage to catch a few genuine moments of insight from the buckshot of rambling philosophy...
Meitzer Ronah, speaking after the Federation fires upon civilian targets to defeat the Crossbone Vanguard: “[Then] the Federation does this. It's a true depiction of an army under an absolute democracy. Without justice, they just follow other's opinions when they see change before them.”
And at the risk of sounding unbelievably pretentious, it makes you wonder about the wars being fought today under the banner of democracy.
I even thought some of the shoddier plot devices had a rather compelling subtext to them. And while I couldn’t help but feel that the “bugs” were a little juvenile in concept, the manner in which they were presented was rather fascinating. The way people would say “Such little things. How could I die to such little things?” stuck a nerve. I think the idea they were attempting to convey was that the machines of war diminish the humanity of death. Endowing a machine to kill of its own volition cheapens the value of a human life. Those who will not risk their own life have no right to take it from others [see: Gundam Wing for further exploration of this].
The final act of the film weaves the tattered ends of the narrative together. Not all of them, [What the fuck happened to Cecily’s mother?!?], but enough to give you the impression that you’ve witnessed a coherent story. What’s unique about the conclusion to F91 is the manner in which it departs from the very philosophical themes of “individual liberty vs. divine right,” central to the Gundam universe, to more practical themes of love and optimism (ala Macross). Some might find this much to their dismay, but I thought it rather refreshing and synched well with the new feel the creators of F91 were striving for. In essence, at least they were consistent in their endeavor to be unique.
The music was a mixed bag. For one, I will never understand the Japanese’ fixation on sappy pop idol ballads and their desire to saturate every article of their culture with them. Fine, you have terrible taste in music. However, that doesn’t give you the right to have a big, flaming J-Pop orgasm in the middle of every fucking Gundam movie. I’m not going to say it the ruined the film or anything, but... Another curious oddity of the soundtrack were all the curious musical homages to The Empire Strikes Back. I’m not saying they’re blatantly stolen, but if John Williams had any clue what the fuck anime was, their ass would be hearing from the nearest Lucasfilm legal representative mighty quick (there’s one stationed on every city block, last I heard).
Finally, the geek stuff... All in all, the new mecha were superb. The designs had a distinctly Arthurian feel that meshed well with the monarchial aspirations of the Crossbone Vanguard. The Federation mecha designs were as aesthetically inconsistent as always [They’re still using Jegans in 0123?!?], but they sure looked all new and spiffy. Of course the centerpiece was the new F91 Gundam, which was actually quite impressive. Not to radical or conventional, it struck a good balance of design and functionality... though I still have no idea what the whole “mouth” thing was about. The battles (and there were a lot of them) were as exciting as anything in Char’s Counterattack or Stardust Memory but, as stated earlier, were more realistic and less flog-fodder for mecha fanboys.
All in all, despite its flaws, F91 is a worthy addition to the Universal Century timeline. Though sparse in regards to certain plot elements, the film more than makes up for this fact with a unique aesthetic, fantastic new mecha, and an odd realism all its own. Bandai has even hinted at an American theatrical release [Yeah, right after they release Zeta Gundam...], so if F91 shows up at your favorite crazy indie theater, you owe it to yourself to at least check it out...
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