MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM UNICORN: EP 2

5 out of 5 Stars

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is a seven part OVA that currently has five episodes out. Last time I reviewed episode one, so now I will be reviewing episode two: The Second Coming of Char.

As a refresher, Unicorn takes place in the Universal Century (UC) time line of the Gundam universe. Chronologically, this takes place three years after the events of the movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack. The story revolves around the character Banagher Links and the events that cause him to get involved with a mysterious girl named Audrey Burne, a new Gundam, and the people after something called “Laplace’s Box.”

Episode two picks up right after the end of the first episode, with the Unicorn Gundam displaying its amazing strength by damaging and driving off the Kshatriya. Falling unconscious from the battle, Banagher and the Unicorn are taken to the Nahel Argama, where the ECOAS special ops team (along with everyone else) tries to discover who is in the Gundam. Things take a turn for the worse when the leader of Neo Zeon, Full Frontal, attacks the Nahel Argama in the MSN-06S Sinanju. Audrey’s true identity is revealed, and Banagher must board the Gundam again to try and fend off the attackers.

Full Frontal

In this second episode we are introduced to a few more characters, the main one being Full Frontal who is the leader of Neo Zeon. He is the pilot of the Sinanju, and is known as “the second coming of Char.” Full Frontal is a charismatic leader, a trait he shares with Char Aznable, who went missing at the end of Char’s Counterattack. His appearance and voice even match that of the original Char, with the only difference being that Full Frontal has long hair.

Char (Left) and Full Frontal (Right)

Other characters we are introduced to (or properly introduced to) are Riddhe Marcenas, the pilot of the ReZel that recues Takuya, Micott, and Audrey in episode one. He comes off as a nice guy, but he’s hiding something; especially when he talks to Audrey about being born into certain families. Others introduced are Daguza Mackle of ECOAS, Angelo Sauper of Neo Zeon, Alberto of Anaheim Electronics, and the crew of the Nahel Argama. The characters are solid enough to not be brushed aside and ignored.

In the first episode, we follow Banagher and his initial involvement in the conflict for the Box of Laplace. While we still follow Banagher, we get to see how he’s handling combat now. While he doesn’t like the idea of fighting breaking out, he tries to stomach it like any human being would and remains level-headed. When Audrey is used as a hostage to try and stop Full Frontal’s attack, Banagher launches in the Unicorn Gundam to try and save everyone. He isn’t forced to do it; he chooses to do it, knowing he has the ability to save everyone. Later, when he is captured and talking with Full Frontal, he doesn’t show fear, and holds a normal conversation with him regarding the events taking place. Banagher continues to show a maturity that is a bit rare for main characters in Gundam, at least not until a good part of the series has passed.

The animation this episode was just as good as the first episode.  While there wasn’t much fighting this episode, Full Frontals attack on the Nahel Argama was great. The Sinanju was the stand-out mobile suit of the episode as it pretty much mops the floor with everyone. The Nahel Argama’s weapons are wiped out and the mobile suit team that is sent after it is destroyed, with only Riddhe surviving the battle with a damaged ReZel. Even when facing the Unicorn Gundam, the Sinanju holds it off long enough for Marida in the Kshatriya to come in and capture Banagher.  Voice acting is also great, and in my opinion better than the dubbed version. The soundtrack does a good job, and the track that plays during the Sinanju’s appearance is pretty cool.

The Sinanju

Overall the episode was just as good as the first. The animation and sound were top-notch, the character development was good, and the story progressed at a decent pace. However like in the review of the first episode, this also contains references to previous Gundam series. While the story can still be followed from just watching the first episode, having watched the previous series adds a lot to the experience. When Audrey’s identity is revealed to everyone, viewers who haven’t watched the previous series will only understand she’s important and that’s about it. When Full Frontal flies towards the Nahel Argama, the sensors pick him up and the crewman says “The lead machine is approaching at three times the speed of the others!” Ok, so he’s flying really fast right? This is a reference to Char and how his Zaku was three times faster than all the other ones. The fact that the Sinanju is red is also a reference to how most of Char’s mobile suits were red. Also the Sinanju bears a resemblance to the last mobile suit used by Char: The Sazabi. While not knowing these things won’t hurt the viewing experience, having prior knowledge is always good.

The OVA is done by Sunrise and the episodes are available on DVD/Blu Ray as well as services such as the PSN store etc.

-J