Damn, I Really Like The Idea Of N Being Nemo Baklazan, Particularly Since We Now Know Theres A Movie

Damn, I really like the idea of “N” being Nemo Baklazan, particularly since we now know there’s a movie in the works - There’s likely going to be a couple of new mobile suits for that, like the custom Reginlaze from the trailer, and Gundam’s are normally a pretty safe bet for this sort of thing. Furthermore, I think the only Seven Stars missing from points on the Urdr Hunt were the Baklazan’s and……. The Fareed’s, I think? (It goes Elion, Falk, Bauduin, Kujan, then skips one to go to Issue, right?)

What’s also interesting is that the Baklazan Family Gundam is the only remaining Seven Stars Gundam Frame we haven’t seen yet, almost like it’s going to play a part in something.

There is also the point of it being missing from Vingolf, but a) it’s *possible* that that is an animation error and b) it seems that the Issue Family Gundam, the Zagan, is kept in Ratatoskr, so there’s no garuntee that every Seven Stars Gundam is stored in Vingolf (maybe the Issue’s had special privileges, being the head of the Seven Stars and all).

But I do like the idea of the other two Seven Stars Families having stuff going on.

(Also, props for describing Range as “kind of a chump” because that is an excellent description and I love it)

Thoughts on the Urdr Hunt (Eps 1-5)

As of writing, five episodes (each in two parts) of the Iron-Blooded Orphans tie-in game campaign ‘Urdr Hunt’ have been released on the Iron-Blooded Orphans G App. This is currently only available in Japan; I’ve been watching it subbed by Youtuber Trafalgar Log. I thought I’d summarise my impressions so far, since we’ve now had every character who shows up in the opening sequence appear at least once. Spoilers etc below.

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I love the dichotomy of pilots and their mechas in Gundam. There will be an 18 meter tall war machine utilizing the latest advancements in electronics and firearms named after a demon or some shit with the meanest face you've ever seen on a robot and then the pilot will be the human equivalent of a Quokka

Things modern Gundam has robbed us of; part one -

Look how fucking malevolent the bridge of the Musai looks. It’s a giant grinning demon and that is rad as hell.

For reference the outside of the ship looks like this, but I want more command decks that look absolutely possessed by hostile forces.

In yet another self-sabotaging attempt to not watch Gundam Narrative/Gundam Ibo Urdr Hunt (honestly why do I do this to myself), I have started watching the original Gundam 0079.

(I literally went right over Narrative on the shelf, too).

Until now, I’ve basically done everything except watch the original - I got some very good cliff notes, I read the Origin Manga, I watched the Compilation Movies. But I never actually watched the show.

I’ve only watched the first three-ish episodes so far, so this’ll be a first impressions kinda deal. For reference, I’m watching the Dubbed Blu-Ray Collection (which is where that art above is from). I did try the subtitles, but I find they take up a lot of the screen, and the Japanese Audio quality isn’t fantastic.

Right, enough preamble, how is it?

In brief, dated as all hell.

Obviously, it’s dated as all hell. It was laid down and made in late-70s Japan, a far different environment than contemporary Japan. The Animation’s old and it’s incredibly clear that they were working on a budget with all the still frames. But even from the perspective of someone who came in through the wider Gundam series it’s very odd.

Like, the opening score is some stirring, heroic music about how the Gundam will fight back all its enemies, and how you must fight. Likely meant to juxtapose how war is presented in media versus what the shows actually about - the horrors implicit within war. But it’s still something of a tonal whiplash. And then the closing song is all about Amuro becoming a man, so it still reads a little off.

It’s interesting to note the great variety in characters though - a detail that I’d never seen in any of the adaptations is that Char essentially has a panic attack when he first fights the Gundam, simply because it swats his wingmate down so easily, and he truly realises how powerful it is. A lot of Bright’s early characterisation sells that he really doesn’t know what he’s doing, and Dozle (who they gave a really posh voice, by the way) mentions that Zeon’s also running low on supplies, selling that neither side’s doing so hot in the war.

Another nice detail is that when Amuro steps inside the Gundam, it doesn’t actually help the situation that much - yeah he takes out two Zaku’s, but this directly leads to him damaging Side 7, and injuring his father and the other engineers - the Gundam is a destructive saviour at best. It feels very different from the classic super robot vibes (though that may be speaking to my own unfamiliarity with the genre).

I don’t really have a concluding statement here, it’s just odd coming in from all the other shows and seeing how….. not unrefined…. How broad the series is. I can tell without checking that there’s a host of influences from *somewhere*, but I’m not knowledgeable enough about the genre to pinpoint anything.

(Also I love how catty the Zeon Commanders are. Gadem trading barbs with Char is just delightful, and I’m looking forward to seeing Conscon, since I find his design just sublime).

PC/Computing - September 1996

Happy 45th Birthday to Ralph Bakshi‘s Lord of the Rings. Art by Tom Jung