Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Gundam ZZ was conceived as a sequel to Zeta Gundam, featuring a mostly all-new cast. Its broadcast immediately followed that of Zeta Gundam and continues to follow a major plotline from Zeta involving Haman Karn, regent to Mineva Lao Zabi, and also continues to follow Captain Bright Noa and the ship, Argama, as well as introducing the new characters led by Judau Ashta.

This sequel to Zeta Gundam sometimes struck a much lighter, often comical, tone, in contrast to its predecessor's brooding drama. For example, in the second episode, the protagonist Judau Ashta attempts to help Yazan Gable by throwing oranges at the Argama. This is contrasted in the same episode however when Yazan kills the technician Saegusa, and Judau then attempts to pilot the Zeta Gundam to go after Yazan but is incredibly poor at combat in his first battle. The whimsical first opening theme song Anime Ja Nai (lit. "It's Not Anime") set the tone for the first half of the series. The second half of the series sports a more somber opening theme song Silent Voice to accompany a change in tone to the more serious.

Plot summary

As the continuation of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, this series once again follows the story of the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG) battleship Argama after Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam's final episode. To fight off the Axis Zeon, now called the Neo Zeon, Captain Bright Noa recruits a group of teenage junk collectors led by the loudmouthed but powerful Newtype Judau Ashta to pilot the Argama's mobile suits. Now sporting a line-up of the behemoth ZZ Gundam and the returning Zeta Gundam, Gundam Mk-II and the Hyaku Shiki, the group is nicknamed the Gundam Team. As such, this became the first of a number of Gundam series where a team of Gundam mobile suits fight alongside each other regularly. The climax takes place at Side 3 in the Battle of Axis.

Out of the major Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam characters, Captain Bright Noa and Axis leader Haman Karn are featured prominently in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ; Hayato Kobayashi, Kamille Bidan, Fa Yuiry, Wong Lee, Yazan Gable, Mineva Lao Zabi, and the children Shinta and Qum are featured in various episodes as well; Sayla Mass, who had appeared in the first series but had no speaking role in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, also appeared in several episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ; Char Aznable's planned appearance was canceled when Tomino was given the go-ahead to do the Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack film. Yoshiyuki Tomino's original plan for the show which involved Char's return was never revealed, nor does Tomino himself remember it. Also, aside from the openings and story recap/preview episode, Amuro Ray does not make an appearance in the series either.

Reception

The series remains one of the more polarizing series in the franchise due to the lighthearted and campy tone of the first half of the series when compared to Zeta Gundam's grittier tone. In 2016, to coincide with the show's Blu-Ray release, Ollie Barder of Forbes referred to Gundam ZZ as a "misunderstood and underappreciated classic." [4] James Whitbrook of Gizmodo called Gundam ZZ "the black sheep of early Gundam", citing the show's early comedic tone in comparison to the dark ending of its predecessor. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mobile Suit Gundam</i> Japanese anime television series

Mobile Suit Gundam, also known as First Gundam, Gundam 0079 or simply Gundam '79, is an anime television series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and its affiliated ANN stations on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes. It was the first Gundam series, which has subsequently been adapted into numerous sequels and spin-offs. Set in the futuristic calendar year "Universal Century" 0079, the plot focuses on the war between the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation, with the latter unveiling a new giant robot known as the RX-78-2 Gundam piloted by the teenage civilian mechanic Amuro Ray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoshiyuki Tomino</span> Japanese mecha anime creator, animator, songwriter, director, screenwriter and novelist

Yoshiyuki Tomino is a Japanese anime director, screenwriter, songwriter and novelist best known for creating the Gundam anime franchise.

<i>Mobile Suit Gundam: Chars Counterattack</i> 1988 film by Yoshiyuki Tomino

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack is a 1988 Japanese anime science fiction film directed and written by Yoshiyuki Tomino. It is set in the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam franchise. Featuring the talents of Shūichi Ikeda, Toru Furuya, Hirotaka Suzuoki, Maria Kawamura, Nozomu Sasaki, Kōichi Yamadera, among others, it focuses on Char Aznable's attempt of genocide on the planet Earth by pushing the asteroid called Axis into a collision with the planet. As a result, Char's rival from the Earth Federation Amuro Ray tries to defeat him in combat and avoid a slaughter in the process.

<i>Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam</i> Japanese anime television series

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a 1985 Japanese television anime series, the second installment in the Gundam franchise, and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The show was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, while the series' mechanical designs are split among Kunio Okawara, Mamoru Nagano, and Kazumi Fujita. The series was originally aired on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and its sister ANN stations between 1985 and 1986.

<i>Mobile Suit Victory Gundam</i> Japanese anime television series

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, is a 1993 Japanese science fiction anime television series. It consists of 51 episodes, and was directed by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. The series was first broadcast on TV Asahi. It is the fourth TV anime installment in the Gundam franchise, first series in the franchise released in Japan's Heisei period, and the final full series to be set in the Universal Century calendar.

<i>Turn A Gundam</i> 1999 Japanese mecha anime series

Turn A Gundam, also stylized as ∀ Gundam, is a 1999 Japanese mecha anime series produced by Sunrise, and aired between 1999 and 2000 on Japan's FNN networks. It was created for the Gundam Big Bang 20th Anniversary celebration, and is the eighth installment in the Gundam franchise. It was later compiled in 2002 into two feature-length films entitled Turn A Gundam I: Earth Light and Turn A Gundam II: Moonlight Butterfly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Char Aznable</span> Fictional character from the Gundam franchise

Char Aznable, born Casval Rem Deikun and also known as Édouard Mass, is a fictional character from the Gundam franchise. He is originally one of the main antagonists in Mobile Suit Gundam working for the Principality of Zeon, named after his late father Zeon Zum Deikun, with the honorary title of "The Red Comet" during Gundam's One Year War. Despite having opposed Earth Federation soldier Amuro Ray several times, in the sequel Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam he becomes Quattro Bajeena, an Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG) pilot fighting alongside the series' main characters against the elitist Titans. In his final appearance in Char's Counterattack, he assumes leadership of the Neo Zeon movement, and becomes the titular antagonist of the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amuro Ray</span> Fictional character from Mobile Suit Gundam

Amuro Ray is a fictional character introduced in Sunrise's 1979 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. Amuro is a mechanic who becomes the pilot of the mecha known as RX-78-2 Gundam to protect himself from the Zeon forces invading his space colony during the war. He becomes an Earth Federation pilot in the war as well as the first Newtype, a type of human with special awareness which gives him great skills when fighting. The Gundam franchise explores Amuro's involvement in the wars piloting the titular mecha. He returns in the sequel, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam as an older retired soldier afraid of his past, and the 1988 feature film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack where he takes part in new conflict against his rival Char Aznable. The character was present in several adaptations related to Gundam as well as video games.

<i>Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket</i> Japanese OVA series

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is a six episode 1989 Japanese science fiction original video animation series. It is the first OVA series in the Gundam franchise. It was directed by Fumihiko Takayama, written by Hiroyuki Yamaga with character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto.

The SCV-70 White Base, also nicknamed Trojan Horse, is a fictional spaceship from the Japanese science fiction anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. It serves as the mothership of the protagonist Earth Federation crew members and the famous RX-78-2 Gundam mobile suit. Various spin-offs are designed after it, including a whole class of ships called the Pegasus-class assault carrier, and it has inspired ships in the sequels like the Argama-class in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Archangel-class in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

<i>Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaways Flash</i> Japanese light novel series

Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash, also known as Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway, is a novel series created and written by Yoshiyuki Tomino. Officially part of the Gundam metaseries, it was first published by Kadokawa Shoten under the Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko label from February 1, 1989 to April 1, 1990 with a total of three volumes. The story revolves around Hathaway Noa, who now goes by the name Mafty Navue Erin, as he starts a terrorist group to stop the abuses of the Earth Federation. The novel was notable for being the only semi-canonical Gundam work by Tomino. A three-part theatrical film adaptation was formally announced by Bandai Namco Filmworks as part of the "UC NexT 0100" project. The first film was released on June 11, 2021.

<i>Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin</i> Japanese manga series

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. It is a retelling of the story from the 1979 anime television series Mobile Suit Gundam, of which Yasuhiko was the original character designer.

<i>Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative</i> 2018 Japanese film

Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative is a Japanese animated mecha science fiction film produced by Sunrise and distributed by Shochiku. Released as part of the Gundam franchise, it is based on the 11th Gundam Unicorn novel, Phoenix Hunting. It was directed by Toshikazu Yoshizawa and written by Harutoshi Fukui, with character designs by Kumiko Takahashi, Sejoon Kim, Hajime Katoki, and Eiji Komatsu. The film was released in Japanese theaters on November 30, 2018.

<i>Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doans Island</i> 2022 Japanese film by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island is a Japanese mecha animated film directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. The film is based on the fifteenth episode of the television series Mobile Suit Gundam that suffered several animation issues as a result of poor outsourcing and Yasuhiko being hospitalized. Yasuhiko decided to remake the episode as a film due to his liking of the episode's original concept. The film is set in the One Year War, when Amuro Ray pilots the title Gundam mecha and is ordered alongside the White Base crew to search for Zeon stragglers on a remote island. It was released in Japan on June 3, 2022.

References

  1. "Daisuki to Stream Gundam ZZ TV Anime". Anime News Network. 2013-07-06. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  2. "Sunrise, Right Stuf Offers Gundam ZZ In N. America for the 1st Time". Anime News Network. 2014-10-11. Archived from the original on 2023-12-14. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  3. "Crunchyroll Adds Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Char's Counterattack and Gundam 00 Awakening of the Trailblazer to the Catalog". Crunchyroll. June 24, 2022. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  4. Barder, Ollie (September 28, 2016). "'Gundam ZZ' Blu-Ray Review: A Misunderstood And Underappreciated Classic". Forbes . Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  5. Whitbrook, James (June 27, 2022). "ZZ Gundam Makes Streaming Debut on Crunchyroll". Gizmodo . Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
Mobile Suit Gundam ΖΖ
ZZJanaiCover.jpg
Cover for the First DVD Boxset.
機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ
(Kidō Senshi Gandamu Daburu Zēta)
Genre Mecha, military science fiction, space opera
Original network Nagoya TV, TV Asahi
English network
Original run March 1, 1986 January 31, 1987
Episodes47 (List of episodes)
Preceded by Gundam metaseries (production order)
1986–1987
Succeeded by
Preceded byGundam Universal Century timeline
U.C. 0088-89
Succeeded by