Anime Analysis #1–1

The first issue in a four part review of the Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt anime

Preface

Gundam is one of the most influential and iconic animated intellectual properties in the history of entertainment, and it is a huge reason why I am a fan of manga and anime. The way mecha has permeated every facet of the entertainment industry is mostly due to Gundam and if you are a fan of great stories, interesting characters, and giant robots fighting it is the IP for you.

On the surface, MSG appears to be an IP geared towards epic space battles between good and evil who use giant robots and advanced technology to combat each other. Since the Japanese animation studio Sunrise Inc. created the Gundam media franchise in 1979, it has grown from a small sapling that starting with Mobile Suit Gundam into an almost fifty-year-old oak tree with sprawling branches and roots. The Gundam franchise has spawned numerous timelines, books, animated series, movies, billions of toys, etc. Hopefully, this analysis will lead you down a rabbit hole that will lead you to appreciate this IP as much as I do.

Introduction

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt started as a seinen manga written and illustrated by Yasuo Ohtagaki, its original run beginning in 2013 and is still ongoing. Sunrise Inc. decided to turn it into an Original Net Animation(ONA) that was released in an eight-episode series covering the first two arcs of the manga.

These eight episodes are evenly separated into two groups, with the first four episodes falling under MSG Thunderbolt: December Sky, and the second four falling under MSG Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower. Sunrise also transformed the four episode bundles into two one-hour films, which I prefer over the episodes. This analysis will be centered around the two films.

MSG Thunderbolt takes place in the Universal Century Timeline at the same time as the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime series. As the Gundam franchise has evolved since its inception, it has delved into topics such as the morality of war, politics, child soldiers, classism, etc.

The seinen tag for Thunderbolt makes it a lot grittier than your typical Gundam property, but it also enhances the anti-war position that is commonly found amongst Gundam series and movies. With an older and more mature target audience, MSG Thunderbolt tackles the aforementioned topics in a more up-front manner and a grimmer undertone.

This anime analysis will have four total articles:

1–1: Introduction

1–2: Animation/Set & Character Design

1–3: Characters-Setting-Plot

1–4: Themes/Tone/Final Opinion

Link to the two parts of the series: https://www.wcostream.com/anime/mobile-suit-gundam-thunderbolt-english-subbed