Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Review
It’s been a while since I watched a Gundam series and with a need to find something to waste the days of quarantine away, I saw it fit to give Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn a shot when I scroll by it on Netflix. After seeing and hearing a lot about it I had expectations. Here’s how it all panned out.
In a quick summary, Unicorn is set in the Universal Century Timeline of the Gundam franchise, home to the original Mobile Suit Gundam series and without question the largest of all the timelines. Set sixteen years after the events of the original series, conflict one again erupts in this volatile timeline with a massive race and conspiracy surrounding an enigmatic object known as “Laplace’s Box”. At the flashpoint of the conflict a young man Banagher Links is suddenly hauled into the thick of things when he encounters a girl Audrey Burne and in his desire to protect his friends and her, comes to pilot the titular Unicorn Gundam, the “key” to Laplace’s Box.
The story of Gundam Unicorn is a thrilling ride. I found myself at the edge of my seat in every episode constantly questioning everything. The conspiracy and race to Laplace’s Box provokes just about every question in humanity’s never ending relapsing of conflict and the consequences of it all.
As there are so many players and factors it’s never really clear who is where in terms of who is where in proper justice, rather portraying just about every side as having subjective viewpoints. Even the main antagonist displays redeeming traits and motives that are simply subjective. It’s a refreshing sight to be honest as it contrasts to many Gundam series where there seems to be clear cut antagonists who act in villainous ways. In a timeline where previous entries have given gone with that archetype, Gundam Unicorn is the great equalizer.
Although, Unicorn does suffer from an overdose of moving parts, with parts of the story and the character’s philosophies and motivations never being fully clear until the very end. Even then, in the climactic moments of the plot, when everything seems to reach clarity, suddenly a bewildering plot point is mixed in and throws off a simple conclusion. It’s an issue when I find myself confused at what exactly is going on, especially with the main character.
In terms of the action, Unicorn is one of the best I’ve ever witnessed. Battles are a spectacle to watch with beautiful visual effects in full bloom. Watching the titular Gundam in action literally gave me goosebumps when transformed into its NT-D mode, being a force to be reckoned with. Other star mechs I found entertaining were the Kshatriya with its bulky, yet deceptively mobility and powerful range and the Sinanju being the rival mech to the Unicorn in overall capability.
One thing to note about the action was the conscious effort to giving time to the typical “fodder” soldiers. In every battle minutes of action are dedicated to them, with just as much production effort in each skirmish. As supposed to the typical mere seconds that the “fodder” are given, Unicorn provides full minutes of action. Once again, another trait of Unicorn I find very refreshing to see.
Character-wise is where the series does suffer a bit. The main protagonist Banagher Links is a typical, over emotional, dramatic, heroic Gundam protagonist. It’s the type of protagonist I find annoying and as seen Banagher does go through the typical shocks and dramatic moments that make me roll my eyes at. It certainly doesn’t help that his character development is severely lacking, leaving him essentially the same from start to finish. In a plot with a lot of moving parts and a series that breaks certain conventions, it’s disappointing to see the main character not follow that same route.
Overall character development is an issue with the rest of the cast, with certain characters turning out to be rather boring or outright irritating as the series moves along.
Not to say there aren’t bright spots though. The main antagonist Full Frontal is a true bright point for the entire series, being (actually mentioned in series) the second incarnation of Char Aznable, the main antagonist of the original Gundam series, with a far more decisive and ruthless demeanor. Mineva Lao Zabi/Audrey Burne, who has appeared in previous Universal Century entries, now takes the spotlight as the deuteragonist. Matured from being a figurehead in previous appearances, she is an active political participant in Unicorn.
As a treat, other characters from previous Universal Century entries are present in Unicorn, the most notable being the well-known Captain Bright Noa. There are also more than enough references to previous famous pilots such as the original Gundam pilot Amuro Ray and Char Aznable. As a major fan of the original series, I found the callbacks incredibly nostalgic.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is a thrilling mecha series, but suffers drawbacks in its protagonist, character development and over saturation of elements to really reach its potential. While disappointing in that regard, it is nonetheless entertaining and is one of the best Gundam series I’ve seen.
RATING: 3.5/5
