Penguin Truth's Somewhat Incomplete Gundam Tier Chart Part 4: Do Want

MY SOMEWHAT INCOMPLETE GUNDAM TIERS CHART. Tier Review: God Tier - High Tier - Mid Tier - Low Tier - Shit Tier HIGH TIER Here we have examples of Gundam entries that excel. They're either well-written, have well-executed concepts, are grounded well, or a combination of all of those, in addition to other positive elements. They aren't quite the best of the best, but they're very, very good and definitely need to be watched by Gundam fans. The first ever Gundam OVA, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War In The Pocket is probably the best written of the side stories in the franchise, a genuinely touching short story about a school boy's harsh coming of age and a young soldier's building determination to make a difference. What seperates this from many Gundam features is that many of the main protagonists are Zeon soldiers, and the war isn't treated as some battle between good and evil, but rather a desperate and brutal conflict that victimizes civillian and soldier alike. This OVA does more with its six episodes than many Gundam programs can do with fourty plus. For a different Gundam experience, I reccomend Turn A Gundam. It's the only Gundam series outside the Universal Century timeline (proper) directed by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. It has sort of Industrial Revolution era type setting, although it's setting is actually in the future, after a technological apocalypse (caused largely by the titular mobile suit). The series begins when people who'd been living on the moon try to settle back down on Earth, but through misunderstandings a war is ignited between the "Earthrace" and "Moonrace" and main character, Moonrace scout Loran Cehack, is caught in between. This is the last Gundam series to be produced with hand-painted cels, and it shows, but is beautiful and soulful. Adding to that is the amazing soundtrack by beloved composer Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop, Vision of Escaflowne). The mechanical designs, including the main mobile suit and its "rival", were done by Syd Mead, famous for his designs for industry and science fiction. The Turn A has become my favorite mobile suit design since finishing this. While suffering from a few pacing issues, this is my favorite non-UC Gundam television series by far. Going for a more dirty, gritty, grounded approach to the Gundam franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team is an excellent OVA that makes you feel the muck and the heat the soldiers in the Southeast Asian jungle conflict it depicts have to suffer with. It even renders the more useless GMs and Balls as being slightly more realistic and useful than their canon fodder utilization in the original series. There are some slight continuity errors, but it's best to view it as an alternate perspective on the events of the One Year War rather than something that fits properly into the canon. The love story is an interesting addition, but sometimes blurs the original vision, and it's pretty hurried as well. The epilogue episode feels a little forced, too. It's not perfect, but it's my favorite of the Gundam OVAs thus far, and got me interested in the Universal Century timeline. TO BE CONTINUED - Penguin Truth

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