Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin vol. 1 — Activation
“Mobile Suit Gundam” is one of the oldest, most influential and prolific mecha franchises in Japan. You may already know that, but it bears re-stating because this series has come a very long, strange way from the original series that this manga is an adaptation of. Originally a somewhat grounded look at space warfare with giant mecha, “Gundam” has found expanding success over the last couple of decades by branching out into “alternate universe” timelines that don’t build on the continuity of the original series to the point where its most recent incarnations barely resemble it. The series has also picked up a substantial fangirl following by giving the male characters designs which, in my opinion, pander to their yaoi interests to the point of distraction. While I don’t know what prompted this manga retelling of “Gundam 0079,” it comes from mangaka Yoshikazu Yasuhiko who was heavily involved in it as a character designer and animator. (This also causes me to think that it exists as a response to a certain other manga adaptation from a key member of its staff.) Though it has some awkwardness, this first volume spins an involving story with some production values that are alternatively impressive and disappointing.
I’ve never seen “Gundam 0079” though I am familiar with the broad strokes of its story. Set nearly half a century after mankinds emigration to space, hundreds of space colonies now orbit the Earth. It’s from these colonies that the Principality of Zeon emerges to secure their independence from the Earth Federation, beginning a long and bloody war between the two sides. The story picks up at a colony known as Side 7 after a Federation ship known as White Base arrives to pick up the latest mobile suit prototypes. At the same time, a Zeon infiltration force makes its way into the colony to learn about these prototypes and to see if the Federation’s mobile suit development has surpassed theirs.
Do things go badly for everyone involved? You bet they do! Things go badly enough that the colony has to be abandoned and only one of the prototypes can be salvaged after young Rei Amuro, son of their designer, gets in to pilot one in order to save the colonists from the Zeon team. Known as a Gundam, the sheer power of these new Federation mobile suits is such that an inexperienced pilot like him is able to go toe-to-toe with the experienced Zeon soldiers as well as their ace: the legendary “Red Comet” Char Aznabel.
These opening chapters detailing the events on Side 7 do have an awkwardness to them that likely came from Yasuhiko adapting to the generous 100-page chapter format he requested for the series (yes, I know; that little tidbit is part of the essays that supplement this volume). There’s a very decompressed feel to the beginning of this volume as events such as the Zeon team’s infiltration and the battle between the team and the Gundam take a while to play out without generating a whole lot of tension while many of the action scenes feature lots of unclear transitions between panels. Fortunately, Yasuhiko finds his footing before long and after the action leaves Side 7 behind, the pacing becomes much brisker and more involving. Things evolve into a cat-and-mouse game of pursuit and combat between White Base and Char’s forces as they try to destroy the Gundam and face some unexpected resistance from the untested, ragtag crew. There’s also some political infighting in the latter half of the book which would normally be a drag on things as the Federation officials try to hold the crew of the White Base to account for the events on Side 7, but their actions actually make sense while they aren’t portrayed as utter asshats in the process.
One bit of Gundam lore that isn’t explained here is the characters with psychic powers, a.k.a. “newtypes.” Now, I don’t know much more about them than that, but Yasuhiko seems to make the assumption that their existence and abilities are common knowledge to the reader. That leads to one fairly inexplicable scene late in the book where Amuro and one of the other crewmembers get the feeling that “Char is coming.” Fortunately it’s the only part of the book that assumes such knowledge on the reader’s part. That it’s present at all makes me worry that we might be in for more such moments as the series goes on.
While the story itself is generally involving, it’s propelled by the actions and personalities of the cast. While most of them are essentially familiar archetypes, they’re generally likeable and easy to relate to. Amuro fulfills the role of “ordinary kid who gets to pilot a giant mecha” and the stress he feels from being thrust into such a position is quite palpable most of the time. Char, however, emerges as the real standout of the cast and it’s easy to see why he’s such a legendary figure in “Gundam” mythos. It’s not just his skill, or his signature mask and helm, but the fact that he treats combat as a game more than anything else. More than anyone else here, he’s enjoying himself and the unexpected challenge this operation presents. It’s an awful attitude for anyone to have in war, but it makes him an excellent antagonist in this story.
As for the rest of the cast, Sayla, the female medical team volunteer makes the biggest impression thanks to her no-nonsense demeanor. Perfectly willing to pull a gun on those she deems a threat, and able to skillfully shut down acting White Base Captain Bright Noa’s advances, she establishes herself as a strong-willed woman who can handle anything the story throws at her (so far). With regards to Noa himself, he’s thrust into the acting captain role and does the best job he can with it. Though he manages to rub several of the cast the wrong way, Noa establishes himself as someone who is willing to take the initiative in difficult situations with his lack of flexibility being his only real flaw. There are others, such as Fraw Bow who never really emerges from her “childhood friend” stock characterization, Amuro’s friends who wind up in combat, and even the little kids who help out. They’re less defined and their appeal will likely be determined by how much affinity they have for stock character types in this genre.
Yasuhiko does do a great job making them all look distinct and I find that the “straight outta the 80’s” look that most of them possess is more charming than anything else. Those whose tastes don’t trend towards “old school” won’t find as much to like here (though I do wonder what fans of the series’ more recent anime incarnations would make of these designs). The man also has a good eye for a dramatic scene and while I haven’t see the anime, it isn’t hard to guess which moments were likely “key” ones by the way they’re presented here. As I noted above, it does take him a little while to really get going, but if you can press past the awkwardness you’ll find a lot to like here.
As for the localization itself, Vertical is to be commended for the physical part of the book design. Issued in a nice hardcover with glossy pages, this volume also features lots of color art punching up several scenes throughout. Given that most color pages in American editions are a luxury featured at the beginning of a collection, it was nice to see the company go the extra mile here. It would’ve been nice if they had done the same for the translation as well, though. While it’s generally not bad, the localization here is generally quite plain and workmanlike. It’s also distracting to see characters address each other by use of their rank’s abbreviations as things like “Ltjg. Bright” or “Cpl. Slender” tend to break the feeling of immersion in the story. I don’t feel that it’s obscuring any of the actual story, but the text here is disappointing enough to make me wish it was better.
Unlike the “Evangelion” manga, I can’t say how fans of the “Gundam 0079” anime would react to this retelling. I’m sure having Yasuhiko write and illustrate it is certainly a big deal, but I can’t say whether or not it makes any substantial deviations from the original story to make it worth reading in and of itself. Still, the story itself is easy to get into and I ultimately found myself looking forward to the next volume (which will be out next month). So if you’re interested in finding out why “Gundam” is one of the most enduring of mecha franchises, this first volume of “The Origin” is recommended.