Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative Review

Synopsis:
One year after the conclusion of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, a mysterious golden mobile suit, the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex, reemerges after vanishing during its disastrous test flight two years earlier. Its incredible powers are coveted by disparate factions, including both the Earth Federation Space Force and rogue Neo Zeon extremists, leading to an Earth Sphere-wide hunt for the elusive "brother" of the since-dismantled Unicorn Gundam. At the forefront of the chase are Jona Basta and Michele Luio, two former friends whose tumultuous and intertwined lives have culminated in the Phoenix Hunt. 

Release Date:
2018

Timeline:
UC 0097

My Grade:
B-


Based on the 11th and final Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn novel, Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative serves as an epilogue of sorts to the events of the overall Unicorn series. While it's a reasonably interesting story in its own right (with some especially unique character relationships), Narrative feels like an unnecessary add-on, ultimately serving to drag down - rather than complement - Unicorn's otherwise near-perfect story. 

The plot kicks off a year after the conclusion of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and, despite the uplifting yet open-ended finale, things in the Earth Sphere haven't improved much. Even with Mineva Zabi's return, the reestablished Republic of Zeon just can't seem to keep its dissidents under control, as yet another batch of Neo Zeon extremists have amassed a formidable force, thanks to the not-so-secret backing of Zeon Minister Monaghan Bakharov. The Unicorn and Banshee Gundams have apparently been disassembled since we last saw them, having been deemed too dangerous for humanity to wield. 

The story centers around Rita Bernal, Jona Basta, and Michele Luio - the "Miracle Children" - three apparent Newtypes who precognitively predicted the colony drop back in the One Year War, saving their hometown from the otherwise devastating blast. The events of their interconnected relationship are told through flashbacks depicting various points in the Universal Century timeline. This storytelling method helps flesh out the trio in the present and lends a lot of humanity to what could have otherwise come off as over-the-top melodramatic anime caricatures. Though Michele's motivations in particular are at times difficult to relate to, an interesting revelation at the end of the story (which I won't spoil here) cements the depth of the trio's connection and the overall plot in a satisfying way. 

As a high-budget theatrical release, one would expect the animation for this production to be top-notch. While it would certainly qualify as "very good," Leah and I didn't find it to be on par with other films like those from Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt or even the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn OVA's. There's a disconnect in character designs between this film and Unicorn, which is a bit jarring when viewing familiar characters like Mineva Zabi or Maria Vist Carbine, who are illustrated a bit more simply versus their prior incarnations. 

Though the film uses "Narrative" as its title, the actual RX-9 Narrative Gundam is relatively unremarkable, being fairly uninteresting in terms of both design and functionality. While it has a few tricks up its metal sleeves, the Narrative feels like it plays second fiddle to the much more iconic Unicorn Gundam from the previous story or even the Nu Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, which it's related to. That's ok, though, as the Narrative is more a means to an end rather than being positioned as the central "hero" suit. 

The hypothetical real star here is the golden RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex. Its look is certainly dazzling (a fact not lost on Bandai's gunpla sales strategy), but it actually doesn't do a whole lot other than flee the various forces that are trying to capture it. When the Phenex does go into full gear during the film's high-octane battle sequences, it basically becomes a Super Saiyan god that can do almost anything the plot requires. The Gundam franchise's use of "space magic" tends to be relatively reserved in the Universal Century timeline, but here at the end of the Unicorn sub-story, all the stops are more or less pulled out. 

Kaio-Ken x100!

One of the most cartoonish aspects of Narrative is its main villain, Zoltan Akkanen. From the moment this emo edge-lord appears onscreen, he absolutely devours the scenery, exuding pure psychopathy with every line and action. The film tries to give him some humanity and motivation, but it's basically paper-thin. How a guy like this could not only be allowed to serve in the military, let alone as a high-ranking officer, is beyond me. Zoltan is clearly talented, but it's not like his dark side is hidden - he wears every unhinged element of his personality on his sleeve for all to see at all times. I suppose I can't say that he wasn't entertaining to watch. 

Zoltan's mobile suit, the storm trooper-esque MSN-06 S-2 Sinanju Stein (a close cousin of Full Frontal's red MSN-06S Sinanju), was probably my favorite mech from the whole film, alongside his massive doomsday mobile armor, the NZ-999 II Neo Zeong (the II is read "second"), which is itself a reconstructed version of the design Full Frontal piloted in the finale of Unicorn. 

Maybe he's not such a bad guy?

Nope nope nope nope nope

Despite some interesting characters and a few standout mobile suit designs, Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative doesn't come together as a particularly strong film. Partly this is due to it coming on the heels of the excellent Unicorn series, but mainly it's because of its own failings, such as convoluted character motivations or key plot points relying too much on esoteric magical powers that activate when the script demands them. Narrative is certainly worth a watch and, if divorced from Unicorn, is a decent enough film. However, it ties so heavily to prior events that it can't be reviewed in a bubble and must ultimately be treated as an epilogue to a far superior series. I couldn't help but walk away feeling like Narrative didn't add anything to its predecessor, instead merely muddying the water.