Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight AXIS: Red Trace Review



Synopsis: 
A former Zeon engineer, Arlette Almage, is sent on an investigatory mission to the remains of Axis, the colossal hollowed-out meteor that once served as a primary Zeon base. There, she and her allies discover a dangerous secret in the form of a previously unknown Gundam representing a new military faction. 

Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight AXIS is a 6-epsiode ONA (Original Net Animation) series originally released exclusively to members of the Gundam Fan Club. The episodes (only about 3 minutes each) were later compiled into a short film with a few additional scenes, released as Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight AXIS: Red Trace. 

Release Date:
2017

Episodes:
6 (ONA's)
1 (Film)

Timeline:
UC 0096

My Grade:
C-

While many Gundam animes are based on pre-existing novels (notably, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn), the Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight AXIS animated series was conceived first, serving as a sort of teaser for the subsequent book. As many have pointed out, its function as (essentially) a trailer for the novel makes it a difficult, albeit brief, viewing experience, though not one that is entirely without appeal. 



The story, if it can be called that, is told across a jumble of largely disjointed scenes, jumping between time, place, and character in haphazard fashion. It's difficult to keep up at first, but since this isn't exactly War and Peace, it's possible to get the gist of things in a reasonable amount of time. What plot we do get, for instance the doting relationship between the main character Arlette Almage and her father figure Danton Hyleg, could be interesting if fleshed out into a real narrative.



There's some decent enough action packed into the brief runtime, with some new mobile suit designs that are actually pretty cool. We're given some nostalgic throwbacks to prior events in the series and get to see the final resting place of Char Aznable's famed MSN-04 Sazabi.

Beyond these small treats, there's not much more to say. Twilight AXIS rightfully gets a lot of criticism, but it's not at all unwatchable as some say, and given the short run time, there's very little investment on the viewer's part. It's far from the best Gundam has to offer, but for my tastes, it's worth a quick watch. 


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