The classic anime franchise Mobile Suit Gundam has come to Netflix and in a big way. With the newest entry in the series, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway, on the verge of releasing for international streaming, the company dropped a spread of legacy Gundam content to coincide with the release of the new movie and to compliment the two titles already available on the platform.
Gundam fans now have an array of options to choose from when powering on Netflix. Will it be the classic entries in the franchise that kicked everything off, the climactic resolution to the series' greatest rivalry, a dramatic OVA series with stellar action, or the wonderfully melodramatic spin-off show? Whatever the choice, it's nice for anime fans to have so many options.
Mobile Suit Gundam II - 7.3
In the anime industry, so-called "compilation movies" (like the Gundam trilogy) are common occurrences. An anime series will be packaged into a couple of hours and dropped into theatres, typically with some new scenes and animation to sweeten the deal. The obstacles inherent in such an adaptation are apparent -- it's not easy to translate dozens of episodes into just a few hours, but luckily, the Gundam trilogy avoids, in large part, that frequent shortcoming.
While each entry in the trilogy, as a whole, feels largely complete, it's hard not to notice that Mobile Suit Gundam II seems to struggle the most out of the three with the task of adaptation. While the dramatic introduction and thrilling climax to the original series make for easy translation into movies, the myriad story arcs that constitute the middle part of the series seem to have forced stricter decisions regarding what would and would not make it into the film, resulting in an end product that doesn't quite feel complete, at times.
Mobile Suit Gundam I - 7.4
In its opening hours, Mobile Suit Gundam swiftly sets itself apart from the other mecha anime of the era by revealing the immediate, brutal collateral damage incurred by clashes between mobile suits. War has come to the Earth Sphere as the Principality of Zeon wages a destructive campaign of independence against the central government. Mobile Suit Gundam I wastes little time plunging the audience into the action as well: a brief introductory period is disrupted with an attack by Zeon's mobile suits, and the battle for survival begins when protagonist Amuro Ray finds himself behind the controls of the RX-78 Gundam.
The first film in the trilogy is a thrill to watch every time. From the iconic opening moments to the introductions to the world and characters that audiences will come to know and love, Mobile Suit Gundam I is an expedient and well-executed debut for one of anime's most important science fiction franchises.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack - 7.4
Char's Counterattack is the conclusion to the original Gundam story arc that spanned from the original series to Zeta Gundam, to Double Zeta. This operatic final act depicts series antagonist Char Aznable's rebellion against the Earth Federation government and the dramatic resolution of his legendary rivalry with Amuro Ray.
With outstanding mechanical design and animation, as well as some exceptionally poignant character moments, Char's Counterattack is a tragic, thrilling, and altogether satisfying finale to the conflict that formed in the very first episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam. New fans should beware, though: although Netflix presents Char's Counterattack as a sequel of sorts to Mobile Suit Gundam III, the viewing order is somewhat incomplete without Zeta Gundam, a show that contains essential character development for Char and better contextualizes his actions in the final film.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway - 7.5
At the time of writing, Hathaway isn't out just yet, but there's still a lot of reasons to be excited, based on what we know about the movie from promotional materials and trailers, as well as reviews from those lucky enough to have gotten an early showing. The movie is an adaptation of a novel by franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, which has drummed up a substantial amount of hype among fans eager to see another of his works come to the Universal Century.
Based on the source material and early reviews, it's clear that Hathaway plays out like an intense political thriller, following the son of one of the Earth Federation's heroes as he leads a brutal insurgency against the very government that his father sought to protect.
Mobile Suit Gundam III - 7.8
Mobile Suit Gundam III depicts the final battles of the One Year War, with the climactic engagement happening in and around the asteroid base of A Baoa Qu. During the fighting, characters meet their ends, old rivalries are settled, and an end is brought to the destructive conflict (at least for now).
The final episodes of the original Mobile Suit Gundam T.V. series included many of the show's most iconic scenes and dramatic encounters, cementing it as an all-time classic in the imaginations of anime fans. The third film in the trilogy does an excellent job of bringing some additional polish to those climactic moments, making it the best-rated entry of the three. Indeed, it's this movie that benefits the most from the upgraded animation over the original series, which infamously suffered from budget and production difficulties throughout its television run.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn - 7.8
Unicorn is an OVA series set during the uneasy peace after Char's Counterattack. However, war brews rapidly in the Earth Sphere, and it isn't long before the setting is plunged into yet another conflict. An artifact called Laplace's Box is at the center of a rapidly unraveling conspiracy, and various military powers vie for its control, hoping to make use of its alleged potential to upend Earth politics forever. Amid the chaos, a boy named Banagher Links finds himself strapped into the cockpit of the Unicorn Gundam, forced to chart his own path through the fighting.
Unicorn delivers the classic Gundam themes with elegance; there are pacifists forced to make hard decisions to keep a lid on simmering violence, characters who are struggling to overcome the scars of the past, and an unflinching approach to character deaths. However, what makes Unicorn an essential entry in the Universal Century timeline is its production value. The apparently hefty production value allows for some of the most impressive animation and action sequences in the franchise, making it easy to see why this one's so high up on fans' lists.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - 7.9
Iron-Blooded Orphans is notably the only "alternate universe" offering Netflix has at the time of writing, which means that it's disconnected entirely from the "Universal Century" timeline, considered to be the flagship Gundam continuity and home to all of the other entries on this list. That makes IBO attractive to newcomers, as they won't have to worry about sorting through three decades worth of imaginary space politics and robot specifications to understand what's happening in the story.
Iron-Blooded Orphans tells a story of revolution, class struggle, and colonialism as it follows the mercenary group, "Tekkadan." Cast aside by the systems that left them destitute, the members of Tekkadan seek to carve out their own place in the solar system by force of arms. The series is helped along by a characteristically punchy and gleefully melodramatic screenplay from industry veteran Mari Okada, making this one a great starting point for Gundam newbies.