Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is a newly developed OVA anime series courtesy of Bandai's Sunrise anime studio, which will eventually consist of six one-hour episodes. This initial release contains the first episode of the series, which lays the framework for events to follow, and introduces long-time Gundam fans to new characters in the franchise universe. Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Rurouni Kenshin), the anime is based on Harutoshi Fukui's 10-part "light novel" series by the same name, and extends the long-running story of humanity's colonization of space.
The Unicorn mobile suit in action.
As the episode opens, we're shown the tragic event that marked the beginning of the Universal Century (UC) period of human space colonization, and led to numerous wars between the Earth Federation and those that wished to secede from populous control. Flash forward 96 years, and we learn the terrorist responsible for the events of that historic day is still alive. He intends to hand the key to something known as Laplace's Box over to the Neo Zeon rebels that now oppose the Earth Federation, believing it will determine the fate of Earth. Tasked with transferring control of this "key" is his grandson Cardeas Vist, who heads the influential Vist Foundation and runs the Anaheim Industry Technical School. During the build-up to this seemingly important transaction, a young student named Banagher rescues a girl named Audrey, and joins her in a mission to track down Cardeas Vist. We eventually learn why she wishes to speak with Vist, who identifies her as an important piece to a puzzle that should become clear in further episodes. However, the central focus of this first entry swings in the direction of Banagher, and his involvement with a new Gundam created by the Vist Foundation for a yet-unknown purpose. This white Gundam is given the Unicorn name because of its trademark horn, and appears far superior to prior mobile suits. As for the role Banagher and the Unicorn Gundam will play in the power struggle over the key to Laplace's Box, we'll simply have to wait and see.
I suppose it's inevitable to feel at least a degree of bewilderment after the first entry in a 6-part series. So much information must be conveyed during the course of the first hour that the unfortunate byproduct becomes a loss of character development in favor of further an engaging story. In the case of MSG Unicorn, the creators have packed such a wealth of characters, subplots, and twists into the first 58 minutes that I came away with a severe lack of patience. We've all become spoiled by anime productions released in season-long box sets, so the idea of waiting months for the next chapter in this engaging storyline feels downright cruel. Perhaps this will motivate some folks to seek out the light novel series, or push others to wait for the ability to watch all six episodes at once, but I'd wager most Gundam fans won't fall into the latter camp.
To break down the events of this episode beyond the synopsis, it appears we're headed toward another war between the Neo Zeon separatists and the Earth Federation. Laplace's Box, Audrey, and Banagher will play a large role in the events that follow, and the Vist family appears to be orchestrating something with tremendous potential for great devastation or lasting peace. The major problem at this point is the absence of adequate explanation behind each character's motivations. We gain a superficial understanding of who's working for who at this point (aside from the main characters), but how they fit into the puzzle hasn't been revealed. I won't give away details about the ending of the episode, but there are some very satisfying revelations that emerge, and the cliffhanger climax leaves us at the cusp of a turning point in the series.
As much as I enjoyed the show thus far, I have a couple of problems I'd like to point out. First, if you go into this without at least some understanding of the Gundam universe, you'll probably be frustrated within the first 10 minutes. The prologue provides a glimpse at the kick off to the Universal Century, but not knowing the various players in the conflict will make it difficult to figure out who's fighting who. Even if you have a solid base of knowledge, there's not much explanation for the side each character is on, and I had to watch the episode a second time before I grasped what was taking place during the climactic conflict. Second, I was a little let-down by some of the dialog from Banagher, and his blind infatuation with Audrey. There are a couple of scenes where he goes into long speeches about needing her to "want him", which don't seem to fit within the story at this point (especially since there's not much backstory, and the couple is simply thrown together). I could see dialog like that at the halfway point of the series, but 30 minutes in is a bit of a stretch. I know these are relatively minor concerns, but I wanted to make it clear why I didn't award the first release with a perfect score.
The animation quality of the first episode in the MSG Unicorn series is nearly worth the price of admission alone. We all expect a certain level of proficiency from theatrical release anime, but the typical budgetary constraints of OVA productions often result in a final product that lies closer to the quality of a well-done television series. In the case of this series, Bandai spared no expense in delivering a production that easily bests the quality of most theatrical offerings. The balance of detail in the foreground and background lends a fluidity to the movements of characters in relation to their surroundings that reveals the level of care shown by the animation team at Sunrise studio. Likewise, the attention to detail extends into the creation of a world that feels entirely familiar to Gundam fans, while managing to raise the bar beyond what we've witnessed in prior film or television productions. If the first episode is any indication of what we can expect from the rest of the series, I expect to be a happy camper in the months to come.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 34Mbps), Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is a visual feast from start to finish. Fine object detail never displays a hint of weakness, allowing crisp lines and textured gradients to create an overall quality that appears almost three-dimensional. Likewise, the coloring of the first episode is truly a sight to behold given the bright palette that often contrasts with the darkness of space. For an example, look for the deep purple on Marida's outfit, or the bright blue shades on the surface of her rival MS suits. Adding to the visual spectacle on display, one of the key staples of the Gundam franchise is given a welcomed boost in the creation of this series. The effect I'm referring to is the use of beam lasers and swords throughout the mecha battles in space. Lighting techniques have come a long way since the release of Char's Counterattack, and it really begins to show as glowing lines appear in the midst of battle. The realization of these effects can largely be attributed to the depth of black levels, and the unwavering shade differentiation of the contrast-dependant animation style, which never reveals a shred of weakness. Lastly, given the high bitrate afforded to this feature-only release, issues such as aliasing, edge-enhancement, and other artifacts were completely absent. In fact, I never even detected the presence of light banding, which usually plagues animated features of this sort.
Bottom line, MSG Unicorn is everything we hoped it would be in high-definition, and well-worth the experience for any anime fan.
Unlike two recent North American Blu-ray releases from Bandai, this first episode of MSG Unicorn is undergoing a simultaneous release in multiple international territories (most notably Japan). As such, Bandai is offering the series with lossless versions of both the English and Japanese language tracks, in what I would presume is an identical disc for all "Region 1" territories. This presents an interesting pricing dilemma for Bandai, since their North American pricing strategy needs to correlate with the premium anime pricing in Japan. If you price it too low in the U.S., you run the risk of losing Japanese sales to importation, while pricing it as high as a typical Japanese release ($60-$80) would severely limit sales in North America (we like our anime, but aren't use to paying that kind of price). As a result, it appears Bandai is searching for that middle ground with the release of this first episode, and likely testing the market with Amazon.com as their sole sales outlet (perhaps due to Amazon's ability to track the location of their customers).
Now that we have that out of the way, I can begin the discussion of the lossless audio offerings on the disc. As usual, I began my initial viewing with the native language track (Japanese), and eventually switched to the English dub for the remaining portion of the episode. In between, I completed a number of A/B comparisons during both quiet and action-oriented segments, and eventually came to the conclusion that both tracks offer an equally proficient sound design. Dialogue, effects, and music are all afforded appropriate weight in the overall mix, regardless of whether we're listening to a subtle, dialog-driven sequence, or witnessing two towering mobile suits engaged in close-range combat. Surround separation is more than adequate, sending the piercing sound of laser cannons from one side of the room to another in unison with the onscreen action. In turn, the low rumble of spacecraft engines can be heard from the LFE channel, which also breaks in from time to time with the crashing thunder of explosions (especially toward the later stages of the episode). Clarity in every element of the mix never posed a problem, leaving me with an overall impression that this is one of the better tracks I've heard in recent months.
Offering a recommendation on the first episode of the MSG Unicorn series is a bit problematic at this point. On the one hand, I enjoyed almost every aspect of the episode, and hope the rest of the series maintains the same high standard set by the first hour. However, on the flipside I have to consider the relatively high sticker price (by North American standards), and the fact that you only get one hour-long episode on an otherwise bare-bones disc. Taking both sides of the coin into account, I'd only recommend this release to hardcore Gundam fans, or anime enthusiasts with deep pocketbooks. In a perfect world, we'd all run out and show our support for more anime releases on western shores (similar to Japan), but in reality each consumer will have to make a personal decision on the cost/benefit of this release schedule. I can only speak for myself, but I'm thrilled to have episode one in my collection.
Bandai Visual Japan announced today that on March 12, Amazon.com will release 'Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn) Vol.1' on Blu-ray with a two-month exclusive window in North America under the “Honneamise” label. Video will be 1080p with Japanese and English audio ...
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Vol. 1 Blu-ray Screenshots
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