The Gundam series has received a considerable amount of popularity in the United States thanks to Gundam Wing. However not many people have seen the one that started it all: the original Mobile Suit Gundam, now available on DVD thanks to Bandai. In this review I'll take a look at the first three DVD volumes of the series that started the phenomenon.

The first thing you'll notice about Mobile Suit Gundam is the age old animation and style of drawing. This anime is about two decades old, and it certainly shows. People brought up on the age of Gundam Wing might find it hard to adapt to the limited palette of colors and the retro hair styles and character designs. It's definitely only going to appeal to hardcore Gundam fans or anime purists. Anime has advanced quite a bit in the past decade or two; someone brought up on the animation quality in today's series like Cowboy Bebop will notice the simplistic movements and how there is a large amount of detail left out of scenes involving complex movement (space battles). Again, the artwork is really only going to appeal to hardcore Gundam fans or those brought up on this series.

While the animation is dated, the battles still manage to be suspenseful thanks to quality storytelling.	Unlike Gundam Wing, there is only one real bishounen for this series: Char, Zechs' thematic predecessor.

The Gundam series, though spanning quite a few separate stories, is always essentially the same. There is a political battle and huge robots known as Gundams are involved in defending a certain sect or people. The series, though is has an accent on the Gundam battles, is really a politically motivated series that examines the inner workings of the political axes between nations and cultures, and how the different manipulations affect the sway of power. While I must say the latter Gundam series are much more developed in this sense, Mobile Suit Gundam was one of the first of its kind, and the manner in which the political war is presented is executed well. Specifically, this series focuses on the adventure of Amuro Ray, a young boy who led a pretty normal life in the Earth Federation. You've probably heard of this scenario before: Amuro is dragged into an interstellar conflict, this time between the Earth Federation and the Duchy of Zeon. Politics are a big part of the series but not as prevalent as I would have liked. After watching Gundam Wing, it's just not as deep. The same could be said of the characters in Mobile Suit Gundam. While I can see how the Gundam series mold was made, it's just hard to pass in this day and age. Though I am basing this off the first three DVD's, it is apparent the course this series takes, and though that isn't a bad thing, it's difficult to recommend this to newbies.

The music is something straight out of 70's Japan, and is really hard on the ears for someone that grew up on…well…normal music. Actually, I would even guess that the music was cheesy back when Mobile Suit Gundam debuted as well. Most of the music stays in the background, and during the anime it's not much of a problem, but what's really noticeable are the opening and closing themes, which reek of disco. They have these Japanese lyrics sung in the most laughable possible way, and they add the most retro percussion beat and synth melodies. Honestly, this was the most embarrassing part of the anime.

The dubbing job is what one would expect out of an age old anime; nothing special. The voices are for the most part over-acted, the lines aren't delivered quite well, and the translation itself isn't very vibrant. Nothing to cry about, but it's certainly not what I would use as an example of good dubbing.

The DVD's themselves are mastered quite well. The sound is enhanced tenfold from original VHS tapes, and the picture quality is increased tenfold. Though that means you have to hear that god-awful soundtrack, it's amazing that such an old anime was restored so well. Though the sound is a bit muffled in Dolby Pro Logic mode, the Dolby Digital 2.1 mode performed more than adequately. Voices were clear and crisp and sound effects were just as pleasant to the ears. The actual picture was better than I expected it to be with colors rarely bleeding to an excessive degree and the picture was crisp. As for extras, there isn't much on the DVD's except for some bios and then some trailers for other anime series.

Overall, the Mobile Suit Gundam series is something that will only appeal to hardcore Gundam fans and general otakus. It's far too old to appeal to the newer generation, with age-old animation, art, and music. The newer Gundams build upon this series to become the great force it is today; if you want, check out where it all began, because that is how this should be truly appreciated.

Distributor: Bandai
Creator: Sunrise
Released: 1979

Plot: B
Character Design: C+
Animation Quality: C
Music: D
Overall: C+