The Gundam family of shows has grown quite large over the years, steadily increasing in popularity with each passing release. To keep the series from stagnating, the creators have tried some experimental series over the years, to shake things up a bit. Unfortunately, one of them was the wonderfully mediocre Mobile Fighter G-Gundam that was released in 1994. While the show isn't completely horrid, it just doesn't live up to the Gundam standard anime fans have come to know and love. Still, for fans of the show, Bandai has opted to release the series in twelve volumes, available both singly and as part of a three-volume set. This review is based on the first of the four collector's sets.

In the year Future Century(FC) 60, war is nonexistent. To put an end to pointless bloodshed, an alternative has been created in the form of the Gundam Fights. Every four years, the nations of the world send Gundam Fighters to represent their countries. The country that claims victory of the tournament rules the Earth Sphere for four years. This year's fight, however, is different. A mysterious Gundam Fighter named Domon Kasshu has been sent to represent Neo Japan. However, he seems to have his own mission, as well. In order to save his father and clear his family name, Domon must compete in the competition and track down a sinister Gundam that is piloted by Domon's own brother, Kyoji.

G-Gundam seems to be the epitome of the "Fight of the Week" format at this point, with a battle guaranteed to occur in every episode. However, the show itself isn't all mindless violence: every week, a bit more of the backstory behind Domon and his female companion, Rain, unfolds. While the story itself is fairly generic at this point, it manages to pack in a few interesting twists that keep the series from becoming stale. The fights themselves are fast and well-choreographed, with neither side having an obvious advantage until the end, where the result is always predictable. The end result feels like an odd marriage of Masked Rider and Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, with a dash of Gundam added for flavor to an otherwise bland stew.

This gent exists solely to be hated.	Meet Domon Kasshu, Gundam Fighter and drifter extroadinaire.

Technically, G-Gundam is above average, but lacks a few touches that would help it to excel. The video is mostly clean, with no cross-coloration, aliasing, or macroblocking. However, the disc begins to show the series' age with washed out colors, and slight hints of grain. The sound fares much better, with a clear soundtrack that has no discernable dropouts or distortions on either track. While I do not care for the English audio, it is passable and quite fitting for the televised run the series saw.

Taking a more minimalist approach than usual, Bandai has decided to include only one extra, but what an extra it is. The G-Files, which is on every disc of this collection, is a multipage interview with the creator of the series that covers subjects ranging from how certain gundams were designed, to even reasons for the locations used. The box that houses the three volumes in this set is a little flimsy, but still aesthetically pleasing. The left panel contains an image of the cover of the third volume, while the right panel features artwork from the first DVD cover. Each of the three volumes contains a piece of artwork related to the episodes on each disc, be it an image of Shining Gundam taking down an opponent on disc 1, or Master Asia in front of his Gundam on disc 3. The back of the discs' packaging gives a brief description of the discs' contents, as well as a few screenshots. The inserts see a return of the cover art on the front, and an informative dossier on a specific Gundam and pilot duo inside.

At this point, G-Gundam has a few positive points, but the negatives far outweigh the positives. The series is going to have to make a few drastic changes to rise above the splendid mediocrity that it has settled into.

Distributor: Bandai Entertainment
Creator: Sunrise
Released: 1994

Video Quality: B
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: B
Content: C+
Overall: B-