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00:30Hey, welcome to Otaku Evolution, which is a tree, not a ladder.
00:57I'm Penguin Truth, and in this episode, Gundam!
01:00There are few more storied franchises, if any, than Gundam.
01:04A multimedia phenomenon that started in 1979, Gundam has dominated the mecha subgenre for over 30 years.
01:11TV shows, movies, comics, novels, video games, there's almost no medium Gundam hasn't touched.
01:18There are Gundam-themed restaurants and theme park rides,
01:21and the Japanese government has even been caught editing Gundam Wikipedia pages during work.
01:26There was a giant 60-foot statue of the original RX-78 constructed in Tokyo.
01:32The bulk of the franchise takes place in an era called the Universal Century,
01:37where a lot of humanity lives in space colonies and clusters called sides.
01:41Generations of upheaval and revolution attempts have necessitated the invention of such things as
01:47Monofsky particles that block radar, and humanoid robot war machines called Mobile Suits.
01:53The most evocative of these Mobile Suits are usually Gundams, which all have the same basic aesthetic.
02:01The subject of today's review is an entry into the UC timeline with a very interesting nature to it.
02:06The movie, Gundam F91, was originally intended to be a full-length TV show,
02:12but for whatever reason, I've heard there were production disputes,
02:15it was made into a movie instead, after 13 episodes had already been written.
02:19Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino wanted to make everything less convoluted than he had made the movie
02:24Char's Counter-Attack, which depended on a lot of prior knowledge of the UC timeline,
02:28so he took the timeline into the far-flung future of the previous entries.
02:33The result was, uh, still pretty convoluted. And unfinished.
02:39And really gorgeous looking, but sort of middling overall.
02:43But before we get down to the nitty-gritty, I have a guest reviewer to assist me
02:47in the takedown of this overlooked-for-a-reason Gundam movie,
02:50the creator of Gundam itself, Yoshiyuki Tomino!
02:56Wonderful. I'm sure your input will be invaluable.
03:00The year is UC 123, and the fragile peace experienced in the space colonies is shattered
03:06when a paramilitary force called the Crossbone Vanguard invades the Frontier IV colony.
03:12Our hero, Seabook Arno, yes, that's his name,
03:15is an engineering student who lives with his Sailor Jupiter-looking sister
03:19and his surprisingly badass father.
03:21When shit hits the fan, Falco Lombardi here and his cast of expendable friends
03:26run like hell to avoid being massacred by the enemy.
03:30Hilarious, grim cruelty ensues.
03:33Oh, sure, the black kid dies first. Nice job, Tomino.
03:37But what the hell is going on around us?
03:40Why are these two armies just slugging it out? Why?
03:44I'm not going down just because of something some stupid adults are doing.
03:48Ah, some of Tomino's patented adults-are-the-enemy philosophy.
03:52It's a theme that pervades nearly every work Tomino has done.
03:56If by theme, you mean he likes to show kids stomping their feet
04:00over complex political and social conflicts that are largely out of his reach.
04:05One wonders if Tomino himself ever completely grew up
04:08because his don't-trust-anyone-over-30 attitude
04:11doesn't just make his character seem simplistic and irritating,
04:14but his ideas about humanity as simplistic and naive at times.
04:24Did I mention that he's one of my favorite anime directors?
04:27I mean, he's a great director.
04:31Did I mention that he's one of my favorite anime directors?
04:36They'll never attack us if we can use the children as living shields!
04:41They'll never attack us if we can use the children as living shields!
04:45The Earth Federation, folks!
04:47We're... we're supposed to side with them, right?
04:52But fortunately for the kids, Falco's dad arrives and... wow.
04:57Falco's friend Cecily gets separated from the group by her father,
05:01and it's revealed that she's secretly part of some aristocratic family called the Ronas,
05:05who are behind the Crossbone Vanguard and the attack on the colony.
05:09They've come to claim her, and Cecily's dad is just pleased as punch
05:12to exchange her for political favor.
05:15Father of the year material, that one.
05:17Oh, and is that brother of Cecily's the clingy full-frontal fanboy from Gun of Unicorn?
05:22Weird.
05:23Anyway, Falco and the gang escape from Frontier 4
05:26as it's being ravaged by the Crossbone Vanguard.
05:29The head of the Rona family, Maitzer Rona,
05:32comes to oversee the transformation of Frontier 4
05:35into the capital of a new Cosmo Babylonia empire.
05:39Meanwhile, Cecily is taken to her birth father, Carozza Rona,
05:43who, because of the shame of losing his wife to another man,
05:46has donned an iron mask and has become a stone-cold killer.
05:52It's me, Carozzo.
05:54If it is, then take off that mask.
05:57I'm a pathetic man who managed to lose his wife to another man, Theo.
06:03After that, I swore to bring to life all of the ideals of your grandfather, Maitzer.
06:08On that very day, I began my struggle against my own weakness,
06:12and I eventually became as you see me now.
06:15He's more machine now than man. Twisted and evil.
06:20You won't believe how appropriate that clip is until later.
06:24Falco and the gang hide out in another colony,
06:26where they come upon a Federation ship, the Space Ark,
06:29commanded by a neophyte captain with a huge forehead
06:32and piloted by Rule 63 Emeril Ray.
06:35They join up with them, because why not,
06:37and Falco discovers his absentee mother made a Gundam, the F91,
06:41that engineers can't quite figure out.
06:44Maitzer Rona takes time out of his busy schedule of being a dictator
06:47to talk to Cecily about his ideology.
06:50It's spoiler-plate noblest oblige with a tinge of fascism.
06:54Doesn't this cosmo-aristocracy that you advocate also produce discrimination?
06:59Justifiably. The highborn have duties they must fulfill no matter what.
07:03I see.
07:04Let's take the battlefield, for example.
07:06A commoner can say he's afraid and just run for cover,
07:09but a man of renown, a noble, must stand his ground
07:13and continue to fight without fear of his blood being spilled.
07:17Little Jupiter reveals the system the F91 is based on.
07:20It's a reference to Cat's Cradle.
07:23Well, isn't that the most adorable wiring scheme for a killing machine?
07:28Do you think the lines leading down from there
07:30represent the bio-computer's parallel circuit path?
07:32It says! Of course!
07:34Like mother, like daughter!
07:38So, this means we'll be able to use the F91, right?
07:41That's right. You do have some pilots in your resistance group, don't you, Colonel?
07:45All we have are engineering students.
07:47One of you's gonna have to do it.
07:49You're not serious!
07:51Those pirate crossbone vanguard bastards trashed an entire colony!
07:54Now we're gonna make them pay!
07:56Oh, and as the crossbone vanguard attacks the colony,
07:59some hardly recognizable music from some other sci-fi franchise plays.
08:08They know we won't destroy Frontier One because it's a resource colony?
08:16He's more machine now than man.
08:19Twisted and evil.
08:22Who thought they could get away with that?
08:26Falco decides to become the pilot of the F91, because, again, why not,
08:30and comes under attack by Angelo Salper here.
08:33But as we all know, kids with no battle experience
08:36make for some of the best mecha pilots,
08:38so he does quite well in combat.
08:40Falco sneaks back to Frontier Four
08:42to rescue Cicely, but the plan doesn't go off well,
08:45and he's forced to retreat without her.
08:47And then Iron Mask makes this lovely speech.
08:51You who are abandoned to dwell here in this newly rebuilt colony
08:55must use all your abilities to forever protect the entire Earth's sphere.
09:03Aim for the body, jackass!
09:05Don't aim for the one thing that's definitely protected.
09:08The people must be ruled by...
09:11As I was saying...
09:13Anyway, the key to governing the people is...
09:17Will somebody just get that guy already?
09:19Those of you who disagree with us, I say to you,
09:22come and try to kill me!
09:24I will not run away or hide!
09:27Falco's dad helps him escape from Frontier Four,
09:30but is badly injured in the process.
09:32And after telling him that, Falco decides to go back to Frontier Four
09:37and after telling his son not to think ill of his mother, passes away.
09:41So long, badass dad.
09:43You were the only thing passing for a good parent in this entire movie.
09:47Unlike Cicely's parents, for instance,
09:49her mother, stepfather, and real father,
09:51apparently Theo Fairchild can't stand to be in a Tamina movie anymore
09:55and expires.
09:57Because reasons.
09:59Crossbone Vanguard pilot Anna Marie decides to defect
10:02because Senpai won't notice her,
10:04but is promptly killed in her first battle as a Federation pilot.
10:07So when Cicely defects right afterwards,
10:10it's no wonder she breaks down in tears.
10:13Nobody likes a backstabber, Red.
10:15When Mrs. Arno finds her way back to the Space Ark,
10:18she's shocked that her own son has been piloting the mobile suit she helped develop,
10:22but gets an earful about her willingness to take part in weapons development.
10:26And then little Jupiter basically sums up Tamina's oeuvre.
10:30Wars are scary, and we shouldn't have them.
10:34That's right.
10:35No! Really?
10:37Now, please, Mr. Tamino, tell us all about your boundless capacity
10:41for the understanding of human suffering.
10:43Iron Mask decides to execute Order 66
10:47and sends out unmanned death drones to wipe out the population of Frontier One.
10:51More hilarious cruelty ensues.
10:55Falco and Red take on the death drones,
10:58and it leads them to Iron Mask's ship.
11:00But Red's daddy has a monstrous mobile armor that's...
11:04kind of vaginal and phallic at the same time,
11:07and he's in a filicide mood.
11:09Red's got two shitty fathers for the price of one,
11:12and is ready to get rid of the remaining one.
11:17He's more machine now than man.
11:19Twisted and evil.
11:28It's here.
11:33No, don't! Cecily!
11:39Is that a bug too?
11:47Cecily, get out of there!
11:50Iron Mask manages to badly damage Cecily's mobile suit
11:53and throws her out into space,
11:55but Falco's not having it and uses the full power of the F91
11:58to cause Iron Mask's own mobile armor to fire on itself,
12:01which destroys it.
12:03Seabulk manages to locate Cecily and save her,
12:06and all seems well...
12:08except that the Crossbone Vanguard has now taken over Frontier One as well,
12:12so... yeah, they failed.
12:14The end.
12:18I'm not kidding! That's the end of the movie!
12:20There was supposed to be more, but it was never made!
12:23Well, technically it was continued in the Crossbone Gundam manga,
12:26but it was never brought over to North America.
12:28Maybe they'll animate it one day and release it here.
12:31What do YOU think of that possibility, Tomino?
12:35Thanks for coming, sir!
12:37You are a true cinematic genius.
12:40Gundam F91 is a fascinating film in the sense that,
12:43while it is gorgeous, rich-looking, detailed, and action-packed,
12:47story-wise it's incomplete and kind of a sanctimonious patronizing farce.
12:52As much as I love Yoshiyuki Tomino,
12:54I think it's best to only watch this for the violence
12:57and try to tune out everything else.
12:59Well, that's it for Otaku Evolution this week.
13:02Join us next week for, uh...
13:04what's the name of that thing again?
13:06Oh, right. Silent...
13:08something-silent...
13:10Silent Mobius!
13:14Yeah, I needed a good nap.
13:16See ya!
13:22Don't forget to say
13:24Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
13:26Say you will
13:28Say it right now, baby
13:30Say you will
13:32Come on, baby
13:34Say you will
13:36Say it better, yeah
13:38Say you will
13:40Come on now
13:42Say that you love me
13:44Say that you need me
13:46Say that you need me
13:48Say that you need me
13:50Say that you need me
13:52Say that you want me
13:54You wanna please me
13:56Come on now
13:58Come on now