Audience reviews
13 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
DanteDemonZ
Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow improves on the first compilation film in some key technical areas, but it also doubles down on many of the trilogy’s most frustrating problems. Where the first movie felt rushed and uneven, the second often feels confused about what it wants to emphasise, resulting in a film that is more visually engaging yet thematically sloppier.
One of the most frustrating moments involves Sayla Mass. At one point, she steals the Gundam to pursue her own goals and goes rogue, a scene that already exists in the original television series. Even there, the tone is questionable, particularly when she later lies to the crew and claims she only did it to “prove a woman could pilot a Gundam,” a line that everyone accepts without question. However, in the full series,…
Read at the sourcetheo1763
Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow picks up where the first film left off, developing the story of the White Base crew further while concentrating on the personal conflicts and development of the characters. The transformation of Kai from a hot-headed, arrogant young man to a more mature, responsible member of the crew is one of the film's strongest points. But there are flashes of immaturity still. Both Kai and Amuro have moments where they make rash decisions, leaving the White Base alone or charging in blindly without caution. Though these decisions can be realistic due to the chaos of war, they are sometimes irritating and take away from the tension of the movie. These sequences are a reminder of the same issues in the initial film, proving that despite the characters growing, t…
Read at the sourceLegionWrex
One thing about Soldiers of Sorrow on rewatch that really struck me was how it's structured. It was always, on paper, going to be the most difficult film of the group to make since it's covering the most episodic portion of the show (which is the Ramba Ral storyline and the eventual trek to Jaburo). You are inevitably going to have some stop and start unless you decide to just completely shift gears and do something totally different, which would also defeat the purpose of these movies, which is ultimately an easy money maker in the wake of a sudden popularity surge.
I do think though that Soldiers of Sorrow does ultimately do the right thing by instead re-ordering events to at least give the film two distinct halves with two clear antagonists, which helps immensely. Much of the fluff fro…
Read at the sourceGwenPineapple
Tonally, it feels inconsistent with the ending of Gundam I, featuring more comedic moments from dedicated slapstick characters (the three children), and being all together less bleak due to the dramatic change in Amuro's character, who had ended the first film being infected with terrible PTSD, and an inability to define himself outside of his ability to pilot the Gundam. There's a lack of focus which further complicates things, where the first film was heavily focused on detailing Amuro's descent from just an innocent child into a victim of PTSD, Gundam II lacks any specific theme or character to specifically explore in depth.
Not to say Gundam II is a bad film, but it is lacking in the overall cohesion and refinement of the first film - it has its moments (a lot of really nice moments),…
Read at the sourceBibsMcF
The second film in the adaption of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, which covers the events of Amuro's Desertion to the Defence of Jaburo.
Animation quality remains mostly the same, I would say it is marginally better than the first film however. the second film introduces multiple new mobile suits such as the Z'gok and Gouf, and far more varied battlefields for them to fight within.
I award the second film one extra point over the first more for the content of the story, which further explores both sides of the conflict and the awfulness of the whole situation. Zeon is depicted as surprisingly sympathetic for a group of fascist zealots. This shows how subversive MSG is, avoiding a story where killing is done without guilt or thought. Although, a LOT of people die. One highlight i…
Read at the sourcektulu007
I've talked about the Gundam franchise quite a few times. Including the first Mobile Suit Gundam film. To kick off this year's film festival week, I'm going to be talking about the second film in that trilogy, Soldiers of Sorrow. To start with a quick recap, the Federation and space Nazis IE Zeon are at war. Our protagonists are a Federation force largely made up of teenagers, because so many adults have died. They're piloting the White Base on a mission.
Story:
So, our protagonists continue to make their way to Jaburo while getting into constant battles with Zeon and receiving limited support from the Federation higher ups. Meanwhile, Char is continuing his subtle quest for revenge.
The story actually has the same major flaw as the first film. A lot of what happens whether its charact…
Read at the sourcemd5fungi
The second installment of the Gundam Mobile Suit trilogy delves deeper into the consequences of war, which makes for some terrific character development and world-building. Amuro fights his inner demons as the conflict rages on. At the same time, we get a better glimpse at how the Zeons operate. The story is well done, but some of the novelty has worn off as we know what to expect.
I do feel like the middle of this movie meanders and lags just a bit, a lull that is made up for an epic battle between Amuro and Char. Once again, things aren't really wrapped up, so getting the whole story means watching the whole trilogy.
Recommended.
Read at the sourcelethargilistic
The middle of the trilogy is a series of vignettes from the middle of the show. They're not stitched together in a way that indicates progression, aside from the mere fact of certain people dying at certain times. It is nonetheless compelling in isolated instances.
Watching this reminded me of something people are always saying about Eureka Seven. They say it's "just Mobile Suit Gundam again," but it's so obviously untrue. Eureka Seven is, rather, THE BEST PARTS of Mobile Suit Gundam, remixed and combined and extended so that they're often running simultaneously and throughout the show. For example, the section in this where Amuro meets Ral and Hamon in the bar and they try to befriend him could not have taken more than an episode in the original show. In Eureka Seven, that episode became…
Read at the sourceAiaigasa
As an upcoming Gundam fan, I decided to go back to where it began but was given the choice of the television run or the 3 summary films. I bought the film trilogy off of rightstuf and started my journey. Keep in mind I am familiar with anime on the older side especially the 70s such as Versailles no bara/Lupin the third. The 1st movie was condensed admirably from the show and did not have too much of a jarring plot progression and pace. Coming to the second film though I was surprised how packed and frankly divided it was. The first half of the film does leave off where the first film left off but the editing and sequence of events were clearly shifted greatly where the boring moments with diplomats and the white base just lazily stagnant are put together begrudgingly. *SPOILER* Garma's de…
Read at the sourceParaturtle
Story:
A thrilling military drama. With superb pacing, each scene flows right into the next with incredible finesse. Nothing feels rushed and nothing feels overly done. There's a strong amount of respect for the characters and the events taking place. I have to say that the 0079 series is impressing me in every way. From the complex and realistic drama between the characters and Char's absolutely captivating character in general, I cannot wait to learn more and more about these characters and the world they live in.
I'm starting to wonder if Gundam is the "Starship Troopers" of the eastern world, in that it's an excellent science-fiction narrative that is respectable piece of military literature. From the first film being a soldier's growth, then the second getting in deeper with the comp…
Read at the sourceMI-NA-MI
Story: The story got a lot better from the first film. It was easier to understand what was going on. Moreover it had better drama. That was better because it didn't seem too forceful compared to the first movie.
Art: The animation was still as good. However I found it odd that some characters especially the female ones looked practically the same except for hairstyles (Hamon and Matilda). Not really a flaw but worth noticing.
Sound: Nothing much to say here, the sound effects and the battle themes were well done. I think the voice acting was great too except for the kids. In my opinion it didn't match them.
Character: Well, supporting characters got development, that's a plus. As a whole it was good but still there was too many mysteries going on (Sayla Mass didn't make sense to me eve…
Read at the sourceParabellum25
The next stop on my tour of the Universal Century. Upping that ante from the previous movie, there really isn't much to say about it other than the fact that the movie is a middle chapter to larger story. This one contains more action, character development and finally some plot, something I felt was sorely missing from the previous movie.
The main subject of discussion here would be character development. Even relatively minor characters like Matilda and Kai get some, further reinforcing them as believable human beings. Of note is Amuro's development. Previously, we saw him as a reluctant teenager drawn into a mess he had no escape from. Coming to accept his new responsibility, we interestingly see him develop ego issues. However, by far the most interesting character development is tha…
Read at the sourceChag
Mobile Suit Gundam: the Movie Trilogy is the definitive incarnation of the massively influential Mobile Suit Gundam TV series. It may not be perfect, but it definitely deserves its lofty status in the history of anime as a proven classic. As one cannot have one part of the trilogy without the others, this review will cover all three of the compilation movies.
The first question on any new viewer's mind regarding the story of Mobile Suit Gundam: the Movie Trilogy (MSG) would be: "Do the films condense too much story from the TV series to fit into its limited run time?" The answer to that is "no". MSG takes the liberty to cut some of the flab from the original series and manages very well in terms of preserving the integrity of the story. The pacing may strike as a little faster than usual,…
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