Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel



Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel (Tenku no Gakko) is a manga series written and illustrated by Haruhiko Mikimoto, starting publication sometime in 2002. One of its most notable characteristics is that it is only the second Gundam story to have a female protagonist. The first was Tiel's Impulse, in which the main protagonist is a 14 year old girl), but that was one-shot that wasn't even the main focus of the magazine it's from.

The story starts just as the events of Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory concludes and the Titans are formed amidst apparent hostilities between Earthnoids and Spacenoids. Enter our heroine -- Asuna Elmarit -- enrolling into the distinguished military academy "Ecole du Ciel", training to become a mobile suit pilot. Of course, that's not what she really wants to do but she may not have a choice in the matter as the Titans have taken an interest in her due to the research of her father - who has been missing since the One Year War.


 * Action Girl: Asuna and Marie, primarily. It marks a notable departure from Gundam tradition, as Asuna was the first female protagonist in a Gundam work that lasted more than one issue.
 * Axe Crazy: )
 * Bridge Bunny
 * The Captain: Marie
 * Continuity Nod: All over the place. Aside from the Titans, there are references to Anaheim Electronics and when the timeline crosses into Zeta Gundam, there is a passing reference to the Gundamjack that starts that series as well as a snippet of Char Quattro's Dakarl address.
 * Fantastic Racism: Asuna faces a lot of this in the short snippet where she enrolls into "Ecole Du Ciel".
 * Fragile Speedster: Mecha designer Yoshinori Sayama describes the Le Cygne as a "Kunoichi Gundam".
 * Geo Effects: Asuna pilots really well in Space. On Earth or in a colony, however, she's not so good.)
 * Gratuitous French: The titular Ecole du Ciel, plus the GM Canard and the Le Cygne. Justified by the Ecole du Ciel being located in Canada.
 * Hostage for Macguffin: At one point, the Titans take Asuna's mother hostage and demands Asuna in exchange.)
 * Hot-Blooded: Francis.
 * Hotblooded Sideburns: Francis has these. Figures.
 * Lady of War: Marie fits this.  probably would have grown into one except...
 * Lethal Chef: Asuna
 * Humongous Mecha: It's a Gundam series, duh.
 * Psychic Powers: This is Universal Century Gundam. There will be Newtypes. But, more specifically,
 * Soundtrack Dissonance "Happy Birthday to You" seems to be playing as
 * Space Pirate: Marie's Pirates.
 * Token Loli: Juna
 * Tyke Bomb:
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: