Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (機動戦士ガンダム THE ORIGIN; Kidō Senshi Gandamu: The Origin) is a manga written and illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. It is a retelling of the story from the 1979 series Mobile Suit Gundam, of which Yasuhiko was the original character designer.

An anime adaptation of the manga, with the first parts focusing on the stories of Casval Rem Deikun (more famously known as Char Aznable) and his sister Artesia (aka Sayla Mass), produced by Sunrise began releasing in 2015. Yasuhiko is the chief director of the adaptation, with Sunrise veteran Takashi Imanishi as director, and Katsuyuki Sumisawa as the scriptwriter.


 * Broad Strokes: The events of The Origin retell many of the same general plot points as the original show, but several differences abound.
 * Colony Drop: Operation British, which the manga reveals killed 50% of the Earth's population, whether from the actual drop in Australia or the ensuing aftermath.
 * Continuity Nod: Both the manga and OVAs contain several to the Universal Century. The soundtrack for the OVAs in particular not only include elements of the 1979 anime but also remastered versions of those original tracks.
 * Darker and Edgier: Decidedly so compared to the original 1979 series.
 * The Federation: Which is shown to be as corrupt, bloated and dysfunction as its portrayal in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.
 * Flash Back: An entire arc of the manga is focused largely on Char and Sayla's backstory, set to the backdrop of the turmoil leading up to the One Year War. Said arc also serves as the basis for the first set of OVA adaptations.
 * Gentle Giant: Dozle Zabl is still this, though much more so prior to his brother Saslo being killed in an explosion. His subsequent anger and hard bravado throughout the One Year War is thus very much justified, though his gentleness still shows in how he's A Father to His Men as well as a caring husband and father to his family.
 * Godzilla Threshold: Zeon resorted to using Operation British out of the belief that it would end the war much faster, even if it meant killing a good chunk of the Earth's population.
 * Grey and Gray Morality: While there are definitely villains and good characters on both sides, the war isn't as clear-cut as it seems.
 * How We Got Here: The Origin puts greater emphasis on events leading up to and during the One Year War.
 * Knight Templar: Zeon Deikun himself is portrayed as this, being more unhinged and fanatical rather than the saintly image he's previously seen as. Though it's left open as to whether he's always been like this or as a result of poisoning.
 * Lighter and Softer: The epilogue "sequels" penned by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, Artesia 0083 and Amuro 0082 are decidedly more light-hearted.
 * Mauve Shirt: The White Base now has a much larger crew under Bright Noa's command than in the anime.
 * Retraux: While the animation is up to 21st Century standards and incorporates CGI, the art style of the OVAs (and manga) harken back to the 1979 original, with a dash of The Eighties for good measure.
 * Riddle for the Ages: For all the manga's exposition and expansion on the backstory, it never outright reveals who or what killed Zeon Deikun, as there's much in the way of evidence for any theory.
 * Took a Level in Jerkass:
 * Garma Zabi is given his share of Kick the Dog moments, which is meant to highlight the darker side of his desperate desire to be deserving of the Zabi name. Even then, he's one of the more sympathetic characters compared to Gihren or Kycilia.
 * To a degree, Amuro Ray at least initially. Though in his case it's more of him being a bit of a recluse and not all that sociable.
 * Zeerust Canon: Played with, as the manga and anime both update some of the more Zeerust elements of the original series and justify some of those same elements.