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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.