Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn: Difference between revisions

[[File:Gundam_Unicorn_9922.png|frame|Humanity alone possesses a God. The power to transcend the now... the inner God called "Possibility."]]

 

 

;'''Universal Century 0001'''

As of this reading all seven episodes have been released on Playstation Network and [[Blu-Ray]]/ [[DVD]]. With each episode being released roughly six months apart save for the sixth and [[Wham! Episode|seventh]] episodes, which will take a year each, the series will take about four years to fully air. The last time this occurred was with ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team]]''<ref> In the case of the former, the original director actually died, thus causing delays. In Unicorn's case, the release timing is attributed to the time required to produce each episode.</ref>, which took three-and-a-half years.

 

 

'''Note:''' This page contains spoilers for the completed novel series which the OVA has not reached yet. Highlight with caution.

* [[Affably Evil]]: Full Frontal

* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: The OVA simplifies many elements of the novels. Among other things, it includes the simplification of the {{spoiler|Shamblo}}, turning it from a 4-man crewed machine to singly piloted, and the circumstances under which the {{spoiler|Banshee changes pilots from Marida to Riddhe}}. Also includes [[Canon Immigrant|Canon Immigrancy]], and [[Canon Foreigner|Canon Foreigners]] in terms of new machinery presented.

* [[A Nazi by Any Other Name]]: The Sleeves have their equipment stylized after WWII German firearms and accessories, examples being the standard STG-44-lookalike beam rifle, the stahlhelm-like heads of the Geara Doga and Geara Zulu, and even [[Putting on the Reich|their uniforms]]. Being [[The Remnant|The Remnants]] of the Neo-Zeon movement, this isn't too surprising.

* [[Ancient Conspiracy]]: The Vist Foundation, keepers of Laplace's Box.

* [[Arc Words]]: "The beast of possibility" and the word "possibility" are recurring ones throughout the story, uttered by various characters. Also of note are the variations of the phrase ''À mon seul désir'' mentioned multiple times, usually translated as "To my only desire."

* [[Artifact of Doom]]: Laplace's Box could allegedly bring about the demise of the Federation.

* [[Attack! Attack! Attack!]]: Loni's attitude when attacking Torrington, to the point where she gets all the rest of the Zeon Remnants killed due to her unwillingness to retreat.

* [[Attack Drone]]:

* [[Black and Gray Morality]]: This ''is'' the [[Crapsack World|Universal Century]], and the conflict between [[Evil Versus Evil|both the Federation and the Sleeves might result in one being just as bad the other]]. On the other hand, Banagher, who is caught in the middle, [[The Messiah|is as white as a unicorn.]]

* [[Blade Below the Shoulder]]: The Unicorn and Sinanju both have beam sabers built into their forearms in addition to their handheld weaponry, allowing them to strike from a greater variety of angles in melee.

* [[Bothering by the Book]]: What the Garencieres bridge crew does whilst {{spoiler|Banagher}} is beating {{spoiler|Zinnerman}} up. Doubles as an [[Ironic Echo]], seeing as [[Bothering by the Book]] was the ''reason'' he was getting his face rearranged.

* [[Bottomless Magazines]]: This is averted when Banagher learns this the hard way. During his engagement against the Sinanju, he burns through the Beam Magnum's entire ammo supply by taking unwise shots. While he was only trying to stall for time, that became much more difficult once he couldn't use the magnum anymore.

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: They dialed up the violence and destruction with this one. We're four episodes in, and ''Gundam Unicorn'' is almost rivaling ''[[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam|Victory Gundam]]'' in utter bleakness.

** It belongs to the Universal Century timeline. What else can we expect?

* [[Eighties Hair]]: Guilty as charged. Despite the show having started in 2010, everyone has an epic 'do. It might be so it matches the style of previous UC shows, most of which were actually ''made'' in [[The Eighties]].

* [[Enemy Mine]]: {{spoiler|In Episode Five, Londo Bell and the Sleeves team up to rescue Mineva, Banagher, and the Unicorn, on the grounds that 'if the Vist Foundation is going this far to cover up Laplace's Box, it's probably important'. The Federation planning to [[He Knows Too Much|sacrifice the Nahel Argama]] probably helped.}}

** The beam axe wielded by the Sinanju is reminiscent of the energy swords found in [[Halo]], but is actually an [[Expy]] of the [[Chars Counterattack|Sazabi's Axe]].

*** The Sinanju itself is basically an upgraded funnel-less Sazabi.

** The Rozen Zulu is an [[Expy]] of the [[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ|Hamma Hamma]].

** The Ankusha, of the Asshimar.

** Anaheim Electronics itself, which is further highlighted in the novels. It originally was just an electrics company in North America owned by the Carbines. Over generations (and thanks in part to Syam Vist's machinations), it grew in power and influence within the Federation. By the time the series takes place, it's very much ''the'' [[Mega Corp]] in the Earth Sphere in addition to being the public front for the Vist Foundation, though SNRI is beginning to steal some of its thunder.

** Laplace's Box arguably counts. {{spoiler|Initially, all the Box was good for aside from justifying the Federation's power was as a bargaining chip that could do little more than cause a political scandal. By the time Zeon Deikun came into prominence and the One Year War, the Box had taken on far more weight than it originally had to the point that it could crush the Federation and justify Spacenoid supremacy if it were to fall outside of the Vist Foundation. Eventually, it no longer mattered what the Box actually contained, so long as it kept its power and remained in the "right" hand.}}

* [[Gatling Good]]:

** The Unicorn gets hold of a pair of twin beam gatling guns (originally meant for the Khsatriya) during {{spoiler|Banagher's escape from Palau}}.

* [[Gundamjack]]: {{spoiler|The Sleeves steal the second Unicorn unit, "Banshee", which in turn gets [[Gundamjack|Gundamjacked]] '''back''' by the ''Nahel Argama'' crew}}.

** Averted in the case of the Unicorn itself since Laplace's Box registered Banagher as its pilot and nobody else can use it.

* [[Gratuitous English]]: The note Banagher gets in the second episode is written in understandable, but still rather broken, [[Engrish|bad English]].

* [[Haunted Technology]]: The series reveals that the psycoframe technology introduced in [[Chars Counterattack]] has some rather unusual side-effects - namely, it stores echoes of a suit's past pilots. This becomes quite a significant plot point. {{spoiler|It's how they made Full Frontal, and the cause of Loni going berserk during the attack on Torrington.}}

* [[He Who Fights Monsters]]; The Sleeves, who've spent so long trying to pay the Federation back for its misdeeds that they have no understanding of any other way to live.

* [[Hey, It's That Voice!]]!: Loni Garvey is voiced by Karen Straussman, who also voices another [[Code Geass|attractive pilot of a red mecha]].

{{quote|{{spoiler|CHAPTER VII. Future

Article 15 The Earth Federation shall prepare the following articles for the future of the human race with high hopes and expectations.

* [[Hostage Situation]]: [[Inverted Trope|Inverted]] in episode two, when Daguza Mackle holds {{spoiler|Mineva Zabi}} hostage in an attempt to prevent Full Frontal from destroying the ''Nahel Argama''. This then turns into...

** [[Hostage for Macguffin]]: When Full Frontal denies these terms and holds the ''Nahel Argama'' hostage in exchange for the Unicorn Gundam.

* [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight]]: Banagher attempts to reach out to Loni in episode four and {{spoiler|very nearly succeeds.}}

** He has better luck in Episode 5 with {{spoiler|[[Brainwashed and Crazy|Marida]]}}, thanks to help from {{spoiler|Zinnerman and [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain|Riddhe]].}}

* [[Interrupted Cooldown Hug]]: {{spoiler|Riddhe tried one when Banagher and Zinnerman were trying to defuse a [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] Marida. [[Epic Fail|He failed spectacularly]] - see [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain]] below.}}

* [[Ironic Echo]]: Doubles as a [[Tear Jerker]]. As the Unicorn approaches the ruins {{spoiler|of the Laplace station}}, it activates a pre-recorded version of Ricardo Marcenas' speech for the beginning of the Universal Century itself. But while the actual speech (or rather the parts heard before the station blew up) was intended to be inspiring and uplifting in UC 0001, amidst the battle against the Sleeves it comes across instead as hollow and dissonant. Further highlighting how the UC calendar ''[[Crapsack World|failed miserably]]'' to deliver on the promises of those who believed in the possibilities it offered.

** {{spoiler|Gilboa taking the killing blow from Banagher meant for Full Frontal is similar to [[Mobile Suit Gundam|Lalah taking the killing blow from Amuro meant for Char Aznable]].}}

** The Unicorn Gundam and {{spoiler|Unicorn Banshee}} are shout outs to The Lion and the Unicorn, while the ''La Dame à la licorne'' tapestries also play a major symbolic role in the plot.

* [[Sins of Our Fathers]]: One of the recurring themes of the series is how children are cursed to carry on the grudges borne by their parents. {{spoiler|In poor Loni's case, it's literal.}}

* [[Spanner in the Works]]: The Sleeves' plan to take Torrington Base might have actually worked if {{spoiler|Loni's psycommu hadn't malfunctioned, causing her to start massacring civilians and forcing them to deploy Banagher to take out their own superweapon}}.

* [[Spit Take]]: After reading an emergency communiqué in episode five, Captain Midas sprays tea on the bridge officers in surprise.

* [[Transformation Is a Free Action]]: [[Justified]]: During the Unicorn's first activation of its NT-D, Marida has Kshatriya activate [[Beam Spam|all 24]] of its funnels so she can blast this new Gundam to all hell before it can finish doing whatever it's doing. They line up, fire... and the beams bend around the Unicorn as it deploys an [[Deflector Shields|I-field]] specifically designed to prevent the Unicorn from being shot down during its transformation.

* [[Transforming Mecha]]: The ReZEL, Delta Plus, Ankusha, Shamblo, Loto (the only difference being the first two change into a spacecraft while the latter changes into a tank) and of course the Unicorn and Banshee.

* [[Villainous Rescue]]: Episode 5 contains two in a row. The first one (which overlaps with [[Big Damn Heroes]], considering [[Anti-Villain|who it involves]]) has the ''Garencieres'' crew rescue Mineva, Banagher, the Unicorn, and (as an added bonus) Marida from the Vist Foundation, whilst the Nahel Argama provides support. The second one has Frontal and Angelo rescue ''everyone'' when the ''General Revil'' arrives to [[He Knows Too Much|silence them]].

* [[War Is Hell]]:

** In the first episode alone we're treated to such things as a mobile suit pilot getting the lower half of his body incinerated by a beam saber, fleeing civilians being vaporized by stray shots from beam cannons, a nuclear blast from an exploding Minovsky reactor ripping a hole in the colony, civilians being crushed by falling mobile suit limbs, and other rather messy deaths.

*** To Full Frontal for {{spoiler|continuing his attack}}.

*** To Zinnerman for {{spoiler|sitting back and doing nothing as Zeon Remnants begin slaughtering civilians, even after he acknowledged that the hatred against Zeon was partially justified.}}

** In return, Angelo lashes out at Banagher for {{spoiler|accidentally killing a Neo Zeon pilot with a stray shot}}.

** Full Frontal muses that Cardeas Vist may have deliberately designed the La+ program to remind and call out Zeon on their past crimes when the next set of coordinates leads them to the impact site of Zeon's first [[Colony Drop]].

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Bandai Entertainment]]

[[Category:Anime]]

[[Category:Light Novels]]