This story is set thousands of years in the future. The people of Earth have forgotten the space wars
of the past, reverting back to a pre-industrial existence. But the lunar settlers known as the
Moonrace, who have retained their high technology, now plan to seize their mother planet for
themselves. As the war of the worlds begins, a young Moonrace citizen named Loran Cehack, pilot of the
legendary Turn A Gundam, struggles to bridge the gap between humanity's long-separated
branches.
(Source: GundamOfficial)
Turn A Gundam, stylised as ∀ Gundam, is Gundam's 20th Anniversary project, helmed by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. Though relatively unknown, Turn A Gundam is what I consider to be the quintessential entry in the franchise, as well as a unique and beautiful series on its own. ___ ~~~img750(http://i.imgur.com/y6nqy8q.jpg)~~~ __Story 8/10__ Narratively, Turn A Gundam is a Gundam-ass Gundam series. It tells the story of two opposing human factions engaged in a war and the stories of those affected by it as told through the eyes of a boy who by chance becomes the pilot of the eponymous robot. In this regard, Turn A isn’t really anything special. While it does have its specific twists and turns, it’s a mostly standard adventure war drama that is told competently. What sets it apart from other similar shows is its somewhat unusual setting. Heavily inspired by late 19th Century and early 20th Century America, the majority of the series takes place on an Earth on the verge of industrialization. Gone are the typical space colonies and futuristic megalopolises of science fiction anime and replacing them are expansive fields of grass and towns of Victorian-esque architecture. These hapless Industrial-age folk make up one faction of the war. The other is the Space-age Moonrace who, like the name suggests, live on the moon and wish to reclaim their mother planet. The huge societal and technological disparity between the two factions creates an interesting heavy contrast dynamic and the image of giant mechanized war machines going to town (figurative) on an Industrial-age town (literal) is a novel one. The gap isn’t just used for novelty though, playing a central role in the development of the story and to great effect. ~~~img700(http://i.imgur.com/wqwfuDC.jpg)~~~ Another area where Turn A succeeds is the pacing. Being 50 episodes long, the show has a fairly lengthy run time and it balances the world and character building with the plot development nicely. Unlike other Gundam series, Turn A doesn’t seem to adhere to the ‘battle of the week’ formula so strictly. As a result the pace can feel slow in comparison, though I feel it makes the war flow more naturally with it gradually escalating from small scale skirmishes into all-out warfare later in the series. This slower pacing also leads into what I think is the most fully-realised incarnation of the franchise’s anti-war and tree-hugging themes. Nearer to the end the pacing gets a bit more hectic and maybe even a little messy, but the finale feels satisfyingly climactic and all the plot lines wrap up neatly, finishing off with one of the more memorable epilogues I’ve seen. ~~~img550(http://i.imgur.com/02zPiTD.jpg)~~~ ~~~_BJ Theater is an 18+ establishment, all persons pictured are of legal age_~~~ Turn A’s cast is a large and colourful one, both in design and personality. All of them get a good amount of characterization and the significantly smaller main cast get a good deal of development for the most part. An unfortunate outlier to this is the main character, Loran Cehack. From episode 1 to episode 50 he remains pretty much the same shining beacon of level-headedness and pacifism, going through ups and downs but staying roughly the same throughout. While I consider this a flaw, it’s a minor one, as the main story isn’t really a personal one and Loran acts more as a window through which to experience the external conflict than to be the story himself. Besides, even if a little flat he’s an enjoyable, completely inoffensive character and a top tier qt. I’ll also note that this series was conceived after the director Tomino’s recovery from depression and as such is very colourful and fairly upbeat and adventurous in tone, especially in comparison to earlier Gundam series. __Visuals 9/10__ To put it shortly, Turn A Gundam looks terrific. Airing in 1999, it was the last Gundam series to be made with traditional cel-animation and in the 2014 Blu-Ray release the colours and linework come up looking great. Given the setting, many of the hand-painted backgrounds are absolutely stunning but there are also a fair amount of significantly less-inspired locales. The real highlight of the series however, is its amazing designs. Mechanical designs for the titular Turn A Gundam and a few of the Moonrace mobile suits were created by renowned American mechanical designer Syd Mead, known primarily for his work on _Tron_, _Blade Runner_ and _Alien_. While some of the designs are radically different to any mobile suits before them, they make the Moonrace feel more alien and highlight the gap between the two forces. The Turn A Gundam is also impeccably designed; regardless of whether you like it or not, it features many visual throwbacks to the original RX-78-2 and manages to be entirely unique while still very clearly being a Gundam. Coincidentally, or perhaps not so coincidentally, that sentiment also perfectly describes the series as a whole and this consistent design coherence is very much appreciated. ~~~img700(http://i.imgur.com/709KFJ4.jpg)~~~ Character designs are provided by Akira Yasuda, known for his work for Capcom on series like _Street Fighter_ and _Darkstalkers_ and who would later go on to do mechanical designs for _Code Geass_, _King Gainer_ and _G-Reco_. These are also top notch, with the simplistic caricaturised facial designs perfectly matching the series’ light tone. More important than the faces though, is the costume design. Being set in a very class-based period, outfits have huge variation from Loran’s patched up trousers to Lily Borjarno’s extravagant red dress and they add greatly to identification and characterisation. In my opinion, the outfitting is the final touch that really makes the setting, which in turn makes the series. ~~~img700(http://i.imgur.com/WYRhuxs.jpg)~~~ As with any long running series animation quality varies, though even then I’d say that Studio 1 did a good job making Turn A Gundam look better than most series of similar length. Particularly the action sequences, each one is unique and the amount of reused footage is very low for 50 episodes. In addition to being generally well choreographed and animated, the colouring during action sequences is amazing, with highlights and tonal shading being used really effectively to render the robots. The colouring is pretty great all around, but the high intensity scenes are where it really stands out. ~~~webm(https://fat.gfycat.com/EmptyFirstEyelashpitviper.webm)~~~ ~~~_Focus on the gorgeous colours, not the nonsense physics_~~~ __Sound 9/10__ The soundtrack is composed by Yoko Kanno (_Cowboy Bebop_, _Stand Alone Complex_, _Escaflowne_) and is pretty great. While there is a good amount of repetition, there’s a great degree of variation in the tracks too, though most are pretty upbeat and adventurous. There’s one recurring track composed of tribal drums and chanting that’s very memorable, though I’m still somewhat unsure of its fittingness in some scenes. There’s also some really good insert song usage, which is something I can always get behind. Like most Tomino-directed series, for whatever reason some lines of dialogue can feel particularly awkward but other than that voice work is fine. The main cast features some recognizable names like Romi Park, Jun Fukuyama and Most Based Koyasu, but the most outstanding performance to me was by Rieko Takahashi, who voices two very similar characters and does a good job of differentiating very slightly between the two which is almost only noticeable when they interact with each other. ___ ~~~img550(http://i.imgur.com/6Q9am0Z.jpg)~~~ __Overall__ Turn A walks the line between too different and too similar well. It makes for an ambitious and somewhat quirky adventure, drawing from some surprising external samples while still maintaining the link to its predecessors. Hands down the best (read: my favourite) Gundam series and a fantastic stand alone adventure anime.
___This Review Contains Spoilers for Turn A Gundam___ youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wVDghsz3IY) As of this writing, I’ve watched four-hundred-forty-four episodes as well as six movies of the Gundam series. This information isn’t to boast, it’s simply to let you all know that when I say that _Turn A Gundam_ is the best Gundam entry that I’ve seen, it’s not a light declaration. _Turn A Gundam_ has the glorious combination of a grippingly fresh story, interesting mecha designs, memorable music, beautiful art, and great themes to make it stand above its many, *many* series in the Gundam family that’s been going strong for forty years now. It’s one thing to be a favorite, and it’s another to be the best. Compared to one another, the latter implies that you’re liked, though not necessarily that you have good qualities. Sure, you probably have-decent enough qualities to gain favor, but the latter has more connotations of objective excellence, that you do something so well, so much better than others that there is no question that you’re a shining example to look up to, to aspire to be. It’s telling if we look how big the ‘favorites’ club is compared to the ‘best’ club. My favorite Gundam shows are _Zeta Gundam_, _Turn A Gundam_, _Iron-Blooded Orphans_, _G Gundam_, and _08th MS Team_. The best Gundam shows I’ve seen are _Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam_ and _Turn A Gundam_. img820(http://i.imgur.com/WvTz9DS.png) Debuting April 9, 1999, _Turn A Gundam_ marked the return of series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, who’s last Gundam show was 1993’s _Victory Gundam_. Tomino had high ambitions with this series, for he said it would tie together every Gundam series thus far. I think he did a pretty good job. _Turn A Gundam_ details the conflict between the citizens of Earth (with technology roughly on par with our world circa 1918) and the military force of the Moon (with technology roughly on par with what we’ve come to expect from a typical Gundam show ), who’ve landed on the planet claiming that, as their ancestral homeland, they have a right to it. The story is primarily focused around Loran Cehack, a member of the moonrace who has lived on the Earth for the past few years and considers it home and its inhabitants his people. Loran must try his best to de-escalate the conflict using the weapon he stumbled upon. Thanks to its sheer power, the weapon is the Earth militia’s best bet against the moonrace. That weapon, colloquially known as the “White Doll,” is the eponymous mobile suit, the Turn A Gundam. img520(https://i0.wp.com/otakujournalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/turna.png?resize=640%2C465) There are so many things that make this show so great, I’m not sure where to start. Perhaps I’ll start off with someone a bit strange: the music. I say it’s a strange place to start because with few exceptions, the music of a Gundam show isn’t really notable to me. While there’s always at least one track that I enjoy, the soundtrack as a whole generally doesn’t make an impression on me. This couldn’t be farther from the case with _Turn A Gundam_. This is thanks to the talented Yoko Kanno, the composer of the OST. The tracks are so varied, from the ethereal Moon, to the rock-influenced Air Plant, the soundtrack never sounds homogenous. I suppose one thing that the songs share is that, in general, they sound very beautiful. There aren’t many tracks that sound violent or intense. A lot of the tracks seem to speak towards the inherent beauty of Earth and life itself. On the flipside, the ethereal nature of Moon also serves to paint the moonrace as beautiful, but in an inherently alien way - this is helped by the fact that Moon is rendered in Yoko Kanno’s fictional language. By the end of the series, the moonrace as a whole has been humanized, and thus, [Moon’s Cocoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2NkIJyRylw), a reprise of moon is sung in Japanese. But I love the music on a purely surface level, too. It just seems like a lot more care was put into the OST than most Gundam shows. If you couldn’t tell, I absolutely love Moon, which becomes somewhat of a leitmotif. It never fails to tug on my heartstrings. The art design is similarly beautiful. The art reminds me of a painting, and looking at the covers for the original DVDs, it’s clear that’s what they were going for. img520(http://www.nozomientertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/turn-a-gundam-m-screenshot01.jpg) While the show’s art isn’t quite, _that_ painting-like, it’s still lovely, with its soft edges and colors. Particular attention is paid to the backgrounds, which often *do* resemble watercolor paintings. img520(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/gundam/images/9/99/Turn_A_Gundam_DVD_7.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190114194506)This show is an absolute treat for the eyes. I’ve heard _Turn A Gundam_ described as “if Ghibli made a Gundam show” and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. There’s of course the beautiful music and art that I’ve described, but I’d say Turn-A is also Ghibli-esque in tone and theme. As I hinted at, _Turn A Gundam_ is quite pastoral, moreso than any Gundam show that came before. Instead of the gorn or urbanization that is associated with Earth in prior shows, Earth is absolutely lush. We spend a lot of time going through the show’s beautiful mountains, forests and plains. This show, unlike many other Gundam shows, seems to tell us, “this is what the Earth looks like without war,” not “this is what the Earth looks like because of war.” The sentiment is roughly the same, but the former creates a much more positive, welcoming viewing-experience. Like (most) Ghibli films, the tone is relatively lighthearted. Although the show does have menacing elements, they’re a lot less emphasized than other Gundam shows. Death is similarly de-emphasized in this show. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still there and it still looms, but I feel this is more due to the precedent set by previous shows than by the tone of the show itself. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of a bloodbath at the end of the show. The lighthearted tone of the show also colors its very structure. Unlike the brisk, continuous _Zeta Gundam_, _Turn A Gundam_ meanders, with episodes being quite self-contained during the first 2/3rds of the show. The pace picks up later, but there never really is much in the way of cliffhangers. While some might find fault in this, I think it really well for this particular show. It’s just one way that it ends up being a more unique Gundam show. img520(http://www.animated-divots.net/images/turna-gundam.jpg) And if I had to describe _Turn A Gundam_ in a word, that would probably be it: unique. The mechanical designs of Syd Mead are odd, yet intriguing. The Turn A certainly won’t be mistaken for any other Gundam and the new mobile suits don’t look like mobile suits, but that’s why I love them. Harry Ord is a well-rounded, fresh character who is a [Char Clone](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharClone) by the barest of technicalities. This show’s primary setting is Earth as opposed to space - it begins and ends on Earth; only a short fragment of its runtime takes place off of it. Yet we don’t have to hear how humanity is “weighed down by Earth’s gravity,” the show seems optimistic that mankind will do just fine on Earth. Another unique aspect of the show is the general goal of the main characters: instead of trying to end a war, they’re trying to prevent it from occurring in the first place. The fact that this Gundam show is less about fighting is perfectly encapsulated by its partaking of mundane tasks such as transporting livestock and doing laundry. Then there’s the fact that Loran, the protagonist, at a certain point, stops being the main character because his arc finishes. _Turn A Gundam_ then becomes much more about the changes we see in Diana and Kihel. It’s a small point to make, but I appreciate it since it makes the anime more complex than just primarily focusing on Loran throughout. img520(https://thesilentgrovehome.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/tumblr_m9ovkaEZrX1rohfjwo1_1280.jpg?w=1100) I can talk about uniqueness until the cows come home, but it would amount to very little if the uniqueness didn’t do anything for the show. In the context of the greater Gundam meta series, Turn A’s uniqueness is what makes it so great. All the things I talked about, serve to make _Turn A Gundam_ subservive. That can seem like a dirty word to some. Subversion inherently involves a breach of trust, but in the subversion laying in the very loose series of Gundam, rather than in the show itself, the subversion feels like a relief instead of a betrayal. Not bound to ideas of what a Gundam show _should_ be, _Turn A Gundam_ feels very fresh. All of its attributes create a feel-good show that offers something that most Gundam shows don’t. I should stress that I think _Turn A Gundam_ holds up on its own. As a show celebrating the goodness of man, _Turn A Gundam_ should prove effective and uplifting even if you’re new to Gundam. Still, I believe that Gundam fans get a lot more out of the show and its themes were specifically catered to serve as a counterpoint to dark shows such as _Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam_ and _Mobile Suit Victory Gundam_. I can assure you the joy I experienced when watching the ending would not be possible without watching every Gundam that released prior. The characters are a treat to watch. As I said before, people besides Loran get a chance to shine and I mean *a lot* of characters. (Nearly) everyone has depth and get some chance to develop. Harry Ord is one of my favorite characters. How can’t you love someone who dresses like thisimg520(https://66.media.tumblr.com/13318fa0a717f61bc885f987526075c9/tumblr_n0v2yumRaE1sutszko1_500.jpg) and says stuff like this?img520(https://i.imgur.com/F0E1KcA.jpg) Another aspect of _Turn A Gundam_ that makes it so so excellent is also a major point of contention: the Dark History and the ensuing Moonlight Butterfly. Being as brief and simple as possible, _Turn A Gundam_ reveals that all Gundam settings up to its debut(UC, FC, AC, AW) are connected. Furthermore, it’s revealed that human history came to an end at the conclusion of a long and arduous war where the Turn A Gundam unleashed its most devastating ability, the Moonlight Butterfly, which spread nano machines across the solar system, destroying all forms of advanced technology and sending humanity back to the stone-age. Furthermore, Turn A is supposed to be _the_ [Grand Finale](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GrandFinale) for the Gundam franchise, so even installments that debut _after_ are meant to chronologically proceed it. We’re not sure if all the series are part of a single timeline or if separate universes converged, all that’s known is, due to seeing various images/videos from various Gundam shows, all the proceeding Gundam shows were canon to the universe of _Turn A_. I love this, for one, because I enjoy the nods to all the shows that came before, making the show feel like it’s for everyone. It’s really cool to see that all these shows ended up being more connected than you think; being a way to loosely wrap up the franchise. I don’t write fanfiction anymore, but if I did, I’d probably write for Turn A, because the series opens up so many possibilities compared to other Gundam shows due to how many questions are raised after we’re given a framework of the world’s past and future. A criticism I’ve heard about this development is that it’s depressing: all of the happy endings of the various shows were overwritten by the fact that _Turn A_ ensures that in the far-future of _every_ Gundam show, horrific war will break out, followed by the cataclysmic Moonlight Butterfly. The problem with this argument, at least for me, is that I felt this way _before_ watching _Turn A_. At least in regards to the Universal Century, the hopeful endings of _Unicorn_, _ZZ_, and _Char’s Counterattack_ were mitigated by the fact that I knew, further down the line, come _Victory Gundam_, the Earth Sphere would be in shambles. Byy the time of _G-Saviour_, the Earth Federation will have collapsed. This feeling of hopelessness is less pronounced in the various AUs, but there’s always the possibility of another conflict breaking out. And even on a meta level, there will always be a new Gundam show. I think that _Turn A_ actually ensures that Gundam as a whole ends on a high note because it’s meant to be the final show in the timeline and it ends on such a happy note. No matter how gruesome it gets, it’ll be okay in the end. I don’t like to think that everything the other Gundam protagonists do will lead to the Moonlight Butterfly, I like to think it leads to the end of _Turn A_. img520(https://66.media.tumblr.com/34170b699c14bac3c8442b09a7d64179/tumblr_onw5ihWTYW1vlmn9wo1_400.gifv) The ending for Turn A Gundam was great. I feared that the ending might be rushed or nonexistent. As the minutes of the final episode flew by, I imagined it would be like the ending of _Zeta_ or the original _Mobile Suit Gundam_, which were quite abrupt. To my delight, _Turn A_ treats viewers to an epilogue that wraps off the series nicely. We see all of the surviving characters carry on with their lives, each with a (relatively) happy ending (except for poor Sochie). During the scene, the powerful track, Moon’s Cocoon plays. The entire ending sequence made me pretty emotional. Fittingly for what’s supposed to be a finale to the Gundam series, this is a beautiful ending. You may be wondering why I’ve brought up _Zeta Gundam_ several times. Simply put, prior to _Turn A_, I considered _Zeta_ the Gold Standard in terms of Gundam shows. Nearly everything about it is exceptional and I looked for aspects of Zeta in subsequent shows. I see very little of _Zeta_ in _Turn A_, yet I still love it. Why, you ask? I see _Zeta Gundam_ as the pinnacle of what makes Gundam, Gundam. It’s the best of what Gundam is. _Turn A_, meanwhile, is the best of what Gundam _can_ be. _Turn A_ does such an amazing job of showing that the advent of a Gundam doesn’t bring with it strife. _Turn A Gundam_ shows me the merits of more episodic mecha shows. _Turn A Gundam_ shows me that I can still derive joy in Gundam shows without a bunch of spectacular battles. I acknowledge that part of my love for _Turn A_ is that it’s novel. If another _Gundam_ show does what _Turn A_ does better, then I may have to reassess my score, but as is, I love its distinctiveness and its positive vibe given that it’s canonically the last Gundam show. In short, there’s a time and place for dark shows and there’s a time and place for light shows. _Zeta_ does the former really well while _Turn A_ does the latter really well. img520(https://66.media.tumblr.com/8b0744d33f1e489ceefdcceeecc6a060/tumblr_nnudj2J1og1rjxyrgo1_400.gifv) For all the praise I heap on this show, it _does_ have some distinct downsides. For one, as much as I love its uniqueness, naturally, if you have very particular feelings of what you want your Gundam show to do, you might not like the liberties that this show takes with the formula. It’s really hard to gauge if someone else would like this show or not, considering I love both _Zeta_ and this show. I suppose if you love everything in an archetypal Gundam show does and dislike anything that errs from that either in aesthetic or tone, then you might not like _Turn A Gundam_. The pacing is a sticking point. The show starts off slow and while it picks up, it generally stays slow. Like I said, the show fosters a bit of a relaxed tone, there aren’t ay cliffhangers, and the episodes are relatively self-contained. This might lead to viewers being a bit bored if they’re used to a show that blazes forward instead of cruising along. The fact that one might feel as though they don’t need to watch the next episode might cause them to not watch it at all. If you’re not devoted to finishing it, you might get bored. Granted, the characters and plot are still interesting, just perhaps not the most gripping at the beginning. I will say that hindsight is 20/20; the ending really colored my view of the show and while I certainly _liked_ the show during the beginning, I couldn’t have predicted I’d like it more than _Zeta_. While I felt this was a lot more interesting than previous episodic Gundam shows (for one, I liked the characters and setting more), it should be noted that I completed three manga and eleven anime in the time it took me to get around to finishing _Turn A_. As I acknowledge it wasn’t the most engaging at times, I’ll have to dock some points. img620(http://i.imgur.com/neA1P5H.jpg) But at the end of the day, it’s not enough to kill my enjoyment of the show by any measure. This is the pinnacle of Gundam and I’d implore any fan of the series to give it a shot. The mega franchise of Gundam isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. New movies, shows, games, gunpla, ang manga are just beyond the horizon. When the day _does_ come, however, _Turn A_ will remain a great way to finish things off. It’s a perfect show for the end of such a long franchise dealing with war: bitter, but sweet. The storm is over. The streets may be flooded, the buildings on fire from the lightning, but there is rainbow, water for the new plants to drink, and most importantly, hope for the future after a past filled with strife. I hope this review makes it clear not only how much I love this anime, but how it makes me feel so good inside. ~~~img200(https://i.imgur.com/Op2VO7L.png)~~~ youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a__nq1ROp9w)
I honestly do not know how to start this review. I will say that the action scenes especially the artillery scenes to be very good! They are quite fun and exciting! The aesthetics were also quite good as well. The mix of sci fic and Victorian era technology makes it feel like a 1920s pulp novel or something. Besides that, I will focus on three main things on this review. 1. The Story 2. The characters 3. The music Let’s begin, shall we? The story starts off pretty simple it’s a Earth vs Moon war that at first kind of reminded me of the Israel and Palestine situation though the metaphor does break apart by the end ha-ha. It does get more complicated by the end, and I still have a lot of questions that I am still not sure if it was answered in the anime. Like what was Guinfords plan at the end? The question about whether the moon race goes to the earth or not is still not really answered. The aspect about it being the conclusion of all Gundam shows makes little sense and it is not really expanded upon on any detail. It does make me wonder what exactly was going on in Tomino’s head during this. I guess he just wanted to wrap Gundam up and you know that’s fine and all but it’s not like it’s just him anymore. But that begs the question how well does it work as an ending to Gundam? I would say it is average it is certainly sad that war continues for this long but that is just human nature. I will say that it is certainly is a beautiful ending and that is one thing the show does is it’s focus on beauty and peace. It makes for a very peaceful ending especially as a lot of tomino’s endings go. So overall I guess I did enjoy the story of this anime. Now on to the characters. The main character is Loran Rola. Personally, I find him quite boring I mean he has some cool elements. Namely his femininity and how they play with it during the show. I do find his motivations to be boring though his only motivation really is to protect Queen Diana and Lady Kireal. It does get annoying after a while and his ending pissed me off to be honest. Speaking of Queen Diana and Lady Kireal I am not sure what is the point of their characters besides serving as the motivation for loran. I actually enjoyed the side characters especially Sochie (boy does she get a bad ending). They are pretty likeable and they have pretty interesting motivations that make sense. I like the main villain as well his motivation made a lot of sense to me (though that is true of me for most shows ahaha.) And I was actually sad but not surprised that he lost. The music is probably the best part about the show though especially the first opening it is so stupid but it is very catchy and epic. The second opening is pretty good as well. The endings are a bit too slow for me and they can put me to sleep sometimes. The background music does fit with the show though at least. Which is always a good thing. So overall I would classify the music as a success. So to end this review the show did leave me feeling something I am not really sure what exactly but it is an emotion I think of peace. Overall I would say this show is above average I did like it but I wouldn’t say I loved it not really. I give this show a score of 6.5 out of ten.
~~~Being a big fan of the mecha genre and having watched every main Gundam anime, I feel that I can say that Turn A Gundam is the greatest mecha anime of all time.~~~ ~~~img600(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b5/30/b8/b530b89858b74bfe50e78fd32cdcd64e.jpg)~~~~~~_Warning: This review contains spoilers._~~~ After Victory Gundam finished airing Tomino fell into a deep depression due to a hellish production filled with studio and sponsor meddling and irrational decisions. His depression had him in social isolation and gave him health problems, but because of this he relied on the women in his life, specifically his wife and daughters. During the mid-90s he partnered with Marigul Management, which is where he was introduced to Capcom's Akira Yasuda ("Akiman") who would do the character designs in Turn A. During his rehabilitation he wrote novels with one of them being "Garzey's Wing" that later got an anime adaptation and returned to anime with Brain Powrd. And soon planning and production of Turn A Gundam began in 1997 and later aired in 1999. ~~~__Story and Setting__~~~ While the conflict might seem basic for a Gundam series, the setting turns it into something interesting. Thousands of years in the future Earth's civilizations have returned to a early 1900s industrial age, where the architecture and clothing look Victorian-esque and technology is progressing. On the moon a group of people named Moonrace wish to return to Earth, they send three teens one of which is the protagonist Loran Cehack. Two years after Loran arrived on Earth the Moonrace enacts their plan to return but their arrival starts tension that can lead to war and awakens an ancient Mobile Suit named Turn A Gundam. Many twists and turns happen with the conflict involving multiple parties and the truth of the Dark History being revealed. Pacing can range from slow to quick, with the first half establishing the world and relationships and the later half going from Earth to the moon, showing it's culture, and going back to Earth pretty quickly but was handled well. The quick pace is do to Tomino wanting it to air for two years but was sadly denied. The ending is one of the best in anime and in the mecha genre with the amazing final battle and the beautiful epilogue. Not once did I feel bored or dissatisfied with the story or pacing. The setting allows for unique interactions between the people groups, showing the differences in social norms, technology, and personalities. It allows for the world to feel alive and lived in even beyond the Earth. ~~~__Characters, Voice Acting, and Designs__~~~ ~~~img350(https://64.media.tumblr.com/6e3d85edafa408bd1bb58b7a40915992/tumblr_myyetgxGfm1rvaww0o1_1280.jpg)~~~ ~~~img350(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/77/e8/24/77e8243d22e58968edd817034f7def43.jpg) ~~~ The cast of Turn A is made up of some of the best characters in mecha, with Loran being the best protagonist in Gundam. Loran Cehack is a kind-hearted boy that after piloting Turn A and experiencing the horrors of war wishes to protect his friends, serve his queen, and bridge the gap between the people of Earth and the moon. He is the best pacifist in Gundam, wanting to talk things out but will fight back to protect himself and others and knows the importance of human life. The cast from Earth is made up of those of noble status, citizens, and the Militia. Guin Rhineford is a cunning nobleman who values his status and wealth. Kihel and Sochie Heim, sisters who go through their own unique arcs with Sochie wanting revenge on the Moonrace and realizing and learning from her mistakes after experiencing a nuclear blast, and Kihel who after switching places with the Moonrace queen learns the truth behind the conflict and tries to guide them into a peaceful direction and falls in love with her guard. The cast of the Moonrace, while we mostly see the queen and her subordinates, is made up of the most entertaining characters. Diana Soreil the queen of the Moonrace, a kind and powerful woman that after switching places with Kihel learns the pain of Earth's and her people and learns through her hardships to become a better person and leader. Harry Ord, the personal guard of Diana, is a strong and loyal man who later falls in love with Kihel. The Diana Counter, Moonrace military, is made up of soldiers who become passionate about battle after experiencing war for the first time. And the best Gundam villain Gym Ghingham, a war and battle hungry man who has only experienced simulations and seemingly becomes possessed by his mech the Turn X. Tomino was inspired by Takarazuka Revue (an all female musical theater troupe) and other performances for his dialogue and voice actor performances, making the characters declare their wants and actions leading to some of the best voice acting in Gundam. From the calm conversations to the action filled battles are filled with great acting. Tomino's eldest daughter introduced multiple actors and actresses to him to play his characters in Brain Powrd and Turn A. With Romi Park playing Loran Cehack, Rieko Takahashi (Diana/Kihel), Akino Murata (Sochie), other actors and actresses, and the legendary Takehito Koyasu (Zechs, DIO, Takasugi, and more) voicing Gym Ghingham. The character designer Akira Yasuda was told to give the characters clothing from the early 1900s and found inspiration from Victorian, Edwardian, and Belle Epoque eras. And was heavily inspired by Takarazuka's Elisabeth, the character with the most outfits and elegance being Diana. ~~~__Mechs and Mechanical Designs__~~~ ~~~img300(https://d2uzer0pyv83wf.cloudfront.net/Pictures/480xany/4/0/0/274400_turnaprototype_259441.jpg)~~~ After having seen Syd Mead's works in magazines and even commissioning some art for Zeta, Tomino decided that he would be the best pick for the mechanical designs. Syd Mead brought his futuristic art style to Gundam and the main Mobile Suit, Turn A Gundam, was created from breaking down the Gundam design and recreating it. He even did the designs for the weapons. The Turn A Gundam is one of the best Gundam designs and Tomino makes it the most powerful. Even some old designs return with the Borjarnons which are repurposed Zakus. The Moonrace's Mobile Suits are made up of some of the coolest grunt designs like the SUMO, the first Mobile Suit designed by Mead, the Royal Guard's Mobile Suits with a round shape that fits it's name. WaDoms, giant Mobile Suits with tall legs and dome heads that fire giant lasers. And the Turn X, that was created because of a running joke from Mead, with it's unique almost bug-like design, ability to split into multiple parts, a Shining Finger attack, and is supposedly more powerful than Turn A. Mead's contributions to Gundam helped change the possibilities for Gundam designs, like the G-Self, Exia, and Age Gundams help allow for more creativity in Gundam. ~~~__Animation and Art__~~~ ~~~img500(https://www.mahq.net/animation/gundam/turna/tagmain.jpg)~~~ Turn A is one of the last anime to be mostly animated through physical cels and filmed with a camera. The animation and art help brings the world of Turn A to life, from the backgrounds, the characters, Mobile Suits, and effects. The animation is consistently great with a few odd scenes here and there. A lot of animators worked on it but the two main ones are Atsushi Shigeta and Masami Goto. Atsushi Shigeta has worked on a lot of Gundam anime and brings his best in animating, he also includes details in his work and perfectly brings Syd Meads designs to life while including the little details. Masami Goto helped animate a lot of the battle sequences and his effects adds a bit of realism and weight to the battles. The characters are amazingly animated with even some characters' detailed clothing not losing quality, there are even dance scenes that had love and care put into them. Yasuda's art and the color palette adds a comfortable feeling to the anime whether the scenes are on Earth or the moon. ~~~__Music and Sound__~~~ Multiple talents worked on Turn A's music with the famous Yoko Kanno in charge the soundtrack. The first opening, "Turn A Turn", is sung by Hideki Saijo and the first ending, "Aura", is sung by Shinji Tanimura. Tomino originally only wanted one OP and ED, but due to sales had to add more. The second OP, "Century Color", is sung by RAY-GUNS and the last two EDs, "Tsuki no Mayu" and "Kagirinaki Tabiji", is sung by Aki Okui. Multiple insert songs were made and sung by multiple people. Turn A's soundtrack is made up of a neat mixture of classical and orchestral music and futuristic and digital music. Some tracks are composed of tribal like beats and chanting giving the world of Turn A a mystic feel that adds to the wonders of it. The sound effects are great with a lot of them adding a bit of realism. The SFX in battles are amazing, whether it is the sound of Mobile Suits clashing, the Turn A and Turn X resonating, or the sound of the Moonlight Butterfly. It is hard to put into words how amazing the soundtrack is so here are links to the three albums. OST 1: [Turn A Gundam OST 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXQ7Q7lvQiY) OST 2: [Turn A Gundam OST 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnU0ibLPnaI) OST 3: [Turn A Gundam OST 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSYIvImppFs&t=1419s) ~~~__Themes and Inspirations__~~~ Turn A takes the messages and themes of the mecha genre and almost perfects them, from themes of peace, love, and understanding. Multiple parallels can be made between Turn A and Ideon, from ancient robots being uncovered, misunderstanding starting a war, trying to bring two groups together, etc. But the ending of Turn A is a positive one, showing the potential of humanity to move towards a bright future of peace and unity. One message is about how we should not hide or destroy history but learn from it's mistakes and move on for the better. The biggest message is about how love and understanding can bring peace. Diana and Kihel try to have the Moonrace settle on Earth peacefully, Loran tries to bridge the gap between the two groups and tries to protect everyone's lives, and multiple characters learn from their mistakes and try to get to know each other. The symbol "∀" means "for all" and can be interpreted as humanities turning point towards peace and the Turn X symbol can stand for the constant repeat of war and chaos. Tomino was inspired by a lot of things like the Takarazuka Revue with his characters, acting, and designs but the story was inspired by stories like The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, also known as Princess Kaguya, that can be seen with Diana and the Moonrace and The War of the Worlds that had minor elements put into the story. ~~~__Legacy and Influences__~~~ After the last episode of Turn A aired Tomino viewed it as his "will", were he poured his heart and soul into it and not only him but his staff and everyone that worked on it. He believes that because of everyone working together is what makes it a masterpiece. Making Turn A helped recover Tomino from his depression and he rediscovered the joys of life, even to this day Tomino is still inspired by Turn A. His later works have a lot of influence from it, like Overman King Gainer, Wings of Rean, Gundam G Reco, and even Zeta Gundam: A New Translation which even got a happy ending. Other Gundam works got influenced by Turn A, like Gundam 00's designer Yun Kouga cited Turn A as her favorite and 00 even has some possible references like the GN wings. Gundam AGE even has it's own Dark History. Turn A Gundam and the Turn X have gotten model kits and have appearances in the Gundam Build series. Games also have references to Turn A like the Dark Souls' enemy called Moonlight Butterfly which looks like what it is named after, and even the latest reference can be found in No More Heroes 3 were a mech has large butterfly wings come out of it's back. ~~~__Conclusion__~~~ Just like Tomino my life was changed after watching Turn A and having re-watched it recently I love it even more, it made me a more peaceful and joyful person and hopefully others will be affected by it like I was. Big thanks to Feez ([@feezy_feez](https://twitter.com/feezy_feez)) on Twitter and their website [tsukinomayu.com](https://tsukinomayu.com/) for providing a lot of information used in this review and check them out for more information on Turn A. This is my first review for anything so feedback and criticism is welcome.
When it comes to the Gundam franchise there are many problems that arise no matter what entry you're watching. They have a habitual issue of not being able to realise their full potential and usually the runtime is more a detriment than a strength as there are either clear portions of a show that is significantly better than the rest or episodes that feel like entirely pointless and, more importantly, dull. This even happens with shorter entries like 08th MS Team, an OVA that has a first half that's bombastic, a rich narrative, intense atmosphere unlike any other Gundam anime and an interesting underlying romance plot developing between two characters on opposite sides. In the second half, the high quality storytelling is lost and devolves into a messy albeit entertaining romance story missing the meticulous yet seamless narrative it once had (not entirely faulting it as the director famously passed away after episode 6 but it doesn't make it any less relevant of an example.) I've been watching Gundam for a little over a year now and while it's definitely taken hold of my tastes in that duration I feel that besides War in the Pocket and Encounters in Space there's always something that I have a problem with or the runtime feels unnecessary as it rarely gets to do anything meaningful with it. The one other exception I've managed to find is Turn A Gundam, which not only is my favourite Gundam anime it might be my favourite anime period. The thing about Turn A is that there is a hell of a lot going for it right off the bat. Between its setting meshing the mecha genre together with a victorian early industrial era, one of the most iconic video game character designers ever in Akira Yasuda who worked on Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Darkstalkers, Syd Mead's fantastic mecha designs famed for the art direction of Blade Runner and Yoko Kanno the composer of Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus and Wolf's Rain to name a few of her highly impressive repertoire you have a show that's not only visually and auditorily enticing but carrying on its back 20 years worth of Gundam continuity while still providing itself as an accessible entry point or standalone series to the franchise. Turn A Gundam conceptually is highly ambitious as it attempts to intercorrelate all the preceding timelines into one taking place thousands of years after them all in an era that long since had giant mobile suits roaming the earth in bloody wars now replaced by the advent of automobiles, trams and jet fighter planes being the extent of technological innovation. That is, except for the Moonrace who have for thousands of years retained the advancements of humanity's darkest eras and ire to descend back down to earth to reclaim it as their birthright. This quickly turns into a battle between two sides of extreme technological differences akin to something like War of the Worlds. A battle of utter hopelessness and brimming with raw energy depicting something that we can only imagine in a fictional landscape. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/7v81ROJ.jpg)~~~ Everything seems doomed until the ceremonial White Doll crumbles--from the shaken earth or out of a solemn duty, it's hard to say--nevertheless revealing a strikingly unique mobile suit with a distinctive mustache shaped feature, or an upside-down A, if you will. Piloted by chauffeur Loran Cehack, a boy who descended upon earth during a moon-to-earth orientation, the fight between earth and moon of which history has long since left behind continues once more. Turn A's strength lies in many aspects narratively. As a stark departure from the Gundam franchise, in the first episode there's zero combat or mobile suits in sight and instead focuses on the lives of the aforementioned Loran Cehack as well as his two other colleagues and friends Keith and Fran Doll adapting to the unfamiliar earth landscape and establishing their places in the world as well Loran's relationships with key characters that shape the war to come. It sets an atmosphere that's dissimilar to other entries, presenting a world that's far separated from the very idea of war, let alone journeying into space. At least on the surface. While Gundam tends to focus on both sides to present that it's not always as simple as good vs evil, in this case it's far more distinctive as both sides are full of people with good intentions only acting out of the human instinct to fight to protect. It's the antithesis in many ways to Gundam and mecha anime alike, where at times battling is seen as an excuse or means to an end - Whereas in Turn A, battles often feel like a last resort or due to a misunderstanding. Until it eventually devolves into a larger scale war in which the primary goal is to stop it rather than fuel it as a select few seemingly dedicate themselves to repeating the tragedies of ancient history believing their means will elevate humanity. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/S2vA0P1.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/z43bJgW.jpg)~~~ Turn A often gets the reputation of being light on action compared to other Gundam entries and upon my first watch that was the takeaway I had down the line. But after having watched it again I realised that this is a fairly overplayed narrative for seemingly no reason. Granted the action is less violent and there's more episodes without it altogether but all things considered there's quite a lot of it throughout the whole show. The difference is that the action is generally pretty disconnected from the scenes that come before it. Unlike 0079 this isn't a large scale war spanning across the earth and multiple space colonies where all actions are considered towards moving to the next goal that will inevitably lead them into battle. The battles that occur on screen are largely the extent of the war making for something far more intimate as we see what their actions end up causing for commoners and soldiers alike. While on the topic of battles it's worth speaking of the animation. Turn A's action is the series at its most expressive and detailed, in many ways but beginning with the titular Turn A Gundam itself. Loran Cehack as a main character is a departure from a few things, one of them being that he's a pacifist and it's reflected in how he fights. As such he relies on using the beam saber or projectile weapons much less and more on hand-to-hand combat to avoid killing his enemies. It makes Turn A's form a lot more robust and fluid, utilising grab techniques, hand chops and kicking which is pretty rare to see in other entries. The animation for the Turn A is consistently fantastic and intricate, with perfect articulation and shading to it as well as other mobile suits. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/4Fq3Djm.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/OSXXfSv.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/sgd3PO1.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/5BsmOsY.jpg)~~~ Syd Mead's work on the mecha designs use sharper shapes and more considered shadows than usual which I imagine would've made for animation more difficult than usual to execute, yet somehow they nailed mecha movement perfectly. There's total sense of inertia and impact and the sound effects always do a great job at making everything sound and feel as weighty as they are. Taking place almost entirely on earth you get a real sense more than usual that they're massive machines of destruction towering over humans that can cause tremors just by punching the earth. The angles that the storyboardists frame the mobile suits make them appear massive and the high level of detail adds to that feeling of overbearing power. Tomino Yoshiyuki, the creator of this anime has stated before on the impracticality of giant mobile suits. While he is undeniably correct, it's nice that despite that he always has a desire to depict them with the realism he theorises they would be like were it conceivable. ~~~webm(https://files.catbox.moe/r4hfa1.webm)~~~ Animation isn't just the singular visual strength either. As mentioned earlier Turn A's setting is absolutely stunning. It takes place in a late Victorian era aesthetic well into the industrial revolution where airplanes and cars are starting to become reliable methods of transport and where architectural establishments remind you of the historical buildings of London or France. Earth society as a whole is still quite young in this era though as cities like Nocis which contain buildings briefly mentioned prior aren't far away from farmlands of endless greenery and plains. Life in these cities is very similar to the era it represents, most characters represent the more common occupations you would expect back then. And high society gatherings involve the upper echelon at dance parties in lavish adornments with enough frills to curl you into a pretzel (that was a horrible joke ignore that). Turn A does an extraordinary job at immersion and establishing an atmosphere of a world that feels like it could've belonged in a historical book and yet separates itself from that with the inclusion of the highly advanced technology of the moon and remnants of what earth left behind long, long ago. And despite two vastly different technological cultures existing within the same space of each other, the characters feel so at home with whatever the show throws at them. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/9pLwy4c.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/cxlORfZ.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/IZw2Cts.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/0DtgiYL.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/eCHfIbO.jpg)~~~ Akira Yasuda, more commonly referred to in the fighting game community as Akiman was the character designer and I think the most beautiful thing about it is how much it shows. As someone that's played hundreds of hours of all the Street Fighter games and a bit of Darkstalkers it just brings me so much happiness that such a fantastic artist created the character designs for one anime and that it was able to be Turn A Gundam. His artstyle has an ethereal quality, like his characters are made with a greater intention. It's funny to say that cause Street Fighter's plot is a fiesta just like every other fighting game but it still rings true even in that franchise. There's so much purpose and expression in their faces while also telling you that a character can't be determined solely by their appearance but by their actions. Dianna and Soriel's faces despite being so similar always have this feeling of duality, like they're championing each other's struggles. These are blanket phrases that all vary from person to person, but I really find his style to be a true work of art. The dude made Morrigan and Chun-Li man, I don't know what else to tell you. He's one of the best artistic talents Capcom ever had. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/HpcCq1z.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/hbApSGF.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/zdUReqY.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/zFynJbR.jpg)~~~ Speaking more on visual merits it's time to discuss the soundtrack. Turn A's soundtrack is as mentioned prior composed by the legendary Yoko Kanno, known for Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus, Zankyou no Terror, Ghost in the Shell: SAC and many more fantastic shows. The woman's an angel and she creates magic after magic in every show she works on no matter the quality of the work it's present within. And yes, I'm being serious when I say Turn A's soundtrack is her best work. To put simply, it perfectly understands the source material. It feels like it belongs in Gundam so perfectly yet is so undeniably Yoko Kanno that it brings together something that really separates all of her other work from it while also creating many of her finest musical moments that speak to me as a musician. Compared to Cowboy Bebop or Macross Plus which display her varied style through jazz, art pop or trance, Turn A's focus lies more on the militaristic and ethereal qualities of the narrative and setting. It has an appeal from country bar music, bombastic orchestral pieces, melancholic string sections to even tribalistic choirs. The soundtrack perfectly captures the essence of the show. There are many motifs that make appearances throughout multiple tracks, one of the most significant being "Moon". A track considered by many to be the best in the entire series which also contains the military drum line which is a repeated element throughout the soundtrack. The way it's able to weave together otherworldly qualities that make you feel the breadth of thousands of years coalescing as well as the immediate sense of huge action set pieces and modest farmland makes the show connect with your immersion on a level that's unlike anything I've ever experienced. There are so many tracks that get used at particular moments and you know they're coming because they were made with that moment in mind. It invokes a degree of emotion that only my absolutely favourite shows can hope to get out of me. youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rITbGRY4zRs) Touching more upon the characters, the cast is varied and an absolute treat to watch. Turn A characters are complex but aren't executed in an abstract or pretentious way. It's a complex narrative and as such the characters involved have their motivations and personalities explored deeply so that by the end you know their ins and outs. I think one of the most evident reasons on why the cast is so liked by fans is that there aren't really any evil characters but people that all have varying good but flawed intentions. There's a desire for earth to remain autonomous from the moon as is the case on the other side, moon people who wish to fight for their right to land or vehemently oppose the descent to earth, earthlings who wish to take control of the moon's technology so that they can have the strength to fight off the moon should they decide to keep trying. Most characters don't have the desire for destruction, though certain plot points build up to that point that reflect upon the series and franchise as a whole. Turn A isn't about praying for the era where people can find peace and understanding without the need for battles, Turn A IS that era. The characters being slightly less animated compared to Zeta or 0079, slightly less exaggerated in their ambitions and more in line with real people that experience real horrors that aren't romanticised the way they usually are. A character's death in 0079 for example may be due to their ardent loyalty as a soldier or war accomplice. Civilian deaths are just a part of the endless trail of violence left in war's wake. Deaths in Turn A happen less between soldiers and shine light more on the people who don't fight to remind the characters and the viewer that the battle isn't about what you win, but what you lose. Soldiers can be replaced, but people can't. Turn A is about the healing process of humanity and the earth itself making every death feel regretful, like we're falling down our usual path of error. I've talked about Loran Cehack before but I feel like I haven't given him and the main cast enough credit that isn't vaguely distributed on them. Loran is of course the main character in this show and the pilot of the aptly named "White Doll" or "Moustache" as it's called throughout most of the show. Personally I've always found Gundam protagonists to be a massive strength to any entry directed by Tomino Yoshiyuki due to their outspoken personalities that convey the heart, soul and salvation of war. Amuro Ray, Kamille Bidan or Judau Ashta always have consistently strong dialogue critiquing the actions of not just the side they're fighting but the side they're fighting for. They're soldiers that expect no thanks because they're always thrown into a battle they have no interest in fighting as they watch their loved ones and comrades die senselessly. Loran is the pinnacle of this style of protagonist and in addition to it innovates in a few ways. Loran loathes violence and desires to fight even less but unlike the aforementioned characters he's willing to put himself on the line to get his message across. The three Universal Century protagonists tend to repeat a few character arcs that involve them rejecting the war they're in until eventually realising or coming to terms that even if no one wants to someone has to be there to fight those battles, because in the end people are going to die and they had the power to make less die. What differentiates Loran is that he doesn't fight because he has no choice or because he's trying to save someone or a certain side, what he desires is for the violence to stop. Coming to earth made him realise how beautiful of a place it is but he still cherishes his homeworld on the moon. It's hard to execute characters that are neutral but endearing because you wish they'd just pick a side and defeat the other. But Loran's actions as well as the characters surrounding him make his actions feel like the right thing to do. No side is wrong, as opposed to the Earth Federation vs the Principality of Zeon where both sides had no interest in seeing eye to eye and Zeon was very clearly in the wrong at the start of the war. The moon race only fled earth as a necessity and those left behind were simply unlucky or not a part of the high society granted rite of passage to the moon. It's reasonable to believe earthlings aren't affable to a group that left earth for dead and attacked them upon their initial return. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/dN7QiLg.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/wlsU1VQ.jpg)~~~ The political discourse of this show is fantastic just for how much you hate that these two reasonable sides think that they have no choice but to fight each other. And Loran knows how bullshit it all is, which is what eventually leads him, Dianna Soriel & Kihel Heim into influencing the landscape of the war the way they do as characters change sides, gain new ambitions and eventually led down a path of understanding. Also as an aside to bring up it's also kind of great that Loran crossdresses a few times. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/axDmQfv.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/8QP0eH1.jpg)~~~ Dianna and Kihel are the other two characters that are central to the plot, possibly more so than Loran. While Loran does play an important part at conveying his message to the viewer, Dianna and Kihel are the ones who are able to spread their words to the masses. It can be easy to look at how Dianna and Kihel are handled believing that it's unrealistic for them to be able to portray each other so quickly but this is something that I actually respect the show for how it's executed. They're both given more than enough time to get to know each other and both take fairly prestigious positions. And besides that they do almost get caught in the lie, it's just assumed that there's no way a civilian would swap places with a queen. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/n7Id4iT.jpg)~~~ The swap is one of the reasons why this narrative works so well and how it truly succeeds. 'The grass is always greener on the other side' or quotes to similar effect - What's believed to be an amusing little joke quickly turns into opposite sides dealing with the trials and difficulties that come with being in the other's role. One scene that I think really makes it clear with how good it is at making you understand the show is a scene during episode 10 that where Dianna instinctively reacts to a situation Kihel has been put in due to the past few battles in her place. Another similar scene occurs past the halfway point where Kihel speaks on Dianna's behalf on the current state of the war. Their growing deep understanding of one another is the main catalyst that brings the war in the direction it eventually leads - The people who wish for war to end, and those who wish it to continue. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/9kK3U9k.jpg)~~~ I'd go further into detail and talk about Sochie and others but I feel that what they represent I've already touched on quite in-depth so I'd just be repeating myself. Instead I'd like to touch on Corin Nander, a minor character but a very strong one. Corin is the messenger of the past, having existed in an unknown time when war did ravage the earth and moon. He fears the Gundam and what it represents which is interesting. He refers to the Gundam as a war machine, which in context almost belittles the past efforts of Amuro and the others. It seems simple to take this information away but the way the story just tells you that hundreds of episodes of war, relationships and sacrifices amount to being nothing more than historical battles is seriously unsettling. Turn A very bitterly explains that the past actions were all pointless and only served as vessals of information to be relayed to future generations as the follies of humanity. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/SrcoPhb.jpg)~~~ Turn A's final act is a form of divine or spiritual retribution. It represents many things; an end to Gundam, an end to Tomino Yoshiyuki's emotional journey of 20 years and a new beginning. A world that for the first time knows uncertainty. Corin's dialogue coincides with this idea being represented by the Gundam itself. Gundam may be a saviour or a hero to the victors, but to history it's merely a destroyer. We never know where humanity is going to go but simply being able to have a positive outlook can be enough to see the steps we can take together. Turn A Gundam is a show that shakes a person's empathy for the human race to its very core. At least, that's what it did for me. I know it's not a perfect show, and I accept that. But either way, for me it's something really, really special. It's a show that's near and dear to my heart. The fact that a pessimist and highly depressive person like Tomino was able to battle his mental health problems and create a Gundam entry that stated after all these years a response to earlier entries that there's something more to life than our stagnancy and reliance on war, hate and to remain ignorant of our past mistakes just made it resonate with me in ways I find hard to describe. People may tell you that being told our past mistakes should be reflected upon is a no-brainer, and yeah it is. But this show asks you that question anyway, because even though you know that the past involves many human errors there's a refusal to actually accept them because it's difficult to. People may also tell you that earlier Gundam entries are necessary for this show and I understand why people believe that. Without them, you lose the journey Tomino created. But I'm not gonna be the guy that puts a gun to your head to do things how I tell you to. Turn A Gundam is a phenomenal show solely on its own merits and it deserves a watch by anyone who enjoys mecha anime or simply wants a story full of adventure and visual creativity that represents many different aesthetics culminating to make something truly unique. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/jiIyXrn.jpg) img500(https://i.imgur.com/6PCzdYw.jpg)~~~~~~~~~
~~~img500(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef1LS32XoAAmAav.jpg)~~~ --- Before starting this review I’d like to make some clarifications in order to add some context to the way this review was written. You see, I completed Turn A Gundam back in January 2021 (this review being published in early April of the same year) and told to myself that I would write a review of it but never got around to it—_don’t think about it too much, sometimes I can be a very lazy arse_. That said, don’t think this timespan between completion and review was enough for me to forget my impressions about this show; I still have the basic idea of the story in my head as well as my (notably few) real criticisms thanks to some notes and conversations I’ve had with acquaintances. Even so, I still want to warn you that this analysis may look more rambly than my previous works due to all the reasons explained above. I will still try to keep the text as structured as I possibly can. So, if you don’t mind those types of reviews, then I hope you like this one. Also, needless to say: ____~~~SPOILERS WILL BE DISCUSSED and they will be marked as such~~~____ --- The Mobile Suit Gundam franchise is a series that, for me, is like contemplating a landscape full of geographical formations when it comes to the quality and remarkability of the shows therein. From the stunning and sublime frosted peaks like 0080, Unicorn and 08th MS Team; to the uneven, but not less remarkable valleys below (Zeta Gundam, ZZ Gundam, etc). ~~There’s also the forest fires but we don’t talk about them (Narrative)~~ The thing about this franchise though, is that it has always tried to deliver a similar message across all its entries—with varying degrees of success. Said themes mostly revolving around the nature of conflict, the fragility of maintaining peace, the resulting paradoxical loop that ensues when you resort to violence in order to keep peace; as well as presenting a genre defining take on the future of space exploration and its consequences on a societal and cultural level. So, what did Turn A Gundam do in order to follow this long running tradition while simultaneously feeling like such a breath of fresh air to watch and simply stand out as one of the franchise’s most important entries to date? I shall set as my objective to prove this argument for the duration of this review, as well as pointing out all the things that it did exceedingly well and the things that it did not do so great…. --- ~~~__PREMISE__~~~ Turn A Gundam breaks the mold from the very beginning by setting the audience in a world where the great stories and tragedies of the Universal Century have all but become ancient tales of millennia ago, in fact; this era is so long forgotten by the present humanity that a term has been coined in order to refer to this period: The Dark History. For reasons that we aren’t explained initially the flourishing space era had been wiped out from the face of the Earth so drastically that human civilization has simply receded to the technological levels present in the 19th century—economies are largely agrarian, industrialization is at its infancy and normal commodities for us like vehicles are still a luxury prevalent in the aristocratic landowning elite that have become the rulers of the few States that survive in what used to be North America. In addition, one interesting thing about this initial premise is that our protagonist does not belong in this terrestrial world; Loran Cehack is, quite literally, an emissary from the stars. He is part of a special reconnaissance team sent by the Moonrace civilization; a human faction that has set up a colony in the moon and, expectedly counts with the technological edge unlike the Terrans. Loran’s objective is to blend in with the Terran population and determine whether it is safe for the Moonrace population to return to earth once again. In order to achieve this, he quickly becomes a driver and general assistant to one of the previously mentioned wealthy landowning families, where he will meet his fellow heroines: The Heim sisters; Sochie and Kihel, as well as the important aristocrat Guin Rhineford. As time passes and Loran and his fellow moonrace friends have all but settled in their new lives. The Moonrace finally shows up to the unsuspecting Terran population with a sizable expeditionary force acting in name of the Lunar Queen, the mysterious yet captivating Dianna Soriel. ~~~img350(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hEUsTirZU9Y/S7jI8XE2SuI/AAAAAAAAAOU/XB5Pw5B94D4/s1600.jpg)~~~ I think one of the best things about this setting is how the world has suddenly been reduced in scope in order for our main characters to explore it, and discover whatever has been hidden from them by the Dark History. Most of the show takes place on Earth and it isn’t until the third act that the space element kicks in, to the audience’s total gratification. This same theme of exploration is also applied to the mecha element as well, seeing how all the mobile suits that the Terrans muster to fight back against the Moonrace are found under rocks—*well*, not literally but they do have to dig them from underground. One of said mobile suits also happens to be the namesake of the show. And let me just say right off the bat, that the Turn A’s design is some of the most interesting and beautiful mecha designs I have ever seen. I will not go into many details on this so I will just leave some pictures of this MS so you can see what I mean with interesting. Coming from the pen of legendary concept artist of Blade Runner and Aliens fame (yeah I’m not joking), [Syd Mead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Mead). The Turn A’s Art Deco-ish design with sharp lines and the mustache-shaped face, coupled with the way Loran pilots it does give this mobile suit a very distinct personality that I have yet to see replicated in any other mecha show to date. ~~~img(https://blog.alltheanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/turnagundam.jpg)~~~ ~~~img300(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODVjMTJhODktMmQ3OC00ZWQ2LWE2MWEtNzMwYjI2YjI1MjVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY0MDIzNzM@._V1_.jpg) img250(https://i.gyazo.com/ef11d2f7f9990a325c0c0b7ee8be2616.jpg) ~~~ --- ~~~__CHARACTERS__~~~ Speaking of personalities, it is time for me to talk about the character drama that takes center stage in this show. Gundam is no stranger to character centered narratives like this, yet, I also think that it doesn’t have the best track record in this department either; Zeta Gundam being a good example of this (hot take, I know). Turn A Gundam, on the other hand, just proceeds to deliver a general slap in the face to all the Gundam shows that preceded it and it did it in a way that felt so at home with the way it presented its narrative. What do I mean by this? Well, there’s a noticeably bigger nuance between friends and foes because the show is not really trying to deliver a story from a single perspective, like say, of the Terrans. It doesn’t try to portray the Moonrace as a bunch of genocidal maniacs either. Loran and some of his friends, are Moonrace after all but that doesn’t mean they want to exclude their fellow Terran friends from coexisting on Earth in peace. The way the show pretends to deliver its story is by putting the audience in an elevated ground right in between both factions so it is easier for us to observe the unique circumstances and their motivations to act the way they do. Sitting next to the audience there’s also part of our main cast, namely: Loran, Kihel, Dianna; and later on, Sochie; who have to deal with both sides vying for their support—we can see firsthand the physical and mental struggles they have to go through in order to not betray their friends nor their own ideals and ultimately preserve peace. Another reason the characterization goes along with the themes of the show is because, almost everyone here is a hopeless idealist. From Loran Cehack to Guin Rhineford. Loran being the embodiment of the anti-war protagonist done extremely well and Guin being the overly ambitious schemer that has his mind set into reaching a single goal, not for himself, but for humanity as a whole; not to mention, there’s this aura of hopefulness and optimism that irradiates from every character interaction, and I’m not trying to make fun of the show with this. To tell the truth, I think it is something that was made on purpose by the writers to drive home the fact that the people who live in this world have no idea how horrible their past really is—the real extent of the destruction humanity is capable of reaching. This veil of ignorance is slowly lifted by our characters as the show progresses and it will be their reaction to knowing this vile past that will motivate them to try to correct the errors of their shared past once and for all. ~!We are first introduced to this big Dark History puzzle with the rising intrigues about the Turn A’s apparently infinite potential as a weapon, then the horrifying capabilities of nuclear warfare and finally the opening of the Dark History archives during the third act revealing that the reason the Dark History met its tragic end was because of the Turn A Gundam’s Moonlight Butterfly.!~ One final caveat about the characterization in Turn A Gundam is how it all feels very slice of life in the best way possible. In many ways it shows us it is just as easy for humans to live peacefully no matter if they are Terrans or Moonrace; as it is easy to wreak havoc in a senseless conflict for whatever reasons. In more than one occasion, the show portrays Terrans and Moonrace people working together for a common goal and getting to know each other; Loran's Moonrace friends that descended with him on Earth, Fran Doll and Keith Laijie are prime examples of this: Fran trying to pursue her career as a photographer and getting in a relationship with Terran Joseph Yaht, and Keith just wanting to make his small business flourish and be able to feed as many people as he can, while also getting in a relationship with a Terran girl. You can’t help but root for these characters from the very beginning and hope to see them overcome their hurdles. ~~~img280(https://i.gyazo.com/cb694f2db3aa13c3556923fc84a622ec.gif) img280(https://i.gyazo.com/0247eef3598d0fbfebe76f4053f2339a.gif)~~~ --- ~~~__SOUND DESIGN AND ANIMATION__~~~ If telling you that I wrote this whole review listening to Turn A Gundam’s OST does not convince you that this anime’s music absolutely and positively kicks ass then I don’t know what to tell you. The score being written by iconic composer [Yoko Kanno](https://anilist.co/staff/95508/Youko-Kanno) (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell) there is simply no way you can go wrong with this. The musical style mostly focuses on elaborate orchestral pieces resembling the likes of Gustav Holst. Just like the overall vibe of the show, the music oozes with joy and energetic choruses; while also keeping a touch of solemnity, calmness and gentleness for the more character focused moments. The animation on the other hand was something that had me worried for a few episodes due to it not looking as good, even for 1999 standards. My main problems had to do with the animation quality for the mobile suits and the fight sequences; I just didn’t feel enough weight from these fights nor from the mobile suits themselves, it is hard to explain. All these animation problems would all but vanish soon enough and the overall quality would just get better, even for a 50 episode show. ~~~img300(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1JE-o9VkAAyepU.jpg) img300(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/WildMetallicCuscus-size_restricted.gif)~~~ --- ~~~__THE NOT-SO-GREAT AND SPOILER TALK__~~~ For all the praise I have given to this anime I still think it had some important flaws that prevented it from being a perfect show. So I will talk about them with full spoilers below. I will also bring up some things that I enjoyed but can’t discuss in detail without getting into spoilers, so you can see this as the spoiler section. If you read them without having watched the show it is at your own risk. ~!Turn A Gundam’s third act was the closest the show ever got to messing up on its story. I don’t want to overblow my criticisms though; the last 4 episodes are what I’m referring to. My issues here have to do with the way they felt a little rushed, in the span of those 4 episodes 2 mayor plot points happen and I feel they could’ve been done better had the show been given a few more episodes to let the third act breathe a little more. We first have the return of the Willgem from the moon after dealing with Agrippa Maintainer (which in and of itself felt a little underwhelming) and being revealed the truth about the Dark History. Then there’s the undeserved redemption of Dianna Counter, which had been during the *entire show* at odds with Queen Dianna, culminating with their eventual betrayal and turn into a warlord clique on Earth. It only took Dianna to come back to Earth for all the bad blood to suddenly vanish and Dianna Counter allying with our heroes. Saying that this whole part of the show didn’t fall flat on its face would a be cruel joke. I also didn’t find the final villain of the show, Gym Ghingham to be even remotely interesting compared to Guin. Gym just wasn’t built up properly; in most of his appearances he came off as villain in a comedic sense, like; I could not take him seriously. I guess you could make the argument that Gym was supposed to encapsulate the human potential for destruction but even then this angle doesn’t even remotely stand a chance against Guin Rhineford’s naïve delusions of becoming the next messiah that would usher in a new era of technological progress not taking into account that just as technological advance can bring prosperity to everyone it would also bring about the risks of conflicts the likes of which could destroy civilization just as it did with the Dark History. On a lighter note, I liked the way the Heim sisters are developed and how their interactions are affected by the fact that Dianna is the one that interacts with Sochie during most of the show. A good reason why Dianna and Kihel switched places early on was in order to further develop their character arcs, seeing that both characters complement each other in more ways than just appearances; Kihel playing the role of Dianna gave her a purpose that she was established to be looking for, now that she was entering adulthood (she even got womanizer Harry Ord to fall for her LMAO). On the other hand, Dianna playing the role of Kihel gave her a glimpse into the peaceful life on Earth she wished to obtain for herself and for her fellow Moonrace members. It is a very sweet dichotomy that cannot be understated in my opinion. Sochie initially started as the character with the biggest grudge against anything Moonrace, blaming them for the death of her dad. Unknowingly learned to move on from her resentment by interacting with not one, but two Moonrace people: Loran and Dianna posing as Kihel. She started to humanize the people she had come to despise so much while also exploring her side as a grown up woman with Loran. I WILL NEVER forgive Tomino for separating her from Loran at the end though. My girl didn’t deserve to go through that :’(!~ ~~~ ~!img250(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/830/955/bcb.jpg) img270(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D4I_IfIUIAEBWkW?format=jpg&name=large) img250(https://64.media.tumblr.com/e8fbb6723db028964f3ab74a9f6c5673/f8860a9817f06696-2e/s540x810/3fa319f0e87f48897f74ced2ec4e3bfd3163f7f0.gifv)!~ ~~~ --- ~~~__FINAL THOUGHTS__~~~ Turn A Gundam might as well be the swan song of the entire franchise; to me it was one of those shows that I felt a little bad that it had to end. Getting immersed in this world and with these characters was an experience that was worth every episode. I remember watching a review once comparing Turn A with a Ghibli movie and, to be honest, the comparison holds up really well. In hindsight, I have to accept that this show had some really glaring faults. However, for a Gundam show; no, for any show—of this length! To have it do so many things right in exchange for almost no serious flaws to speak of I would take this deal any other day of the week without hesitation. In the end, Turn A Gundam was a tale about the curiosity that drives us to discover everything that the world *is*, *was* and *could ever be*. Just as the world is full of threats, humans who won’t learn from the mistakes of their pasts and conflict; there’s also an inherent beauty to it that is out there to be found. ~~~img350(https://www.otaquest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Turn-a-Gundam-White-Doll.png)~~~
From the very start I was pretty hooked on this, with the mysterious type of setting it was in. Along with the outstanding soundtrack that never failed to deliver. Seeing the effect of the war, not only on the militia and moonrace, but also the inhabitants of the Earth was a very much enjoyed perspective. The first notable thing that I enjoyed from the switch was when they went back to Kihel and Sochie’s house to see their father’s grave. Not to say Dianna wasn't already aware of what war truly was, but it was still needed for her to experience how the war impacted the people of Earth and the moonrace. I liked Kihel posing as Dianna too, though at first I only saw the positive benefits of this switch through Dianna. For Dianna it was easier to spot because it took place in a variety of places. Opposed to Kihel who at first still seemed like there was no apparent change as she was just essentially trapped on the Soreli. I did start to see it in Kihel during the speech to rekindle the peace negotiations. Now for the story, there were only two "negative" downsides that occured, with the first being the Adeskan King arc. By no means did I think the Adeskan King arc was bad, I just felt it was okay. Which isn’t bad, but this is def at the bottom compared to the rest of the story. Though the King's dialogue about the Ades Tree was really good. Now for the second thing which I considered a much bigger problem, was the very swift forgiveness of Phil, Miran, and Poe. I understand due to the threat of Ghingham, there wasn't much time for internal fighting. But I would've liked to have seen some consequences shown for these three. Though Phil truly pales in comparison to the crimes of Poe. There isn't much to say, the bitch is just crazy fr. Quite frankly she is the reason Sochie goes down the path she does, she tries to kill her very own queen who commands her faction, and then she tries to kill a comrade, who is carrying a nuke in the clutches of his mobile suit. If they locked Corin up, she gotta be put in a coffin in a lunar mountain cycle for the rest of eternity. When I think of Ghingham’s belief of the war bringing out the true instincts of humans, Poe is the first that comes to mind. Though she didn’t win a SINGLE battle, that's beside the point tho. Barring all of that, there’s so many side characters that I grew to love, with my favorite being the red team. At first I disliked Corin but he became one of my favs. Who would've thought having your mobile suit dumped into lava would make you a better character. I admired seeing Sochie ready to join the militia so early and with Kihel wanting to help contribute to society rather than going to college. They both could’ve just stayed under a bubble of comfort inside their family status but chose not to. I spoke of this before with how much I enjoyed this cast all wanting to contribute a change to something, rather than just living an easy life. And crazy enough most of the characters shown had this type of mindset. Now for my former baby, Teteth (tossed to the wayside for Lily), she was a character whose motivations I enjoyed seeing bc I didn’t rlly think of there being those with her mindset. The Red Team was a nice parallel to this though. At first I could only remember Sochie having the only tragic ending, but I almost forgot about Teteth’s mother… At last IT IS TIME for my fav episodes laura's cow, episode 10, episode 20 & 21, REALLY loved 21, and episode 26 & 27. I already talked about how much I loved the festival setting and Corin being involved in episode 26, but episode 27 is also amazing. Witnessing the devastation of a nuke go off and seeing the moonrace, people who understand the damage it can bring, versus the people of the earth, who in a good way have not understood nuclear warfare in their lifetime. But it’s also a failure on the part of their ancestors for hiding this history from them. The unknown history of nuclear warfare may have led to the naivete of a person like Gavanne. Or maybe he just didn't care enough lol. Episode 36 was another funny one lol, watching the militia so lost in space, and the drunk ideas they had to return to the Earth was pretty funny. And lastly, the last 3 or so episodes are absolutely amazing and it seems like the animation went up a notch. Those shots of the moon were beautiful. Ghingham was a very cool villain especially in those last 2 eps, representing the worst parts of humanity with his lust for war. I didn't know it would be possible, but it seems we have found a new favorite gundam my friend. I waited quite a few days to see if the feelings I had for this were just in the moment, but even a week after finishing that feeling still remains… THAT FEELING IS LOVE. ALL HAIL THE TURN A GUNDAM!!!