Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow: A moving sequel and its reviews

Mobile Suit Gundam II: Sorrowful Soldiers: The intersection of youth and the battlefield

■ Public Information

Public Media : Theater
Original media : Anime original
Release date : July 11, 1981 - January 1, 0000
Distributor : Shochiku
Eirin number : 110452
Duration : 134 minutes
Number of episodes : 1

■Production information

Original story : Original story/Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino
Director : General Director/Yoshiyuki Tomino
Produced by Nippon Sunrise
Copyright : © Sotsu, Sunrise

■ Story

The Federal Army launches Operation Odessa, a major counterattack against Zeon. In the midst of the fierce battle, the crew of the White Base live their youth to the fullest, each with their own thoughts and feelings. Amuro deserts the ship in rebellion against those around him, Sayla is distraught over the whereabouts of her long-lost brother, and Kai is tormented by his friendship with an enemy spy girl. The sadness of separation inevitably drives them to grow into warriors.

■Explanation

The film reconstructs episodes 16 to the first half of episode 31 of the TV series. It is more and more emphasized as a youth drama for young adults set against the backdrop of a battlefield, differentiating it from a "cartoon movie." The film was praised for meeting fans' expectations with its newly drawn, expressive drawings and dramatic use of the insert song sung by Daisuke Inoue.

■Cast

・Amuro Ray / Toru Furuya / Bright Noa / Hirotaka Suzuoki / Ryu Josei / Shozo Iizuka / Kai Shiden / Toshio Furukawa / Hayato Kobayashi / Kiyonobu Suzuki / Mirai Yashima / Fuyumi Shiraishi / Sayla Mass / You Inoue / Fraw Bow / Rumiko Ukai / Miharu / Satomi Majima / Matilda / Keiko Toda / Woody / Masaaki Okabe / Ramba Ral / Masashi Hirose / Hamon / Yumi Nakatani / M'Quve / Kaneto Shiozawa / Char Aznable / Shuichi Ikeda / Narrator / Ichiro Nagai

■ Main staff

・Producer/ Yoshinori Kishimoto・Planning/ Eiji Yamaura, Masanori Ito・Original story/ Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino・Screenplay/ Hiroyuki Hoshiyama, Yoshihisa Araki, Yu Yamamoto, Kenichi Matsuzaki・Character design/ Yoshikazu Yasuhiko・Mechanical design/ Kunio Okawara・Art director/ Mitsuki Nakamura・Animation director/ Yoshikazu Yasuhiko・Editing/ Tomoaki Tsurubuchi, Fumio Koyachi・Audio director/ Yasuo Urakami・Music/ Takeo Watanabe, Yuji Matsuyama・Floor director/ Osamu Sekita・General director/ Yoshiyuki Tomino・Producers/ Yasuo Shibue, Masami Iwasaki

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow is the second Gundam film released in 1981, and is a re-edited version of episodes 16 to the first half of episode 31 of the TV series. This film is a youth drama set against the backdrop of the battlefield, and is sure to appeal to young adults. Below, we will go into detail about the appeal and recommended points of this film.

Story and character development

"Soldier of Sorrow" revolves around the Federation's major counterattack, Operation Odessa. The crew of the White Base grow as they carry their own feelings with them amidst the harsh battle. Amuro Ray deserts the ship in resentment towards those around him and searches for the meaning of his own existence. Sayla Mass searches for her long-lost brother and is plagued by inner conflict. Kai Shiden struggles with his friendship with an enemy spy girl, and deepens his resolve as a warrior. The growth and conflict of these characters are at the heart of the story.

Film and Production

The visual expression of this work has evolved even further from the TV series. The newly drawn, expressive drawings convey the emotions of the characters more realistically. In addition, the dramatic use of the insert song "Ai-Senshi" sung by Daisuke Inoue heightens the tension of the story and stirs the emotions of the viewer. These productions were highly praised for meeting the expectations of fans.

music

The music by Takeo Watanabe and Yuji Matsuyama skillfully expresses the tension of the battlefield and the inner thoughts of the characters. In particular, the inserted song "Soldier of Sorrow" plays an important role in building up excitement for the climax of the story. This music will leave a deep impression on the viewers' hearts.

Recommended points

Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow is a deeply moving youth drama set against the backdrop of the battlefield. This film combines character growth and conflict, realistic animation and dramatic music, and is recommended not only for Gundam fans, but for anyone who loves youth dramas and war movies. It is a work that I would especially recommend to young adults.

Related works and viewing order

Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldier of Sorrow is the second film in the Gundam trilogy. When watching, we recommend watching the first film, Mobile Suit Gundam. After that, watch Soldier of Sorrow, and finally enjoy the third film, Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space, to gain a deeper understanding of the story. We also recommend watching the TV series. In the TV series, you can enjoy episodes that were cut from the film version and detailed portrayals of characters.

Other Information

The film was distributed by Shochiku and has an Eirin number of 110452. It is directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, produced by Nippon Sunrise, and copyright is owned by Sotsu and Sunrise. It is 134 minutes long and has a self-contained episode format.

Conclusion

Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow is a deeply moving youth drama set against the backdrop of the battlefield. This film combines character growth and conflict, realistic animation and dramatic music, and is recommended not only for Gundam fans, but for anyone who loves youth dramas and war movies. It is a film that I would especially recommend to young adults. Please experience this moving story.