Mobile Suit Gundam NT Review: A Must-See for Fans Looking for a New Gundam Experience

"Mobile Suit Gundam NT" - A new story in the Universal Century

Mobile Suit Gundam NT is an animated film that was released on November 30, 2018, and is one of the most popular works in the Gundam series. Set in the Universal Century, the story depicts the influence of the Universal Century Charter, which refers to the existence and rights of Newtypes, and introduces new characters and robots. Below, we will introduce detailed information and reviews of this work, as well as recommended points.

Overview

Mobile Suit Gundam NT is set in the year UC0097. A year has passed since the opening of Laplace's Box, and the existence of the Universal Century Charter, which mentioned the existence and rights of Newtypes, was revealed, but the framework of the world did not change significantly. However, the subsequent conflict was called the Laplace Incident, and it seemed to have ended with the collapse of the Neo Zeon remnant army, the Sleeves. In the final battle, two full Psycoframe mobile suits demonstrated power beyond human understanding, and the threat of the two machines, the White Unicorn and the Black Lion, was supposed to be sealed away from people's consciousness. However, the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 3, which went missing two years ago, begins to appear again in the Earth Sphere. Its name is Phenex, or Phoenix.

cast

The cast of this film is as follows:

• Yona Basta: Junya Enoki
• Yona Basta (8 years old): Fuminori Nakamura
• Michelle Luo: Tomo Muranaka
• Michelle Luo (8 years old): Naho Yokomizo
• Rita Bernal: Ayumi Matsuura
• Zoltan Akkanen: Yuichiro Umehara
• Brick Techrat: Shin Furukawa
• Iago Harkana: Kazuya Nakai
• Franson: Takanori Hoshino
• Amajya: Setsuji Sato
• Delao: Yuki Arai
• Pavel: Takehiro Shimada
• Taman: Komada Wataru
• Abaev: Kazuhiro Yamaji
• Martha Bist Carbine: Tomoko Shiota
• Mineva Lao Zabi: Ayumi Fujimura
• Stephanie Luo: Rio Natsuki
• Mauri: Naoki Tamanoi
• Monaghan Baharo: Terasomasaki
• Eric Hugo: Aya Endo

Main Staff

The following staff members are involved in the production of this work:

• Planning: Sunrise
• Produced by: Sunrise
• Original author: Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino
• Director: Shunichi Yoshizawa
• Screenplay: Harutoshi Fukui
• Main character original: Kumiko Takahashi
• Character design: Kim Se-jun
• Mechanical design: Hajime Katoki and Eiji Komatsu
• Color design: Takako Suzuki
• CG Director: Tomohiro Fujie
• Display design: Yoshinori Sayama
• Art director: Yukiko Maruyama and Yoshimi Mineta
• Special Effects Director: Kumiko Taniguchi
• Director of photography: Kentaro Waki
• Edited by: Daisuke Imai
• Sound Director: Eriko Kimura
• Music: Hiroyuki Sawano

Main Characters

The main characters of this work are as follows:

• Yona Basta : 25 years old. A member of the Earth Federation Space Force. Ranked second lieutenant. Pilots a Dijeh in missions involving Martha Vist Carbine. In UC0095, the Unicorn Gundam 3, Phenex, went missing after going out of control. He is the pilot of the Narrative Gundam, sent as reinforcements for Operation Phoenix Hunt, which involves Shezarl Corps, which was formed to search for the Unicorn Gundam. He is childhood friends with Michelle Luo, special advisor to the Luo Company, and Rita Bernal, the missing pilot of the Phenex. He was a child when Australia was hit by a colony drop and suffered a devastation.
• Michelle Luo : 25 years old. Special advisor to Luo Company, a large company based in New Hong Kong that has close ties with the Earth Federation government. Daughter of Luo Company Chairman Wu Ming. Skilled at fortune telling using abbreviated divination, she has earned the trust of the political and financial world. She boards the Clap-class space cruiser Damascus, which is carrying out Operation Phoenix Hunt, accompanied by the Narrative Gundam as reinforcements. There is also a story that the Narrative Gundam's equipment installed on the Rosebud, a space transport operated by Luo Company, was supplied by Anaheim Electronics.
• Rita Bernal : A member of the Earth Federation Space Force. Ranked second lieutenant. Pilot of the Unicorn Gundam 3 Phenex, which went missing after going out of control during a mobility experiment. As a young girl, she was affected by a disaster in Australia and was known as one of the "miracle children." Childhood friend of Yona and Michelle. She was a second-year student at primary school on January 3, UC0079, when the Principality of Zeon declared war on the Earth Federation government and began a war of independence.
• Zoltan Akkanen : 27 years old. A captain in the Republic of Zeon army who plans to capture Phenex. Pilot of the Sinanju Stein. Like Full Frontal, the leader of the Neo Zeon remnant army "The Sleeves", he is an enhanced human developed as one of the reincarnations of Char.
• Brick Tekrat : With Luo Wuming's permission, a young man who serves as secretary to Michelle, special advisor to the Luo Company.
• Luo Wuming : Chairman of the Luo Company, which is based in New Hong Kong and has a great influence on the Earth Federation government. Currently in cryosleep in a capsule. Father of Stephanie and Michelle.
• Iago Harkana : A member of the Earth Federation Space Forces. He is the commander of the Shezarl Squadron, which is a mobile suit unit of the space cruiser Damascus and carries out the secret mission "Phoenix Hunt". His rank is Major.
• Franson : Affiliated with the Earth Federation Space Forces. Vice-captain of the Shezarl Corps. Rank: Captain.
• Amarja : A member of the Earth Federation Space Forces. A member of the Shezarl Corps. His rank is captain. He has a rebellious personality.
• Delao : A member of the Earth Federation Space Forces. A member of the Shezarl Corps. His rank is lieutenant.
• Pavel : A member of the Earth Federation Space Forces. A member of the Shezarl Corps. His rank is lieutenant. A large young man.
• Taman : A member of the Earth Federation Space Forces. A member of the Shezarl Corps. His rank is second lieutenant. A knowledgeable young man.
• Abaev : A member of the Earth Federation Space Forces. Captain of the Clap-class space cruiser Damascus. Rank: Colonel.
• Martha Vist Carbine : A member of the Vist family who married into the founding family of Anaheim Electronics. Granddaughter of Siam Vist. She was imprisoned for her involvement in the Laplace incident, but was kidnapped by private soldiers of the Luo Company during her transfer.
• Mineva Lao Zabi : Orphan of the Zabi family. She lives in the Vist mansion on the space battleship Magallanica.
• Stephanie Luo : Michelle's sister-in-law. Daughter of Luo Wuming, she is the president of Luo Trading Company. In order to protect Luo Trading Company, she tries to stop Michelle's secret operation to obtain the Singularity One.
• Mauri : A member of the Earth Federation Forces General Staff. He holds the rank of lieutenant general. He has a high opinion of Michelle's fortune telling, but is also secretly in a relationship with her sister, Stephanie.
• Escola Gedda : A member of the Earth Federation's special forces, Titans. He holds the rank of colonel. To protect himself, he keeps Rita by his side and hands Michelle over to the Luo Company.
• Marga : A senior researcher at the Augusta Institute. He cooperates with Escola and repeatedly performs horrific experiments on boys and girls who he believes to be Newtypes.
• Monahan Baharo : Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Zeon. Hiding from Mineva, he has ties to Neo Zeon. Son of Darcia Baharo.
• Eric Yugo : 29 years old. Member of the Republic of Zeon military. Lieutenant. Zoltan's supervisor. Secretly follows Monahan's orders.

Main Robot Items

The main robots and items that appear in this work are as follows.

• Narrative Gundam : An Anaheim Electronics MS piloted by the protagonist, Jonah Basta. It was developed as a Psycoframe test model before the RX-93 Nu Gundam. Its distinctive feature is that the armor in various parts has been removed, exposing the internal frame of the unit. As a test model, the only armament on the unit itself is the head vulcan, but with the help of the Luo Company, it is equipped with multiple weapons for the "Phoenix Hunt" operation.
• Unicorn Gundam Unit 3 Phenex : A golden Unicorn Gundam Unit 3 built using the construction data of the white Unit 1 and the black Unit 2, based on the Full Psycoframe body delivered in advance for testing. In UC0095, it went out of control and went missing.
• Sinanju Stein : A prototype MS developed as a test machine for the strength and tracking of the Psycoframe in the "UC Project". Its development code was Stein 01. It is said to have been stolen during transport on the Earth Federation Space Force's Clap-class cruiser Unkai in UC0094.
• Jesta Shezarl Team Specification : Special operations MS developed by Anaheim Electronics. Used by Shezarl Team in the "Phoenix Hunt" operation, all units are equipped with a scope-type sensor enhancement unit on the head. Depending on the role of the operation, the "Phoenix Hunt" is undertaken by a platoon of six units, consisting of Team A, which has a highly mobile backpack, Team B, which is equipped with a sniper's gear that combines a mega beam launcher with a tripod, and Team C, which rides a Type 89 Base Jabber and carries a capture gun for capture.
• Jegan Type D Escort Specification : RGM-89D A variation of the Jegan Type D. The 60mm Vulcan cannon that was standard on the D type has been omitted, and the head has a new design. Also, like the RGM-89De Jegan (Echoes Specification), the chest armor has been strengthened. It uses a 90mm short machine gun as its main weapon.
• Gustav Karl : A mass-produced general-purpose mobile suit developed as the next generation of the Federation's military. It was developed in a different way from the RGM-89 Jegan, and is a heavy-duty model with thick armor. It is deployed as an escort for Martha, and uses the same new 90mm short machine gun as the Jegan D-type escort unit specification.
• Dijeh : A prototype land combat mobile suit modified from the Rick Dias. A major change from UC0087 is that the main weapon, the beam rifle, has been changed to a shape that uses the same standard E-pack as the rifles used by the Jegan and ReZEL. Also, only the commander's mobile suit is equipped with a searchlight on the left shoulder. Operated by the Luo Company. Yona's mobile suit.
• Second Neo Zeong : A Neo Zeong developed as a special machine for Full Frontal. The Second Neo Zeong was built using spare parts from the development. To increase rigidity, a new frame was added to the front of the shoulder weapon bay, and the front hatch of the weapon bay was removed. The added frame was painted red, giving it a distinctive appearance. In terms of armament, wired guidance functions were also built into the arms, allowing for movements reminiscent of the Zeong.
• Geara Zulu (Eric's) : A machine equipped with a heavy backpack and close-combat weapons on the Geara Zulu. Equipped with a beam naginata and a beam machine gun compact that is a shortened version of the beam machine gun of the general machine. The head has been modified to include a blade antenna that indicates the commander.
• Silver Bullet Suppressor : A modified Silver Bullet stored within the Megalanica, used as a testbed due to its high expandability. The arms and backpack have been modified primarily to accommodate the use of the Beam Magnum, but modifications to the head and legs have also been tried.

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music for this work are as follows:

• TM : narrative
• Lyricist: Hiroyuki Sawano
• Composer: Hiroyuki Sawano
• Song: SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:LiSA
• IN1 : Vigilante
• Lyricist: mpi
• Composer: Hiroyuki Sawano
• Sung by: mpi&Gemie
• IN2 : Cage
• Lyricist: Benjamin Anderson, mpi
• Composer: Hiroyuki Sawano
• Singer: SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Tielle

Work evaluation

Mobile Suit Gundam NT was highly praised not only by Gundam fans, but also by anime fans in general. Below, we will take a closer look at the evaluation points of the work.

story

The story of this work depicts a new development in the Universal Century, and is particularly fascinating in its development centered on the influence of "Laplace's Box" and "Universal Century Charter". By depicting the world after the "Laplace Incident", it deepens the history of the Gundam series. In addition, the reappearance of Phenex and the introduction of new characters add freshness to the story. In particular, the relationship between the three childhood friends, Yona Basta, Michelle Luo, and Rita Bernal, and the past trauma they carry add depth to the story.

character

The characters in this work leave a strong impression on the viewer, with their individual backgrounds and feelings carefully depicted. In particular, the story of Jonah Bastia's growth, Michelle Luo's abilities and sense of mission as a fortune teller, and Rita Bernal's struggles as a Newtype are all beautifully portrayed. Also of interest are Zoltan Akkanen's struggles as an enhanced human and Martha Vist Carbine's struggles as a member of the Vist family. The human drama of each character enriches the story.

Mechanical Design

The mecha designs in this work follow the traditions of the Gundam series while adding new elements. In particular, the design of the Narrative Gundam is distinctive in that its internal frame is exposed, giving it a strong feeling as a test machine. In addition, the golden design of the Unicorn Gundam 3rd Unit Phenex has a strong visual impact and functions as an important element of the story. The designs of each mobile suit, such as the Sinanju Stein and the Jesta Shezarl Team Specification, are also unique, adding excitement to the battle scenes.

music

The music for this film is characterized by powerful songs by Hiroyuki Sawano. In particular, the theme song "narrative" matches LiSA's powerful voice with Hiroyuki Sawano's grandiose composition, leaving a strong impression of the story's theme. The insert songs "Vigilante" and "Cage" are also included. " also has an emotional effect as the story unfolds, with music playing an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the story.

Recommended points

Mobile Suit Gundam NT is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the Gundam series, but to anime fans in general. Below, we will introduce the recommended points in detail.

Recommended for fans of the Gundam series

For fans of the Gundam series, this is an important work that depicts a new development in the Universal Century. The story, which centers on the influence of "Laplace's Box" and "The Universal Century Charter," deepens the history of the series and meets the expectations of fans. In addition, the reappearance of Phenex and the introduction of new characters bring out new appeal in the series. This is a must-see work for fans of the Gundam series.

Recommended for all anime fans

For all anime fans, this work is a high-quality fusion of various elements, including story, characters, mecha design, and music. In particular, the human drama depicting the relationship between the three childhood friends, Yona Basta, Michelle Luo, and Rita Bernal, and the past trauma they carry, leaves a strong impression on viewers. In addition, the powerful music by Hiroyuki Sawano is also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. This is a work that can be recommended to all anime fans.

Gundam from a new perspective

This work depicts the story of the Gundam series from a new perspective, and is enjoyable not only for fans of the series but also for new viewers. In particular, the development that focuses on the influence of the Universal Century Charter, which mentions the existence and rights of Newtypes, brings out new appeal in the series. In addition, the reappearance of Phenex and the introduction of new characters add freshness to the story. Recommended for viewers who want to enjoy Gundam from a new perspective.

Conclusion

Mobile Suit Gundam NT is a work that depicts a new story in the Universal Century, and is recommended not only for fans of the Gundam series, but for anime fans in general. It is a work that fuses various elements such as story, characters, mecha design, and music at a high level, and leaves a strong impression on viewers. In particular, the human drama depicting the relationship between the three childhood friends, Yona Basta, Michelle Luo, and Rita Bernal, and the past trauma they carry, deeply moves viewers. In addition, the powerful music by Sawano Hiroyuki is also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. This work is recommended for viewers who want to enjoy a story from a new perspective of the Gundam series.