Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ Review

ZZZ...

 Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, the third Mobile Suit Gundam show in the franchise, has a reputation of being polarizing. Mainly, it was a departure from the dark melodrama that its predecessor (and my favorite show in the franchise), Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, had introduced. The show takes a kid-friendly approach in its first half, which I found to be unbearable. However, the dark drama that Zeta packed is still here and it's thrilling. There's a lot to talk about ZZ, so let's get started.

STORY- The story immediately takes place after Zeta Gundam. The Titans have been defeated and the Axis Zeon threat arises. The Argama and its crew are in bad shape after the battle so they drop by a nearby colony, Shangra-La, for repairs. The story follows junk collectors, Judau Ashta, and his friends. Together, they plan on boarding the Aragama and capture the Zeta Gundam in hopes of selling it to make a living. I found the first few episodes to be unbearably campy since it's targeted at children. However, during the second half, things get very climactic and interesting. Without spoiling much of the plot, ZZ get's better later during it's run.  

The story gets interesting and more serious as the show progresses.

CHARACTERS- Most of Zeta Gundam's cast make a return. Captain Bright, Kamille, Fa, and even Axis leader Haman make a return. Similar to Amuro and Kamille, Judau may start as a jerk at first, but gets well-developed as the show progresses. He's a good pilot with noble intentions and I took a linking to him in the end. We also get to learn more about Haman Karn and her objectives. As for Judau's pack of friends, they're alright. I liked Rou, Puru, Lino, and Elle. While some of them such as Mondo and Beecha tend to be extremely annoying at first, they were OK in the end. 

PRESENTATION- Much of the presentation remains intact compared to Zeta. The visuals are the same, however, I noticed that they take a dip in quality here and there. In terms of mobile suits, the Mk. II, Zeta, and Hyaku-Shiki make a return and they're still looking good. However, it's the ZZ Gundam that steals the show with it's sheer power and awesome look. The audio is subbed, but the voice cast does a great job of portraying the characters. The soundtrack is just as neat as Zeta's. Tracks such as "Anime Ja Nai" fits the kid-oriented tone of the fist half while "Silent Voice" fits the more serious tone of the second half. 

Despite it's age, the presentation still holds up pretty well.

OVERALL- Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ is a polarizing show that takes time to get used to. The comedic fist half falls flat, but the second is more dark and developed, which I found to be awesome. I was tolerant of it during the first 20 episodes and by the time the show reached its end, I ended up liking it. Nevertheless, if you can get past some of it's shortcomings, you'll end-up having a good time. 

- While meant for kids early on, the show has some language and crude humor. Mainly targeted at teens and older.-

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