Taking place in the classic “Mobile Suit Gundam” era timeline, the ongoing “機動戦士ガンダム サンダーボルト” manga by Ohtagaki Yasuo is being adapted into a four episode anime series released online.
Watched the first episode of “Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt” last week and was quite impressed by this new Gundam ONA that resembles the excellent “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn” not merely because both take place in the same Gundam era, but they seem alike in terms of design style, animation quality as well as their portrayal of the ruthlessness and inhumanity of war.
Although this first episode is barely twenty minutes long, thanks to good pacing and solid writing it manages to paint a clear picture of its main characters, the overall story setting and background. In that brief run time, it manages to include typical Gundam franchise themes such as family legacy, being tied down by home factions or how soldiers change during in wartime, affected by the harshness of combat.
Enjoyed how they cleverly used music not merely as a lively soundtrack to emphasize the action, but also showcase that the mobile suit pilots are humans with distinct personalities.
Am looking forward to the rest of the “Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt” ONA as it promises to become one of the better recent Gundam shows, it might even surpass the currently airing “Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans” series.
