Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A+

Jeez, I'm just throwing the A's around here aren't I.

The original MSG was good, Zeta takes a good thing and makes a good sequel out of it.  By introducing us to new characters who echo the conflicts of the original story and expand on the characters, now eight years older, Zeta Gundam is a masterpiece of pathos, loss, emotion, romance and the truth of war.

The series is not for the faint of heart, it is truly one of the colder and more brutal war stories out there, one of the ones that earned Yoshiyuki Tomino his reputation for killing beloved characters (Think George R. R. Martin, if you're familiar with the Song of Ice and Fire).  I find it to be a truly brilliant continuation of Amuro and Char's rivalry and destinies, as well as the excellent new story of Kamille Bidan, a troubled but brilliant young man, whose story is supported by those of the main characters of MSG, rather than overshadowed by them.

If you liked the original Gundam, especially the harshness of the war portrayed there, Zeta Gundam will appeal to you.  If tragedy isn't your cup of tea, you should probably stay away.  I also wouldn't recommend seeing it without at least watching the Gundam movie version.

For the record, I won't be reviewing Gundam ZZ, I got about halfway through it, but given how much I loved Gundam and Zeta for the realism and harshness of war, the levity and silliness of ZZ just rings hollow for me, and it feels very disconnected from the overall events of the world which the first two series focus on, making it pretty uninspiring.