A very special review from Cinema Sunshine in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

What’s It About? Using the full power of the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, young pilot Banagher Links fights in a decisive battle to claim the secrets inside of “Laplace’s Box.”

STRAIGHT UP: A wonderful story for an exclusive audience. 9/10

What I Liked

The ultimate Universal Century narrative – In just one movie, Gundam Unicorn evokes the signature moments of previous entries in the Gundam series, while also resolving some of the series’ most enduring questions and conflicts. This feels like the de facto conclusion to the Universal Century, and I could hardly ask for more from it.

Riddhe Marcenas – Riddhe is the most dynamic character here and the MVP of this film. He plays a variety of roles as the story unfolds, and his redemptive character arc is uncommonly well done.

Unlimited animation budget – The Sunrise studio spared no expense in bringing this story to the big screen. It’s beautiful. I think that in some ways, this film represents the future of animation – a future that has me feeling excited.

The soundtrack – The film’s memorable themes make important moments feel even more powerful.

Neo Zeong – Probably the best Final Boss in any Gundam production, ever.

Banagher Links – Banagher faces a gauntlet of challenges all at once – the legacy of Char, Neo Zeon, the Gryps laser, and his own bloodthirsty rival, Riddhe – and in the process of overcoming them, achieves things that even Amuro Ray could not. In this sense, Banagher is made into the ultimate Universal Century protagonist.

What I Disliked

Banagher Links – Even though he’s set up as the ultimate Universal Century protagonist, I don’t think Banagher is a very strong character. His personality isn’t very distinct, and he’s mostly defined by his relationship with Mineva. Even in his finest hour, Banagher is overshadowed by Riddhe. That’s a lot of wasted potential on the writers’ part.

Marida’s fate – The Gundam franchise can be misogynistic at times, and while Marida isn’t exactly stuffed in a fridge, the film implies that she’s better off dead, which makes me uncomfortable.

Barriers to entry – Gundam Unicorn assumes that the audience already has a perfect understanding of the Gundam franchise, and presents much of its content as-is, without further explanation. Many of the events that unfold will be completely incomprehensible to anyone without such detailed knowledge. It’s unfortunate that many people will not be able to enjoy what is otherwise a great story as a result. I expected more from an anniversary production.

CLOSING THOUGHT: I could not have had higher expectations for Gundam Unicorn. Here was a movie almost 5 years in the making, one that promised to solve a mystery that had existed in series lore for more than three real-life decades. That it delivered on that promise in a satisfying way is, I think, a miracle. Everyone should be able to acknowledge the feat of storytelling that took place here.