Anime Review: Gundam, Zeta, a New Translation, Heirs to the Stars

Review Gundam, Zeta, a New Translation, Heirs to the StarsWritten by WarpshadowRating good/ very good

Compilation movies have been a staple of the Gundam franchise and let me tell you one thing, I hate compilation movies. It’s like paying to watch an episode of old clips that animators use when they get behind schedule. This movie differs in one respect, this movie features animation quality impossible for a television show made in the eighties.

Eight years ago Earth and the surrounding space were enveloped in the One year war. The Earth Federation was victorious but in the peace a branch of the Federation military known as the Titans are overstepping their boundaries and oppressing the people of space. A rebel group called the AEUG has formed in response. The story begins when some members of the AUEG raid a Titans base in order to find out about the new mobile suits they are testing. Things take an unexpected turn when a rebellious boy (Our hero Camille Bidan) hijacks one of the mobile suits and joins up with the AUEG.

This movie is a recap of the first fourteen episodes of the Zeta Gundam television series. As a result the movie’s pace is set at hyper speed. This movie should not be viewed by people unfamiliar with Gundam as it references the shows frequently. On the other hand you are a Gundam fan this movie is a nice way to see some your favorite scenes and a lot of mecha action in a short period of time. Unlike many of the other Gundam recap movies Heir to the stars features many scenes with new animation that is vastly superior to that in the original television show. While this movie has a narrow target audience, it is well worth watching if you happen to be said audience.