Saying I was left aghast after the ending of Zeta is an understatement. I thought what a tragic, and non-glamorous way to depict war. Murdering the innocent, using the lives of family as blackmail, backstabbing, making brash decisions in the heat of the moment. It was like watching a car crash in front of you, and you just couldn’t turn the other cheek. Zeta was unpredictable, heartbreaking, and over before you knew it. I still hold my initial viewing in very high regard. Once I had reached the end of the final episode, I was crushed. Knowing that Kamille was left in a vegetative state, I could only postulate what the sequel would be like. Would Char use some newtype ability to help Kamille snap out of his dilemma? Would Kamille die off screen? Would all war in the universe cease after the Gryps Conflict? How would Tomino follow such an emotionally heavy finale? Well, clearly with a sequel with casual viewers and slapstick comedy in mind. Upon my initial viewing, I could not believe what I was watching, this had to be a joke right? And right I was, ZZ was a joke, a big joke that the series prides itself on. How does this light-hearted romp of a serious series carry the torch of its predecessor?

In short, we follow a teenager named Judau Ashta and his group of ragtag junkers who sell mechanical scrap for money. Judau does this to put his little sister Leina through school, since their parents are no longer in the picture. One day, Yazan (former titan) persuades Judau and Co. to steal the Zeta Gundam, but it doesn’t take Judau long to realize that Yazan is no good. This leads to a battle between Judau and Yazan, where Bright Noa see’s Judau’s newtype potential (not long after Judau made contact with Kamille by accident when stealing a vehicle with Yazan that carried both Fa and Kamille in it) and begins to try and recruit him. Judau refuses to be a part of Bright’s fleet until his sister convinces him otherwise. From here we follow Judau and the rest of Bright’s daycare center as they battle Haman Karn who's trying to reclaim the Zeon’s former glory by conquering the galaxy.

As I said earlier, this is much lighter in tone compared to both 0079 and Zeta. I cannot express my shock when Mondo, Beecha, and Lino fight off Cpt. Bright with oranges in episode one. Or the amount of slapstick humor that ensues in the first ten or so episodes where we follow Judau fighting off the world’s coolest simp, Mashymre. Yet despite its comedic tone, I still found myself looking forward to the next episode. In fact, upon a rewatch I found myself unironically laughing at some of the more subtle jokes throughout the series that I missed on my initial viewing. Judau ignoring Bright’s handshake and any interaction he had with puru come to mind. Actually, I found myself being able to draw more parallels between this and zeta the more I watched. It’s nowhere near as frantic as Zeta sure (or has as many children being slapped), but it’s not trying to and that’s not a bad thing. The only hindrance in it being more comedically driven (even past the second half which people often say is when it gets “serious” but I disagree, despite a few instances of civilians being massacred, but I digress) is that this paves the way for arcs that are pure-filler. That being said, I didn’t hate the moon moon arc. And I felt a legitimate sense of intrigue and compassion towards the civilians and soldiers in the arc that takes place in Africa.

It’s not often that a series like Mobile Suit Gundam takes time away from the main forces duking it out to focus on those indirectly/forced to be involved in the war, much like the people of Dakar and Africa. And even if I must admit that some of these arcs dragged on a bit longer than necessary, I always looked forward to the interactions between my favorite characters as well as the bombastic battles that are flashier than ever. And I can assure you that each episode was chock full of them. As juvenile as it may seem, if the way a mobile suit directly reflects that of the emotions of the person piloting it, then I’m hooked. Even better if there’s stakes at play. The battles hold much more emotional weight with each passing episode.

As I said, a large part of my enjoyment of ZZ aside from, “ooooh, big robots!”’ Comes from its characters, their intrinsic development, and or their interactions with each other. The best character arcs for me had to be: Judau’s, Beecha, Kamille, and Mondo’s. And the best character interactions involved: Bright, Puru, Chara, Mashymre, Judau. There were characters like Emary, Ino, Elle, Glemy, Roux, and others that weren’t fleshed out enough for me to care about them. Even with Mashymre, and Chara being largely gag characters still ranked as highlights of the series. Something about the dedication they have for their cause, plus their naive perspective on the majority of the situations they find themselves in, made them very amusing. Watching Kamille develop and staggeringly reclaim what he lost with the aid of Fa is harrowing and grand to watch. As is Judau’s development, who’s lampooned as a Gary Stu at times. I wouldn’t go that far, as I felt that each Gundam protagonist has an innate trait that they either conquer or grow out of. Amuro is loyal almost to a fault, Kamille is insecure and hyper-impulsive, and Judau is stubborn. Judau going from ragtag junker to a soldier that Haman tries to seduce, is satisfying to watch. Even the times when he’s in an emotional lull, he’s never thrown off his path for long. I’m sure this was intentional as even in emotionally heavy moments, there’s a character or event that tries to alleviate the tension.

And that’s what this series was trying to do, present a story that’s still an MSG tale, but not one that doesn’t allow itself to have some fun every once in a while. Speaking of fun, we’re introduced to a multitude of new mechs with fun and unique designs. From the water mechs in Dakar, to Stampa’s Gundam garden. Even if the show may like to stay in one place for too long at times, much like the new mech designs, it too has a diverse array of locations shown throughout the show. Speaking of music, talk about a great soundtrack. The tracks that play during the show aren't too memorable, especially when compared to Zeta, but the OP/ED for both halves of the series are stellar and do a great job of communicating the vibe the show is going for.

Much like previous installments, ZZ hits its stride in its character interactions and relationship developments along with its larger than life mecha fights. And this show is jam packed with that. And while I was already enjoying the show prior to Puru’s inclusion, I garnered an even bigger level of appreciation for this installment once she came on screen. Her initially awkward relationship with Judau is a highlight of this series for me. And while not every joke lands, in fact I’d say they hit a little less than half the time, I still manage to respect and appreciate that ZZ managed to tell a great and harrowing Gundam tale despite the comedic shift in tone. There’s still plenty of moments where characters act super off-kilter and impulsive like in Zeta, and it’s these moments that remind me that the occasional crazy spice in the story is just what was needed. And though the jokes can be a bit much at times, especially early on when I felt they were taking time away from moments that could’ve been used to either flesh out a character or the plot, it never reached a point where it didn’t feel like Gundam.

Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam isn’t interested in carrying the torch that Zeta handed it, as it’d rather turn that torch into an ice-cream cone to see if its titular MC could eat it in one bite. Though the show has its share of slogs, unfunny jokes, janky-animation, and making Bright a bit much of a push-over at times. It more than makes up for it with its visual flair, legitimately funny moments, character arcs, and larger than life mech battles and stakes. I kept the review spoiler free as I think this an installment worthy of your watch time, as even if you don’t laugh at all the jokes I can guarantee that you’ll be emotionally invested in at least one situation the show presents. Whether that be a gleeful or sorrowful emotion, depends on the viewer and their stance on the series.