This is the direct sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ despite having nothing to do with that series. Instead the story focuses on (coolest of the cool) Char on a mission to remove humans off of Earth with his favorite frenemy Amuro Ray, who's trying to put an end to Char’s mission of eradicating life off of Earth. When watching this film, I watched it the day after I finished ZZ, so the change back into a more serious tone was just as jarring as when I started ZZ. And not just that, but we’re thrown back in the classic, tried and true rivalry between our nobel hero Amuro and dashing, and badass Char Aznable. No Judau, no Kamille, and no Saylla though we get Captain. Bright, his son Hathaway, his annoying friend Quess and even a bit of Mirai. In general, this a great cinematic Mobile Suit Gundam experience and I was thoroughly pleased with it, but had it removed certain elements and added others it’d be on a whole other level, but what exactly holds it back for me as a masterpiece and does this film beat out the 46 episode tv-series preceding it?

Starting with the visuals, I was blown away by the fluidity of the animation of all the mobile suits and the combat. The suits and ships were moving and attacking so swiftly, their attacks and movements were like watching a knife cut through butter. The amount of detail that went into both the battles (the movements, the collisions, the explosions) and the mechs/ships (all the intricacies, the wear and tear throughout the battle) was phenomenal. Though I must admit that the human’s took a bit to get used to, looking rather blob-ishly might I add. But over time I grew to appreciate their designs, especially char’s new looks throughout. Though I still prefer the style of the TV series over this one, save for 0079. So even if the story leaves a bit to be desired, or left behind in some cases, then I still suggest that if you're a fan of gundam (especially 0079 or zeta) then you should watch this for the spectacle of these high magnitude battles alone.

So with the visuals being this good, how does the story itself hold up? Well for a story called Char’s Counterattack, featuring thee Amuro Ray I was hoping for the majority of the film to be between those two. And while they do interact, it’s nowhere near the amount I was hoping it would be. It happens a bit at the beginning, a part in the middle, and ultimately peaks at their final confrontation. And I loved both Char and Amuro (though the latter deserved more screen time to better flesh him out, since the last we saw him was only briefly in Zeta) in their individual scenes, their screen time, and the scenes involving what’s going on in the battle’s logistics behind the scenes are forced to give their time to a forced love square between Nanai, Char, Gyunie, Quess. When the only type of love square I wanted to see was between Char, Amuro, Lalah, and the Earth.

As I’ve mentioned earlier we’re introduced to Bright’s son Hathaway, a nice kid who’s made to go on board with father whose task is handling the biggest direct threat known to Earth since Paptimus Scirocco was still alive, for some reason. As well as his friend Quess, who’s father plays an important role in this war, and she’s a newtype who follows Char. Not sure if it was intentional or not, but for the little screen time that Hathaway got I enjoyed his character, can’t say the same for Quess. She’s annoying, narcissistic, and makes every scene she’s involved in quite unpleasant to watch. Despite Quess being a nuisance to the viewer, Hathaway doesn’t think so and spends his energy trying to get her back on the Fed’s side. I wish Quess and her daddy complex was removed from the film entirely, you could also argue that not much would change if you were to remove Hathaway, but even if he’s kind of dumb, he’s a good kid. Plus, Bright slapping him after some much needed correction was one of the most satisfying moments of the film.

There’s other characters and relationships like Amuro’s with Chan or Astoniage with his girlfriend that just feels forced and uninteresting. Speaking of things that are just there for the sake of it, the music does its role in creating a suspenseful atmosphere when necessary, but nothing about it stands out in particular since the majority of the film relies on the ambiance of the environment to set the mood of the scene.

I watched CCA the day after I finished ZZ, so the change back into a more serious tone was just as jarring as when I started ZZ. But unlike many I enjoyed ZZ, and I think ZZ is one of the most subjective entries in the franchise due to its heavy reliance on comedy. Unlike others that rely more on their unique brand of storytelling and general scope of the narrative they present. But is CCA a masterpiece and is it better than ZZ? Firstly, no it’s not, but it could’ve been had it focused on Char and Amuro more than Quess. That’s not to say this is a bad film, in fact this is a marvelous film on the visuals and climax alone. I’d say it’s worth at least two viewings. And lastly, even though I know it’s unfair to rate a two hour long movie to a 46 episode tv series, but I’d give the edge to ZZ since for every annoying or dislikable character it presents, it presents another character whose enjoyment I have for outweighs my dislike towards the characters I don’t care for. Also I prefer the visual aesthetic of the tv-series. But I’d give the edge to CCA in terms of being so epic, not only visually, but also in the story. Since it’s honestly the perfect cap off to the 14 year old rivalry between Char and Amuro. And that’s why I think this film is worth your time, even if it has some issues with the characters, the overall experience is an epic gundam tale of galaxian proportions, that I wouldn’t trade for the sake of Earth.