MS IgLoo reviews!

[daeva_neesan]

Oh, good lord.
When Gundam producers want to do OTAKU THINGS they can come with extremely AMAZING otaku things!
'Til now I just watched the first two series of OVAs since they focus on Zeon forces, who are just my favourite thing out of Gundam... And what I saw was definitely top quality, despite the use of some really old fashioned CG art and animation :o
I easily gave them a full 8 mark.

Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO - MAIN CHARACTERS

Before the proper reviews, here's an introduction to the main characters of the series; basically, the first two OVA series focus on the "adventures" of the 603 Technical Evaluation Unit. Their duty is to analyze the prototypes of weapons and report on how useful they'd be in actual battle.
--The fun thing about this is that the guys are actually IN WAR, so they are forced to fight their enemies with the actual prototypes!

Engineering Lieutenant OLIVER MAY
He's the dedicated engineer who deeply cares about his weapons and takes his job quite seriously!
Oliver is practically the protagonist of the first two series of OVAs and I found him quite effective in this role.
I found kinda fun how Japanese designer came up with the ideal of a "Westerner" pretty boy: take an Asian bishie, make his eyes 150% bigger and give him blue eyes and blonde hair. LOL.

Lieutenant Commander MONIQUE CADILLAC
Monica is the military rapresentative who has to supervise the activities of the unit.
She's proud, likes to do things according the books and shows quite a temper when needed.

Captain MARTIN PROCHNOW
He's the captain of the ship used for the tests in space, the Jotunheim.
He was used to rule over his ship even when it was used to transport passengers, but now he's reluctantly 'serving' the military.
He usually refers to the guys of the unit and the soldiers on board as "bothersome passengers" XD
He's a serious person, with a strong sense of humanity.

Lieutenant HIDETO WASHIYA
--I don't even know why I talk about this guy. Probably because he's blatantly Japanese and it's fun to see how Japanese people portrayed themselves in this series XD
Hideto is the useless comic relief-- His greatest wish is to become a mobile suit pilot, and he does :D

Besides them, there are (I'm too tired to take further screencaps XD) Ehrlich, the right hand of Martin and his vice, and the guys helping on the deck, Kim and Domenico and in the end Albert, Oliver's direct superior.

Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO - THE HIDDEN ONE YEAR WAR

"Earth is probably a confined place, but looking at it from here, it doesn't seem so at all.
The Universe is distant and large, but we spacenoids feel like we don't have any place to go..."

So, these guys have to test some weapons during some vital episodes in the One Year War.
Besides the obvious delirium for the mecha/mechanic fans, this series is also extremely focused on the "feelings" of the characters involved, showing a maturity and deepness of themes that you rarely could find in the anime counterparts.
Behind the "failures" of the weapons tested during this arc, it's also shown the "human failure" in front of the times and technology, rapidly changing and developing compared to human mindsets.
The nostalgy that we got to feel from the characters and the protagonists is genuine and effective D:

Ep.1 - THE SERPENT THAT VANISHED AT LOUM
April UC 0079, this episode covers the events of Operation British and the Battle of Loum.
During this very battle that saw the forces of Zeon victorious over the Feddies, our guys are asked to test a long-range plasma cannon, the Jormungand.

The "protagonist" of this episode is the sanguigne Chief Gunnery Officer Lt. Aleksandro Hemme.
A very rough and badass guy, he's the one who'll test the Jormungard.

And here's the Jormungard, named after the legendary snake from Norse mythology D:
This was quite a cool weapon, but tragically outdated due to the current conditions of the battlefield.
It was tragic how the engineering section couldn't help at all because of the Minovsky particles of the ships disturbing the targetting operations ;____; !! In the end everything depended on the skills of the user!

Char came to troll our protagonists D:
"Leave this place, the Mobile Suits army is going to take care of this ù_u !"
D: ...

Ep.2 - THE HOWL THAT DYED THE SETTLING SUN
This episode was about a transformable mobile tank and is set during May, following the Earth Invasion by Zeon's troops.
At the tinme Zeon had some quite strong bases in the USA, Europe and Asia.
This episode is set in Arizona :3 It's quite cool, because it shows the "dirty side" of the Feddies, who were attacking the Zeon bases by passing themselves for Zeon soldiers by piloting Zakus!
This time the protagonist is Major Demeziere Sonnen, a skilled tank pilot who fell into drugs abusing because he couldn't get to enter the Mobile Suits division.
Demeziere is still a wonderful soldier, and it's just terrible that he had to resort on drugs as a reaction to the feeling of uselessness that the military put him through :/
Monica had some crush on him, but since she can't stand how he is now, and the way he reacted to his failures, she developed some unhealthy contempt towards him ;_; ...

This is Demeziere's weapon, the Hildolfr (again Norse mythology, this time it's the name of one of Odin's son, meaning "War Wolf").
Originally rejected, the command decided to re-use this weapon because, basically, they are short on weapons and the situation on Earth is not so pink-coloured for the Zeon army.
Used as an "expendable" weapon, just like Demezier is considered an "expendable" soldier, this "sad wolf" and its useless pilot will give us one of the MOST AWESOME BATTLE SCENES EVER.
I honestly cried here.

Ep.3 - THE ILLUSION THAT LINGERS AROUND THE ORBIT
This episode was set during the battle of Odessa (November), when the Feddies gave their first kick in the butt of Zeon.
Besides the test of a new Zeon Mobile suit, this episode focus on propaganda and its uses from both Zeon and the Feddies.
I loved how everything was all "vintage" and "retro" XD Because of this, I used screencaps from the propaganda clips of Zeon :D
I HAD TO SHOW YOU THIS XD The Feddies were still developing their very proper mobil suits but meanwhile they mostly used these thingies. Look at how badass they look here, all shark-decorated just like the American bombers in WWII x3 !!!

This time the protagonist is "ace" Major Jean Luc Duvall. Carismatic and handsome, he's your standard Zeon Officer for you-- Someone who doesn't really can't stand to lose.

(Another shot because I say so)

And here's his weapon, the totally cool Zudah"
--Unfortunately, though, Oliver will get to know that the Zudah is nothing but a fail-prototype who was released at the same time of the Zaku, but couldn't pass the final test because of a fatal malfunction.
Despite this, Jean Luc will keep piloting it, and also Hideto and Monique will...FOR THE GLORY OF ZEON AND THE FUCKING ZUDAH >o< !!!!

Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO - AOCALYPSE 0079

"I finally understand.
I have watched over men who put their lives at risk by fighting. Those men have placed their lives in the machines they are assigned to.
No matter what kind of machine they use, the records that were taken will be left for future generations to use.
That's why, no matter how harsh the future is... Those men believed in following only one path..."
As shown in the previous series, these OVAs focus on how the willpower of the soldier enhance the usefulness of a weapon, because that's what the soldier is betting his life on ;_; !!

Ep.01 - I SAW THE OCEAN IN JABURO'S SKY
This time the mission of the 603 unit is trying to stop the departure to space of the Feddie's ship by trying to intercept them in Jaburo's airspace.

The guy selected for this mission is the REALLY-REALLY-WEIRD Sub Lieutenant Werner Holbein, an arrogant marine officer who has a fixation for the sea.
Nicknamed "Seaman" by Monique, he's probably my favourite "extra" character :D

He has to take dow the Feddies with his Mobile Diver Ze'Gok.
--This episode was very frustrating to watch XD

Ep.2 - GO BEYOND THE PEAKS OF THE BEAMS OF LIGHT
THIS EPISODE, OH MY GOD.
*coughs* -- Set on December, it shows Zeon's forces getting desperate after the loss of Solomon fortress.
Deploying unexpected "elite soldiers" and developing "mobile pods" will prevent the fall of A Baoa Qu..?

First of all, a new character is introduced:

Enters Colonel Commander Herbert von Kuspen, some smartass elite guy who "occupied" the Jotunheim ignoring Monique and Martin's resistance XD
I gotta say that I completely fell for this guy ;___;
Also, I was terrified that he came out as a "villain" but-- Not mean to spoil, but he was quite awesome too ;__;

--He even pilots his own custom Gelgoog-- He can't be that bad XD

Now onto today's protagonist:
He's the cadet Erwin Cadillac, Monique's little brother nonetheless!
You can imagine Herbert's eaction when he realizes that the "elite soldiers" that he was expecting was nothing but a bunch of 17 years old cadets ;_____;

On top of everything they had to pilot puny Oggos, the Zeon version of a Ball ;_; !!
But-- Erwin and Co. will totally made great use of them ;_;
(also, sorry for the pedo, but I can totally see Herbert/Erwin happening offscreen, despite Monique's horror XD)

Awww, brotherly love x'DDDD <3
On top of everything, I wonder how 17 years old Elwin is taller that 23 years old Monique ^_^;;

Ep.03 - SPIRITS RETURNING TO THUNDER
As Zeon uses its lethal Solar Ray to destroy a Feddie fleet, our heroes receive the prototype of a Mobile Armor to test.
As defeat is getting closer and closer, what is a soldier supposed to do..?
This episode was particularly touching, 'cause it show the exasperation and vengeful feelings of the Feddies too.

To everyone's shock, the pilot of the huge mobile armor is going to be Oliver himself!
At first horrified by the changes made to the original project, he came to understand the meaning behind the making of such a weapon, and his role not just as an engineer, but as a Zeon soldier too...

And here's Oliver's weapon, the Big Rang.
--Kinda grotesque, isn't it ^_^; ..?

Ugh, that's it, going to bed now-- Sorry for any eventual typos or grammar horrors, I'm way TOO TIRED to double check this XD
--I hope it's understable enough!