Gundam Evolve
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| Gundam Evolve | |
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| ガンダムEVOLVE (Gundam Evolve) |
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| Genre | Comedy, Drama, Mecha |
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| Original run | – |
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Gundam Evolve (ガンダムEVOLVE?), also known as Mobile Suit Gundam Evolve, is a series of short films set in the different timelines of the Gundam series. Originally there were only five Evolve Episodes, produced from 2001 to 2003, Bandai started to create new Evolve episodes in 2004. While the first few episodes took place in the Universal Century (save for God Gundam), the new clips also show Gundams from the other timelines.
The clips often show alternative scenes, side-stories or omakes for fans. The clips feature a mix of animation media which go from traditional cels to 3-D CG rendering to even cel-shaded 2-D animation. The target is to show the Gundams and other mobile suits in high quality CGI.
[edit] Episode Summaries
[edit] 01 – RX-78-2 GUNDAM
This episode is the only one which features no CG. Instead it is a short clip show of the original Gundam series. In this episode Amuro Ray sits in his RX-78-2 Gundam waiting to start in the final battle of A Baoa Qu while the other forces already fight. He recalls many of the battles he has fought until now, beginning with his fight against the mobile armor Elmeth when he killed Lalah Sune. Afterwards he recalls the battle against the Black Tri-Stars, Ramba Ral and Char Aznable. He also thinks about the people important to him who died, like Ryu Jose, Matilda Ajan and Sleggar Law. Then he hears Sayla Mass who tells him that if they can overcome war, humanity should as well. Afterwards Amuro launches.
[edit] 02 – RX-178 GUNDAM Mk-II
The events of this episode take place after the Gryps Conflict. The story revolves around a video tape which is sent to Kamille Bidan by Argama chief engineer Astonaige Medoz. On the video Astonaige wishes him a quick recovery and it also contains a video scene from a battle training at which Kamille participated during the Gryps Conflict. In the training he uses the Gundam Mk.II to fight against several drones and two Rick Dias in a combat simulation. Although he thinks it is too easy he accidentally destroys the camera recording the training. The episode ends with a written report by Kamille apologizing over damaging the suiveillance pod, in which he wrote in later section denying himself of any responsibility for the incident and protesting over having to write such a formal apology at all.
[edit] 03 – GF13-017NJII GOD GUNDAM
The third Evolve clip is about G Gundam. It features Domon Kasshu who practices Tai Chi with his God Gundam. However suddenly Rain Mikamura appears and attacks him because he was away for two days. He tells her he was only training but she believes that he was off chasing skirts and the two fight. Trying to end the battle, Domon attacks with the God Gundam’s God Finger, causing Rain to counter with the Rising Gundam’s Rising Finger attack. Both attacks clash together with an immense power, but Rain's attack breaks through and heads for Domon. When the smoke clears, Rising Gundam is performing Tai Chi while God Gundam looks on, with insults like "Womanizer" and "Lazy Bum" written all over its head unit.
(It's worth noting that nothing within the actual G Gundam series implies Rising can perform a Finger attack in the manner shown; in the series, the Rising Gundam's strongest attack is the Rising Arrow, which is fired from the beam bow on its left arm. Likewise, Rain being able to outmatch Domon in actual Gundam combat seems strictly for comedy.)
[edit] 04 – RX-78 GP03 DENDROBIUM
After the last clip played in the Future Century this episode again plays in the Universal Century. It is revealed that several people leaked information about the Gundam Development Project to the Zeon Forces because Jamitov Hymem dislikes it. Afterwards a ruined MS-14A Gelgoog is shown floating in space after a group of Gelgoog Marine Types and MS-06F Zaku II mobile suits attack the La Vie en Rose. To counter them a woman named Defrah Kar pilots the Gundam GP03 Dendrobium Stamen to destroy them. To make this easier she uses the Orchis platform and, thanks to its powerful weapons, is easily able to destroy them, and thanks to her I-field she is even able to defend herself from the attack of a large battleship. However, after the battle and while ejecting the Stamen from the Orchis, a severely damaged Gelgoog is able to shoot at the cockpit of the Stamen, killing Defrah and incidentally destroying the experimental cockpit. Afterwards the people who looked on the Gundam data examine the data of the GP04 Gerbera. This animation may explain the confusion concerning the two types of cockpits for the Stamen unit.
[edit] 05 – RX-93 ν GUNDAM
This episode shows a bright alternative scenario for Quess Paraya from Char's Counterattack, as Tomino's attitude during Char's Counteratack was rather grim and depressing. The episode begins with Quess, who had apparently used the NZ-333 Alpha Azieru to severally damage Hathaway Noa's RGM-89 Jegan. Afterwards Amuro Ray in his RX-93 Nu Gundam has a Newtype reaction to her and confronts her. He accuses her of not understanding Hathaway's feelings, but Quess doesn't listen and attacks him. However Amuro is able to trap her inside the Fin Funnel's beam barrier. Afterwards they hear Hathaway who tells Quess not to be angry, and Amuro tells Quess that Hathaway isn't dead. Thanks to this and Amuro's words she calms down and she finally uses the Alpha Azieru to rescue Hathaway.
This episode was written by Yoshiyuki Tomino, whose change of outlook used this animation to give Quess a happy ending as an alternative to her tragic death in the movie.
[edit] 06 – YMF-X000A DREADNOUGHT GUNDAM
The clip starts off with a battle between the YMF-X000A Dreadnought and several ZGMF-600 GuAIZ. Although Prayer Reverie tells them that he doesn’t want to fight they continue and one of them slams him in an asteroid. Suddenly a DRAGOON-Equipped Dreadnought “ghost” appears, separates itself from the real Dreadnought and attacks the GuAIZ, destroying all of them very easy. Afterwards it fires all its weapons on the real Dreadnought but the attack is stopped by the CAT1-X1/3 Hyperion. Then the two suits battle and finally Prayer joins the fight and together with the Hyperion he destroys the “ghost”. At last the two suits turn their weapons on each other. In the end, this turned out to be a dream of Prayer's, foreshadowing his eventual battle with the Hyperion.
It would seem the CG was downgraded from previous Evolves, with animations being overly twitchy and the overall 3D feel to the models was lost.
[edit] 07 - XXXG-00W0 WING GUNDAM ZERO
This episode begins with a figure in a spacesuit (Heero Yuy) setting bombs, then fades to Gundam engineer Doctor J, apparently imprisoned. He talks to a shadowy visitor about history and his young protogee as the spacesuited person tries to escape the facility he has just sabotaged. The guards catch up to him, but he uses a nearby WF-02MD Virgo II to distract them and escape to his machine - Wing Zero. Heero uses the twin buster rifle to break out of the base's hangar, but loses the weapon in the escape and resorts to using a Virgo II beam rifle instead. He is chased by Virgo IIs along the length of the facility, which is actually a gigantic colony cannon. After dealing with his persuers, Heero attacks the cannon directly with his beam rifle as the bombs begin to go off. Doctor J finishes his narration, commenting to his visitor (now revealed as Relena Peacecraft) that he chose Heero's codename personally. As the colony cannon explodes, Heero flies away to his next mission.
It should be noted that this Evolve's place within Gundam Wing continuity is unclear, but it appears to take place during the last story arc of the series, after White Fang captures Relena but before Doctor J dies. During this period, Heero was working with the other four Gundam pilots; their absence from this mission is a source of much of this confusion.
[edit] 08 - GAT-X105 STRIKE GUNDAM
In a secret ZAFT desert base, the Aile Strike Gundam faces off against several GINN OCHER Types. The animation adapted the style of visual special effect seen in The Matrix.
[edit] 09 - MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam
In space there lies a giant mobile armor called the Psycho Weapon and it's decimating the EFSF fleets so it's up to 3 Zeta Gundams to destroy the huge weapon...
Although numbered 9, this Evolve is the currently last to come out. It is said to feature three Zeta Gundams, three pilots with the aliases Red Snake, Grey Wolf, and White Unicorn as well as an enormous MA of unknown affiliation in orbit (the ending credits suggest a name "Blue Rose"). There is also the mentioning of the Chakra Laboratory of AEUG and a top-secret mission.
Red Snake's Zeta Gundam is red, with redesigned armour on the chest, feet, skirt and lower leg. The new armour sports a spiked look. In addition, the wings are wider and pointed, and there is a large vertical spike behind its head, apparently prodruding from the middle of its back. The pilot apparently is a young Newtype girl named Yurii Ajissah, who holds a special feeling towards the squad leader White Unicorn.
White Unicorn is believed to be the legendary ace Amuro Ray, based on the physical appearance, personal logo, military ranking, Yurii's memory of their encounter at Side 6 during the One Year War, and most importantly, Toru Furuya being the character's voice actor. His Zeta Gundam unit appears to be the same one that Amuro piloted in the short CGI film Green Divers (white with purple stripes, plus Amuro's "A" symbol on the left shoulder armour).
Grey Wolf's Zeta Gundam (nicknamed Buster Zeta) unit is an orange colour with two additional fins/airfoils on its upper back. According to official sources, Grey Wolf is unhappy with his machine's colors. This, coupled with his nickname and the fact that he is a former Zeon pilot, seems to imply that Grey Wolf is actually Zeon ace pilot Shin Matsunaga, the infamous "White Wolf of Solomen". Similarly, the original pilot of Red Snake's Zeta is implied to be Johnny Ridden, who was reassigned since Red Zeta is a Newtype-use machine.
[edit] 10 - MSZ-010 ZZ GUNDAM
Judau is assigned to recover the space transport ship Jupitris on his (probably also his girlfriend Roux Louka's) birthday. While on the recovery missions he encounters Neo-Zeon forces pursuing a AMX-004-3 Quebeley MK.II. Seeing the Quebeley posing no threat, Judau assists it in destroying the Neo-Zeon squad, allowing the Quebeley to land safely on Jupitris.
The last image of this short film shows a pilot whose face isn't seen, yet it bears a striking resemblance to an old friend...
[edit] 11 – RB-79 BALL
A Baoa Qu, the grounds of the final battle of the One Year War. As the scars of war remain fresh in the battlefield, novice Federation pilot Hiden surveys the area in a RB-79 Ball. Word comes in that Zeon remnants are about to attack. Though afraid, the young pilots proceed through the silent interiors of A Baoa Qu. Without warning, gunshots echo through the air and the party is decimated one-by-one. When Hiden, the sole survivor, presses further into the depths, he discovers the harsh reality behind war...
[edit] 12 – RMS-099 RICK DIAS
Quattro Bajeena boards his Rick Dias for a battle simulation to transfer combat data to the mass-production model. The data personnel has some fun with him, turning the Rick Dias's monitor red, revealing his own old Zaku from his "Red Comet" days as his opponent. Quattro is gradually cornered by the Zaku... Can he win against the Red Comet? And then he switches to the Hyaku Shiki...
[edit] 13 - RMS-108 MARASAI
As the AEUG attempt to enter the atmosphere for the drop operation on Jaburo, they come under attack by the Titan's Marasai mobile suits.
[edit] 14 - SD Musha Gundam
As evil Zaku bandits terrorise the country of Ark, Rekka Musha Gundam comes to the rescue. When the bandit's leader transforms into the gigantic Hadou Musha Mazaku, Rekka is forced to use an ancient scroll and become the powerful Dai-Shogun to save the day.
[edit] Music
- Black Stars by Sumitada Azumano (Evolve 6, 7)
- SOLDIER -Kanashimi No Shi- by Chino (Evolve 8)
- Konnamon Janai! by Shoichiro Hirata (Evolve 10)
- TIME IS ON MY SIDE by LISA (Evolve 11, 12, 13)
- shift by Sachiko Tsujimoto (Evolve 14)
- Owaranu Mirai by Jiro Kawakami
[edit] DVD Release
- Gundam Evolve../+ - Evolve 1-5 (9/6/2003)
- Gundam Evolve../Ω - Evolve 6-10 (10/27/2006)
- Gundam Evolve../α - Evolve 10-15 (1/26/2007)
[edit] External links
- Gundam EVOLVE../ - official site
- Gundam Evolve @ Bandai Channel
- Gundam Evolve (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Gunota Headlines
| Mobile Suit Gundam alternate timelines |
Future Century:
Others:
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| Alternate Timelines |
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| Universal Century | Cosmic Era | SD Gundam |
