Gundam UC

[paizuri]

Posting to unlock this thread.

[GloryQuestor]

Thanks, paizuri.

I've recently started picking up UC Gundam titles. Asides from the original, Gundam 0083 seemed to have a good story behind it ... at least, until you looked at the characters driving the story.

Here was my observations and opinions on the three main characters of Gundam 0083 - let me know what you think:

(Each is in a spoiler block for those who haven't seen the series yet)

Anavel Gato

Spoiler :

Gato is the personification of true faith in his ideals.

He is the guy I strangely found myself sympathizing with -- which is odd, since he is the "Nightmare of Solomon" and killer of so many people. Yet, as explained later, he is the only character you can truly believe.

One of the big draws for this character is his charisma, which inspires his fellow soldiers to follow him anywhere to complete Operation Stardust. He is clear of purpose, knowing what to do and what needs to be done to achieve his overall goals and aims.

Kou Iraki

Spoiler :

Kou is the personification of blind faith and limited ideals.

He really has no aims in life, other than piloting. He's thrilled to be piloting the Gundam Unit 01, spending all of his time obsessed with it. Whatever time you see him resting, he's in the cockpit of the Gundam, either around in it or collecting data from it.

At the end, when the three are facing each other down, his faith is crushed when Nina turns on him (more on her below). At that point, he doesn't know what is good or bad. The Federation turns on them, the Zeon criticize him, and now the "it-girl" turns a gun on him.

By the end of the series, he's just the same aimless character as at the beginning -- a little wiser, a bit more mature, but still the same guy he was when he began.

Nina Purpleton

Spoiler :

Nina is the woman with no faith in anyone but herself.

From the beginning, you knew this woman was going to be a class act. First, she designs these two giant, super-powerful robots -- one that even has nuclear-attack capability. Of course, Gato just happens to bring a lift right up to Gundam Unit 02, get inside, and activates it just like that. While many would put that off as lax security (as the show tries to represent), that neither one of the Gundams were equipped with security measures is completely unforgivable.

What security measures could Nina have taken? How about a simple lock on the cockpit door? If that's not enough, why not install software safeguards, even requiring a disk key or some other physical restraint that requires codes to unlock? Yet, for all it's power, there are no safeguards against theft, no restrictions against either robot being approached, boarded, and a few switches turned on.

It gets worse from here. Now we have either: a whimpy, whinny girl who cries over Kou and the Gundams every chance she gets; or the girl who's pleased with herself when the Gundams fly around or succeed. Yes, let's watch the ultra-powerful robot fly around and perform tricks for our lovely Nina. Sheesh.

Who isn't waiting for someone to come up to her, slap her across the face, and shout at her "THESE THINGS ARE WAR MACHINES! THEY ARE MADE FOR KILLING PEOPLE!" The destruction of the Naval Review by Unit 02's bomb should be her fault. The blood of all those lives should be on her hands, and she should know that. Instead, she's still a giggly-eyed little girl in her robot fantasy-land with her latest squeeze, Kou Iraki -- someone bring her a dose of reality, please.

Her reasons get even more convoluted from there. Why doesn't she want Kou piloting Unit 03 and possibly saving lives? Because she doesn't want to see Kou and Gato fight?! Gato is going to fight no matter what, and she thinks just because she tries to stop Kou, everything is going to turn out alright in the end -- while Gato is destroying ships left and right?

And then, THEN, just when you think it couldn't get any worse, she pulls a gun on Kou when he tries to stop Gato from dropping the colony where it's supposed to hit - the North American granary area. Kou, the man she was so willing to hold and hug, the man she wanted to love her, is held up at gunpoint by Nina for no other clear reason but that she doesn't want to see Kou and Gato fight.

Out of all the characters I've seen in anime, Nina Purpleton is perhaps the most selfish, conceited, egotistical person ever conceived ... and for some reason, she gets away with all of it. Kou would have gotten a year of labor just for stealing the Unit 03 and saving the galaxy. However, Nina, whose lack of design caused the Unit 02 to be stolen and used on the Naval Review and whose lack of judgment in trying to delay Kou from battling caused even more destruction by Gato that could have been prevented ... gets absolutely nothing.

[Android raptor]

It's been a while since I've seen 0083, but I do think that the nickname "Dopey the Dwarf" suits Nina very well.

[GloryQuestor]

It's been a while since I've seen 0083, but I do think that the nickname "Dopey the Dwarf" suits Nina very well.

I never thought of it like that, actually.