[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

I've seen the movie. It's really good for what it is: an expansion of an episode about a Zeon deserter who is protecting war orphans as a means of redemption.

First & foremost, I need to warn you that, just like Hathaway, this movie is not a wall-to-wall MS action because (again), like Hathaway, that's not really the point of the story (which I already wrote above).

Spoiler for movie events:

Also, Doan is (a lot) more realistic in this movie. That means there's no MS martial art (there's some grappling though) and there's no Zaku punching a hole trough another Zaku. That said, what Doan did is still impressive. If we only count everything that happened on-screen, he destroyed two fully-armed GMs (+ a Gunperry) with only a worn-out Zaku wielding a heat-hawk. And then he did the same feat against two high-mobility Zakus piloted by aces of Brown Southern Cross. Not too shabby considering he basically piloted a piece of junk with only one working melee weapon. Imagine the nightmare of fighting Doan in a fully armed high-mobility Zaku .

We spent the first hour with Amuro as a semi-hostage (coz Doan hid his Gundam) interacting with Doan & the orphans. This is the part where the movie felt like Ghibli the most and I really enjoyed it. Living a simple life among Doan & the kids with colorful personalities courtesy of Yaz design & writing is both enjoyable & heartbreaking to watch. It's also pretty on-point considering Gundam is an anti-war anime. It's only natural that we spend more time watching how these war orphans cope with life and how they react in front of active military personnels & battles in the 3rd act. And just like Ghibli, it's not all depressing as there are plenty of lighthearted moments.

Doan is, of course, a stand out. IMO he is a better gruff Zeon ace than the likes of Shin Matsunaga or even Norris Packard in terms of personality. And Doan also predates them if we want to get technical. Him dealing with his former comrades & the WMD is pretty satisfying.

The Gundam also gets to shine within its limited screentime. One of Amuro's kills is pretty gruesome but it needed to be done. Doan's Zaku, Gundam & the Southern Cross Zakus got enough action that feels just right. Even Sleggar's GM gets to do something before losing his head .

And speaking of limited screentime, don't expect to get a lot of screentime for characters other than Amuro, Doan & the orphans because this is their movie. Still, I like all the cameos of the various characters. We even get some screentime for General Revil and the traitorous General Elran. M'Quve was also there chewing scenery for a bit. The White Base crew are as as delightful as always. I felt a sense of satisfaction when Sayla backhanded-slap Sleggar. It's about time the man tasted his own medicine . We also get a brand new Brightslap in 4K Ultra HD!!! And Blanca the goat is a scene stealer. And the most important part of the movie: we get more screentime for Ma Boy JOB JOHN!!!.

A very good Cucuruz Doan movie: 8/10