This Week in Anime
The YAS-ification of Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island
by Christopher Farris & Monique Thomas,
The recent Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island film gave Mobile Suit Gundam animation director Yasuhiko "YAS" Yoshikazu the opportunity to redo an infamous chapter in the anime's history. How does the episode hold up with a modern coat of paint?
This movie is streaming on Crunchyroll.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.
Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.
@Lossthief
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@BeeDubsProwl
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@NickyEnchilada
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@vestenet
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Nicky, I don't know how, but even in a season with both The Witch From Mercury and Birdie Wing, I still don't feel like I'm getting enough Gundam in my life. Isn't there anything else to give me my fix for giant robots, Toru Furuya, and maybe even a goat?
Well, if we're talking anime that are the "Greatest of All Time" (GOAT), it's never too late to check out some of the original Gundam 0079 series.
Hmmm...
While no official reason was stated, many believe creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's disdain for episode 15 stems from its low-quality animation. Sometime during production, character designer and animation director Yasuhiko "YAS" Yoshikazu became ill with a serious lung infection that earned him an extended hospitalization. YAS believed he was stricken by overwork and very well could've died. Without his supervision, much of the TV show's quality fell apart. The series' length was cut, and some episodes were outsourced, leading us to our legendarily off-model ghost of an episode.
This is the version we were allowed to have over here.
Like the prequel/retelling The Origin, YAS also directed this film. Many recognize YAS as a great character designer and artist who defined much of Gundam's human characters, but few know his history as a director and animator. For that, we have Mike Toole to thank for already doing the work for us. Classic Mike.
Even in old age, it's clear that Yoshikazu Yasuhiko has retained his touch as an artist. Records have shown that we have his artistic sensibilities to thank for making each character feel iconic, and he also frequently contributed to their personalities. He's as essential to Gundam as Tomino, which the two of them would qualm over many times in the years following the show's original run, resulting in a love/hate personal and professional relationship, even famously going as far as coming to blows at the Crusher Joe premiere.
And even more focally, you have the ahem, decidedly dadlier take on the titular Doan in his design for this movie.
I guess you could say they...YAS-sified him?
While The Origin OVAs conveniently omit Doan's Island, they might also serve as a successful attempt to revitalize the original for a modern audience. They're equally gorgeous!
Seeing something old might also instill some appreciation for the new, but I also hope the same is true in reverse. Usually, I'm cynical about most remakes and retellings as quick cash grabs, but Gundam's core themes remain on point. It's no wonder it is still relevant beyond toy marketing.
You know you're self-assured in your themes when you have Doan turn to the camera, and all-but-verbatim intone the "War is bad" message from that famous Gundam meme image.
The children are under the care of Cucuruz Doan, who, despite his rugged appearance, is quite gentle and seeks to foster a meager yet peaceful existence isolated from the ongoing war. I particularly love this little metaphor for the healing that can be obtained from a post-war existence, just as the ash becomes a proper bed for fresh farmland.
All of that is to say, no matter what Doan does to escape the war, he's still forced to be entangled in it.
While on the topic of White Base: I think we should let a mobile suit sit on top of a vehicle craft. Y'know, for peak, "Wow, Cool Robot!" energy?
But for real, while it's not shying away from how hellish war is, the movie doesn't skimp on snazzing up those robots. The opening scenes of Doan's attacks on the Federation GMs are dripping with ferocious energy, contrasting with Doan's gentle demeanor.
Doan's Zaku from the original anime would go on to become something of a joke throughout the franchise. But here, they make the Zaku scary.
Importantly, the movie's goat also gets a sequence of stylized frames for its attacks. Because yeah, as foreshadowed, this is another Gundam entry with a goat.
Also, yes, they bring back The Slap™️, though my points still go to the original on that one.
In a movie otherwise defined by its heavier, more realistic approach to the grandfather of the Real Robot genre, Char's sequence stands out in its inventive indulgences.
While the island represents a vision of the future for Doan, you could also take it as a potential present for Amuro. Deserting, living out the simple life, plowing crops, and fixing things that need to be fixed. It reflects a "what if," yet he proudly displays the will to fight when necessary in acknowledgment of his growth.
Still, we do come to understand how his time on the island with Doan contributed just one component to the man we know Amuro would grow into. It does a good job of presenting the character at his crossroads as a sheltered kid who's had to step up as a capable soldier. It's tempered by the intimacy of YAS getting to explore moments in these characters' lives that he and others have defined for over forty years.
This is someone who was far less enthusiastic about smashing another person with his mobile suit than Suletta was.
That Cucuruz Doan's Island is celebrated by the Gundam fandom at the same time as G-Witch is bringing in more new fans than ever before...well, that's just a bonus.
Even before I watched anything Mobile Suit-related, I knew how many anime were inspired by it in one shape or another. Not only Gundam but much of anime as we know it wouldn't be the same without Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (and hey, let's not forget his direct contributions to many other anime too!)
That said, we could use more anime where all the exploding clouds of destruction are colored pink. YAS had it right. It's time for everyone to start learning from past examples and remember: if it's not pink, it stinks!
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