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REVIEW: Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt GN 1




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belvadeer





PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 1:25 pm Reply with quote
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That means the death count starts high and only continues climbing. No character is safe.


So it's basically spoiler[Star Wars Rogue One].

Regarding the music comment, were you expecting the manga to play the songs on their respective pages or something, Lauren? I'm kind of surprised you state a book not being able to play music as a knock against it. That's like saying you're taking a star off a review for a dishwasher because it doesn't also put away the dishes for you after washing them.


Last edited by belvadeer on Sat Feb 18, 2017 4:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
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jroa



Joined: 08 Aug 2012
Posts: 536
PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 2:22 pm Reply with quote
It's a pretty good start. The continuity does end up a little more murky and messed up in the future, as in a few volumes down the line, with all the technological upgrades extending beyond known OYW-era tech and some weird antagonists that seem out of place, but the artwork remains as strong as always and manages to carry the rest on its back. As for the characters, well...they alternate between despicable and sympathetic.

belvadeer wrote:

Regarding the music comment, were you expecting the manga to play the songs on their respective pages or something, Lauren? I'm kind of surprised you state a book not being able to play music as a knock against it. That's like saying you're taking a star off a review for a dishwasher because it doesn't also put away the dishes for you after washing them.


Given that most people on this side of the pond probably only came across Thunderbolt after the anime version came out, it's easier to understand where the initial trigger for that criticism comes from. That said...it's also perfectly valid, in my opinion, because the story itself does make music-related references that won't mean as much without context.
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Utsuro no Hako



Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 1032
PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 3:34 pm Reply with quote
Is it just me, or do the main characters look like they belong in a sports manga instead of the Gundam universe?
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 4:29 pm Reply with quote
Utsuro no Hako wrote:
Is it just me, or do the main characters look like they belong in a sports manga instead of the Gundam universe?


The art style for Thunderbolt is certainly unique for Gundam, if anything.


Last edited by belvadeer on Sat Feb 18, 2017 6:31 pm; edited 1 time in total
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SHD



Joined: 05 Apr 2015
Posts: 1752
PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 4:38 pm Reply with quote
Utsuro no Hako wrote:
Is it just me, or do the main characters look like they belong in a sports manga instead of the Gundam universe?

Not really? Aside of how there's no fixed "Gundam universe" design, I think they look fairly retro, just in a different way than old-school Gundam characters do. Look at the costumes, the haircuts (oh, Claudia...), etc.

jroa wrote:
As for the characters, well...they alternate between despicable and sympathetic.

I agree about most of your criticism (after a few volumes I started to get the feeling that the writer had no idea what he was doing and just kept pulling things out of his ass), but especially this. I just don't know what to make of Io, really. Even with the backstory and everything he's sort of inconsistent. And there's way too little of Daryl...

Anyway, the review says the only thing the manga is missing is the music, but to me it's the voices. I'm used to manga without music (Sakamichi no Apollon/Kids on the Slope was just fine without actual music, and IMO the music in the anime didn't add all that much to it that the original didn't have), and in any case I'm really not into free jazz and it kept distracting and annoying me in the anime. The casting, though, was really good and the voices got stuck in my head.
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Topgunguy



Joined: 08 Dec 2015
Posts: 258
PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 4:05 am Reply with quote
When it comes to the anime version, the jazz music was really annoying (not a fan) and made Thunderbolt unwatchable for me.
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CoreSignal



Joined: 04 Sep 2014
Posts: 727
Location: California, USA
PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:45 pm Reply with quote
I was really impressed by the Thunderbolt anime and Thunderbolt (at least this first arc) is now one of favorite Gundam entries. I'm loving the manga so far. Even in this first volume, you already get some back story and development lacking in the anime.

Ohtagaki's art is great. The more grounded character designs fit the tone of the story and his renditions of the classic Gundam, GM, Zaku designs look great. All the shields on the Thunderbolt Gundam still look a little goofy but I've grown to like it.

Music in general is difficult to incorporate into manga (or western comics) in general, so the music motif isn't all that effective in the manga. The anime definitely has the advantage in that regard. Anyway, this is a really high-quality release, with a nice, sturdy cover and thick pages. Can't wait for future volumes.
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Wrangler



Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 1346
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 7:20 am Reply with quote
The art by Ohtagaki's is a master piece of manga. Story is done in sense of old school manga masters of 20th Century. Really detailed, incredible depth to it. While story is hard for someone to swallow depending how much of body count your dealing with.

Reading the Origins, I've found Thunderbolt is much better art wise. Story very realistically done, Idealistic young people are sent into the meat grinder of the Thunderbolt theater dealing with Veteran Zeon soldiers.

I've read the entire thing, but the beyond the Thunderbolt part I saw some dabbles of and I'm not sure its going to be as good.
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