Revisiting the one and only Zeta Gundam. It's been ages, and this is my first time experiencing it in HD so I'm excited.

I have a lot of respect for Zeta, despite its chaotic nature and mixed fan response. It's a quintessential anime, and I view it as the show that really propelled my interest in Tomino's works.

And for whatever reason, Zeta Gundam's the only Gundam I was ever able to convince both of my siblings to watch. My younger sister loves it—my older brother not so much!

I once intern'd at a small company whose goal is to build manned mecha for commercial and industrial use. In my interview we briefly chatted about Zeta Gundam, and I like to presume that it helped me land the position. Anime cred.

Kamille is a man's name and he's a man.

The scene where Bask Om and his goons beat the shit out of Bright and lord over him always gets me triggered.

Quattro Bajeena, in his dedicated effort to concealing his identity, wears a red normal suit and pilots a red-painted Rick Dias noted for its speed.

Zeta Gundam really comes out swinging. The Gundamjacks, the intensity, all the punching and slapping, the Newtype moments... and Kamille witnessing both his parents' deaths firsthand has got to be scarring—something he himself even points out.

Kamille's an interesting fellow. He's very... active. He's always thinking, he's very expressive, always voicing an opinion, and always making moves. I also like that his technical know-how is made clear early on. He's shown designing the Zeta Gundam as early as episode 6.

Shut up, Char

One thing I like about Tomino's anime is that they often namedrop important characters long before the viewer has any idea who they are. Just makes things feel more organic. For instance, Haman is referenced as early as episode 8.

Zeta Gundam is a show about "correcting" each other.

Quattro Bajeena thinks he's very slick by piloting a gold-painted mobile suit. Now nobody will be able to uncover his true identity.

Zeta Gundam has this very amusing sound direction technique: there'll be no music playing in a scene and a character will proclaim something, and it's followed immediately by dramatic music as a sort of "shocking!" moment.

This has always been THE Bright Noa screenshot to me.

Gundam's atmospheric entry battles are always great, and Zeta's (ep 11) is exceptional among them. Love the high-stakes intensity, the utter chaos, Scirocco's involvement, Jerid & Kacricon's desperation, etc.

Captain Quattro, he is a CHAR
He should be becoming the leader b
is satisfied with being meve soldier

"Let's say for a moment that I am Char" has got to be one of his funniest lines. Who are you fooling at this point, bud?

This is youth.

Zeta Gundam is such an interesting show. It is intentionally dramatic and theatrical in the way it presents itself, and its sound direction complements that style very well. The end result is a serious war drama with all these absolutely hilarious moments.

Imagine how momentous it must have been for fans at the time for Char and Amuro to finally meet in Zeta Gundam. Amuro's entrance into the battlefield, followed by the two of them recognizing each other is an epic sequence of events.

The perennial line.

Beltorchika innocently asks "who's that person wearing the sunglasses" as Char casually walks by and then declares that he "seems like a scary person". Yeah, I wouldn't trust Char either. He can't even take the L on his failed disguise.

Amuro and Kamille working together in mobile suit combat is a pleasant sight. Amuro gives guidance mid-battle and Kamille recognizes and respects his abilities.

When you're just trying to nap but a Gundam ruins your day

Amuro Ray's piloting prowess is really quite impressive. He can kick butt on anything. Gundams, non-Gundams, mass production units, etc. He holds his own on the Rick Dias, the Dijeh, the Re-GZ—to name a few—and even bravely maneuvers a cargo aircraft to scare off a Titan elite.

I've always loved everything about this scene. It's ridiculous. Kamille's outburst, Torres and Saegusa's retaliation, Emma's snide remark, followed by Bright laying down the law. All accompanied by goofy music.

It also spawned this very important video.

Have always been a fan of the Zeta Gundam. It's cool and slick and its transformation ability is utilized well. I also like the fact that one of its in-universe designers is Kamille himself.

I really like how the MSG cast are used in Zeta Gundam. Yes, characters like Bright and Char are pivotal to the plot but they don't hog the spotlight. They even convincingly serve to facilitate Kamille's growth as a person.

I have reached the point where Katz, the final boss of Zeta Gundam, has properly joined the fray.

Zeta Gundam's second opening is such a classic. The visuals, the music, the vocals & chorus—so good.

Yazan as a villain / adversary is cool because he has no Newtype ability. He's simply a talented and tenacious pilot and that's what makes him threatening.

Bright eat burger

Goofy Kamille faces

There's a lot going on in Zeta Gundam, so many little subplots that blend together. Kamille and Fa's teenage drama, Emma trying to play the elder sister role, Bright being a guiding voice, Quattro being A Char, Katz being Katz, Jerid's obsession, etc.

I especially like Zeta's space battles and the chaos and confusion they entail. Tomino is a master at utilizing debris, asteroids, colony exteriors, etc., and showing how the emptiness of space can affect pilot mentality and stability.

Haman Karn's first appearance.

Technically not her very first appearance (she briefly appears on-screen in the previous episode) but definitely her introductory scene.

This scene is hilarious in and out of context.

Every other moment involving Char is an exercise in getting the audience to smirk and/or laugh, as far as I'm concerned. Dude's actions are just way too funny.