Welcome to Gundam Plus II, the successor to the original Gundam Plus site.
Episode 1 - Day of the Unicorn
I’ll be honest and up front, I don’t want to be the one writing this review. This doesn’t reflect on Unicorn itself in any way but it’s just that I myself know I’m not the best reviewer and would rather let someone else who has more writing talent do it. That said, the pair of folks who said they would have disappeared so with it being close to a month since DVD release I figured something has to be done. In other words, count this is a quick and dirty “just the facts” review and lacking the usual twisted humor I like to inject into my recaps when I write them.
But don’t expect me to be going over scene by scene, word for word – I’ll still give you enough to go by so you know what’s going on but you really should watch the episode/part yourself if possible.
We start off by being taken to space where we’re in an Earth orbital station. This is the day where everything changes, the end of the A.D. calendar and welcome the birth of the UC calendar. While the ceremonies are taking place we see a group of young people doing something to the station, which turns out to be them altering the solar panels to focus a beam of sunlight onto the station too destroy it in a terrorist act. We then see the escape craft of said young people explode with one, the one we focused on, being blown into space. As he reaches up to something in the space we then skip forward to present time as the boy is now a very old man (Syam Vist) lying in a bed seeing the Earth above him. Another man (Cardeas Vist) enters the room and they begin to discuss something that happened and how it will go towards fixing the “distortion” the Universal Century began nearly 100 years prior as they also note that the Earth is nearly at the point of being fully over-populated. It is during this conversation we first hear the reference to “Laplace’s Box” as we’re taken to the title screen.
We then head to what looks like a freighter of some sort as we see a girl (Audrey Burne) getting a jacket as the ship is under attack as we see that the ship is in fact the Sleeves ship Garencieres and that we learn from the bridge crew that it is Federation mobile suits doing the shooting. The ship deploys Marida Cruz in her mobile suit, the Kshatria, to deal with them while they try to outrun the larger forces. She deals with the Federation units quite easily and returns to the ship as we see it’s headed for the moon.
Over to the Lunar orbit and we’re taken to a station there as we over hear what sounds like a history lecture of the One Year War while we see small worker suits gathering material. It is also during this we get our first look at the hero of the story, that being Banagher Links. Turns out it is a lecture as we see that it’s a classroom full of students at the Anaheim Electronic Engineering School including Banagher and his pals Micott (who appears to have a thing for him) and Takuya. After the class is dismissed we see Banagher looking off into the space while Micott is trying to flirt with him when he spots something in the distance in the stars that looks like the trial from a mobile suit as it jets off. Looking closer he has what looks like a Newtype sensation as the suit, to him, appears to be the Unicorn. Turns out it was the Unicorn as we see it flying through the area being tested with a pilot on board. As with all prototype Mobile Suits, the pilot they have can’t handle the speed and power of it as we also see that Cardeas is also on board evaluating the test.
With the test concluded we learn via Cardeas’ assistant Gael that it was forces from Londo Bell that engaged with the Sleeves near the beginning. After they briefly discuss it Cardeas announces to the personnel that the test of a success and that they will seal off the Os. The scene ends with Cadreas in his office as he calls up a picture of Banagher.
Back in space as we see the Sleeves arrive as the lunar station while they secretly deploy a Mobile Suit to head elsewhere. They bridge crew briefly discusses what the Laplace’s Box could be but we learned nothing of substance. Over to Audrey and we see that she’s snuck off the ship and begins to work her way through the station to reach wherever she’s headed but she gets lost and runs into trouble that causes her to fall from high in the station towards the ground area below.
On the surface, Banagher is having a meal when he senses something and rushes off to ‘borrow’ a small worker mobile suit. Taking it he rushes off to catch Audrey as she falls but the Ms is low on power so after saving her the unit crashes into the surface of the colony. After landing Audrey asks Banagher to take her to the Colony Builder and that she is tight for time to reach there implying if she doesn’t make it something terrible will happen which she says is ‘war’. Hearing this, Banagher agrees to help her get there and as they take a public transport we learn that the mansion of the Vist foundation is rumored to be located where the Colony Builder is.
Back at the crash site for the MS and we see that Marida is ‘undercover’ and searching for Audrey as we see that the public transport was stopped for ‘safety concerns’. Banagher decides they should get off and keep moving as we go back and see Marida knows that Audrey is headed for the Vist Mansion. Back with Banagher as he sneaks Audrey in with his College group that is visiting the area where the Colony Builder is they are stopped in their lift by Marida who asks that Audrey comes quietly. Audrey refuses and a brief scuffle breaks out and, somehow, Banagher is able to outwit Marida and her companions and get Audrey out of there. Down in the hanger area for the Unicorn as Gael shows Cardeas that they have spotted Audrey moving about and he is surprised to see that Banagher is with her as Gael questions if this will affect the ‘boxes entrustment’.
Back with Banagher as he and Audrey arrive at the Vist Foundation mansion and Banagher walks into the mansion in an almost trace like state and heads into a room where there is tapestry of various types but all having a Unicorn on it. As they look at it Cardeas enters the room and introduces and alerts Audrey he knows who she is before telling Banagher that his job is done and that he should leave. Audrey says why she is there and notes that Cardeas must reconsider entrusting the Laplace’s Box to them. As they begin to discuss further Cardeas again tells Banagher to leave, even threatening to kick him out of the college since he’s the chairman, but he refuses until Audrey tells him to do such as she no longer needs him. Reluctantly, Banagher does in the end leave and is none too happy about it. After he is gone Cardeas says he is still going through with the deal despite Audrey’s warnings. They also drop hints of “Full frontal being the next Char”, “The key to the box” and other things that will make sense down the line. Over to Marida as she’s ordered to head back to the ship and bought up to speed on what’s happening and to “prepare for the worst”.
In space, the sleeves suit that was sent out when they arrived starts picking up that Londo Bell forces have moved is as Marida has a newtype sensation while boarding her unit. Back at the mansion as the Captain of the Sleeves ship, Suberoa Zinnerman, begins to finalize the deal for the Laplace box as Cardeas has altered the deal slightly and is now only offering “the key” and not the box. Zinnerman asks about the box still stating we don’t know anything about it other than it could over throw the Federation. While this is happening the situation outside the station falls apart as the Sleeves and Londo Bell forces start fighting with the superior Federation units easily defeating the lone Sleeve mobile suit. Things continue to get worse as Marida deploys and begins to move into the colony as more Londo Bell units move into and around the colony. At the end of Cardeas speech/monologue we learn that whatever the Laplace’s box is has the power to save everything to destroy the world. We also learn that the Sleeves may or may not be involved in attempting to revive Zeon.
The fighting has now entered the colony as Marida is fighting off a number of Jegan type mobile suits and damaging the colony in the process. During the fight, Marida hits one of the reactors of the Londo Bell’s units causing severe damage to the colony as Banagher sees it from the part of the colony he’s on and races off to find Audrey with Micott following after him. We also see some other ground type mobile suits approach the Vist Mansion and deploy some ground troops to storm the mansion.
Seeing this Audrey flees the mansion and Cardeas decrees that the Federation cannot take the Unicorn and they must stop them from doing such. In space the Londo Bell cruiser begins to fire on the colony as we watch the launch sequence for a few of the Federation mobile suits. Back on the station we see as the people of Banagher’s class are trying to get in the shelter while across the way Banagher is trying to get out of the area to find Audrey, with Micott and Takuya behind him looking on. A beam strikes nearby and knocked the three down as the mobile suits continue their battle overhead. We then see that outside of the three, the entire college class was wiped out by the explosion. Banagher tells Takuya to take care of Micott and to try to find shelter with the Federation as he leaves to find Audrey with Micott screaming behind him to stay with her.
Back with Zinnerman as he’s trying to escape but loses a pair of his crew to the Federation Special Ops as we also see Cardeas and Gael rushing to the hanger to delete the OS that runs the Unicorn but Gael is forced to stay behind to cover Cardeas from the Federation troops. Reaching the hanger area Cardeas is cornered exiting the elevator as it appears that someone named “Alberto” betrayed him. We watch as Banagher encounters Zinnerman, who ignores him along with Cardeas escaping but suffering a gunshot wound during such while Mardia is still fighting inside the colony against the Londo Bell forces as she searches for Audrey, whom she calls “Princess”. During this Audrey encounters Micott and Taluya and are saved from an explosion by a passing Federation ReZel.
Over the Banagher again as he’s moving along and finds that he’s headed into the hanger area where the Unicorn is housed. Heading to the cockpit area he finds Cardeas there as it appears the man is preparing the unit for something. Banagher yells at Cardeas for not helping and being a part of the war that has come to the colony and says that he should at least do something. Cardeas goes on a speech about brining balance or something like that back to humanity and then asks Banagher if he has the will to follow through noting that “she” (meaning Audrey) doesn’t have it easy and things will get tougher before they get easier. Banagher says he just wanted her to need him and Cardeas accepts it and turns over the sole command of the Unicorn to him. He also tells him that the Unicorn will show him the path to the Laplace’s box and also reveals that he is Banagher’s father.
Cardeas then exits the cockpit and the hatch closes and is killed by an explosion as the Unicorn activates. In the colony Marida thinks she’s found Audrey but instead encounters the Unicorn and it flies into her unit and pushes it through the various walls of the colony into space. Once there the episode ends as everyone watches the Unicorn transforms and reveals that it is indeed a Gundam.
Nimrod’s thoughts: Well, I’m not sure what to fully make of it. Going by the animation this is simply amazing as I would hazard to say it’s the best looking of all the Gundam series and movies. That said, while the story is interesting it’s not the best and there are still a few holes here and there though those may be cleared up in future parts. Still, at $35-40 for this one episode DVD and upwards of $50 for the Blu-Ray I simply cannot tell you to rush out and buy it. It’s just not worth it for even the biggest of Gundam fans.
If you can get it for cheap then it’s another matter but for now, hold off till the box set of the entire thing is out for a decent price.
