Believing in the Sign of Zeta...

For those of you who didn't know, over Columbus Day weekend, I took advantage of a large buildup of frequent flyer miles I had amassed with Northwest Airlines via my travels to and from China and Japan in 2005 and went to Chicago. (It's still weird to think of both of those not only in the past tense, but a whole separate year now, Japan especially). The primary purpose of this trip, aside from a weekend away, was to attend the first Anime Focus portion of the Chicago International Film Festival. As a special treat, the event would be the American premiere of the Zeta Gundam movie trilogy. But even more of a treat was who came stateside along with the movies, none other than the creator of Gundam himself, Tomino Yoshiyuki*.

Before each film, Tomino gave a little bit of input about his feelings regarding each film and the project of converting the twenty year old 50 episode television series into a set of three films at large, re-envisioning some parts of the story, updating others, and mixing old and new animation. Following the completion of the third film, Tomino fielded questions from the audience (including one from yours truly) and received a lifetime achievement award by the organizers of the festival.
As for the films, all three are a worthwhile expierence, especially for fans of the original series, the second film, Lovers, holds a particularly fond place in my heart as it which of the three I got to see while in Japan myself. But what of the movies themselves? How do they hold up compared to the Zeta Gundam that so many know? Truth be told, the movies are far from flawless. The difference between old and new footage is one of the most glaring aspect of the film experience that detracts from everything else, often times sticking out like a sore thumb, especially when the newer animation looks incredibly good.

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As far as the story goes; personally, I am torn. Omitted aspects of the story sometimes are tough to call. While the new animation of Ben Wooder's actions in the final moments of the Sudori, definitely does a great job of making me loathe the man even more, it also adds quicker finality to the story of quite possibly my favorite of the entire Zeta Gundam story, Four Murasame. Omissions of the events like the battle of Kilimanjaro, and Char's speech at Dakar, create an air that makes the audience question how well Tomino is in touch with his original story. Things recover a bit better by the third film Love is the Pulse of the Stars, but the ending throws several curveballs, most glaringly, the alteration that gives Kamille a much happier ending, and makes the foundation for Gundam ZZ, a little shaky. Yet personally, while the films are a mixed bag, they cannot be viewed as completely bad. What is difficult for the minds of fans to wrap around is that the changes made a very different story, but not necessarily a worthless one.

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In short, the movies are worthwhile, just to see the classic, and in the minds of many Gundam fans, best, series revived and given a new perspective on matters. In the end it is ultimately up to the individual fan to take what he or she wants from the films and weigh it accordingly. Tomino himself is an interesting fellow to view, perhaps not realizing the impact he has stateside, but also having difficulty understanding the sometimes very different mindset of American fans. While it made me sigh a little bit to hear foolish questions being asked of someone who is a rarity to talk to; I think nearly all in the Thorne Auditorium that Saturday were entirely grateful. It is wonderful to know that a standing ovation is transcends the barrier of language.

A final kudos goes to the Chicago International Film Festival for putting on a well organized event, for making an enjoyable expierence. I hope they continue their anime focus event and find ways to continue to make the event successful. I most certainly will be keeping my eyes peeled for what they plan on for next year.

Until next time, Sieg Zeon!

*I am in the habit of using the Japanese way of saying names, with the family name first followed by the given name.