Gundam, as we have discussed on You Don't Read Comics before, is a long and complicated franchise. Multiple tv shows with compilation movies, alternate universes, alternate interpretations, and even Japan-only content will likely never see the light of day. Not to mention cross-media tie-ins make it hideously complicated for some new fans to just jump right in.

But what if you could see the original Gundam work in a 6 hour compressed block, for free, on YouTube right now?

Thank your lucky stars for more content to watch during the international nightmare that is 2020. Bandai has uploaded three motion picture length Gundam movies to their YouTube channel GundamInfo as of 7/17/2020. These three movies, the self-titled Mobile Suit Gundam, Soldiers of Sorrow, and Encounters in Space are all built off of material from the 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam television series with supplements material and new animation. As the movies came out in 1981 and 1982, the new footage fits in almost seamlessly with the old.

The original Mobile Suit Gundam movie premiered in Japanese theaters in 1981 and covers roughly the first third of the original television show. The story focuses on one Amuro Ray, a teenager who lives in a space colony that attempts to be neutral in the middle of a massive war between the Earth Federation and the Nazi Germany themed Principality of Zeon.

Who, upon declaring their independence from the indifferent Earth Federation, immediately poisoned millions of people in space and dropped their homes onto the Earth. Swell guys.

However, Amuro's home colony of Side 7 also decided to remain neutral… while also providing room for the Earth Federation to develop new weaponry: the Mobile Suit. While Zeon has giant robots of their own, the Federation's Mobile Suits are the heroes of the story and are thus more powerful than anything Zeon can currently field. With Zeon attacking the colony of Side 7, Amuro literally falls into the Gundam cockpit and tries to fight off the Zeon to save his friends and the civilians living in Side 7 - and later on, the secret Federation warship White Base. This includes fighting off the enemy ace of Zeon, Char Aznable, and his custom Mobile Suits.

The second movie, Soldiers of Sorrow, moves the TV show's action to Earth and covers the middle third of the series. Amuro and the White Base crew are hounded by Zeon as they try to escape enemy-occupied territory and travel across the world in their quest to make it to Earth Federation headquarters in South America safely.

The final movie, Encounters in Space, is the most changed of all three movies. With Amuro and the White Base moving into space, the conflict also migrates to space. Amuro and Char Aznable's final fight looms as the war seems close to ending, and their final conflict gets shockingly personal.

These movies are fantastic for what they are: an abbreviated, streamlined look at the original Gundam series. The more toyetic aspects of the original show, such as the dozens of new Zeon mechs that showed up for a handful of episodes before vanishing, are worked out in favor of what director Yoshiyuki Tomino considered to be a more "realistic" take on giant robot combat.

Featuring pilots who also happen to often be psychics. Because anime.

The audio track for these three movies appears to be the early 2000s remaster, with sound effects redone and newly recorded music. The music is incredibly dated, but feels perfect for the older animation… but the high use of horns and eerie music can also come off as incredibly cheesy. The voice acting is Japanese only, but the performances are iconic at this point for good reason.

Toru Furuya, perhaps best known outside Japan for voicing Dragon Ball's Yamcha and Sailor Moon's Tuxedo Kamen, has one of his earlier starring roles as Amuro Ray. He brings a youthful energy to the character but has no issue regarding the various traumas Amuro experiences during the show. 

Suichi Ikeda made Char a household name, his deep and rich voice bringing instant authority to the Zeon officer. However, his ability to emote and add depth to Char's character. Newer anime fans will know him from voicing Shanks in One Piece.

Finally, the late Hirotaka Suzuoki does a fantastic job as Bright Noa, captain of the White Base. An insecure ensign thrust into a position of power thanks to everyone else dying around him, Suzuoki provides a quality of character that few could. Suzuoki is otherwise well known for voicing Pokémon's Giovanni and Dragon Ball's Tienshinhan.

While anime has evolved beyond the original Gundam series, it's still great to back and see where a lot of the stereotypes and original themes come from. At the very worst, it's a fantastic way to waste 7 hours at no cost to you.