機動戦士ガンダム F91 (Mobile Suit Gundam F91)
115-minute movie (1991)
In U.C. 0123, after more than thirty years of peace, war and chaos once again return to the space colonies. Crossbone Vanguard (CV), an elite group of people who believe it is their right to rule all, set their sight on the Frontier region colonies, The Earth Federation is caught completely off-guard by their attacks, and with their antique MS no match for the new model CV MS, the Federation is losing the fight. Caught in the crossfire are college student Seabook Arno and his friends. While seeking refuge in a Federation training vessel, Seebook is forced into piloting the F91, the newest MS that used the bio-computer his own mother developed. Can Seebook save his friends while not getting kill in the battlefield...?
If you watch the whole movie, you will notice that it feels like watching a condensed version of a TV series being cramped into a 2-hour movie. The reason is that 富野 由悠季 (Tomino Yoshiyuki) originally want to do F91 as a real TV series. However, the plan was scrapped and instead, all the existing material got combined into the movie.
The first time I watched it, it was 1991 in Hong Kong, when there was this threater (the first of its kind in Hong Kong) that only shows anime. This movie (and the Nadia movie being run as a double-header) is their first offering. Fast forward to 2005, after watching the DVD, it is still a top-notch production for 90's standards. Of course, once you watched it you will probably want more, given that it is also the first title featuring the "new era" MS - smaller in size and features the first beam-shield technology. Sadly, this is the only story that got made into anime.
Of course, there is also the back story of Mobile Suit Gundam F90, the side-story / MSV of Silhouette Formula 91 in U.C. 0123, and for pure die-hard fans, the "sequel": Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam manga, featuring Seebook and Cecily 10 years later.
This movie also featured one of the best (in my opinion, anyway...) song in the franchise: the ending theme エターナル・ウィンド ~ ほほえみは光る風の中 (Eternal Wind ~ Smile in the Shining Wind) performed by 森口 博子 (Moriguchi Hiroko). It remains one of my favourite anime song after 14 years.
Well, F91 itself is kinda a mix-bag when it comes to popularity. Designed by 大河原 邦男 (Okawara Kunio), while it looks pretty cool for a "new era" MS, it is "unorthodox" when it comes to the body, featuring the unconventional heat exhaust ports. Also, there are curves all over the design, giving it a more "European" stylish look. Well it does ranked 16 in the "top 30 MS" poll in the Gundam Ace monthly, as of October 26, 2005, so it is not too bad.
Notice how the colony towns look? Definitely a European / late Victorian feel. It is interesting to see people living in a more "backward" lifestyle in comparison to the advance technology of the space colonies...
Some technical details on F91:
F91 was developed by the SNRI (Strategic Naval Research Institute). It was first rolled out in U.C. 0116, got the bio-computer upgrade in U.C. 1023, first saw action in the same year and ended up to serve for more than 10 years. It is also the first Gundam to get limited mass-production treatment for real around U.C. 0130 and many of these units are assigned to ace pilots.
Dino's Rating: 7
Will Girls Like It: Possible