The contrast between gravity and weightlessness that pervades "Mobile Suit Gundam III: Meguriai Uchuhen".

Mobile Suit Gundam UC," announced as an OVA, has been broadcast as the TV anime "Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096.

In this issue, we pick up the movie version of the "Mobile Suit Gundam" trilogy, with a view to looking back at the roots of "Gundam" works set in the space century. This trilogy is a reconstruction of the 43 episodes of the TV version. The first "Mobile Suit Gundam" (1981) is the story of the White Base that lands on Earth, defeats Garma Zabi, and engages in battle with Ramba Ral. The second film, "Mobile Suit Gundam II: The Sorrowful Warrior Arc" (1981), ended with the White Base leaving Earth and heading back into space.

The third film, "Mobile Suit Gundam III: Meguriai Uchu Hen" (1982), as the title suggests, takes place in space. Let's take a look at the zero-gravity effects in "Meguriai Uchu Hen.

Which floats on the bridge of the battleship, Zeon or Federation?

The "Meguri Ai Uchu Hen" begins with a scene in which the White Base, which has just left Earth, overcomes the pursuit of the cruiser Zanzibar, in which its archrival Char rides, and destroys the Camel Patrol Fleet.

What catches the viewer's attention here is the zero-gravity depiction of the ship's interior. Seyla and Sleggar are floating from the bridge of the White Base to the elevator. In contrast, Char is sitting in a chair on the bridge of the Zanzibar and walks to the monitor. The sound of cold footsteps can be heard, and the atmosphere is completely different from that of the White Base ship.

Who would you be more emotionally invested in, the characters floating around in zero gravity or the characters walking with the sound of their shoes ......?　Wouldn't you feel a softer, more peaceful atmosphere with characters who are floating in many scenes? If you pay attention, you will notice that the characters on the Zeon side only have a few scenes where they are floating and moving. On the other hand, in the White Base ship, besides Seira and Slegger, most of the main characters, including Amuro, Mirai, Kai, Hayato, Katsu, Retsu, and Kikka, are floating.

In other words, only the White Base side is given the image of "floating and moving = soft and peaceful," while the Zeon side is often depicted as "sitting" or "walking with shoes echoing," even in the zero-gravity area, making it difficult to empathize with the characters.

Effects of the "punching people" scene in the zero-gravity area of Side 6

The central block of the space colony is a zero-gravity zone where one does not feel any weight. The elevator descends a little more than 3,000 meters and arrives at the artificial ground where weight can be felt". This is the voiceover that plays during the scene where the White Base enters the neutral colony Side 6. The "feeling of weightlessness" is used to great effect in the scene on Side 6.

Lt. Slegger intervenes between Mirai and her fiancé Kamran and punches him. Since the location is the docking bay (the central block), Sleger appears floating and Kamran, who has been hit, is slowly sent flying backward. The weightlessness softens the "punching" action, making it less violent. There is even a touch of humor in the way Slegger returns the punch to Kamran with his glasses still in the air.

Slegger also punches Mirai on the bridge of the anchored White Base when she refuses Kamran's offer. Here, too, Slegger floats and moves about, and when he apologizes to Mirai and leaves, he floats softly off the floor. As expected, the scene gives the impression of softness.

So what happens on the ground in a place with gravity, i.e., Side 6?

Amuro is reunited with his father on Side 6 and has a fateful encounter with Lala. Lalaa sees a swan in the rain that "falls" to the surface of the lake after losing its strength. Also, his father, abandoned by Amuro, "falls" down the stairs and dies. In other words, in the earthly world bound by gravity, somewhat ominous events occur.

A state of floating in the air, away from gravity, is free and liberating. But a place where gravity is generated is never peaceful--what if such a rule envelops the world of "Gundam"?　In the scene where Amuro and Lala are talking to each other, don't you think you can see the reason why they are floating in a groundless space?




(Text by Keisuke Hirota)