Mobile Suit Z Gundam I: Successor to the Star" uses elaborate composition and cutting to mask Camille's anguish [Nostalgic Anime Retrospective No. 80

Yoshiyuki Tomino's latest film, "G's Reconguista III" or "Legacy from Outer Space," is now in theaters. These are not so-called digest versions, but rather new concept films utilizing TV material. In comparison, "Mobile Suit Z Gundam I: Heir to the Stars," released in May 2005, shows evidence of a painstaking attempt to more accurately convey the narrative intent attempted in the TV version of "Z Gundam" (1985). Let us examine a scene that is the same as in the TV version, but was drawn entirely anew.

The "just sit there and talk" act can be made to look as monotonous as possible.

Camille Bidan joins Aego, which resists the Titans, an elite organization within the Earth Federation Forces. However, Camille loses her mother and father in front of her eyes in succession during the battle.
Immediately after that, Camille has a conversation in the lounge of the AEGO flagship Argama with Captain Quattro Vagina, Lecoa Rondo, and Emma Sheen, who betrayed the Titans and joined the AEGO. The gist of the conversation is as follows.

Camille was very dissatisfied with her parents, who neglected her because of their work.
Camille is critical of Char Aznable, who comes up in conversation.

Placing another person in front of a figure shows or hides the relationship.

The following "XX lick" refers to a composition in which the back of a character named XX is placed (licked) in front of the screen.

1. Camille sits on the sofa in the break room, exhausted, with her right arm supported by Recore. In front of her, Quattro is drinking coffee and talking to Camille, saying, "I don't mean to sound cold, but that's what the Titans are like.
2. Recoa reaches over to the console next to the sofa and adjusts the wall image of the break room. He glances at Camille.
3. Camille is leaning back on the sofa, breathing hard. From off-screen, Emma's voice says, "May I?" Emma's voice comes from off-screen, and Quattro stands up and sits down. Camille raises herself from the sofa. I hear Recoa talking to Emma from off-screen.
4. Emma walks over and sits down. As soon as she sits down, she turns to Quattro and speaks to him, "You think I am a spy, don't you?" She talks to him. Recoa also looks at Quattro. The camera zooms in on Emma.
5. Emma, Recoa, Camille, and Quattro. The camera pans toward Quattro.
6. Emma leans on the sofa after Quattro's words. The conversation with Quattro continues, and in response to Quattro's line from off-screen, "Camille, you experienced it," Emma says, "Yeah, yeah," and looks at Camille with a puzzled look.
7. "Emma lick, Camille. Camille is silent and depressed, and Emma continues talking with Quattro, not Camille.
8. Camille, depressed, hands folded. Off-screen, Emma's speech to Quattro continues. Camille opens her eyes, raises her upper body, and interrupts the conversation, saying, "Thinking only with your head won't make your body move.
9. Emma looks puzzled and says, "Really?　Is that how it works?" and leans back on the sofa.
10. A close-up of Camille. She breathes heavily, "I can't believe someone who grew up on Earth is fighting in space. Quattro's hand reaches out from off-screen and holds Camille's shoulder.
11. Emma lick, Camille and Quattro. While holding Camille's shoulder, Quattro talks to Emma. Camille begins to talk, "Even if there was no war, my father had a mistress. ......
12. Camille's profile, close-up. Recoix is in the back. Quattro's hand, which was holding Camille's shoulder, moves out of the screen. Camille continues to talk about her parents. Recoa shifts her gaze from Camille to Emma off-screen, and the camera PANs to follow Recoa's gaze.
13. Camille licking Emma. Emma shifts her gaze from Recoa to Camille.
14. Recoa, Camille, and Quattro from the back. As they talk, Camille leans forward and says to Quattro, "Children, you know, can't stand to be ignored by their parents," then she breaks down and says, "Hah," and Recoa hugs Camille's shoulder.
15. Recoa licks Camille's shoulder and Emma hugs her. She turns to Quattro, "There was a man named Char Aznable, wasn't there?" The camera pans toward Quattro.
16. Emma, bust shot. She continues her conversation with Quattro, "You know, another name for Casbal Daikun."
17. Camille, breathing hard, is being held by Recoa.
18. close-up of Emma, continuing the conversation about the Zabi family.
19. Emma licking, Camille breathing heavily, held by Recoa, and Quattro. The camera PANS to Quattro. 'That's when, isn't it?　Casbal tried to settle his father's grudge with Shia," Quattro turns to Camille.
20. close-up of Emma, "Camille you know?" He looks at Camille.
21. Camille being held by Recoa, she removes herself from Recoa and says, "I know, he's famous. But that man is a fool who fought alone against the organization and lost," and puts her hands around her hip pockets.
22. medium shot of quatloos. 'Hmm, an accurate critique,' replies Camille.
23. qu attro lick, Camille, Recore in the back. Camille puts a handkerchief to her nose, "He's a self-destructive type, that one," she says. Quattro says, "Is that so?　Char is?" and looks at Emma.
24. Emma's close-up. Emma looks at Recoa while continuing to talk about Char.
25. close-up of Recoa. I've been a fool all my life. Hey, Camille," he says, talking to Camille. The camera PANs to Camille. Camille says, "What?　Yes," and looks at Quattro.
26. "It must be a happy occasion," says Quattro, standing up, "How about it, Lieutenant Emma? Would you like to join us for dinner?
27. Emma also stands up and says, "Yes, yes. Where is Ensign Lecore Rondo?" She looks at Lecoa.
Recoa stands up and says, "I'll go with you. She looks at Camille, who remains seated, and speaks to her, "Where's Camille?" She talks to her. She leaves Camille to answer, "Shouldn't I stay here?" LeCore walks off screen, leaving Camille to answer, "I'm not angry with you. Camille cower in place. Offscreen, the conversation between Quattro, Recoa, and Emma continues. Camille looks up when she hears Recoa say, "Tomorrow, we will descend to Earth.
29. Camille licks her lips. Quattro and Recoa are talking. Jaburo is where the Earth Federation Forces are based, right?" Camille's mind says. Camille stands up, "Um. Recoa is surprised, "Did you hear that?" She is surprised.
30. A close-up of Camille. She asks, "No, are you going down to earth, Mr. Recoa?" She asks.
31. Recoa and Quattro talk with Camille off-screen. The door opens and Emma, who is outside, becomes suspicious of the two. Recoa jokes as she walks out of the screen, "The Captain was touching my butt," and Emma laughs, "Oh. Quattro tells Camille, "No, you weren't," and walks off the screen.
32. Camille, left alone, sits on the sofa. The camera zooms in a little closer on Camille.

The film is almost 4 minutes long and consists of 32 cuts in total. Incidentally, the same scene on TV is 5 minutes long with 42 cuts.
In the film version, the camera tries to capture Camille fighting the shock of her parents' murder as much as possible in the frame. In the first scene, however, Camille's figure is hidden by Quattro's act of placing a coffee cup on the table; in the second scene, Camille is hidden for a moment by Quattro's movement to greet Emma; in the third scene, Camille is interrupted by Emma's head as she speaks; and in the eleventh scene, Camille's face is seen in the arms of Quattro, who is holding her by the shoulders. In 11, Camille's face is completely hidden by Emma as she is held by Quattro. There are only a few straight shots of Camille, at the end of shots 8, 10, and 28, as well as shots 30 and 32. Moreover, even when Camille is left alone on the screen, as in shot 28, the conversation between the adults continues off-screen. In other words, Camille cannot easily be left alone and is forced to be constantly involved with the adults.