English Dub Review: Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin: Advent of the Red Comet “Edouard and Sayla”

Send in the gunmen and the medieval knight?

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Three and a half years have passed—or forty-three full moons—since the Deikun children were sent to Earth. Except, they’re now known as Edouard and Sayla Mass and are the legal heirs of an ally named Don Teabolo. Sayla/Artesia spends her days providing medical aid to the refugee camp down the valley from her giant castle in Andalusia, Spain. Edouard/Casval studies under Jimba Ral to learn more about his true home on Munzo: his father’s prophecies, the political landscape, and how space travel and evolution are all part of the grand plan.

Everything is going well until Teabolo discovers Jimba is plotting against the Zabi regime in secret. The old man has partnered with a robotics corporation known as Anaheim which Teabolo worries about because he knows they only care about the bottom line. The kids’ benefactor feels betrayed by the old man but agrees to relinquish his paternal rights if Casval and Artesia both wish to plan the coup with him. Before the children can decide, Artesia comes down with a bad fever that she may have contracted from the refugees in the town.

That night, the palace is attacked by gunmen who murder many of the guards and domestics within. However, it’s an armored knight who breaches the walls and attacks the most important residents. First, he tangles with Teabolo, who puts up a spirited a fight for a hefty gentleman, only to fall out a third-story window. Next, the knight murders Jimba and has a sword dual with Casval. The boy, protecting his sister, uses his training to get the upper hand and stab the knight in the face. The knight falls to his death with only a fraction of his duty complete.

Back on Munzo we learn that Kycilia was responsible for the attack on Earth. She’s been monitoring the Deikuns for years and sent in the cavalry after learning of Jimba’s dealings with Anaheim. Since we last left them, the Zabis have become fascist-ish rulers and more people than ever are protesting and fighting for independence.

Meanwhile, at Club Eden, Hamon lays down some soulful tracks while Ramba watches. Soon enough, he’s drawn into a fight with some rowdy Federation officers. The melee is soon broken up when Dozle Zabi arrives. The youngest Zabi hires Ramba and Hamon to help him “save face.” He whisks them away to a weapons testing facility where the soldiers get their first look at Mobile Worker, an early giant mecha model. In a test run, it faces off with a gun tank which it eviscerates within moments.

In an epilogue scene, the Deikun children board a rocket with a surprisingly healed Teabolo. They’re leaving Earth to a neutral space colony to appease the Zabis. We also learn that Artesia’s cat, Lucifer, is still alive despite having been absent throughout most of the episode.

 

Our Take

This was an excellent transition from the beginning of the story to the Deikun children’s adolescence. Even though we only got a brief snippet of their life on Earth, it was important to the series to see how the “old world” has de-evolved—for the poor, not the rich.

Casval and Artesia have matured and are much more compelling than the angry little guy and the whiny young girl they were as sheltered heirs to the royal family. Both were humbled and learned a slew of real-world skills. Even though they are fleeing, and will continue to hide from the Zabis, they are now more prepared to rule when the time comes.

The knight’s battle scenes—although random because there were already gunmen on the property—were well-choreographed. The differences in the three fights showed the mettle of the different characters. Poor Jimba wasn’t strong enough physically or mentally to survive in such a cruel world, while Teabolo is tough enough to protect the children, for now. Casval is the bravest of all and will do anything to protect his family. Despite his sister being generally weak and frail from her illness, her brother stopped at nothing to keep her by his side.

All the pieces are now in place and this origin story is about to really heat up. It won’t be long until something forces the Deikun heirs back to Munzo. Plus, Casval is champing at the bit to take over his family’s seat, and cannot live in hiding for much longer. With this prequel series only spanning eleven episodes, it’s apparent that a lot of action and many years will be squeezed into a very short and intense arc. Ramba and Hamon appear to be getting in on the ground floor of something incredible that is bound to shape the world of Mobile Suit Gundam going forward. And the Deikuns’ new home on Texas Colony has the potential for further development and adventures for the young protagonists.