Manga Review: Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, Volume 11, by Yasuo Ohtagaki, Hajime Yatate, and Yoshiyuki Tomino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2019

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: Yes.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 8. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An epic story of war and survival set in the legendary Gundam universe!

In the Universal Century year 0079, the space colony known as Side 3 proclaims independence as the Principality of Zeon and declares war on the Earth Federation. One year later, they are locked in a fierce battle for the Thunderbolt Sector, an area of space scarred by the wreckage of destroyed colonies.

Abandoning their allegiance to Zeon, Daryl Lorenz and Dr. Karla Mitchum join Federation defector Claudia Peer and head for the Nanyang Alliance's Taal volcano base to dedicate themselves to the cause of Sojo Levan Fu. Once there, they learn the full extent of the Nanyang operation to mass-produce the Psycho Zaku and the Reuse P. Device, and Sojo Levan Fu’s ultimate plan to end humanity’s fall toward inevitable destruction! Daryl and Karla are the keys to this plan, but unlocking their shattered memories has unexpected dangers.

Review:

All is apparently revealed in this volume, as Daryl shows what side he's really on and betrays the team he was originally on. Daryl and Karla join the Levan Fu side, as Daryl wants Karla to get her memory and self back. This could be great or terrible for them, though.

Everything Daryl does here is kind of hard to take, and yet his and Karla's relationship is important to him, as much as his stance on fighting. Their romance seems sweet, but also with an underlying tragedy, it seems.

Then there's the Sojo Levan Fu cause. This just feels like a terribly misleading, brainwashing cult. It felt very off reading that entire arc, as Daryl and Karla arrive and are introduced fully to it.

I'm not following this series, as I'm not a mecha reader. But this was an interesting volume.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, Volume 8, by Yasuo Ohtagaki, Hajime Yatate, and Yoshiyuki Tomino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2018

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 5. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An epic story of war and survival set in the legendary Gundam universe!

In the Universal Century year 0079, the space colony known as Side 3 proclaims independence as the Principality of Zeon and declares war on the Earth Federation. One year later, they are locked in a fierce battle for the Thunderbolt Sector, an area of space scarred by the wreckage of destroyed colonies.

The mission to recover Zeon’s Reuse P. Device technology leads Daryl Lorenz and his unit to the Rig, a network of oil platforms inside Nanyang Alliance territory now repurposed as a floating city. The Rig is a haven for refugees and deserters from both sides of the war, all living under the watchful eye of the warrior monks of the Alliance. Ordered to infiltrate the Rig undercover, Lorenz and his team must make contact with a Zeon operative and begin a covert operation to learn the secrets of the Nanyang Alliance and its leader, Sojo Levan Fu, who plans to do far more than simply mass-produce the Psycho Zaku…

Review:

This is an odd series, with an odd concept, and I seem to have a hard time understanding who the main character is and what they stand for. Maybe that's just what happens in Gundam though? I've never read or watched any of it, really, so I guess I wouldn't know?

I'm really not a mecha fan, I'm finding out. This is also such an odd dystopian world, that I have a hard time following it. It doesn't make much sense to me, I guess. Maybe cause I missed how the story started.

There are some religious and political themes in this volume, and I'm not quite sure where the characters stand. There are a few different battles, a lot of moving around, some battles in the water. And then the volume ends as they're possibly getting caught.

I am definitely not the audience for this series. I care too little for the suits and battles and themes, and there isn't enough character for me to follow, I think.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt, Volume 5, by Yasuo Ohtagaki, Haime Yatate, and Yoshiyuki Tomino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2017

Volumes: 12 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An epic story of war and survival set in the legendary Gundam universe!

In the Universal Century year 0079, the space colony known as Side 3 proclaims independence as the Principality of Zeon and declares war on the Earth Federation. One year later, they are locked in a fierce battle for the Thunderbolt Sector, an area of space scarred by the wreckage of destroyed colonies.

On Earth, political turmoil has led the Nanyang Alliance to challenge Federation control. Now in possession of Zeon’s priceless Reuse P Device technology, the Alliance moves forward with its plans. If they can develop the stolen tech, it could make them invincible. Both Io Fleming and Daryl Lorenz begin new operations against the Alliance on dangerous missions that are sure to bring them face-to-face once again…

Review:

We're still in the middle of a big fight, and it looks like we're looking at two different fights now. Again, we meet several different characters, and still none of them I know or get any inkling of who they are.

There's two different main characters, in two different impressive suits. We do meet two short-lived crippled guys who get put on a suicide mission. I didn't realize that being crippled was a theme in this series, but clearly it is, as we meet several other characters who are. I'm not sure what they're saying about it, though, as the public seems to look down on those two as freaks. But then there are suits made specifically for those body types. I liked those two, too, for as little as we saw them.

After that, we meet the supposed rich boy piloting such a ship, and the crew who are working on it.

The last two chapters are a side story, and it was intriguing, though I'm not sure what it relates to.

I didn't mind reading this volume, but I also wasn't really following most of it. The fighting scenes are a little hard to follow for me, and I'm more of a character-reader. Full-on action just doesn't really interest me.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!