Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin)

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Synonyms: Amuro 0082

Japanese: 機動きどう戦士せんしガンダム THE ORIGIN

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 24

Chapters: 112

Status: Finished

Published: Jun 25, 2001 to Jun 26, 2014

Genres: Action, Award Winning, Drama, Sci-Fi

Themes: Mecha, Military, Space

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Gundam Ace

Authors: Yasuhiko, Yoshikazu (Story & Art), Tomino, Yoshiyuki (Story)

Statistics

Score: 8.52¹ (scored by 4,227 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #136²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1212

Members: 16,293

Favorites: 764

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8.52

Ranked #136Popularity #1212Members 16,293

MangaGundam AceYasuhiko, Yoshikazu (Story & Art), Tomino, Yoshiyuki (Story)

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Volumes: /24

Chapters: /112

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Synopsis

Zeon ace pilot, Commander Char Aznable, thought he could foil the Federation's plan to build a mobile suit by attacking their research base on colony Side 7. He was wrong. With a prototype already active, the besieged Federation forces strike back using their new weapon, the mobile suit Gundam, with devastating consequences. Amidst the fighting, young electronics wizard Amuro Ray is determined not to let his friends and family die in the crossfire. But what can one boy do to repel a squad of mobile suit-clad invaders?

(Source: VIZ Media)

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Background

Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin won the 43rd Seiun Award in the Best Comic category in 2012.

The series was partially published in English as Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin by VIZ Media in 12 volumes from March 6, 2002, to August 17, 2004, before it was canceled. VIZ Media's version does not correspond to the Japanese volumes, and approximately only the first six volumes were translated. Vertical Inc. published the full series based on the 12-volume aizouban reprint from March 26, 2013, to December 15, 2015. It was also published in Spanish by Norma Editorial from November 2005 to July 24, 2015; and in Italian by Edizioni Star Comics from October 1, 2004, to May 24, 2012.

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Characters

Aznable, Char

Main

Ray, Amuro

Main

Noa, Bright

Supporting

Haro

Supporting

Mass, Sayla

Supporting

Ral, Ramba

Supporting

Zabi, Mineva Lao

Supporting

Zabi, Garma

Supporting

Shiden, Kai

Supporting

Sune, Lalah

Supporting

Reviews

Jul 10, 2020

Sigmazyal

Recommended

In my opinion, a true masterpiece. I just can't find excuses to not rate it 10. The story is extremely rich, the art (characters, the coloring, the angles, the action moments, the dialogues), the characters' development, everything is 10 to me. I wanted so many animes to get a manga like this. I don't have words to describe how immersive reading this was. The complex story, the political drama, the battles, the context, everything is so well explained and in such an epic way!
Even support characters like Garma got more background, we got a little bit of some slice of life of Char and ...

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Nov 14, 2019

Mukenin9

Recommended

Mobile Suit Gundam:The Origin is best way to get into Gundam. I fell in love with each and every aspect of this masterpiece done by one of the Gods of the anime and manga industry: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. It's a retelling of the original Anime that aired in the late 70s. Nevertheless Yasuhiko-Sensei adds a lot of backstory about the origin (as the title suggests) of the conflict as well as the individual stories and motives of some of the main characters. Now let's get started with the actual review.

～ STORY = 9 ～
The story is simple but very well executed. It starts and we're already ... in the middle of the war between Zeon and the Earth Federation. The Zakus, Zeon's Mobile Suits used for military operations, enter Side 7, one of Earth's colonies, for an espionage mission as the "Feds" are suspected to develop a secret operation in that colony still under construction. Turns out they were right as the Feds' new Mobile Suit shows up: the Gundam. But why does all of this happen in the first place? Well several months prior to those events, the Principality of Zeon (former Side 3) had self-declared its independence from the Earth Federation, so conflict became inevitable. You'll find out more about it later on in the manga as all the pieces, one by one, complete the puzzle.

～ ART = 10 ～
The artwork is stunning, it was clearly made at its author's prime as it also stays consistent from beginning to end . I've spent I don't know how much time just staring at Yasuhiko-Sensei's panels, whether he portrayed the different types of Mobile Suits and aircrafts; the characters, carefully conveying their emotions and personalities; the marvelous landscapes and cities. The amount of details is impressive too.

～ CHARACTERS = 10 ～
The cast of characters is amazing. Even the ones that appear for a small amount of chapters are fundamental to the story. I grew attached to the White Base crew (also Ramba Ral and Hamon) and I loved to hate the Zabi family. I will only spend a few words for the 2 protagonists: Amuro Ray and Char Aznable.

Amuro is just 15 when he finds himself piloting the Gundam, fighting against Zeon trained soldiers in their Zakus. He manages not only to survive, but also to prove that he is able to control the Gundam. Therefore he is forced to join White Base's crew. The weight on his shoulders oppresses him and he often acts- and reacts - impulsively . Nevertheless I think his character development is great.

My favorite character is Char , the Red Comet. He fights for Zeon but he actually is hostile to Zabi families for reasons you get to know as the story progresses. To me he is the real protagonist of the whole manga and I actually sympathized with him several times, although most of his actions aren't pure at all.

～ ENJOYMENT = 10 ～
You can't get bored with this manga. Spectacular battles, conspiracies and secret missions are always around the corner. The pace is great. It makes you always wonder what will come next.

～ OVERALL =10 ～
I recommend this manga to everyone. It doesn't matter if you're a kid or an adult , go give this a shot and see for yourself. I was very sad when I reached the last page, for me it was one of those cases where I wish I could erase the story from my memory so that I can experience it again for the first time.

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Sep 7, 2024

BlackSword

Recommended

Gundam is one of what I consider to be the legendary series, a story that was told in 1979 and is now at the point where the children who grew up with it are now making their own contributions to the saga, and in a way that enriches the saga, not destroys it. You know, the opposite of its near-contemporary, Star Wars, which has been reduced by a collection of untalented narcissists in a shambling monster completely unrelated to its roots. But we are here to speak of Gundam and the superiority of its contributors, not of the Disney-mutiliated abomination wearing Star Wars the way ... a serial killer would wear the face of a cherished friend before making the next murder.

Broad strokes of a quite familiar story: In the middle of a war, the youth Amuro Ray ends up in possession of a prototype mecha known as the Gundam. Conscripted into service in order to protect the warship that carries both this weapon and civilian refugees with no other choice, he must use the Gundam in battle against one of the most dangerous men in the universe: Char Aznable, the Red Comet.

Unlike other remakes and reimaginings, this manga was illustrated by the animation director of the original Gundam, Yasuhiko Yoshikazu. Not only a man intimately acquainted with one of the most defining science fiction franchises, he himself is a legendary mangaka: every panel is drawn by hand, using art brushes, without any of the modern technologies that have made drawing manga easier, all of it in a solo effort. That means all the work in modern manga that requires a small team to do (the storyboards, panel arrangement, character positioning, and penciling without guides (the shapes other artists use to orient themselves and the action)) was done by one elderly Japanese gentleman. Well, the man's a legend, so the art is excellent, with a distinctive style that recalls the original Gundam anime, but also surpasses it with the cleanness of its lines and the compelling action Yasuhiko-sensei's art conveys. The layout and action flows from one panel to the next quite naturally, and there is definitely a sensation of being drawn in a manner similar to an anime. The art is as much of a carrying point as the story.

On the topic of the story, it's a retelling, but it's not a retelling the way the West does things, where the original story is forgotten in favor of using the franchise name to tell some worthless hack of a "creative's" totally unoriginal fanfic (Rian Johnson). Yasuhiko-sensei instead moves <i>events</i> to make the story flow more cleanly than the original Gundam did. The broad strokes remain the same, but the timing changes in a way that makes the narrative flow more rapidly, while fitting in more backstory that was lost in the original series.

Anyway, for Gundam fans of old and for new readers, it's a must-read. A true masterpiece created by an actual master who worked on the original series, it is Gundam at its quintessential finest. The volumes are still being published in the West, so gather them all up and devour them as time enables, as the story is timeless, the heirs to its tradition continue to love this franchise, even if it is recently starting to show some cracks in the foundation (Witch from Mercury? Who thought that Gundam Utena was even remotely a good idea?)

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Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Chapter 14 Discussion Phaetons_Folly - Jul 28, 2013	2 replies	by Lucifrost »» Jul 26, 2023 1:14 PM
I think zeon might actually be based on the soviet union. Neostorm-X - May 31, 2023	1 replies	by Neostorm-X »» May 31, 2023 1:15 PM
Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Chapter 34 Discussion Phaetons_Folly - Apr 28, 2014	2 replies	by Neostorm-X »» May 31, 2023 12:25 PM
Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Chapter 33 Discussion Phaetons_Folly - Feb 23, 2014	2 replies	by Neostorm-X »» May 31, 2023 11:58 AM
full colour vs black and white versions? Neostorm-X - May 20, 2023	1 replies	by Fortress_Maximus »» May 20, 2023 5:53 PM

Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin
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