SD Gundam Force, Vol. 3: Heroes United (2003)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Based upon characters by Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino
Directed by Yuichi Abe

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Simplistic plot and dialogue
• Minor, damage-free violence
• Goofy chibi heroes

Released by: Bandai
Region: 1
Rating: 7+
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Skip it unless you have 8-year-olds to entertain

SD Gundam Force is a new installment in the Gundam franchise, this time for little kids. The world of Neotopia is a utopia where robots and humans live perfectly in peace and balance, but it has fallen under attack by the evil forces of the Dark Axis. Thus, the Gundams were created to protect the people of Neotopia. Our hero is Shute, the requisite powerful kid who for some reason has been given the ability to control the Gundams and defend Neotopia. On this disc, we meet the new trainer of the Gundam Force, Gunbike, who bids fair to whip them all into shape. Zero, the Winged Knight's homeland, has fallen to the Dark Axis, and Gunbike likes to question the authority of Captain Gundam and annoy Shute.

Designed for kids, this series is intentionally simplistic and shallow. Too bad it lacks anything for adults who will inevitably have to watch this with their kids. It also probably won't garner any support with childless adults unaccountably charmed by it, as have other kid's shows, like Yu-Gi-Oh! and even the similarly shallow, but fun Dragonball. The show is very episodic, allowing each character to shine a bit. It's just a little bit too silly and goofy, only without being clever. Perhaps a bit more depth about the world of Neotopia would have helped, or a more appealing human character than Shute. As it is, many kids even of their target age range will be insulted by the "humor" and simplicity in this supposed action title. Compared to other kid's animation, it lacks the action of Dragonball or the adventure of Jackie Chan's Adventures, though it is as attractively produced as either.

At the end of each episode, there is a "Zakozako Hour," which is a kind of Omake Theatre featuring three robots from the Dark Axis. In the first one, they are goofing about with one of their weapons, a horn that turns any robot into a minion of theirs. This segment is funny and fresher than the actual show.

Because this was designed in America, there are no subtitle or audio options, so viewers only have the choice of one voice cast. Luckily, they're pretty competent. The vocals, sound effects, and music are all professionally balanced; there were no problems.

The graphics are intentionally basic and colored with primary colors to appeal to young children. The graphics are done with computers, which gives a certain shaded and fake look to the show. The colors are nicely saturated without being overly done. The art, however, lacks any of the complexity and emotional content that made other Gundam titles such a hit and seems to have traded quality in for cutesiness (the train, for example, has kitten ears)--a poor trade. There are no features for this release.

It's a good choice if you have younger kids who couldn't handle the complexity of the other Gundam titles, but for everyone else, just get Gundam Wing. The show's target audience, kids of about seven through ten, will be amused and interested, but older audiences will be annoyed by the cutesiness of the Gundams and possibly bored by the elementary adventure plot. Parents looking for something inoffensive that won't challenge their kids, but might just keep them quiet for an hour or so, need look no further. Parents with kids older than eleven or so, or who have more demanding, bright kids, might want to try this out before investing in multiple volumes.