SD Gundam Force, Vol. 4: Unknown Dangers (2003)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

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

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Villains much more interesting than the heroes
• Might offend Gundam fans

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

My Advice: Get it if you like kids' anime; skip it otherwise

SD Gundam Force, the newest Gundam title, is aimed at younger kids than ever before for the franchise. We are given a team of robots and one human boy, charged with protecting the peaceful, idealized world of Neotopia from the evil of the Dark Axis. This fourth disc in the series picks up the continuing struggle with Shute having trouble with his homework: an essay on friendship. Meanwhile, the idiotic Dark Axis forces come up with some way to combine their forces, too, and destroy the Gundams. Bell Wood has repaired the Dimensional Transporter, but an accident throws Shute and the rest into another world. Could this barren wasteland really be Zero's homeworld of Lacroal? And how will they get back in time to stop Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf, and Destroyer Dom from taking advantage of their absence and taking over Neotopia?

The problem with this show is that the creators seemed to have the philosophy that to create a show for younger kids, it is necessary to remove all redeeming value from it, as well as to avoid challenging the intelligence or spirit of their audience in any way. The only thing approaching anything socially redeeming is the lesson on "friendship" in the first episode of this disc, but even that is a bit heavy-handed and might annoy some kids who catch on to the propaganda.

This volume was a bit more charming than the previous one, but I think primarily because the silliness of the villains is at least more palatable than in the supposed "heroes," who probably couldn't defend a bread crumb from an ant, special moves notwithstanding. Shute's mother, while seemingly the perfect, kind, compassionate mother that few viewers of the show will actually recognize, is treated something like an idiot by Shute and the rest. Because the villains are more interesting and amusing than the supposed heroes, this might lead your little one to see "supervillain" as a better career option than "lame superhero." Just a word of caution. And the "Zakozako Hour" continues to be a highlight of each episode.

An English-designed show, SD Gundam has no Japanese audio options, and subtitles are unnecessary. The English cast is good enough for what is demanded of them, which isn't much, but still. The sound effects, music, and vocals are all nicely balanced, unlike some other shows that blast you out of the room when the music starts. The visuals are similarly nicely done, with the CGI being a bit less gratuitous and obvious here than before. There is an overly-extended "docking sequence" or two, but nowhere near as annoying in the reuse of footage than in shows like Sailor Moon. One rather amusing line is Zapper Zaku's claim to "love the smell of chaos in the morning" during an attack on Neotopia. The voice actor delivered it with a nicely wry tone. There are no features for this release.

Parents, if you know your kid liked to watch this show on TV, then go ahead and get the discs. The show may not challenge them or become a life-long memory, but it probably also won't keep them up with nightmares or make you worry about them becoming violent, drug-dealing prostitutes. I look forward to the day, however, when we don't find it necessary to feed our kids pabulum to keep them from becoming mass murderers. It's fun enough to keep them interested and colorful enough to appeal, but it's just shy of being a really good kid's show. Check it out, though; you just might be charmed by the "witty repartee" of the villains in this installment.