Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ

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Mobile Suit Gundam Double Zeta

機動戦士ガンダムＺＺ (Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ)
Genre	Comedy, Drama, Mecha, Military, Science Fiction
TV anime
Directed by	Yoshiyuki Tomino
Studio	Sunrise
Network	Animax, Nagoya Broadcasting Network
Original run	March 1, 1986 – March 31, 1987
No. of episodes	47

The anime TV series Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ or Mobile Suit Gundam Double Zeta (機動戦士ガンダムＺＺ, Kidō Senshi Gandamu ZZ^?) aired on Japanese TV from 1986–1987, was the third Gundam series, and a direct followup to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino returned to lead the series, and he assembled a new team consisting of character designer Hiroyuki Kitazume, who had been one of Zeta Gundam's animation directors, and mechanical designers Makoto Kobayashi, Yutaka Izubuchi and Mika Akitaka. The series was later aired by the anime satellite television network, Animax, across Japan and later its respective networks worldwide, including Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, South Asia, Latin America and other regions.

1 Overview
2 Story
3 Openings and Endings
4 Seiyu (Voice Actors)
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Overview

Gundam ZZ was originally conceived of as a second season of Zeta Gundam, but it was ultimately decided that the show should feature an all-new cast. Nevertheless, its broadcast immediately followed that of Zeta Gundam and manages to tie up a major plotline from Zeta that was left unfinished.

As part of Tomino's tendencies to follow up a tragedy with a comedy, this nominal sequel to Zeta Gundam struck a much lighter, often comical, tone, in contrast to its predecessor's brooding melodrama. For example, in the first episode, Captain Bright is reduced to defending the Argama from thrown oranges. The whimsical opening theme song Anime Ja Nai (It's Not Anime) reflected the campiness of the first half of the series. The second half of the series does return to a more serious tone while sporting a more somber opening theme song. It suffers a poor reputation among the serious-minded ranks of Gundam fandom, some even accuse Tomino of deliberately trying to sabotage the Gundam franchise. Despite this, it scored high ratings with the younger, more casual audiences, and the show's first opening theme Anime Ja Nai became extremely popular with anime fans and is sometimes mentioned as one of the most memorable anime songs of all time.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

As the continuation of Zeta Gundam, this series once again follows the story of the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG) battleship Argama after Zeta's final episode. To fight off the Axis Zeon, now called the Neo Zeon, Captain Bright Noa recruits a group of teenage junk collectors led by the loudmouthed but powerful Newtype Judau Ashta to pilot the Argama's mobile suits. Now sporting a line up of the behemoth MSZ-010 Double Zeta Gundam and the returning MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, RX-178 Gundam Mk-II and Gundam-like MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki, the group is nicknamed the Gundam Team. As such, this became the first of a number of Gundam series where a team of Gundam mobile suits fight alongside each other regularly. The climax takes place at Side 3 in the Battle of Axis.

Spoilers end here.

Out of the major Zeta Gundam characters, only recurring captain Bright Noa and Axis leader Haman Karn make more than cameo appearances in ZZ; Char Aznable's planned appearance was canceled when Tomino was given the go-ahead to do the Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack movie. Yoshiyuki Tomino's original plan for the show which involved Char's return was neither revealed, nor does Tomino himself remember it.

[edit] Openings and Endings

Openings:

Anime Ja Nai (It's Not Anime) by Masato Arai (eps 1-25)
Silent Voice by Jun Hiroe (eps 26-47)

Endings:

Jidai ga Naiteiru (The Era is Crying) by Masato Arai (eps 1-25)
Issenman-Nen Ginga (Ten Million Years Galaxy) by Jun Hiroe (eps 26-47)

[edit] Seiyu (Voice Actors)

The main characters in Double Zeta, from left to right, top: Beecha Oleg, Mondo Agake, Puru, Roux Louka, Leina Ashta, Elle Vianno and Ino Abbav, bottom: Judau Ashta. Background: MSZ-010 Double Zeta Gundam (left) and MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam.