[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ] - 1 to 19
There's just something about a Tomino series that makes it compelling. I can't quite explain why I'm still watching a series which has the following problems:
- Frequent bouts of tonal whiplash.
- No apparent story arc despite being of a serialised nature.
- A script where women are only characterised in the following ways: bitchy, clingy, headstrong or crazy. Did I mention the little girl stuff? Of course, I imagine that by the end of the show they'll all be "victims".
- No clear characterisation for any of the cast (and no, 'rebellious' doesn't count). Nearly any character can do anything at any point for any reason - usually to inject some 'drama' into the proceedings to help create a 'plot'. One of the few characters with any kind of core to him was treated entirely as a joke.
- Everyone in the show is incredibly stupid all the time for no apparent reason.
- The editing lacks any sense of time or place. Whenever we're faced with a location we have no idea where one space connects to another, or how. It doesn't even feel like time exists.
But you keep watching because literally anything could happen next and it will probably involve a cool fight scene. In that sense, it's pure entertainment but based on recent developments I feel the hand of 'serious' Tomino returning which is always a bad sign. The thing that makes the first set of episodes so entertaining is that Tomino doesn't even try for stakes or drama, it's just for fun. As soon as that goes away it's going to be a real drag.