Gundam: Reconguista In G is definitely something of a black sheep in the vast and varying worlds of Alternate Universe Gundams. The first entry directed by series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino since Turn A Gundam in 1999, or technically the partially reanimated Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam compilation film trilogy in the early 2000s, it was eagerly anticipated by fans. Like Turn A, Reconguista in G also featured a lead Gundam decidedly different looking from all previous Gundams. They even brought in Eureka 7 character designer Kenichi Yoshida to give the cast a unique visual flavor. Unfortunately, the series ended up not being a huge success especially after being followed up with Iron Blooded Orphans which is generally regarded as the best AU Gundam show.. However, Tomino wants to give it another shot.
We knew that a Gundam: Reconguista In G compilation film was coming but it was only more recently announced that instead of one film it would be 5. For reference, the original Mobile Suit Gundam and Zeta Gundam were 43 and 50 episodes respectively and they both had compilation trilogies. Reconguista In G, however, capped out at 26 and is getting 5? We only hope there will be lots of new scenes to further flesh out the story and improve some of the directorial and writing decisions that hampered down the original show.
On some level despite its flaws I really like Reconguista in G. The main mobile suit, G-Reco, is one of my favorite designs in years and Yoshida’s character designs add a breath of fresh air to the Gundam palette. Just look at the promotional art for the 1st compilation film above! I think that picture alone makes Reconguista in G look very enticing. I’m willing to give these compilation films a go whenever I can but it remains to be seen whether they’ll be an improvement or not. The original film trilogy is thought to be a better experience than the first-ever Gundam show but the same can’t be said for the Zeta Gundam films.
Gundam: Reconguista In G Go! Core Fighter, the first of the five films, is set to release August 24 in Japan.