Summertime Blues

I don't mean to let the blog go by the wayside after weeks of inactivity; it's just that my job's working me harder than usual.  And the weather's not helping much either.  At least I'm able to take 1-2 hours to read once a week.  It's my most consistent routine next to chores and I've finished my last 2 books this way.  And this one's been a long time coming.

Mobile Suit Gundam by Yoshiyuki Tomino

Now in its second printing by Stone Bridge Press, the 3-volume novel adaptation of the 1979 Japanese anime is compiled in this single paperback.  Closer to Tomino-san's original vision for the anime, the story of the accidental heroes of an intergalactic war has undergone significant changes.

Without giving too much away, the whole plot takes place in outer space; no Earth arc like in the cartoon.  Most major character arcs wrap up early in the first volume.  The aforementioned accidental heroes are now full-fledged soldiers, and the concept of Newtypes--clairvoyant humans signaling mankind's next evolutionary phase--is further explored.

Further into the story, a second Gundam unit, G-3, is introduced.

To help familiarize readers with the setting, the book includes maps and illustrations of characters and mechanics from the TV series.  Its main audience being Gundam fans, I feel that Tomino-san (or rather, translator Frederick I. Schodt) often overexplains certain terminologies to keep other readers up to speed.  Being a big Gundam fan myself, I'm invested nonetheless.

And that's really all I've been reading besides issues of Game Informer that come with my GameStop membership.  I'm about halfway through Gundam, and there'll be plenty more to read once that's done.  I hope you'll stay with me on my journey to the TOP OF THE HEAP.  See you next time.

Mobile Suit Gundam is available on Amazon.