Kidō Senshi Gundam: Cucuruz Doan no Shima

Title:Kidō Senshi Gundam: Cucuruz Doan no Shima
Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island
機動戦士ガンダム ククルス・ドアンの島
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - SUNRISE
The story is set after the Federation defense of Jaburo, with the Federation planning to renew offensives on Zeon's invasion headquarters in Odessa. Amuro and the White Base head to Belfast to resupply, but the White Base receives new orders: to head to the "Island of No Return" to search for and destroy any Zeon stragglers. Amuro sets out on the island in search of Zeon spies, but finds a group of children and a Zaku mobile suit on the supposedly uninhabited island. With the Gundam left behind, Amuro encounters a man who calls himself Cucuruz Doan. After uncovering the secret of the island, Amuro attempts to make his way back to the Gundam to escape.
(Summary Courtesy of Anime News Network)


108-minute film released on June 3, 2022.
Animated by Sunrise.
[edit] The Gundam franchise:

Gundam (main story, UC0079-0083) Gundam Z (sequel, UC0087) Gundam ZZ (sequel, UC0088) Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (sequel, UC0093) Gundam Unicorn (sequel, UC0096) Gundam: Twilight Axis (sequel, UC0096) Gundam Narrative (sequel, UC0097) Gundam F91 (sequel, UC0123) Victory Gundam (sequel, UC0153) Gundam: The Origin (prequel, UC0068-0079) The 08th MS Team (side story, UC0079) MS IGLOO (side story, UC0079) SD Gundam Mobile Fighter G Gundam (Future Century) Gundam Wing (After Colony calendar system) Gundam X (After War timeline) Turn A Gundam (CC timeline) Gundam Evolve Gundam SEED (cosmic era) Gundam 00 (Anno Domini timeline) Gundam AGE Gundam Build Fighters Mobile Suit Gundam-San Gundam: G no Reconguista (Regild Century timeline) Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (Post Disaster timeline)
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 9 9 8 6 7 Ggultra2764 [series:4534#1552]
For anyone not aware, this movie is based on a so-called "lost episode" of the original Gundam series that never made it into stateside releases of the mecha classic. Whether due to animation issues or unknown disputes behind-the-scenes, it looks like this extended film adaptation of the episode is meant to provide a more polished take on the episode's events. To pad out the runtime, there is a significant amount of changes and expansion made to key points of the film's plot. More focus is devoted to exploring Amuro's interactions with Doan and his group, the efforts of the White Base crew to try finding their missing comrade, and the hostilities Zeon soldiers have with Doan deserting them. These efforts work for the most part as they help provide more dimension to Doan's character and Amuro showing signs of trauma and regret over his involvement in the One-Year War as he interacts with Doan's group. The focus on the Zeon side of things, however, is less polished with the characters on their side involved in this film's conflict largely being rather shallow and an attempted plot they make with a nuclear missile on the island base coming off rather anti-climactic. The animation here is a considerable improvement over the original TV episode with updated and polished visuals, plus more fluid movement that is best showcased when Doan and Amuro are fending off Zeon soldiers in the film's climactic battle. While it adds nothing new in the grand scheme of things for anything involving the One-Year War within the Universal Century timeline, Cucuruz Doan's Island still offers up solid storytelling with Amuro sharing a connection with Doan over both their struggles coping with the realities of war while on his island and I'd at least say it's worth a watch if you're into anything related to the UC continuity with Gundam.

Last updated Saturday, September 03 2022. Created Saturday, September 03 2022.

Community Anime Reviews

anime mikomi org
Login
Become a reviewer
 What's New
About
Site News
 By Rating
By Category
By Title
 Notables
Reviewer Profiles
Discussion Forum
 Todo
Bugs
FAQ
Search Titles
Active connections[?]: 3     Reviewers logged in[?]: 1