Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (OVA)
Original video animation series based on the novel by Harutoshi Fukui.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (機動戦士ガンダムUC(ユニコーン), Kidō Senshi Gandamu Yunikōn) is a seven-episode original video animation series produced by Sunrise and released between 2010 and 2014. Based on the novel series written by Harutoshi Fukui, the anime adaptation was directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and featured screenplays by Yasuyuki Muto. Character and mechanical designs were provided by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and Hajime Katoki respectively, with music composed by Hiroyuki Sawano.
The series serves as a direct sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, taking place in UC 0096, three years after the events of Char’s Counterattack and sixteen years after the end of the One Year War. The story follows Banagher Links, a seemingly normal student living at the space colony Industrial 7, who becomes pilot of the mysterious RX-0 Unicorn Gundam and is drawn into a conflict surrounding an artefact known as Laplace’s Box.
The OVA became the first Gundam series to receive a worldwide simultaneous release, featuring both Japanese and English audio with subtitles in five languages. A television recompilation titled Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 aired on TV Asahi from April to September 2016, marking the first Gundam series to air on the network since After War Gundam X in 1996.
Synopsis
Main article: Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn episodes
The series begins in UC 0001 at the very beginning of human space colonisation, when Laplace, the residential space station of the Federation’s Prime Minister, is destroyed by an anti-Federation group during a ceremony marking the beginning of the Universal Century Calendar. This terrorist attack, known as the Laplace Incident, becomes a pivotal event that influences the course of human history.
The main story unfolds in UC 0096, where Banagher Links, a student at Anaheim Electronics Technical School on Industrial 7, encounters a mysterious girl who calls herself Audrey Burne. Audrey claims she is trying to prevent the Vist Foundation from handing over Laplace’s Box to the Neo Zeon remnants known as the Sleeves, an act which could spark another war.
When fighting breaks out between the Sleeves and the Earth Federation Forces, Banagher’s life changes forever as he becomes the pilot of the white mobile suit known as the Unicorn Gundam. The mobile suit holds the key to Laplace’s Box, a secret that has been hidden for nearly a century and threatens to shake the very foundations of the Universal Century.
As various factions race to uncover the truth behind Laplace’s Box, Banagher must navigate the complex web of politics, war, and human emotion that defines the Universal Century, all while coming to terms with his own Newtype abilities and the responsibility that comes with piloting the Unicorn Gundam.
Development
Conception
The anime adaptation of Gundam Unicorn was announced in the June 2009 issue of Gundam Ace magazine, initially scheduled for late 2009 before being moved to spring 2010. The project represented a significant investment by Sunrise and Bandai, as it marked the first Gundam OVA series since Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory to receive such extensive production resources and worldwide distribution.
Furuhashi Kazuhiro, known for his work on Rurouni Kenshin and Hunter x Hunter, was selected to direct the adaptation. Yasuyuki Muto was brought on to handle screenplay duties, adapting Fukui’s dense novel series for the visual medium. The production team made the decision to maintain the serious, mature tone of the source material whilst ensuring the series would be accessible to both longtime Gundam fans and newcomers to the franchise.
Production
Hajime Katoki, who served as the mechanical designer for the original novels, continued his work on the anime adaptation alongside veteran designers Junya Ishigaki and Mika Akitaka, with newcomer Nobuhiko Genba joining the team. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s character designs from the novels were adapted for animation by Kumiko Takahashi.
The series was initially planned as six 50-minute episodes, but on 13 May 2012, Bandai announced that the storyline would conclude with a seventh episode. This decision allowed the production team to properly adapt the dense source material without rushing the narrative conclusion.
The animation production showcased some of Sunrise’s finest work, combining traditional 2D animation with cutting-edge computer graphics. The mobile suit sequences in particular were praised for their realistic sense of mass and movement, with detailed mechanical animation that showed every joint and thruster in operation.
Music
Hiroyuki Sawano composed the music for the series, delivering what many consider one of his finest works. Sawano’s orchestral score became integral to the series’ emotional impact, with powerful themes accompanying the Unicorn Gundam’s transformation sequences and more subtle pieces supporting the dramatic character moments. The composer’s signature style, which would later become known for “Sawano drops,” was effectively utilised to enhance both action sequences and quieter dramatic scenes.
Release
International release
The series premiered on PlayStation Network Japan for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable systems on 20 February 2010, with the Blu-ray Disc edition released simultaneously worldwide on 12 March 2010. This marked an unprecedented approach for the Gundam franchise, as previous series had typically seen staggered international releases.
The worldwide release featured both Japanese and English audio tracks with subtitles in five languages: Japanese, English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. This ambitious localisation effort demonstrated Bandai’s commitment to making Gundam Unicorn accessible to a global audience.
The English dub was produced by NYAV Post in Los Angeles and New York City, marking the first time a Gundam series was not dubbed by The Ocean Group in Vancouver. Michael Sinterniklaas served as both ADR director and voice actor for Angelo Sauper, whilst Stephanie Sheh was credited as both voice actor for Audrey Burne and production coordinator for the dub.
Bandai Entertainment released the first four episodes on DVD in North America before the company’s closure in 2012, making Gundam Unicorn the final Gundam anime licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Following Bandai Entertainment’s closure, Sunrise released the complete OVA series on DVD in North America through Right Stuf Inc. beginning in August 2013.
Television broadcast
A television recompilation titled Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 was announced on 21 February 2016 and began airing on 3 April 2016 on TV Asahi. The series replaced Brave Beats in the Sunday 7:00 AM time slot and ran for 22 episodes until 11 September 2016.
RE:0096 featured new opening and ending sequences, with composer Hiroyuki Sawano returning to provide additional music for the television version. The recompilation included some new animated sequences and narration to help bridge the episodic structure of the original OVA format to a weekly television format.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 also aired in the United States on Adult Swim’s Toonami programming block beginning on 8 January 2017. The series was also made available for streaming on various platforms including Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu.
Reception
Critical response
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn received widespread critical acclaim for its production values, animation quality, and faithful adaptation of the source material. Critics praised the series as “the pinnacle of the Gundam franchise,” noting its exceptional animation that brought “the characters and battles of the Universal Century to life like never before”.
The series’ animation quality was particularly lauded, with reviewers noting that the “blockbuster cinematic production values could put these OVAs’ action scenes on a par with stuff out of Star Wars”. The mechanical animation received special praise for depicting mobile suits with realistic mass and inertia, showing detailed movement of joints and hydraulics.
Critics noted that whilst the series had “a high barrier to entry” requiring extensive knowledge of previous Universal Century Gundam series, it was praised for its “depth of storytelling” and was considered “an excellent lead-in to modern iterations of the franchise”.
Hiroyuki Sawano’s musical score was consistently highlighted in reviews, with critics calling it “an orchestral masterpiece and one of his strongest works,” noting the effective use of “strong, central themes for key sequences such as the Unicorn transformation scenes”.
However, the series also faced some criticism. Some reviewers felt that “the amount of double crossing, switching sides and silly dialogue really hurts the plot,” and criticised certain characters for being “pretty annoying sometimes, always freaking out at the worst moments while being so over dramatic”.
Commercial performance
While specific box office figures for the individual OVA episodes are not widely available, the series was a significant commercial success for Bandai and Sunrise. The worldwide simultaneous release strategy proved effective, with strong sales across multiple regions and formats.
The series’ success contributed to the broader Gundam franchise, which has earned record sales topping 100 billion yen, with Bandai Namco projecting the franchise would earn 119 billion yen in the following fiscal year. The popularity of Gundam Unicorn also drove sales of related merchandise, particularly Gunpla model kits based on the series’ mobile suits.
Legacy
Television
The success of Gundam Unicorn led to the production of Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative in 2018, which was loosely based on the 11th novel volume Phoenix Hunting and took place one year after the events of Unicorn. This film continued the story threads established in Unicorn and featured the mysterious RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex.
The series’ success also helped pave the way for other high-profile Universal Century projects, including Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, demonstrating that there remained strong audience appetite for serious, mature Gundam content.
Manga
A manga adaptation titled Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Bande Dessinée was serialised in Kadokawa Shoten’s Gundam Ace from January 2010 to December 2016, written by Harutoshi Fukui and illustrated by Kouzou Oomori. The manga was compiled into seventeen volumes, with the final volume released on 25 February 2017.
A three-volume prequel manga by Fukui and Oomori, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Bande Dessinée Episode: 0, was serialised in Gundam Ace from September 2017 to September 2018. This prequel was based on the novel The Postwar War and provided additional background to the events of the main series.
Cultural impact
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is widely regarded as “one of the most celebrated entries in the Gundam franchise, often being lauded by fans as one of the best”. The series helped reestablish the Universal Century timeline as the premier setting for serious Gundam storytelling after years of alternate universe series.
A life-size replica of the titular Unicorn Gundam was constructed and displayed outside a shopping centre in Tokyo, serving as a testament to the series’ popularity and cultural significance in Japan. The statue became a popular tourist attraction and symbol of the franchise’s enduring appeal.
The series also influenced subsequent Gundam productions in terms of animation quality and storytelling approach. Critics noted that “the art direction and animation quality have set a high standard for future projects,” with many studios referencing “its unique visual style” which continues to influence mecha and action-themed anime.
Credits
Cast
| Character | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Banagher Links | Uchiyama Kōki | Steve Cannon |
| Audrey Burne | Fujii Yukana | Stephanie Sheh |
| Full Frontal | Ikeda Shūichi | Keith Silverstein |
| Marida Cruz | Noto Mamiko | Tara Platt |
| Riddhe Marcenas | Namikawa Daisuke | Yuri Lowenthal |
| Bright Noa | Suzuoki Hirotaka | Christopher Corey Smith |
| Suberoa Zinnerman | Tsujimura Mahito | Steve Blum |
| Angelo Sauper | Kondō Takayuki | Michael Sinterniklaas |
| Cardeas Vist | Hamada Kenji | J.B. Blanc |
| Syam Vist | Nagai Ichirō | George C. Cole |
Crew
- Directed by Furuhashi Kazuhiro
- Original Story by Fukui Harutoshi
- Screenplay by Mutō Yasuyuki
- Music by Sawano Hiroyuki
- Original Character Design by Yasuhiko Yoshikazu
- Animation Character Design by Takahashi Kumiko
- Mechanical Design by Katoki Hajime, Ishigaki Junya, Akitaka Mika, Genba Nobuhiko
- Art Direction by Ikeda Shigemi
- Sound Direction by Tsuru Hiromi
Appearances
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – Characters
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – Events
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – Locations
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – Mobile weapons
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – Organisations
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – Vehicles and vessels
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – Weapons and technology
External links
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn on the official website
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn on the Gundam Wiki
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn on Wikipedia
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn on Anime News Network
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn on IMDb