Kidô senshi Gandamu: Gyakushû no Shâ
Tags: sci-fi

Plot synopsis:
Set in a fictional universe in the year 2124 (Universal Century year 0079 according to the Gundam Calendar), the Principality of Zeon has declared independence from the Earth Federation, and subsequently launched a war of independence called the One Year War. The conflict has directly affected every continent on Earth, also nearly every space colony and lunar settlement. Zeon, though smaller, has the tactical upper hand through their use of a new type of humanoid weapons called mobile suits. After half of all humanity perishes in the conflict, the war settled into a bitter stalemate lasting over 8 months.
The story begins with a newly deployed Federation warship, the White Base, arriving at the secret research base located at the Side 7 colony to pick up the Federation's newest weapon. However, they are closely followed by Zeon forces. A Zeon reconnaissance team member disobeys mission orders and attacks the colony, killing most of the Federation crew and civilians in the process. Out of desperation, citizen boy Amuro Ray accidentally finds the Federation's new arsenal—the RX-78 Gundam, and neutralizes the situation. Scrambling everything they can, the White Base sets out with her newly formed crew of civilian recruits and refugees in her journey to survive.
On their journey, the White Base members often encounter the Zeon Lieutenant Commander Char Aznable. Although Char antagonizes Amuro in battle, he takes advantage of their position as Federation members to have them kill members from Zeon's Zabi family as part of his revenge scheme. Amuro also meets ensign Lalah Sune with whom he falls in love, but accidentally kills when facing Char. When the Federation Forces invade the Fortress of A Baoa Qu to defeat the Zeon forces, Amuro engages on a final one-on-one duel against Char due to their shared hatred for Lalah's death. Having realized he forgot his true enemy, Char stops fighting to kill the last surviving Zabi member, Kycilia Zabi. Amuro then reunites with his comrades as the war reaches its end.

Review: Very Good Mecha Anime Film.
Very good Mecha Anime film that puts a good closing story on the original MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM tv series.Very good quality drawing animation.The story however is not friendly to viewers who did not follow the mentioned tv series.Despite this flaw,the film holds up as a classic anime for all fans of the genre.Very good last 20 minutes too.......
Pretty good..
The Amuro-Char rivalry could not have ended better.
I'm not going to say how, but the ending was totally satisfying.
I also liked Bright Noa's predicament here.
He's always been the flawless starship captain, and now he has to deal with his son Hathaway being underfoot.
I'll leave the telling of the plot to somebody else.
The ending theme, "Beyond the Time" was what got my attention the most.
Wow.The thing with this movie is that it suffers from Red Shirt Syndrome (RSS).
Red Shirt Syndrome is when lots of extra characters are brought into a story and then killed off for no apparent reason other than adding to the tragedy/seriousness of the story.
Red Shirt Syndrome is so named because on the original 'Star Trek', a crewmember would accompany Captain Kirk and crew down to the planet...and the red shirt wearing crewmember would be killed for no apparent reason.Char seems to have gone through quite a bit of change in this movie.
Compare this Char to the Char in the original series, and you'll see a difference.
In this movie, Char begins to become like his father, Zeon Zum Deikun.
He gives speeches and becomes a political figure...a change that started when he was going under the name Quattro Bagina in Zeta Gundam.
On the other side, Amuro hasn't changed much.
He's lost a bit of his idealism, but he's still the same Amuro.
Basically.I think that Quess and Hathaway would've made a charming couple.
The excellent finalle to Gundam!.
The end of the Gundam Saga with Char and Amuro could not have been portrayed any better.
The animation is stunning, the plot is great, and the fighting in space was outstanding.
I could not find any flaw with this, it was excellent.
I strongly suggest this movie to any Gundam fan out there.
It is truely a work of art..
End of Rivalry.
The movie adaptation of "Char's Counterattack: Beltorchika's Children", follows the novel almost to the letter.
There are only a few minor differences in both versions created by Yoshiyuki Tomino.
1-Amuro Ray is engaged to Beltorchika Irma (Chien Agi in the movie) who also appears in Z Gundam.
2-Some names differ from the movie: Gyunei Guss (Glab Gas in novel), Nanai Miguel (Mesuta Mesua in novel).
3-The origin of the psycoframe is different in the novel as from the movie.
The rest of the movie is pretty much exactly like the novel.
In the novel Amuro's girlfriend Beltorchika is expecting a baby and the baby plays an important part in the story.
In the movie it's the psycoframe Chien Agi uses that is an important part of the story.
There are more things explained clearly in the book and are missed in the movie..
Awesome movie drastically underrated.
This movie was so amazing and it's so very disappointing that so many people will miss out on it and refuse to watch it just because it's animated instead of live actors.
I think this movie does a really great job of capturing the many aspects of oppression and rebellion, perhaps not in the best way, but still in a uniquely striking fashion.
Having prior knowledge to Gundam's Universal Century enriches the experience even more.
Char's transformation is definitely a major aspect, but there's also so much more.
The relationship between Amuro and Char has evolved and come much farther; it's at a point in this film that keeps you riveted, wether you be fond of Amuro or tend to lean towards Char.
I would recommend this movie to anyone, regardless.
It may seem like just an action movie or cartoon at just a glance, but once you see the movie and get a feel for the story and everything that goes on, I'm convinced you'll be satisfied afterwards, provided that you just have an open mind.
And obviously I'm talking more towards everyone else out there, and not so much my fellow anime fans..
The best of the Gundam movies, and the standard by which the Saga should be measured..
Char's Counterattack is a worthy climax for the saga of Mobile Suit Gundam, as started in 1979's television series.
A strong story, which logically concludes the storyline started in the original, is paired off with some of the best Mecha designs ever seen on screen and some seriously good performances by the voice actors who have made these characters into careers over the last 20 years.Unfortunately, the film also contains the single most annoying character ever devised for Gundam, or even any anime.
Quess Paraya, the girl you just want to reach out and strangle..
Gundam concludes with bang.
You have asked wondered "who will survive" and you have "seen the tears of time".
Now, the final chapter of an anime legend, the Universal Century Gundam saga, comes to its mind blowing conclusion.
Char's Counterattack is the culmination of years worth of Gundam storyline, in particular, the rivalry between Amuro Ray and Char Aznable that was established in the 1979 Gundam series but was never really followed through in the sequels.The numerous factions from Zeta Gundam and ZZ Gundam have been done away with and we are back in familiar territory now;Char Aznable leads the Neo Zeon movement and Amuro Ray is part of the Londo Bell task-force sent to quell this uprising.As a stand alone Gundam movie, Char's counterattack does not do much for the newer audience.
It expects that the viewer is already familiar with Gundam lore and the established rivalry between Amuro and Char as it immediately throws you into the thick of the story and the heat of the action.
A couple of new characters like Quess Paraya and Hathaway Noa are introduced but they come across as uninteresting and seem like throw-away characters whose only purpose is to fill up screen time when we are not focusing on Char or Amuro.
There is a very uncomfortable attempt at creating a shaky love triangle story but the execution of that plot thread was not as good as it could have been.Poor attempt at romance aside, Char's counterattack features a number of other themes that the viewers can easily relate to.
There is a coming-of-age theme in how Hathaway Noa desires to step out of his father's shadow and discover his own identity, and there is a good deal of wartime rhetoric thrown about by Char.
That being said, only once Amuro and Char take center stage does the movie finally find its footing and delivers an engagingly entertaining experience.
They are the perfect opposites, each representing widely differing views on war and the idealistic pursuit of peace.How far is one willing to go to end a war?
Can peace be attained only through bloodshed?
Are people only a means to an end when one is so obsessed with pursuing an ideal?
Questions like these pop up during the course of the narrative which challenges the viewer to think and question.Some fans have complained about the lack of character development of many of the cast, but i can only say this: Char's Counterattack should not be viewed as a stand alone movie.
It is not a movie to develop the characters but a movie to bring about a RESOLUTION to the characters that have been developed over the course of the previous Gundam series.
That is why i definitely recommend re-watching at least the original Gundam 0079 TV series or compilation movies before watching this movie.
Re-watching "Zeta Gundam" would also add to a better understanding of Char's character development over the years.
Jam packed with epic action sequences thanks to a higher budget and more experienced staff, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack is the exciting concluding chapter in the grand sweeping tale of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable..
Very good animated sci-fi movie.
A must for every Gundam fan, it contains the end of the principal struggle of the Gundam saga.
Enjoyable for anyone who loves "military" and hard science fiction..
Pretty decent ANIME.
If you have been following the Gundam saga (tv series), this is one animated feature you could not miss.
Even if you are not a Gundam fan, you will still enjoy the art works..
Epic conclusion to the original UC Gundam saga.
6 years after the events of both "Zeta Gundam" and "ZZ Gundam", Char Aznable has resurfaced after a few years of hiding to fight for the independence of the space colonies by dropping the former AXIS asteroid onto Earth to cause a worldwide nuclear winter and forcing humanity to live in outer space and evolve into Newtypes.
Once again Amuro Ray must fight Char and bring their long time rivalry to an end.Unlike most anime movies based off their respective TV series, "Char's Counterattack" is a direct sequel to the previous Gundam series which ties up loose ends, runs over 2 hours and brings the Amuro-Char UC rivalry to an epic and satisfying conclusion.The animation is much more improved from the TV series with a movie budget and brilliant action sequences between the Gundams especially the final fight between Char and Amuro.
Little bit of trivia is that one of the robot designers for the movie was Hideaki Anno who would later go on to make "Neon Genesis Evangelion" another one of my favorite anime series.Voice acting is great for both Japanese and English dubs as both has their original voice actors with Tōru Furuya and Brad Swaile as Amuro, Shūichi Ikeda and Michael Kopsa as Char, the late Hirotaka Suzuoki and Chris Kalhoon as Mr. Bright.
All give excellent performances respectively."Char's Counterattack" is a brilliant and epic conclusion to the Char-Amuro era and should not be missed by any Gundam fan.
I should note that if you plan on watching the movie, you should be familiar with at least the first two Gundam series, otherwise you might be lost and have no satisfaction when watching this movie..
A very beautiful animation.
Char's Counterattack is soaked in melancholy, potent and elegant.
It's large use of conversation and character development in between its action may turn off some, but it has enormous payoff when the third act rises.
The score is just perfect and the animation fantastically crafted.
Film's like this can rise or fall on their main cast yet not only are the lead protagonist Amuro Ray and his adversary Char Aznable throughly fleshed out but the movie is flooded with a vibrant supporting cast that you care about.
The fact that its part of a larger canon will discourage a larger audience I'm sure, but even if a virgin viewer doesn't understand all the movie's subtleties its well worth the trip to experience..
COOOOOOOL!!!.
This is without a doubt the best Gundam ever.I have seen some of the original series but I did not see Zeta Gundam since it was never released in North America(which makes me wonder how people write reviews about it) I think the story could not have worked without Quess.
It could have worked without Rezin Schneider, Kayra and Astonage.
This is the best movie I ever saw.
See it, if the romance annoys you at least you'll like the animation..
An Excellent Finally.
The Finally showdown between Amuro and Char in the only way it could be.
This movie is for the real Gundam fans, although there are those that may be able to appreciate this movie too.
And when you put this movie into the Gundam time line those mobile suits are the state of the art of mobile suits.
I really don't know why the ones in Gundam Wing aren't using the 360 degree view cockpits seem like a step down to me.The characters and the story was all Gundam.
Char and his master plan for human improvement, and Amuro who still believed in the good within man.
The story however didn't really need Quess, other than to show of the influence Char could hold on some people I suppose..
HAIL ZEON!.
Char's Counterattack is one of the best anime moves out there.
Its got animation that looks amazing even today, a pretty good story, and the sounds and music are dead on.
I dont have any complaints with the dub.
It helps if you have seen everything up at least to zeta gundam, zz isnt that essential.
its nice to see not-so-essential characters like astonage, but where the f is sayla?
and another thing: quess must die!.
Excellent film, considered one of the high points of one of the greatest sci-fi sagas ever created..
This movie is what it is, a film sequel to 1980s Japanese mecha sci-fi shows, and as long as that it what you expect out of it, you will love it!
It has everything you'd come to expect from Tomino's work; human drama, mecha action, and breathtaking visuals.
I suggest watching at least Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit Double Zeta Gundam before viewing this film, because the directors assume that you know the Universal Century plot line.
If you are not into Japanese film yet, I suggest a simpler title before diving into gundam, but if you are a veteran otaku, this movie is well worth it, even if the DVD is a little on the expensive side!.
One of the best I've ever seen (Contains Spoilers).
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counter Attack is by far one of the best animated films I've ever seen.
How ever it could have done with some things changed (Contains Spoilers) #1 Quess Paraya: Not only is she annoying but you're actually happy when she dies.
#2 New Characters: It's kinda hard to care for people who die when this is the first time we're seeing them i.e. Chan and Kayra #3 Where the heck is Sayla: For any of you who have seen the original series and Zeta, not to mention read the books of Mobile Suit Gundam you know that Sayla and Amuro get together and it even says in Zeta Gundam that the two were together before Amuro was put under house arrest.
Plus I think it would really add to the fire which is Amuro and Char's Rivalry if Char found out Amuro was doing his little Sister.
And Last #4 Why kill off your Main people I mean Amuro and Char are by far the coolest Gundam Pilots ever.Well besides those things the film was great.
It was a little slow in the middle but it was great.
The Animation was great, the story was awesome, and this movie has the coolest fight between a Gundam Pilot and his Enemy Ever!!!.
Good movie, but victim of Bandai Entertainment R1 release..
The movie itself is great.
It's based on the novel, Beltorchika's Children, with several major differences.
I would've liked to have seen it more accurate to the novel.
The biggest difference is that in the novel, Amuro's girlfriend was Beltorchika (the same girl from Zeta Gundam), and she was pregnant with Amuro's child.
Unlike Chan, Beltorchika survived the novel.
Bandai did not want Amuro having kids, especially out of wedlock, and they did not want Amuro married, because the fan-girls wouldn't like it.
Aside from that, Amuro's Hi-Nu Gundam was also cut out, to save time.
I don't know much about the rest of the differences, but I would still say this is a very good movie.The American release, however, is trash.
There's no swearing at all, things are translated wrong ("ikimasu" does not translate to "let's do it!"), and "Sieg Zeon" is translated "Hail Zeon" in both the subs and the dub.
With a cataclysmic war resulting in over a billion deaths in the original series and many many more in series following, it's nice to know Bandai will be there to save the day, making sure that nobody gets hurt, or at least in the American version.
Blah..
Amazing movie, if you've seen the rest of the series....
Tomino finally cut the kiddy stuff after the fiasco that was ZZ.
Unfortunately for everyone in the united states, when CCA was released on DVD and shown on Cartoon Network, only the most die-hard fans of gundam who had gone out of their way to get their hands on illegal copies of Zeta Gundam (and in some cases the even more illusive Double Zeta Gundam) had any idea what was going on.
Seeing as the final episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam were never aired in the US because of 911, and Zeta Gundam was just released as a limited edition box set, and Double Zeta will probably not see the light of day for years to come, it made no sense for them to release the theatrical climax that concludes the saga after 3 series and roughly 145 episodes worth of women dying in outer space.
And lets face it.
Even gundam fans in Japan hated Double Zeta so it's gonna be a looooong time for we get it in the states just to see what happened and how Haman and Mineva are killed/deposed.