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∀-Gundam (read "Turn-A
Gundam") was a 50 episode series that aired in 1999.
It was directed by
Tomino Yoshiyuki, who had written and directed a number of previous
Gundam works. The series is yet another alternate universe, taking place
in Correct Century (CC) 2345. The series tells the story of a war between
space colonists calling themselves the Moonrace who wish to colonize
Earth, and the Earth Militia forces, which use the ancient Turn-A Gundam
to retaliate. Turn-A Gundam is a dramatic depature from the franchise in
many ways. Instead of being set in an era of high technology, it is set in
a future that has regressed to the early 20th century. Also, the
unorthodox design of the title
Mobile Suit comes courtesy of American
Syd Mead, best known for his work on
Blade Runner. The series also features the musical talents of
Yoko Kanno. The series finished its run in early 2000, and in 2002
Tomino directed two compilation films, entitled "Earth Light" and
"Moonlight Butterfly."
It is important to note that the "Turn-A" (∀) in the title of the
series is the
universal quantifier used in discrete mathematics, which means that
the title can be translated as "for all items of of the set 'Gundam' ".
This is neither an oversight, nor just a symbol used to "look cool" -
Gundam creator Tomino clearly intended the series to be a sort of
"unification" of the
Universal Century and the myriad "alternate universes" into a coherent
whole. Some examples:
- Several of the mobile suits in the series are clearly from earlier
series - the
MS-06 Borjarnon is either a
MS-05 Zaku I or a
MS-06 Zaku II (depending on the unit using it), and the
AMX-109 Kapool appeared initially in
ZZ Gundam.
- The
Concept-X6-1-2 Turn X mobile suit is capable of executing the
GF13-017NJ Shining Gundam's devastating "Shining Finger" attack.
- Pilot
Corin Nander uses machines with red coloring schemes, much like the
mobile suits of
Char Aznable and
Johnny Ridden.
Of course, the success of Tomino's grand vision has been mixed, with
many fans discounting it completely, treating Turn-A Gundam as just
another alternate universe.
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