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This review is a continuation of my "MS Igloo - The Hidden one year war" (AKA "MS Igloo set 1") review, and is intended to be a companion piece, since this is the 2nd half of the story from the first review. As such, it will have not have a structure akin to my other reviews. Please read my first review in order to fully appreciate this review. Contains a separate Spoiler section.
Continuing on from the themes of the first set, the second set further explores the aspect of "research and development" in war, but with an added focus on "failure". As an engineer, failure is an VITAL part of the process of development and experimentation. However, due to the war's ever advancing arms race, the unit we follow are forced to experiment and test things in actual combat, leading to failure more often than not, which is devastating for the war effort, let alone the R&D of the machines being tested. This set explores how this failure affects the crew as they botch mission after mission by relying on experimental tech, and we see the pressure to succeed morph with the necessity of failure to create a uniquely tense, yet melancholic, environment of war that they have to deal with. This new atmosphere is pushed to its limits when the Zeon forces dwindle, and they are forced to incorporate their non-combat oriented units, such as the R&D unit we follow, into direct combat. It's interesting to see how they cope with this new assignment.
As with the original Gundam from 1979, and Gundam Thunderbolt, the theme of children in war, particularly child soldiers, is explored here. Making the war seem even more desperate, visceral, and despicable.
The designs of the mobile suits, particularly the huge suit that Oliver May pilots near the end, are incredible and fit well into the story.
***SPOILER SECTION***
ENDING SPOILERS: At first, I thought that the ending was a little too happy for my taste, I thought it would've been more poignant if Oliver May had actually died at the end, as it would follow on with how every test pilot he oversaw died before him, making it consistent. But then I realised that when May's apparent "death" happened after the ceasefire, then seeing how he had actually survived as everyone began heading home because the war was over, made me realise that it ended up being even MORE poignant to have him the final test pilot, survive. Because the war was over. Nobody needed to die testing his weapons anymore. The curse of war was lifted. I think that's a great way to end as it truly makes the war feel like it really had just ended right then and there, even if the tone goes against Tim O'Brien's quote somewhat with the melancholic, but still slightly happy ending. I really liked how in the ending of every episode, there was a Zeon flag, but in this episode, it ends after the wars does, and there is no Zeon flag...
***END OF SPOILER SECTION***
Overall:
This doesn't stand on its own, it needs to be watched alongside the first set in order to fully appreciate and realise the themes of the OVA, and to fully witness Oliver May's story. It's got some great narrative beats, usually great action, but a conflicted ending which I could go either way on. Still, I think these to OVAs are a good and novel watch, I recommend them.
