To fully appreciate — or even comprehend — a project like Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe would require extensive foreknowledge of Mobile Suit Gundam’s Universal Century (U.C.) timeline, the most expansive and longest-running timeline in the franchise’s history. Having originally kicked off all things Gundam in 1979, the U.C. timeline covers a near 50-year run of anime series, feature films, original video animations (OVAs), and manga, detailing mankind’s establishment of livable colonies in outer space and the long reach of the Earth Federation’s fearsome law. [Admittedly, this critic does not have the benefit of all requisite watches under his belt, so some nuances on plot and character may be lacking, but enough viewing and research has been done to articulate the essentials, lest that sway or deter any potential readers of this review.] To address the absolutely necessary context, The Sorcery of Nymph Circe is actually a direct sequel to 2021’s Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway, a belated continuation of Char’s Counterattack, itself the epic conclusion of one of Gundam’s longest running dramatic arcs. Picking up immediately where Hathaway left off, The Sorcery of Nymph Circe continues the stunningly animated saga of the Earth Federation and the faction that opposes them, delivering a compelling middle chapter in what is now intended to be a trilogy. Newcomers may be baffled, but longtime fans will almost certainly be satiated by the latest chapter in the U.C. timeline.
It’s the year U.C. 105, 12 years after the events of Char’s Counterattack, and the world still faces violent political turmoil, exacerbated by the growing corruption of the Earth Federation, which has resulted in Earth’s pollution and the exile of defiant members of humanity into outer space. Standing up to the Earth Federation is Mafty, a terrorist organization led by the enigmatic Mafty Erin, a mastermind who has successfully orchestrated the assassination of 18 high-ranking Earth Federation officials. Mafty Erin is actually the alias used by Hathaway Noa (voiced by Kensho Ono), the son of Bright Noa, a high-ranking member of the Earth Federation’s military personnel. Taking command of the Mafty Annihilation Unit is Colonel Kenneth Sleg (Junichi Suwabe), currently stationed in a naval blockade off the coast of northern Australia, where Mafty is believed to be striking next. Torn between the two men is Gigi Andalusia (Reina Ueda), an ethereal woman who may or may not possess supernatural powers.
Following in the footsteps of The 08th MS Team, a crown jewel in Gundam media, The Sorcery of Nymph Circe largely relegates its action to the individuals involved in the Mafty/Earth Federation conflict, maintaining a strict boots-on-the-ground approach as chess pieces are assembled and a plethora of names and faces are explored. There’s very minimal giant robot mayhem this time around, as Yasuyuki Muto’s screenplay opts to delve more into character work and interpersonal relationships between the respective divisions. Hathaway is facing insurmountable pressure to take on the Earth Federation, a problem that is only compounded by his lust for Gigi, whose bewitching nature throws a carnal kink into his otherwise focused mindset. Meanwhile, Sleg is working through his own motives as well, balancing a relationship with Gigi to enact his own secret operation at the Adelaide Conference, which would enable him to effectively eliminate the threat of Mafty. There’s also ace pilot Lane Aim (Soma Saito), who is haunted by his previous encounter with a spectral “Fake Gundam” in Hathaway, hoping to redeem himself during their next encounter. And then there’s Kelia Dace (Saori Hayami), Hathaway’s girlfriend and the only one who believes the couple has a future together, despite the latter’s own mental unraveling.
Battle may be perpetually on the precipice of breaking out in The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, but director Shûkô Murase is in no hurry to get there, indulging in a more relaxed vibe as tensions mount on both sides, even reserving an extended montage for Gigi to keep up her newfound domestic duties. What really shines in the film, however, is its cutting-edge animation, representing the strongest argument for melding traditionally drawn 2D characters with 3D-generated backgrounds. While this is not a new practice in anime, it has rarely, if ever, been pulled off as convincingly as it has here, delivering slick results right from the exciting opening sequence, which depicts the POV of a civilian caught in a devastating Gundam attack in a ruined city. Several other standout moments follow suit: one sudden cut to a set of window curtains gently billowing in the wind is so impossibly photorealistic it almost looks like the film suddenly shifts to live action footage. Aurally, the film also delivers prime work, as composer Hiroyuki Sawano turns in more of the lovely symphonic work that he brought so memorably to Hathaway.
The Sorcery of Nymph Circe largely keeps its weapons holstered for the bulk of the runtime, until it suddenly kicks into high gear for a thrilling Gundam vs. Gundam action climax, doling out franchise cameos and tying up as many loose ends to the Universal Century timeline as possible. Nymph Circe plays strictly for seasoned fans, but it wouldn’t be surprising to find that newcomers will nonetheless still appreciate it as an engaging military saga. And anyone who sticks it out until the very end will be treated to an awesomely incongruous needle drop over the end credits — which we won’t spoil here, but will tease that it arrives rippling with the swaggering confidence of an American hard rock band. Which is to say that The Sorcery of Nymph Circe ends on a spectacular high note, bringing this chapter of Gundam to a satisfying pause while simultaneously and effectively goosing audience expextations for Part Three.
DIRECTOR: Shûkô Murase; CAST: Kensho Ono, Reina Ueda. Junichi Suwabe, Soma Saito, Kenjiro Tsuda; DISTRIBUTOR: Bandai Namco Filmworks; IN THEATERS: May 15; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 55 min.
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