TITLE: Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt vol. 6
YEAR: February 2018 (US Release Date)
COMPANY: Viz Media
Story & Art by Yasuo Ohtagaki
With Operation Thunderbolt underway, we see members of the Federation via the Federation MS Carrier Spartan making their way through the Antarctic Ocean but they are being pursued by a Zeon submarine unit.
We see on the Zeon side, Commander Kauffman drinking himself to tears of remembering the death of his baby and he and his wife digging their baby out of the rubble.
On the Federation side, we are introduced to Bianca Carlyle, a headstrong leader who is in charge of the operation to take out a few of the Zakus in Arctic.
As for Io fleming, piloting the new RX-78AL Atlas Gundam, he must try to stop the Zeon submarine unit in order to save the crew of the Spartan. Can he do it?
What is “Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt” about?
Back in 2012, mangaka Yasuo Ohtagaki wrote and illustrated the manga “Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt”.
With eight volumes published, the series would receive a 4-episode ONA anime adaptation and a second season is slated for adaptation.
The manga is set during the One Year War (U.C. 0079) and the Earth Federation’s Brotherhood and the Principality of Zeon’s Living Dead Division are in battle in the Thunderbolt Section, a zone that is littered with debris from the destruction of space colonies and because the area has numerous electrical discharging.
Fighting for the Earth Federation is Ace pilot, Io Fleming and for the Principality of Zeon, Zeon’s best sniper, Daryl Lorenz is focused on killing Fleming.
As Io won the first meeting between the two, this time around, both the Federation and Zeon plan to escalate the battle as the Federation plans to send the Gundam in one more time to finish the job, but leading the Gundam are young recruits. Meanwhile, Zeon follows Daryl Lorenz piloting the new Psycho Zaku.
And with a sneak attack, they are able to decimate the Federation. With only a few survivors of the Federation, what happens when Earth Federation’s Moore Brotherhood enters a Zeon ship?
Also, the Federation’s Io Fleming and his Gundam takes on Zeon’s Daryl Lorenz and his new Psycho Zaku for control of the Thunderbolt Sector and significant losses are taken in by both sides, until Federation forces come to back the decimated group, thus capturing Zaku technology, while Lorenz and other remnants manage to hide on Earth.
A year later and we watch as Io Fleming now piloting the RX-78AL Atlas Gundam in order to safely get the Federation MS Carrier Spartan crew out of the Arctic, as Zeon has sent a submarine and their Zakus to destroy the Spartan. Can Io Fleming and Bianca Carlyle stop them?
When it comes to the Universal Century Gundam stories, they are my favorite. And while many of us have been entertained by stories involving Amuro Ray, there have been a variety of stories that have taken place in the Universal Century, some more deeper than the others and others just focusing on the action.
“Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt” may seem like the latter because of the action focusing on Earth Federation vs. the Principality of Zeon but once the manga goes into character development, the storyline focuses on how people are growing tired of the war. People sick of seeing deaths of friends and loved ones.
As the past five volumes had focused on Io Fleming and Daryl Lorenz, two outstanding pilots on opposite sides and both suffering major losses, with vol. 6, we are introduced to new characters and a new setting.
Io Fleming is a man born from a wealthy family and he and his friends are thrusted into war. Fleming is secretly dating Captain Claudia Peer, a captain who is sick and tired of war and that the Earth Federation keeps sending teenage pilots as reinforcements and always depressed and tense when Fleming, the Beehive’s best pilot goes to fight against the Principality of Zeon. Along with Fleming and another childhood friend, engineer Cornelius Kaka, all three were born in privilege and are now assigned to the Beehive.
Fleming is an excellent pilot and surprises the Principality of Zeon when he shows up and takes many of them out with his Gundam and always playing his jazz music through a pilot radio station.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end are the Living Dead Division of the Principality of Zeon. A group that is put together of people who have been significantly injured or maimed and are still fighting with prosthetics.
Their best fighter, Zeon Chief Petty Officer Daryl Lorenz, is an excellent sniper and wants revenge against Fleming for killing his teammates. He has lost his legs in battle and carries a retro-style radio that he listens to in battle.
The sixth volume set in the Arctic and the series is told backwards in time of what is happening to both sides, the Federation vs. the Zeon during Operation Thunderbolt. The Zeon led by Lt. Commander Kaufmann wants nothing but revenge for the death of his baby and he will do whatever it takes to destroy the Federation.
And as Zaku pursue Bianca Carlyle and her crew, Io Fleming knows he must take out not just the Zaku’s but also a submarine who will do all they can to destroy the Spartan.
Which side will become successful?
The character designs, artwork and storyline by Yasuo Ohtagaki are wonderful and I really like how the emotion of the characters are depicted. The story has been action-driven, detail of the artwork has been excellent and for mecha fans, “Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt” vol. 6 is quicker read as there are numerous pages that use an entire page and it’s typically action-driven without any dialogue.
Overall, another fantastic volume of “Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt”!