 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | TOKYOPOP | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | HARUHIKO MIKIMOTO | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 176 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 04/01/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 06/15/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Ecole du Ciel is an epic story set in the Mobile Suit Gundam universe that many of us have come to know and love. At the Ecole du Ciel, aspiring pilots train to become top Gundam operators in hopes of defending their friends and family from their enemies so that they can one day live in peace. In volume eight, Asuna has defied the odds, surviving countless attacks and dangerous situations. As the war continues and casualties mount, can she find the strength to go on? To make matters worse, Elisia's "readjustment" is complete along with her heightened abilities as a boosted human. She is immediately dispatched to finish off Asuna for good, but Asuna is ready for her, armed with a Newtype custom-made Gundam! Who will win in this Gundam battle of the fittest? Gundam as a franchise is well-known for its attention to detail with everything from the characters to the mobile suits themselves. The art style and visuals in this manga series are stunning and any Gundam fan will be easily able to appreciate it for that fact. The space battles between different mobile suits and other mecha are really imaginatively presented and the visuals will pull you into the action quickly. As Gundam series go, Ecole du Ciel is a more mature series in the way it is presented – there isn’t much “unbelievable” weaponry or anything – it’s all very military like and tries to feel realistic even though it is obviously an idea based on science fiction and things that don’t exist in our world as we know it. The art has a mature sense of style, and therefore the story should have a level of intelligence to go along with it and you’ll be happy to know that is certainly the truth with this particular Gundam series. Characters are complex in their interpersonal relationships with each other, and their motivations for why they fight are interesting to learn about as you go along also. There have always been female characters in Gundam series, but this one is especially interesting because it more so revolves around some strong female characters like the main character of Asuna. Many of the classic, back in the day Gundam series revolved around mostly young male characters, and a handful of supporting female characters, so it’s just nice to see something a little different in relation to gender. As for extras, Ecole du Ciel is really quite extensive with a wide variety of tidbits to read about. There are numerous sketches and pelimanary designs to look over, as well as different subjects discussed by the staff for the manga, and even some personal information about the Japanese staff and what they work on in relation to the manga.
IN SUMMARY:
If you like some of the more classic, more intelligent Gundam series in print format or anime, then Ecole du Ciel is certainly for you. Gundam is a really interesting concept across the board, and Ecole du Ciel is an excellent addition to the franchise. |
