Zeta Gundam Volume 6

Note: From here on out, all Volumes of Zeta Gundam are brand new to me, so there will be no comparisons to my previous time with the show.

Like its Chapter 3 counterpart, Volume 6 lacks any degree of focus. Unlike Vol 5, however, it makes up for it by making something important happen in every episode.  There might not be a common narrative arc, but it doesn't really matter when all five episodes are distinct in my mind.

To clarify, some of these episodes offer no indication of their importance until the very end.  A good example is the disc's opener, which is a fairly standard episode until Captain Jamaicon of the Titans is vaporized.  Other eps are more blatant, such as the disc's finale, which makes it perfectly clear in its preview that Mouar is going to die.  There was always something interesting going on in Volume 6, which made it refreshingly addictive to watch.

I also found these episodes to be balanced. They had action, strategy, and solid character interactions.  At this point in the show, the stakes are high enough that even fairly green pilots like Katz and Fa understand that they can no longer be so flippant and disobedient.  The entire cast is starting to get into a groove, and it is refreshing to see angst replace with the occasional spout of comedy relief.

Still, I find this to be a bittersweet change of events.  The body count in Volume 6 is significant, at least for the Titans, and I get the feeling that the AEUG is going to lose some crew soon so as to even the odds  I know they're the bad guys, but Titans pilots have a shelf life of 3-5 episodes (in terms of appearance count), which makes it tough for them to come into their own.  From a character development standpoint, it simply isn't fair.

Overall, the second half of Zeta Gundam has gotten off to a fantastic start, and I'm excited to go full steam ahead with the rest of it.