Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt - Volumes 6-7 (Review)

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] By: Mithrandiel

Miss my last Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt review? You can find it here!

Volumes 6 and 7 of Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt pits the Federation against Zeon forces in the frozen Antarctic wastes before expanding the threat of the Nanyang Alliance. The pair of volumes is largely focused on the Federation arc and their star pilot: Io Fleming. While fans of Daryl Lorenz (who's hardly seen across 18 chapters) and the Zeon faction may be disappointed, the plot progression, revelations, and high-octane action will certainly keep you entertained.

Summary (spoilers!)

Volume 6 centers around Io and the Federation forces and their battle beneath the frozen waters of Antarctica. Pursued by a fanatical Zeon submarine captain on a mission of revenge, the crew of the Spartan find themselves in a bitter fight to the death. Amidst the chaos, Io begins to foster a more serious relationship with Bianca Carlyle, as the two use their love of music to strengthen the already powerful relationship they have as fellow soldiers.

The latter half of the volume is action-packed, with the rogue Zeon unit giving their all to inflict damage on the Spartan and its Federation forces. While the Federation eventually emerges victorious, the commanders wonder aloud if the attack was a means of assessing their battle-readiness and capabilities.

Volume 7 takes a brief detour in the opening pages to check in with Daryl Lorenz and the Zeon forces. Following the horrific events that took place during the battle of the Thunderbolt sector, Dr. Karla Mitchum's mind has been thoroughly damaged. As a means of trying to recover her genius intellect, Zeon medical staff have partnered her up with Daryl, who acts as a stand-in for her deceased father as they walk her through development once again. Eager to get him back in the Psycho Zaku and on the battlefield, Daryl appears to have some brewing reluctance.

Returning to the Federation arc, we continue to follow the Spartan as it prepares to enter Nanyang Alliance airspace. Even though some time has passed since the arrival of the Nanyang alliance, there's still a lot of questions about their motivations and goals. As the Spartan enters enemy airspace in an attempt to start negotiations, Claudia Peer, a former pilot that Io believed to have died some time ago, announces that the Nanyang Alliance doesn't recognize them as official Federation forces and warns them to turn back.

Stunned, Io is determined to find out what's happened to Claudia, and the Nanyang forces begin their attack.

What follows is a fierce battle that reveals the zealotry of the Nanyang forces. While the Federation ultimately wins yet again, the commitment to the cause and the damage they are able to inflict upon the Spartan makes it clear that continued conflict with the Nanyang alliance will surely lead to a war of attrition that the Federation cannot sustain.

The conclusion of the volume features two stunning revelations: one involving the leader of the Nanyang forces, and the other regarding allegations of a spy in their midst.

Review

I'm conflicted. In my heart, I've got nothing but love for the Principality of Zeon. Daryl and the underdogs standing against the organized might of the Federation is a tried-and-true narrative that is sure to win over anyone looking to stick it to "the man".

At the same time, I'm a big fan of Io Fleming as a character. His arc in the earlier volumes were particularly endearing, and with volumes 6 and 7, he takes the center stage once again as the Federation navigates their tumultuous (to say the least) relationship with the Nanyang.

In these chapters we see more of Io's interactions with the larger unit, including how they spend their downtime. The jam sessions with Bianca that effectively book-end volume 6 do a great job of communicating the energy and excitement of musical performance: a welcome distraction from the ever-present threat of death that comes with war. Bianca also reveals a bit of her storied past: a vast collection of unit tattoos/brands that she's acquired over the years. These moments of camaraderie help to lend some weight to the other members of the unit, even if we don't get personal introductions or backstory. The unit as a whole begins to take on a personality and character of its own, and if watching a lot of anime and reading a lot of manga have taught me anything, it's that getting to know someone better means death is imminent. (maybe)

The brilliance of the conflict in volume 7 is that while the Nanyang forces are able to inflict some decent damage, the threat never feels particularly urgent as the battle is going on. However, once the commanders begin to reflect on this and wonder what their intention truly was, everything clicks and makes the series of events that much more impactful. With the spy now confirmed, it opens the door to see how they will be uncovered, and at what cost.

The art continues to impress, not just in the flashy conflicts, but in the personal moments as well. Our peek into the mind of Dr. Mitchum, Bianca and Io's jam sessions, the reveal of the Nanyang alliance's leader...all of them seem to have equal weight to the story as devastating beam sabers and volleys of laser beams.

Overall, volumes 6 and 7 are a fantastic treat for fans of the Federation or Io Fleming in general, though it does seem fairly one sided at this point. With the frequency that we get Thunderbolt volumes on this side of the pacific, we haven't got to spend a lot of time with our boy Daryl for the better part of a year. Here's hoping that volume 8, which we'll be receiving and reviewing very soon, will help to remedy that.

[/vc_column_text][thb_gap height="20"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]