In 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam was first broadcast in Japan.  It was a ground breaking and original series that depicted giant fighting robots and their pilots in a much more realistic fashion.  There was human drama in addition to the fight scenes.  It revolutionized the way mecha shows were constructed.

There have been several anime series set in and about the Gundam universe since that original show.  These shows have fleshed out a future history that spans centuries, and the Gundam name has become a drawing point both in Japan and here in the US.  Some people might think that the new SD Gundam Force DVDs that Bandai is releasing are another story taking place in the same universe.  Unfortunately, it isn't.  SD Gundam Force is a parody of the other more serious Gundam series.

These shows are not aimed at the same audience the previous Gundam shows were.  SD Gundam is intended for a much younger audience.  These robots are cute caricatures of  the other Gundam series mecha machines.  They are smaller-than-human robots rather than large fighting machines.  There is a lot of juvenile humor in the series, with incompetent and idiotic villains who are always bickering.

The plot of the show is fairly simple:  The evil Dark Axis has invaded Neotopia from another dimension.  The SDG (Super Dimensional Guard) arrives to protect the peaceful city.  Every episode involves the Dark Axis, which apparently consists of an unseen leader, two Gundam robots, and an unlimited number of ineffective robot fighters, the Zaku Fighters, attacking the SDG or Neotopia.  After a battle, they are repulsed.  Not having seen the first disc, I was able to understand these shows with out any problems.  This is the second disc in the series, comprising episodes 4-6.  The episodes on this disc are:

Episode 4 - Attack the Enemy Musai:  Zapper Zaku and Grappler Gouf start shooting up the city in order to draw the Gundams out.  When Captain and Zero arrive, they shoot them with a rubber bazooka, encasing them in a giant ball of rubber.  As they are being taken to the Dark Axis Dimension, Shute stows away on board the ship, and helps release the two heroes.

Episode 5 - Gundam Force, Team Up:  Shute becomes a special member of Gundam Force because of the courage he displayed in helping Captain in the previous episode.  No sooner does he get this news, then the Dark Axis attacks.  This time Zapper Zaku and Grappler Gouf are joined by a new villain, Destroyer Dom.  They attack SDG's dimensional transport device, a research project designed to take the fight to the Dark Axis dimension.   The three evil Gundam look like they will be triumphant.  But then, faster they you can say "deus ex machina," a dimensional rift opens and a new Gundam, Bakunetsumaru, emerges.  He joins the SDG and helps defeat the Dark Axis.  This episode was the favorite of both my boys, aged 11 and 7.
 
Episode 6 - Blazing Samurai Comes to Neotopia:  Zapper Zaku takes control of a giant robot Ferris wheel and uses it to attack Neotopia.   Bakunetsumaru, Zero and Captain, with the aid of Shute fight the menace.

Aimed at a preteen audience, I didn't enjoy the series nearly as much as other Gundam shows.  My two sons found it hilarious and entertaining.  They found the idiotic Zaku and foolish Gouf always good for a laugh, and enjoyed the story lines.  I found the comedy rather juvenile and the stories very predictable, but then again the show wasn't aimed at me.  Lines that I found dull ("That boils my oil!") or extremely sappy ("Evil-doers like you will never understand what goodness can create!") my children didn't bat an eye at.

This show is animated fully by computer, and while the Gundams and ships look great, the people look unnatural, and move in a very unrealistic manner.  I found it distracting, though my sons did not.

While the show was entertaining for a younger audience, the fact that this DVD only has three 20 minute episodes was extremely disappointing.  With no extras, not even trailers, they could have easily fit twice the number of shows on.
 

There is only an English language dub on this disc, with no subtitles.  Granted this is a kids show, but an original language audio track would have been desirable.  The audio quality from the two channel mix was fine, though it was hard to understand Zako at times, especially when he was talking fast.  This is more of a fault with the voice actor doing the dub rather than with the DVD itself.

Video:

This show was presented full frame, as it is shown on TV in the US.   The video quality was about average.  The colors were bright and clear, but the were a significant number of digital artifacts.  There was a large amount of aliasing (diagonal lines having a stair step appearance rather than being straight) and horizontal lines would shimmer as they moved.  Finer lines on the Gundam's armor would appear and disappear while you were watching them.  Though these didn't cause the show to look really bad, I did find them distracting.

The Extras:

There are no extras on this DVD.

Final Thoughts:

Younger audiences will find the humor and action in this series very appealing, and it's sure to be a show they will watch again and again.  Older viewers are more likely to find the show predictable and derivative.  The fact that there is not a Japanese audio track, no subtitles, or any extras makes this a lower quality disc.  The fact that there are only three episodes on it, slightly over an hour of show time all together, knocks it down a few more notches.  Rent it.