A Cosmic Glow (Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin #11) (Manga)

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Title: A Cosmic Glow
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin
Author & Artist: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Rating:  5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 372
Format: Paper




 Synopsis:
The Feds are throwing everything they have at A Baoa Qu, a military base controlled by Zeon that is right next door to the Principality of Zeon.
Zeon responds with their own Super Laser and wipes out a ton of Feds.
So it is up to the White Base to be a rallying point for the survivors to take the base.
Amuro heads up the mobile suits and is, obviously opposed by Char. But Lalah is involved and things don't go as anyone planned.
At the same time, the Zeon children are fomenting revolts of their own, against their father and each other.
The Deikun heirs, Char and Sayla ne~ Artesia, reveal themselves and bring even more chaos to the unfolding situation.
And Amuro and Char just plain duke it out!

My Thoughts: Spoilers Ahead, Mateys!
First off, I wish that the bloody publishers, Vertical, had official synopsis's on their website. It would make things SO much easier because let me tell you, this book was jam packed!

As much as I've enjoyed this series, at times having White Base "go there, go here, fight, fight, fight" got rather boring. This book kicked the boring right out of the door. Amuro is exponentially increasing in his piloting abilities and Char is slavering at the mouth for a chance to test himself against him again. What complicates things is Lalah. I don't understand WHY she chose to stay with Char. She and Amuro obviously had a Newtype connection, so why stay with Char? And it got her killed. That scene was incredible. And you get to see how Char cares nothing for anybody but himself. Even her death didn't throw him into a homicidal rage but he used it to egg Amuro on. At that moment I really hated Char and hoped he would die a horrible death.

Amuro's situation is complicated by the fact that Fraw is in love with him and he returns the feelings but he can't deny what he and Lalah had. And then for him to kill Lalah, even by accident, was just too much.

Seeing the disintegration of the Zeon leadership was a lesson in evil devouring itself. Please excuse me if I get the names wrong. Zabi, the father, is going to meet with the Fed military leader to sue for peace. His son, Gihren, uses the super laser to wipe out the Fed leader, knowing that his father would be there, all because he, Gihren, wanted to be in charge. When the sister, Kycilia, learns of Gihren's actions, she executes him and takes command. All the while Sayla/Artesia is leading a revolt of soldiers loyal to her father, the originator of the Zeon Freedom movement. And Char is watching it all play out and just laughing at the death and destruction. It is better than a Shakespeare play for drama.

Overall, this book shook me out of any lethargy I had for the series. It surprised me with its insight into the human characters and their motivations. While not a strong contender, it did earn a spot in my "Best Book of the Year" line up.  It has also renewed my desire to own the complete series as these are just gorgeous books. Heavy covers. Heavy, glossy pages that will not degrade. Bright colored pages. Black and white drawings that aren't a mess. These are quality books that I want on my bookshelf.