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While there is no existing book that
contains everything there is to know about all the Gundams, the MS (Mobile
Suit) Encyclopedia ’98 is the next best thing.
Released in line with Gundam’s 20th Anniversary, the MS Encyclopedia ’98 covers most of the Gundams from its original T.V. release in 1979 to the O.V.A. series 08th MS Team as well as several variations found only in manga or miscellaneous art books. Its 274 pages full of information is well worth the Y1900 price tag to say the very least. The book starts out with a dozen full-color page introduction of the various timelines and worlds, citing terms and important events in the Universal Century timeline as well as information on the three alternate worlds of Gundam (Future Century, After Colony and After War). It is accompanied by beautiful illustration, not only of art works but some use computer generated ones also, blending them into a mixture exquisitely detailing the era they are covering. It is soon followed by a mobile suit section featuring all the robots categorized by series. They are fully colored, containing specs, artwork, snapshots from the animation and some details of nearly every Gundam to date with the exception of Turn A Gundam. Some ninety pages later, we come to what is the ultimate resource of information. At page 107, those glossy colorful pages are exchanged for more thickly, tougher ones which feature line art and sketches of various Gundams. They are, however, in black and white. Of course such is the exchange for a hundred pages chockfull of Gundam information. Not only does it cover the television series, movies and O.V.A.’s, it also contains those rarer, more unfamiliar ones like Mobile Suit Variation, Gundam Sentinel, Blue Destiny and others including the Gundam Wing side story G-Unit. Listed in these pages are mecha information, weapons, and sketches to back them up. The last few pages of the book covers the characters of the video series. Whether it’s the original Gundam or Gundam Wing, these pages feature in-depth character information. At the bottom of the pages is the character lineup of the series’ characters. It’s a nice compilation of the main characters but don’t expect to see every sub character there. Despite all these great stuff, the MS Encyclopedia ’98 is not for every one. If you only like a particular series or two, do not buy this book. While the book contains information and pictures of the series’ Gundams, they are only few and for its price tag, you are better off buying other books which focus on your favorite series as they contain more art and info. Also, half of the illustrations in the book are in black and white. If you’re looking for good pictures to scan in your computer, this may be a disappointment unless you plan to use the black and white stills. There are some nice group pictures of the robots but aside from the last few pages, pilots and other human characters are nowhere to be found in the book. This is purely a mecha book and they abound in it. Lastly, if you can’t read Japanese, there is little this book will help you. With the exception of some stats (weight, height, etc..) and the pictures, the wealth of information in the book is something you won’t be able to access if you’re not familiar with the language. On a side note, knowing Katakana is sufficient enough to make use of majority of the book. The MS Encyclopedia ’98 is a book for the dedicated Gundam fanatics. It covers majority of the series’ available (and that’s not something small) with complete illustrations. Those who can read Japanese can make full use of the extensive information contained in the book. It’s one of the rare, well worth books and you won’t see another book that covers the entire 20 year Gundam franchise as comprehensive as this.H |
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