Unboxing [UK]: Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin I-IV: Chronicle of Char and Sayla - Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)

Anime Limited's next step in the Gundam franchise after Gundam ZZ ended up being one of the more recent adaptations with the Origin prequel series.

Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin (Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin) is a series of OVAs released between 2015 to 2018 by studio Sunrise loosely based on the manga series written by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and Yoshiyuki Tomino. The anime was released in theatrical screens across the world with some special screenings here in the UK at MCM Comic Con.

While the Japanese releases have been made available with English support (both audio & subtitles), this is the localised version for the UK & Ireland from distributor Anime Limited. US publisher Nozomi/Rightstuf have done the same for their territory. The UK & Ireland version features both English & French support since it's also being released for France under @Anime.

This collection is known as 'Chronicle of Char & Sayla' and it contains the first four OVAs:

I: Blue Eyed Casval (I: Aoi Hitomi no Kyasubaru)

II: Artesia's Sorrow (II: Kanashimi no Aruteishia)

III: Dawn of Rebellion (III: Akatsuki no Hōki)

IV: Eve of Destiny (IV: Unmei no Zen'ya)

At the moment the Origin anime has a total of 6 OVAs with the remaining two covering a different arc. That arc has yet to be released as a collection in any territory at the moment except for the Japanese releases. Anime Limited & Nozomi, while they can't say anything at the moment, will no doubt pick them up at a later time frame. Worth noting that Anime Limited are behind on their Gundam catalogue with Thunderbolt December Sky and 00 franchise next on their radar.

Onto the unboxing, this is the Anime Limited Collector's Edition release for the collection. The four OVAs included are spread across 2 Blu-ray discs in English audio and Japanese audio with English & French subtitles. The subtitles are locked during playback and the region is locked to B only. Unlike the previous Gundam sets this one has been authored by Media OCD and the subtitles are much clearer than the previous sets which is great (both English & French have white subtitles).

You can order the collector's edition release on AllTheAnime but it's soon to go out of print and Amazon UK.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages: Japanese, English

Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1 & LPCM 2.0 (Japanese), DTS-HD MA 5.1 & LPCM 2.0 (English)

Video: 1080p HD Native 16:9

Region: B

Subtitles: English, French

Subtitles Locked: Yes

Discs: 2

Plot Synopsis (via Anime Limited):

The Beginning of a Red Vengeance. The Past Unveiled.

What was the tragedy that decided the fates of Char Aznable, the man later nicknamed the "Red Comet" as an ace pilot of the Zeon forces, and his sister Sayla Mass?

The two siblings' journeys, brought on by the sudden death of their father Zeon Zum Deikun who was a leader of the Spacenoids.

The Zabi family who seize control of Side 3 and lead the Principality of Zeon, the early days of many renowned Zeon ace pilots who later fight in the One Year War, the secrets of mobile suit development, conflicts with the Earth Federation Forces, and the road leading to the outbreak of war - all will be revealed. 

On-Disc Extra Content:

I: Blue Eyed Casval Trailers
II: Artesia's Sorrow Trailers
III: Dawn of Rebellion Trailers
IV: Eve of Destiny Trailers

Collector's Edition Extras:

Chipboard Artbox: Clean Artwork & Title on Spine, 2 Blu-ray cases for Discs, Info/Specs on Info Sheet

4 artcards

Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin I-IV: Chronicle of Char and Sayla is available on Blu-ray only from Anime Limited.