Gundam: Ecole du Ciel

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Vent Noir
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Gundam: Ecole du Ciel

Anyone else reading the Ecole du Ciel manga? Volume 8 just came out in English last week and I'm really enjoying it. Very interesting to see a shoujo-ish take on Gundam, and good to finally have a girl as a main character.

I really like the design of the Le Cygne in the interview section (does it count as a Gundam? It's referred to as a Gundam in the interviews, but the designs in the manga and at MAHQ just call it "Le Cygne"). Also amusing how Sayama said he wanted to remove as many of the traditional Gundam design elements as they'd let him get away with.

Anyone else got any thoughts on this?
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Shinji103
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When the heck did they even release volume 4? I have yet to see anything past volume 3 in bookstores. >.>
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Indicible
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Don't know about releases in English, but the manga has been released up to volume 8 in France.
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Shinji103 wrote:When the heck did they even release volume 4? I have yet to see anything past volume 3 in bookstores. >.>
Really? Last time I was at my local Borders (Saturday), I saw volumes 1-7...

Anyways, nice to know volume 8 is out. I'll pick it up this weekend.
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I checked last week but my local Barnes and Noble didn't have it. I'm gonna go back and check today.

Anyway, I've stated several times before that I absolutely love EdC. I own the seven volumes released so far.

To be honest though, I don't really think of it as shoujo Gundam. True it starts off with that sort of vibe in the school setting, but it quickly separates itself from that. It really is a show of love for the grunts (especially the Zeon ones) more than anything, and it actually transitions into Zeta very nicely. It has tragic moments, bad ass moments, and funny moments. AND THE ART! Every time I talk about EdC, I have to mention the art. Haruhiko Mikimoto has really outdone himself with this manga. The character designs are great (especially Asuna <3 she may just be my favorite Gundam girl ever.) and the characters are well written.

Anyway, it's a really good read, and it's fairly long as well. 8 just came out over here, but I think they're up to 10 or so in Japan. The only downside is that it takes Tokyo pop a quarter of a year to release a new volume ;_; Volume 7 came out in December 2007.
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Ascension
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I really like it a lot. I definitely find the shift to a female protagonist quite a refreshing change.

Also, Asuna (while fighting with the Zekes, at least) is pretty much the only Gundam pacifist whose motivations I actually understand (Yes, Lost War Chronicles, I'm glaring at you.).

I'm trying to remember where I left off... I think volume... 5, was it?

I need to get back to it.
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Only up to book three so far, but really enjoying it so far. I found myself getting a gunbuster feeling from some parts of the first volume (the clumsy female pilot with a lot of potential - using the more familiar zaku helping her in the crucial test fight).
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Vate
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wow!

I just reserved that book at the library. I live in Canada, so I hope I don't get it in french :P
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I myself just bought the eight book and I'm completely hooked. Just having content in English was a great thing for me, on top of that plain fact The story isn't your usual antagonist steals gundam protagonist an emotional boy. now it an emotional girl :) But its a great series and i look forward to the rest of the story being published state side.
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MV6000 the Ace Zeon Pilot
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I have Ecole du Ciel volumes 1-7 and I will be getting 8 next week hopefully and I love the series it's very interesting and different

I wonder why Chris stoped writing summary and reviews about it after volume 3? I like reading the Overall Rating thing
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MV6000 the Ace Zeon Pilot wrote:I wonder why Chris stoped writing summary and reviews about it after volume 3? I like reading the Overall Rating thing
Because I have lots of other things to do, so Ecole isn't really a priority at the moment. Also, I don't own anything beyond volume 4.
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I'm actually waiting for volume 8 to come in the mail.

Personally, I really have been enjoying Ecole du Ciel. It goes against a lot of the typical Gundam cliches, and gives a fresh take a on a lot of it.

Of course, any manga that has the Kampfer, Jack Bayard, and GM Quels all mixed together is good in my book.

The art is also very good and captures the action very well.
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So, I got Volume 8 the other day, read it in one sitting. I have to say, I'm pleased with where this is going.

Spoilers ahead:








I'll start off with the cover.


Asuna in the AEUG! The white Rick Dias on the cover is her custom unit. From what I could tell in the manga, it's pretty much a regular Dias with a white color scheme. Secondly, I had no idea who that person next to Asuna was until I read further in the manga. Needless to say, it's someone Asuna knows and she has changed, a lot. This volume officially ends Part 2 of the plot and moves into Part 3. It re-introduces some familiar faces from Part 1 and 2, along with a slew of new characters. As for Asuna, she's changed too. She's no longer the inexperienced newbie she was throughout the first two Parts. She's a serious soldier now and working with the AEUG. Volume 8 is mostly action and it's still looking as good as ever. Of major interest is the interview with the mecha designer for Le Cygne at the back of the book, and although it doesn't make an appearance in this volume, we get plenty of lineart to prepare us for its debut in the next volume.
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In all seriousness, I read the first volume of Ecole du Ciel and had no motivation to continue reading. I suppose it wasn't cliché compared to the main Gundam series (ie it didn't start with Gundamjacking or what-have-you), but it still felt like a standard-issue story in the context of anime/manga stories in general.

I don't remember a manga that was so quick to make me not care about the characters, and - I presume it was just me - I couldn't tell what the hell was going on in some of the combat scenes, even after rereading them.
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MV6000 the Ace Zeon Pilot
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Cardi Doorl wrote:I couldn't tell what the hell was going on in some of the combat scenes, even after rereading them.
I have the same problem sometimes the main thing I hate about this manga is the art style I perfer the art of Koichi Tokita (SEED Astray) or Masato Natsumoto (Lost War Chronicles) when it comes to the action scenes
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Cardi Doorl wrote:In all seriousness, I read the first volume of Ecole du Ciel and had no motivation to continue reading. I suppose it wasn't cliché compared to the main Gundam series (ie it didn't start with Gundamjacking or what-have-you), but it still felt like a standard-issue story in the context of anime/manga stories in general.

I don't remember a manga that was so quick to make me not care about the characters, and - I presume it was just me - I couldn't tell what the hell was going on in some of the combat scenes, even after rereading them.
I agree completely.


I have the first two volumes but I don't have any of the incentive to spend my money on subsequent volumes. It avoids a number of tired Gundam traditions while embracing any number of other mecha cliches. I know virtually every piece of fiction falls prey to this at some point or another, but Ecole du Ciel fails to use any of the familiar trends in a way that I found remotely engaging.

The fight scenes are a mess, which is a problem that plagues a lot of Gundam manga. It's hard to get excited about the mechanical mayhem when I can't make heads or tails of what's happening.

Sure, people told me it picks up in later volumes, but why bother when it failed so miserably to hook me in the first place?
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Imperial wrote:The fight scenes are a mess, which is a problem that plagues a lot of Gundam manga. It's hard to get excited about the mechanical mayhem when I can't make heads or tails of what's happening.
I'm glad I'm not the only person who has this problem. I've always wondered how I was supposed to be able to tell what the hell was going on from tiny black-and-white panels, but I've never heard much complaint about it, so I figured it was just me.
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I've only read volume 1 and volume 7 and will have to say that the action gets much better in vol. 7 compared to how it was depicted in vol. 1.
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Ascension
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Brave Fencer Kirby wrote:
Imperial wrote:The fight scenes are a mess, which is a problem that plagues a lot of Gundam manga. It's hard to get excited about the mechanical mayhem when I can't make heads or tails of what's happening.
I'm glad I'm not the only person who has this problem. I've always wondered how I was supposed to be able to tell what the hell was going on from tiny black-and-white panels, but I've never heard much complaint about it, so I figured it was just me.
I didn't notice any particular problem with Ecole du Ciel, but I have run into this with a lot of other mecha manga. I quit one of the Astray series (R, I think.) because I couldn't make out anything at all in the (plentiful) fight scenes. Mecha combat can be rendered clearly on the page (one of the few things LWC got right, IIRC), but it's all too rare.
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I avoided most earlier volumes, but now the story is picking up so I'm taking more interest. It is a problem that they're seven volumes in and only introducing a new Gundam now. As much as I like Zeta-era mecha, a Gundam title should live up to the name.

The artwork is a lot different from what I usually read, so the characters feel less "real" in some ways.
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