Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky

Ko Matsuo's 2016 animation is the theatrical cut of the Thunderbolt series adapted from Yasuo Ohtagaki's manga. During the One Year War the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon clash in the debris field of the former Side 4 colony, with the contest between the jazz-loving Federation pilot Io Fleming and the enemy sniper Daryl Lorenz at the centre. What separates the series is tone: the child-facing side of the Gundam universe is abandoned entirely and the consequences of war, the loss of limbs, drug dependency and the maiming of pilots, are shown directly. Pairing jazz with the battle sequences is its most striking formal choice. Because the theatrical cut compresses episodes of the series, some transitions feel crowded. Who it's for: viewers who know the Gundam universe and are interested in the darker branch of war animation. Who it's not for: anyone unfamiliar with the series who will lack the context, or avoiding content about amputation and the trauma of war.