Catching up with all the shit I've been missing since Christmas presents consumed me, starting with Zeta: A New Translation. It's not quite like Do You Remember Love?, which was completely revamped graphically to the point of some of the characters being unrecognizable, but rather scenes were inserted or removed. Consequently when watching it you're stuck with shitty 1980s animation an then suddenly switch to a scene from the early-2000s production level. It's rather disconcerting but it allows you to easily tell what's the new content.

As a movie summary of a fifty-episode series of course they're going to leave shit out to the point of being awkward or jarring. It starts off with Camille in the interrogation room without the scene of him and Jerid fighting, which in turn makes their already weak rivalry somewhat nonsensical. Amuro's also not a little bitch so some of his actions aren't easily explained; in the original show Beltachika had to offer her pussy to motivate Amuro to fight, except here he's enthusiastic from the start so all of these discussions about his fears are odd. Reccoa's dissatisfaction with Char and her way of life was rushed, and hence her betrayal is confusing; she was captured and then suddenly working for the Titans. Most interestingly is Rosamia was almost completely gone. In the original Zeta she had some scenes piloting the Psycho Gundam Mk-II, but her face was never revealed until about thirty episodes later when she thinks Camille is her brother. They added more moments of her in those initial scenes but then removed her plot entirely, which was sort of my point: After Four died I think the writers felt Camille needed a second crazy bitch, but she wasn't a necessary addition. However she strangely appears in the final scene with all the other dead people Camille can hear in space, which would be completely confusing for anyone who hadn't seen the series. There are other small changes, like how Reccoa is killed by Emma instead of Yazan. And Bask is killed by Yazan instead of Reccoa. But of course the major one is Camille doesn't go crazy at the end. I'm guessing they take that part out in ZZ?

Overall I think it's a good adaptation of the series. The condensed time gives greater impetus to AEUG's actions, one of the complaints I had about the original series,, but I feel there's still a lack of overall direction, particularly since Char's speech to the world was cut out. It's not bad if you have the time, but I still say stick to the 1980s version.

Christmas = failure this year. I didn't finish the hat and scarf.