Thoughts on Rita Bernal of Gundam Narrative
After I finished watching Gundam Narrative the first time in February of this year — I messaged my friend Kara, saying that Narrative was a compelling story, and perhaps one of the most interesting Gundam stories I was aware of. To which Kara responded with the following.
In all honesty, in thinking about Narrative as I’ve been writing this essay; I’ve honestly fallen more and more for the movie — what it says, and what the character’s motivations are. Among the reasons I love this movie so much include the voice acting of Jona Basta — one of the protagonists voiced by Junya Enoki; and Lieutenant Zoltan voiced by Yūichirō Umehara: who I know from Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These as Siegfried Kircheis. I’ve watched the movie several times since my first viewing — and each time is just as fascinating as the first.
The Hierarchy of Foreignness
In "Speaker for the Dead" — the second book in the Ender’s Game series — author Orson Scott Card introduces the Hierarchy of Foreignness. A simple, four-part system that describes living things; a hierarchy of least to most alien.
At the lowest, and most familiar level of the hierarchy — Utlänning; a stranger from the same planet as a subject but of a different city or nation. Utlänning is taken from the Swedish word “foreigner”.
At the next highest level; Främling — taken from the word “stranger” — is a person from a different planet, but is still recognized as a human.
Ramen — which has no direct translation in Swedish — are described as strangers recognized as human, but of another sentient species entirely.
The final level; Varelse — meaning “creature” — are considered “true aliens”, no meaningful communication is possible with the subject or subjects.
Mobile Suit Gundam
Throughout Yoshiyuki Tomino’s franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam — there exists this idea of evolution. What steps must humanity as a species must take to move from being a species bound to the planet Earth — to that of being a new type of human. The 1979 TV Series has been described as being the beginning of “real robot” mecha anime — as it uses the mecha in it’s setting in a military context. Mobile Suit Gundam as a franchise has been described as being as impactful in Japan, as Star Wars has been in the United States.
In the Universal Century 0079; war between the Earth Federation and the space-bound Principality of Zeon has broken out; resulting by the start of the series, the death of half of all humanity in both space and on the planet’s surface. The plot of this first series revolves around the civilian Amuro Ray, and his fights against Zeon in the RX-78-2; the original “Gundam” throughout the One Year War. Introduced in Mobile Suit Gundam is the concept of “Newtypes” — genetically advanced humans who have adapted for space. Pilot Amuro Ray is one such newtype.
For the next 45 years, Mobile Suit Gundam would become a multi-media franchise, with new series, timelines and a plethora of mobile suits called “Gundam”.
Narrative
Released in Japan on November 30th, 2018 and directed by Toshikazu Yoshizawa — Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative tells the story of the RX-0 Unit 3 — named “Phenex”, and the hunt for it. Based upon the light novel "Phoenix Hunting" from the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn series — Gundam Narrative tells the story of the Earth Federation Space Force and Neo Zeon remnants -- called the ”Sleeves“ -- chasing down the missing Phenex in the year Universal Century 0097. Much of the plot will not be explained, but the key parts — the ones that stand out to me — will be talked about here.
Despite being set in UC 0097, Narrative’s plot begins at the beginning of the One-Year War. A young child bolts from the bus carrying her; and is chased after by her teacher. Following the girl, two more children — perhaps to chase after their friend faster than the older teacher can. Birds above can be heard, and a creeping, unnerving synth composed by Hiroyuki Sawano scores this scene. Eventually, the young girl stops on a cliffside as her friends catch up to her — as the friends say that they should head back — the young girl, named Rita, takes the hands of her friends — Jona and Michele — and an image of the devastation of 0079’s colony drop is shown to the children. The colony drop was an act by Zeon to drop an abandoned colony on Earth; causing immense destruction and mass death of Earthnoids. Jona and Michele fall back, questioning what they saw. Jona believes it as truth — asking Rita if it’s something that will happen. She affirms that it will. The cries of the birds above their heads is unceasing.
In UC 0097 —
...corporation Luio & Co. Assigns family daughter Michele Luio and pilot Jona Basta — alongside the RX-9 Narrative Gundam — to assist in the Federation’s “Phoenix Hunt” — the codename for the operation to capture the Phenex and its pilot.
Interspersed through the introduction of the movie are flashbacks to Michele and Jona’s childhood, following the destruction wrought on earth in the One Year War — and the implication that the pilot of the Phenex is a childhood friend of Michele and Jona’s — Rita Bernal.
During the pursuit of the Phenex, scenes of the trio’s childhood is shown — including the explanation for the scene given at the beginning of the movie; where Rita, Michele and Jona all see the Colony Drop of the One Year War before it ever happens — their warnings allow a town near the cataclysm to be evacuated before it occurs, saving thousands. Called the “Miracle Children” — who had lost their parents before and during the One Year War — the trio are ‘adopted’ into the Earth Federation’s Newtype Labs — which following the One Year War, is under the control of the special forces corps known as the “Titans” — an explicit callback and reference to the lore and events of the franchise’s second animated series; Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam from 1985. It’s said through these flashbacks that there was only one miracle child — that Jona and Michele know that they aren’t Newtypes and that Rita is the only Newtype among them.
It is implied and then later explicitly said — through the first and second act, that the trio underwent experiments at the behest of the Earth Federation, in an attempt to create artificial Newtypes; called Cyber-Newtypes. The scenes where snippets of the Newtype Labs are shown are vicious and brutal — showing the injuries and mental trauma afflicted to the children of the Newtype Labs; including the on-screen suicide of a child at the Labs. In one of these flashbacks; Michele makes the simple proclamation, that the trio must do anything possible in order to escape. This scene is directly adjacent to a scene that I can only describe as mobile suit body horror.
This scene is actually from the day that the Phenex went missing. Whilst on a test flight, the Phenex activates Destroy Mode; it’s body contorting as if being poked and prodded by unseen forces; its Psycho-Frame unfolding from itself while the machine itself appears to resist. Upon reaching its Destroy Mode activation; the Phenex turns on its captors — and destroys the bridge of the ship performing tests with it. It’s unclear what happened to its pilot, or what happened after its base of operations was destroyed — simply that the Phenex went missing.
Throughout the movie’s flashbacks, the depths of human depravity in the name of progress is shown; culminating in the reveal and confirmation of Rita being the ‘true’ Miracle Child — she is the 'only' real Newtype between herself, Jona and Michele.
The second act’s apex —
...the culmination of the conflict between the Federation forces and the Sleeves — reveals something more dire. Michele ‘sold out’ Rita as the only ‘true Newtype’ to the Titans, in order to save herself and Jona.
During the moment where Rita is being escorted away from the others at the Newtype Labs — Jona chases after her, being restrained by security. Rita turns around to look at Jona, her expression fearful and yet seemingly hopeful. She mouths something to Jona — it is unclear what she says, but it causes Jona to break down further — pleading with security and the researchers alike to take him instead.
This scene and those that follow are some of the most powerful scenes in the movie; with Rita’s head being shaved and her scalp being marked for experimentation before being put under for the surgery — all the while Michele narrates her desire to have gone back and saved both Rita and Jona after the Newtype Labs were shuttered. This final scene shows then an older Rita, her body scarred by experimentation and surgery, donning a Normal Suit before boarding the Phenex presumably for the last time.
Rita Bernal was kept in captivity by the Earth Federation Forces in order to continue the experiments on a Newtype who wouldn’t be missed — even following the shuttering of the Newtype Labs. Rita — like Michele and Jona — are orphans who only had one another. It is revealed that in UC 0095 — Rita Bernal, having been experimented on throughout childhood — was piloting the Phenex when it went rogue.
It is commented on throughout the movie how the Phenex has been without supply in the two years since its disappearance, and in its piloting behaves as if there is no pilot within it.
In the rising action of Act 3 of Narrative — the unsaid is finally said — that Rita is dead, and that her consciousness or something akin to it, inhabits the Phenex now. Jona, heading out to not only protect Earth from a plot by a rogue Sleeves member, Lieutenant Zoltan — but to stop the Neo Zeong II mobile suit — fights alongside the Phenex.
Through the battle, Michele is killed, and the Narrative is destroyed — ejecting from its Core Fighter; Jona Basta boards the empty Phenex, and alongside the “ghost” of Rita -- puts to end that which can only be done by living things. Declaring in response to the constant motif of a young Rita’s voice saying that she wants to be reborn as a bird;
“If you’re going to become a bird, then… I’ll become one too.”
Being thrown from the Phenex before it protects the Earth and surrounding colonies as its final act in this story — Jona Basta sees a vision of Michele and Rita on the beach where Rita proclaimed where she wanted to be reborn as a bird. These visions urge him to continue living, despite what they endured — all before Jona is saved by a mysterious Mobile Suit. This scene is set to a version of “Cage” by Hiroyuki Sawano. It is one of the most beautiful and saddening scenes in all of Universal Century Gundam. The imagery of Jona being ‘left behind’ by the ghosts of Michele and Rita before the Phenex disappears in a flash of light; preventing the explosion that would rain debris upon Earth — is extremely poignant.
The last real scene of Narrative, is that of Jona and the protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn; the previous show in the Universal Century timeline chronologically — Banagher Links — on Banagher’s Silver Bullet Surpressor.
Jona laments that he has nowhere left to go, that all he’s cared about has left him. In the glow of the Phenex departing; Banagher tells Jona that even so, he might someday catch up to those he’s lost. Despite not being a Miracle Child in the same way Rita was — despite having a plethora of imagery that implies Yona might be a Newtype — this is the scene that solidifies Jona as being a Newtype in my mind.
A theme throughout much of Universal Century Gundam — if not Gundam in totality — is that of communication; of learning to listen to one another, and create something better than what came before from that communication. It’s my belief, then, that Gundam Narrative’s storytelling is that it is truly possible for people to learn to communicate and understand one another in a way that goes beyond simple dialogue. That empathy and its kin are among some of the earliest building blocks of civilization.
If Gundam Unicorn (2010)’s story is to trust in humans and what they can do through the mere existence of possibility — then Narrative’s story is to trust that you will be understood in the same way you understand others. Even if you make mistakes like Michele did — even if you feel abandoned like Jona did; you can still be understood.
Rita Bernal
... may have been the only Miracle Child — yet she is not the only Newtype in Narrative’s story. She was crafted and grafted into something unknowable; losing herself in some capacity following her interaction with the RX-0 Unit 3’s Psycho-Frame, and became perhaps something more than human.
In the strictest of senses, perhaps Rita at the start of Narrative — during the onset of the One Year War — was that of a Utlänning to Jona and the rest of humanity. And while the Narrative’s story would perhaps give the explication to its audience that Rita had become more than human — something closer to Varelse — it’s my belief that she exhibits something far more innate than that. Her desire to protect those she cares about, much like Jona — reaches a synthesis in the moments before the Neo Zeong II’s destruction — and while he may be left behind as she protects him; it would be then, the two’s shared belief that they will one day meet again; whether in this life or the next. Rita’s desire to take care of, and protect those she cares about — may very well be what that scene before the Mobile Suit body-horror implies — that her desire is what caused her to lose her human form.
She may have been willing to lose such things, in order to protect her beloved friends — but that doesn’t mean that the pain that she felt in those final moments; as exhibited by the contortions and spasms of the Phenex in those moments — was any lessened.