Note: This is the restored version of the theatrical release. There were already a few videos uploaded of the 90’s DVD release that has alternative audio so I thought to upload the original version here for posterity, also because I personally think it’s the superior version.
The ending to 0079 is nothing short of beautiful. A story of a hellish war filled with hate, racism and an insurmountable death toll reaches its climax in the form of a duel between rivals on opposite sides who in another world could have been friends. But it’s through this battle and all of the hardships leading up to this point that Amuro was able to see what truly mattered to him for the first time. Leading his comrades and friends out of the A Baoa Qu being led to its inevitable destruction, he develops a further spiritual connection with them all in order to get them to safety.
Amuro’s character arc ended up becoming the story in itself as well as an outsider looking in that serves to critique the futility of war, how it can ruin your mind and that in order to maintain yourself in the madness of war you need to hold onto what you have. Amuro learning what mattered most in this final stretch is a beautiful completion of a character arc, a scene that always manages to get me teary eyed. You might argue that comradery and understanding one another is an overplayed concept and you’re right but the way this show handles it is one of the best.
MAG.MOE - The MAG, The MOE.