I must say, Lovers did not seize me as much as the original Zeta. The pacing in this one was too fast, and the prime example of that was Kamille and Four's relationship. Theirs was to be fierce and deep, but the film went too quickly through it so that it barely had time to grow. Then, before too long, Kamille is already heading back towards Fa, which just felt really uncomfortable. That's really the drawback of these compilation movies compared to the full series. You lose the buildup and little things that give the relationships a more real feel. That said, I did appreciatehow this movie pushed more toward the idea of the Titans experimenting with cyber-Newtypes. It's unnerving how unsettled they are, and it makes their battles tragic as well as they are hazardous. The Psycho Gundam was particularly frightening every time it showed up.

Character-wise, I had a mixed opinion. Scirocco was a real standout as a new baddie. He looks manipulative and calculating, and you can already imagine he's going to stir up trouble for both sides. Sarah, on the other hand, really annoyed me. She pretends to be assisting Kamille and Katz, but then keeps flipping on them, which grew old in a hurry. Katz has not been doing much to help himself out either. So far, he has created more problems than solutions, and I can only hope he serves a larger role in the next one. On the brighter side, Char is stepping more and more into his role as a leader, and it feels like the AEUG naturally revolves around him. Reccoa still seems like an odd one out, though. There’s something off about her, but the movie hasn’t really shown where that’s headed yet, so I’ll wait and see. It was wonderful to see Amuro and Bright again as well, as they keep it all grounded in the original series and make you consider the big picture.

Production-wise, the contrast between the new animation and the old series footage was more noticeable this time around. They clearly tried to keep pace with them, but you can easily tell the two styles, and it pulled me out of the movie at times. On the bright side, the actual fights were terrific, and I enjoyed that the music sounded more powerful compared to the first film. It fit the darker and more serious tone of Kamille and Four's story and lent seriousness to the action. The Zeta Gundam itself is such an ill design, especially with the jet conversion, and it makes the fights look just as wild as the Titans' own conversion armor. For the most part, however, I didn't enjoy this movie as much as Heir to the Stars. I gave Lovers a 6 out of 10 because while it has some exciting moments and interesting new characters, the rushed pacing really hurt the emotional beats for me. Still, it sets things up for the finale nicely, and with the Axis forces now stepping into the mix, I’m definitely curious to see how the last movie wraps everything up.