I have not seen the original show, so I can´t comment on how it compares to that, but prequels are meant to be gateways to the original series by introducing the characters and the world, and as you can see in my title, I did not think it lived up to that premise. Now as a stand alone show it fared much better, but it still had its problems. I thought it was an intresting take to focus the story not around the actual wars going on, but the people behind it, and the central cast of characters which the mystery surrounded. The problem with that on the other hand, is that it makes it more difficult to get emotionally invested in the battles going on, when we are only allowed to bond with 5 characters. The battles themselves are well done, the mech suits are of a suprisingly realistic design and the animation is absolutely gorgeous. Its just a shame that they glossed over some plot points, and character motivations which sometimes made the dialogue seem odd, since you didnt know the reasoning behind why a character would do or say that. Like I said though, most of it boils down to me not having seen the original show, but since I think a prequel is supposed to be able to stand on its own, I cant give it more than average. (show less)