History YMMV / MobileSuitGundamUnicorn

** In Episode 7, Bright and Chairman Marcenas find common ground as fathers, and how they shouldn't act in a way that would make their children ashamed of them. This is especially tragic in light of ''Hathaway's Flash''.

* WTHCastingAgency:
** The fact that they hired an avowed Japanese Imperialist author like Fukui to write a novel series for ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' is rather odd, especially considering the blatant anti-war & anti-Axis themes of previous UC series. For perspective, it's a bit like having a sequel to ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' written by the guy who did ''Literature/TheTurnerDiaries''.
** Fans were rather confused when it was discovered that Creator/ChiekoHonda would not be voicing Marida Cruz, despite the fact that 1) she played [[spoiler: both Ples in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'']], and 2) she was still doing voice acting (Even [[Anime/AfterWarGundamX older women]] for ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'') when they started production of the OVA. [[note]] Honda sadly ended up passing away in 2013, about a year prior to the OVA coming to a conclusion with episode 7, so most fans now agree it's for the better that she didn't end up voicing Marida - it's possible the role would have been recast. [[/note]]
** The same thing happened for Mineva/Audrey's VA in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'' (Creator/MikiIto), though this was because of scheduling conflicts. Still, many fans preferred Ito to play Audrey.

** "[[spoiler:Purustitute]]" for Marida, although this nickname is not without [[DarkandTroubledPast reason]]. To elaborate, Marida [[spoiler:was a child solder during the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ First Neo-Zeon war]] as one of the [[CloningBlues Ple clones]]. During Glemmy Toto's uprising she was [[YouAreNumberSix Ple Twelve]]]]. Between then and the events of Unicorn (UC 0096), she survived by [[spoiler:living as a prostitute]] until she was approached by [[TheRemnant the Sleeves]], specifically Zinnerman who adopted her and gave her the name Marida Cruz.

* {{Defictionalization}}: The closest we'll ever get, at least. Since 2017, the original real-life, 1:1 statue of the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam RX-78-2 Gundam]] was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCQsvfaWGiM succeeded by a 1:1 Unicorn Gundam]]--with its own limited TransformationSequence. During its debut, seiyuu Creator/KoukiUchiyama even introduces it in-character as Banagher Links.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: ''Gundam Unicorn'' has a lot of acclaim, and it's one of the darkest works in the franchise so far.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Give or take a few accentual differences, "Into the Sky" (which was vocalized by Japanese singer Tielle) is actually done in fully-comprehensible and lyrically-consistent English.

* {{Deconstruction}}: In a way, Marida is a deconstruction of the Puru concept (which was in part designed to appeal to lolicons). Marida ends up being forced into prostitution in the backstory and is clearly shown to be utterly traumatized by it, while the people who force her into it are portrayed as heartless and unfeeling monsters. All this is alongside the simple fact that Marida is an adult, serving as a reminder that the Purus would eventually, you know, [[JustifiedTrope grow up]].

* {{Deconstruction}}: In a way, Marida is a deconstruction of the Puru concept (which was in part designed to appeal to lolicons). Marida ends up being forced into prostitution in the backstory and is clearly shown to be utterly traumatized by it, while the people who force her into it are portrayed as heartless and unfeeling monsters.

* ImprovedSecondAttempt: The novel is controversial for being seen as pro-Zeon FanWank (and by extension, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical Imperial Japanese Army apologetics]]). The OVA cuts down on some of the novel's clumsier attempts at [[AdaptationalJerkass showcasing the Federation's darker side]] and emphasizes how misguided the Zeon remnants are at best and how disgusted Mineva is by their actions and philosophy.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** Loni Garvey's backstory was changed dramatically between the main novel and the OVA to avoid potential tasteless Islamophobic implications due to coming out around the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. In the novels she was a DefectorFromDecadence compared to her father and brothers who were more standard MiddleEasternTerrorists. The OVA portrays her as a TragicVillain motivated by revenge, with any references to her Muslim faith removed.
** The novel is controversial for being seen as pro-Zeon FanWank (and by extension, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical Imperial Japanese Army apologetics]]). The OVA cuts down on some of the novel's clumsier attempts at [[AdaptationalJerkass showcasing the Federation's darker side]] and emphasizes how misguided the Zeon remnants are at best and how disgusted Mineva is by their actions and philosophy.

* Deconstruction: In a way, Marida is a deconstruction of the Puru concept (which was in part designed to appeal to lolicons). Marida ends up being forced into prostitution in the backstory and is clearly shown to be utterly traumatized by it, while the people who force her into it are portrayed as heartless and unfeeling monsters.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/HiroyukiSawano's score [[AwesomeMusic/{{Gundam}} delivered for this OVA to give the most intense cinematic experience in the history of the]] ''[[AwesomeMusic/{{Gundam}} Gundam]]'' [[[[AwesomeMusic/{{Gundam}} franchise]].