So, did I ruin Char's Counterattack for myself by not finishing

You can skip Zeta and ZZ, and still understand what's going on in CCA

CCA is Char's ego finally overwhelming his patience. It was years later and everything was still basically the same as it had been back at the end of the One Year War. Space development had stagnated, the same people were still in charge making the same mistakes. He wanted to see change and he wanted it now. On top of that there was still his bitterness towards Amuro over Lalah. He put it aside in Zeta, because they were on the same side and Char is exceedingly good at pretending he likes people he actually hates, but he never truly forgave Amuro for it. Combine all that with a midlife crisis and you had a recipe for disaster.

The saddest part of it is that if Char had used his money and influence to advocate for further space colony development, gradually migrating power away from the Earth, he could have become the greatest hero the Universal Century had ever known. But it would have been a long, slow process, and Char was tired of waiting.

>>14288182
ZZ has little baring on Char's Counterattack. None of the consequential characters appear in it. It's mentioned in passing that Amuro went into space during the last leg of the series and was fighting there during the remainder of the war.

The important exposition that the movie doesn't really give directly is Londo Bell's deal. They were formed after ZZ to be an anti-insurgency group (in a much more defensive/responsive way compared to the Titans). Bright was put in command and it's comprised a lot of former AEUG and Karaba members.

Chan is just kinda... there as Amuro's new love interest. Tomino originally wanted Beltorchika to return - and be pregnant with Amuro's child, but Sunrise nixed that.

And Char is... Char. To some people he seems like he's done a complete 180, but go look at things like his Dakar speech in Zeta. In Zeta's second half, he decides to give Amuro's approach a try, by giving humanity a chance to change on their own. But come Char's Counterattack, two wars have ended, and yet it's the same status quo as always (In his view; Earth's elite with all the wealth and over-monopolizing the planet's resources). The movie is him having enough and deciding that he's going to become a martyr by forcing everyone off of Earth so the planet has time to heal (and humanity's souls won't be weighed down by gravity anymore yadda yadda) .

Okay, so...
Even at the beginning of the movie, Amuro and Char had already been fighting against each other in this war for a while. Was there really no point in ZZ where they turned against one another and started fighting each other? They were still working together last time I saw them.

And what the hell happened to Sayla? I don't recall seeing her since the first series, but people keep bringing her up in Zeta and in CCA.

>>14288214

Actually you'd probably understand it more if you skipped Zeta because CCA makes ZERO sense coming hot fresh of Quatro

>>14288182
No, ZZ is a train wreck and can be summed up as 'Tying up the loose end of what happened to Axis Zeon?' Just watch the Zeta movies instead and that solves everything.

>>14288290
Quattro was Char trying to be a good guy for once in his life and all it got him was a run in with his ex and a angry teenager he had a soft spot for turned into a potato.

>>14288286
Neither appeared in ZZ.

See
>>14288234
and
>>14288242

Char was working together with Amuro because Char's previous efforts (i.e. 0079) ended in failure, so he decided to give Amuro's ethos a shot. It's completely up in the air exactly how much Char was 'pretending' to get along with Amuro; he probably was to a degree since he was still bitter of Lalah, but at the time Char at least thought that being friendly with Amuro could help reach his desired endgame.

>>14288286
Sayla appeared in ZZ for a brief plot-convenient role. She isn't really important after 0079.

>>14288182
No, you ruined Unicorn for yourself. Dunno why would you ever do that.

>>14288286
CCA picks up in media res to an extent. A lot of the background of how things got to be the way they are after Zeta is only delivered through exposition or isn't explained at all unless you read side materials.

>>14288182
>or would I still be just as lost regarding how the characters got to the point?
You'd still be lost because CCA is a load of complete nonsense.

>>14288341
You can't ruin something that's already terrible.

>>14288375
Pretty much.

ZZ and CCA likely both suffered from a movie being greenlit, as we know Char was going to have a role in that series.
Instead we ended up with a series that doesn't lead up to the movie and a movie that doesn't pick up from nowhere, having it's own background that don't add up with where we left the characters last time.

>>14288286
>And what the hell happened to Sayla?
Scrapped due to her VA

Would have her inclusion added anything to the over arching story? Probably. One of my greatest issues with Char's story in the sudden unexplained disappearance of such an important character in his life, both past and present.

>>14288182
Who is this qt?

>>14288611
I always just assumed that Sayla got tired of all the fighting and fucked off, went to live with Ramba Rals cousin or something. She had made her case to Char before and it didn't work out.

>>14288627
Someone? Help me senpais.

>>14288627
>>14289006
It's Flora Nanadan from Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari.

It's actually /m/ related.

Understand that CCA starts in the middle of its plot, essentially. No, there's nothing to watch that fills in the stuff before, just know that Char and Amuro are fighting now and Char wants to turn earth into a wasteland.

>>14289927
Thanks. Also it seems I have this series. Yiss!

>>14289998
>there's nothing to watch that fills in the stuff before
Shin Gihren no Yabou's campaigns are quite nice