I went in expecting a straightforward adaptation of Char's Counterattack, and I'm sure that will be the case for future volumes, but I was surprised that this first volume is entirely a prequel to the film. Char's Counterattack famously throws you into the deep end with very little context as to what's going on in the wider world, so it's nice to see both the events leading up to the explosive opening to the film and a look into what the post-ZZ world is like.