read the whole Bokurano manga
I now understand why the director chose to change it. You just can't adapt that story 1:1 and leave your reputation/sanity intact. So I was a little too harsh on the anime version considering the circumstances. Changing to score to like an 8 as both versions have their merits.
Also watched Hathaway flash. I'm not a gundam lore historian and still liked it. Easy to follow, main character felt grounded in reality, great visuals. Hathaway's internal conflict as the leader of a terrorist organization who needs to make sacrifices to achieve an end goal was interesting. Looking forward to seeing what hard decisions he winds up making and how Gigi influences that.