Is Turn A standalone?

Yes.
Even the re-used footage from the black history actually works if you're unfamiliar with the series, because you'll be viewing things with the same level of mystery and confusion as the characters in the show were when they saw all that.

>>23394994 (OP)
No, it was never meant to stand on its own either.

>>23395000
>000
This guy is right and triples confirm it.

>>23394994 (OP)
Yes.

>>23395004
>somewhere along the line this changed
Already wrong. Gundam, and all other war media, succeed because war is cool and we enjoy watching it. It never changed, nothing is any different, and even turn a still gets praised for its cool fight scenes. If you fight against it, you lose.

The only way that people can weave around this is by doing no-war war movies like le crying boy: the motion picture, where they just keep all the cool shit off screen. No one enjoys those though, it's like flagellation.

You can't appreciate Turn A Tomino without experiencing Victory Tomino.

>>23394994 (OP)
kind of.
it's much more rewarding if you have watched the previous entries.