EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ZIxMy.jpg)
Blasterion challenged me to make a guide to mecha. And I'm a huge mecha fan, its by far my favorite genre. I'LL SHOW HIM THE KIND OF GUIDE THAT COMES FROM TRUE COURAGE. There is alot more to mecha than what most people might tell just by looking at it from the outside. There are certain people who think they are all the same, when in fact mecha is one of the most diverse genre of anime out there.
What is 'mecha'? Mecha refers to Giant Robots of some sort. Anything from the AT-AT Walkers in Star Wars, to the Mobile Suits in Gundam, and even Thors, Dragoons, and Stalkers in Starcraft, are all mecha. Mecha can be piloted, or unmanned, or even sentient. Just as long as its a robot of some kind. This blog is going to talk about Mecha in Japanese Anime.
Now before I begin, there are two different categories of Mecha. There is "Real Robot", and "Super Robot". These terms can be misleading, so I will clarify. The terms come from a series of Strategy RPGs called "Super Robot Wars" (which are on many different consoles, and some even translated and released in the West). In the game, "Real Robot" are the really fast, small, nimble robots. Super Robots are the giant, heavily armored machines with swords, rocket punches, drills, etc. These terms have since been used to classify shows outside of the game. "Real Robot" does not mean a robot is realistic, since in the vast majority of cases, combat Robots are not realistic. However, "Real Robots" are portrayed to be at least semi-realistic, and function as the tanks, or jets, or some other generic combat vehicle in its fiction. Super Robots don't give a fuck about realism. Super Robots are mecha that more or less have super powers, and generally do very over-the-top stuff, have hot-blooded fist fights, create weapons out of no where, etc etc. So these two sub categories are really quite different. I'll start off with the one that most people are probably most familiar with, "Real Robot" Mecha.
Real Robot Mecha:
Real Robot shows tend to be alot more serious. Pretty much every Real Robot anime is a war story. In these, while the Robots are [normally] a main draw, these also generally focus heavily on the story and characters. Expect lots of drama, lots of combat.
Mobile Suit Gundam
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Whats a "Gun Damn?" Mobile Suit Gundam is the anime that defines "Real Robot" anime. It was released in 1979, and for the first time ever portrayed robots as tools of war, and told a drama filled war story (unlike the previous works like Mazinger Z). Mobile Suit Gundam is consider to be a classic, and it really is. It has spawned off many, many different sequels and spin offs, and they are still making new Gundams today. Because of this, it might be a bit intimating to jump into Gundam, since you might not know where to start. If this is the case, then this chart will probably be really helpful to get you started:
Gundam Starter Chart
This series pretty much defines the Real Robot genre. Even newer stuff like Code Geass borrows heavily from Gundam. Generally, these shows have a conflict between the Earth, and huge orbiting Space Colonies. The Robots are called "Mobile Suits". A "Gundam" has no set definition, but they are normally a prototype mobile suit, or a very high performance mobile suit, and are used by the main character/chief enemies.
I've already written a big long post about all the different Gundams, so if you are interested in seeing which show is about which, feel free to read it here.
The short version, is if you are new to Gundam, I recommend (in no particular order) any of these as a starting point:
Mobile Suit Gundam Trilogy (movie trilogy). Gundam SEED. Gundam 00. Gundam: 08th MS Team. G Gundam. Gundam Wing.
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
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Along with Gundam, SDF Macross is another extremely iconic and long running Mecha series. People who grew up in the United States in the 80s might be familiar with "Robotech", which is personally my favorite anime. Robotech is [more or less] Macross adapted for Western Audiences.
SDF Macross starts when an Alien space ship crashes on the Earth. The people on the Earth study it, rebuild the ship, develop their own robots. Then, the Aliens who made the Ship come looking for them, and war begins. What sets Macross apart from other shows in the genre, is this show popularized the transformable Mech. The Valkyrie (or Veritech in Robotech) is a robot that has 3 different modes: Battloid, which is its normal Robot form. Fighter, which is a jet form, and for the original Valkyrie, looks almost exactly like an F-14. And Gerwalk (or Guardian in Robotech), which is a hybrid between the two.
Macross is known for two things. One, is its Dogfights:
And the dogfights in pretty much every Macross show are all really cool.
The second thing is Pop singers and music. One of the ideas behind this is that the aliens they fight have never encountered anything like human culture before, so when they hear music (or see people kissing), they completely freak out and get confused.
The good thing about Macross, is even though there are a good number of shows, and they are all in the same timeline (mostly), they are made such that you can watch any of the shows in any order. Previous shows get mentioned, but its mostly just "We fought aliens in a war once". The story of each series is pretty much self contained.
If you are starting Macross, I recommend the original (Super Dimensional Fortress Macross), Macross: Do You Remember Love? (a movie compilation of the original), Macross Plus (Macross + Top Gun), or Macross Frontier.
Code Geass: Lelouche of the Rebellion
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I'll be honest with you, I'm overall not a big fan of Code Geass. For example, I was tempted to use this as the Code Geass picture. However, Code Geass is extremely popular, even among people who "don't normally watch anime". This wouldn't really be a respectable blog if I didn't include it lol. Code Geass is an mecha anime that tends to focus on the battle of minds between commanders. Lelouche, the main character, also has an ability that will allow him to issue an command to anyone who looks him into the eye once, and the command must be followed. Lelouche decides to use this power he now has, combined with his intelligence, to over throw the Britannian Empire.
Mechs in Code Geass are alot smaller, and more realistic than Gundam or Macross. People try to pretend that Code Geass isn't really a mecha anime, but it is. All battles are fought with mechs, and there is even a mini arms race between the Lancelot and the Gurren in this show.
I thought the first season was pretty good. Where my opinion about the show disagrees with popular opinion, however, is the second season, R2. In my very humble opinion, the show jumped the shark. But some people like Emperors who transform into rockets, or blind men with rifles and pregnant women leading the charge to over throw an empire, and call it good plot. Your mileage may vary.
I could go on and on about different shows here, so I'll wrap it up with some other suggestions:
Full Metal Panic!: Mecha drama, with high school comedy stuff, that is actually pulled off well.
Martian Successor Nadesico: Mecha drama, combined with alot of light-hearted comedy.
Armored Trooper VOTOMs: Extremely realistic for a mecha show, badass main character, disappointing ending, many OVA sequels and spinoffs, early 80s anime.
Blue Gender: TvZ in anime form
Escaflowne: Mecha, except in a fantasy setting with knights and dragons.
Super Robot Mecha:
Super Robot stuff is oddly one of the most under-appreciated genres. Its also the oldest mecha genre. Super Robot shows are all about enjoyment, and less about plot. The stories are mostly about hot-blooded, manly protagonist, who control extremely powerful, physics defying robots, and fight monsters or aliens. I'll start off with one that is actually abnormally popular:
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
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This show is all about hot blooded manly guys kicking reason to the curb, never giving up, and just doing alot of crazy stuff fighting the Beastmen, and later the Anti-Spirals. For example:
This show has really good animation, good production value, and mirrors some of the best stuff in the genre. The show starts off with Simon, a quiet and cowardly boy, finding a small mech. His friend, a hot blooded/manly/crazy guy by the name of Kamina, encourages him, and when their village is unexpectedly attacked, they start off on a journey to see the world, and defeat the Beastmen.
This is a little disclaimer, and I'll try to do it as spoiler free as possible. Believe in this show. You might get depressed at a certain point, but trust me, the show will make up for it. Keep at it.
I also find this show fairly tragic. Gurren Lagann is really good. People will watch Gurren Lagann, and go "Man, I don't normally like Mecha shows, but that was good!" And that makes me rage. Gurren Lagann, while it is very good, doesn't actually add anything to the genre. It borrows from many other past Super Robot shows, and wraps them up in Gainex' budget.
Mazinger Z
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Mazinger Z is the anime that invented the piloted robot. The original Mazinger Z was aired back in the 70s, and had the sequels Great Mazinger, and Grendizer. While they are iconic, I wouldn't recommend watching these old shows. HOWEVER, Mazinger has many new shows made in the past 20 years that are definitely worth a watch.
Standing above them all, is "Shin Mazinger Shogeki! Z Hen", or simply Shin Mazinger Z. It is a remake, a re-imagining of the original Mazinger Z. This is also a fairly recent show. Kabuto Kouji is a student, who is entrusted by his grandfather with a powerful Robot, Mazinger Z. When Kouji's grandfather dies in an attack by Doctor Hell (lol yeah, I know), Kouji vows to get revenge, and begins fighting against Doctor Hell's mechanical beasts. It is hotblooded, it has crazy attacks, plenty of badass characters. I personally thought the plot was okay too, Mazinger isn't really about the plot.
Mazinkaiser is another good one. Mazinkaiser was made in 2001, and again follows the story of Kabuto Kouji. However, Kouji and Mazinger Z are overrun and defeated by Doctor Hell's forces. Kouji then is lead to a secret hangar, where the greatest robot, Mazinkaiser, was kept. With this new Robot, Kouji starts fighting Doctor Hell to finish things once and for all. And then there is a Mazinkaiser Movie, and that was pretty good as well.
Getter Robo
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Getter Robo is one of my favorite series. Getter Robo in the 70s basically invented the combining robot. However, the 70s show was basically a Mazinger Z that was piloted by 3 people, that combined. It wasn't until 1998, with the release of Getter Robo Armageddon, that the show went true to how the manga was. Getter Robo Armageddon was dark. It had a plot that wasn't "monster of the week". Its animation was like a mix between old and new. And last but not least, the characters in this show are bat-shit fucking insane, in a good way.
The main character of Getter Robo is a guy called Nagare Ryoma, and he is in my opinion the best character in anime. Imagine Kamina from Gurren Lagann, except more insane and badass. The exploits of Nagare Ryoma include:
throwing a sword (by the blade) with enough force to sever a man's arm; jumping hundreds of feet from a helicoptor onto a car and suffering only minor discomfort; climbing up the face of a rampaging Getter-2 to punch the pilot in the face; resisting an animal tranquilizer strong enough to kill most men even after nearly bleeding to death immediately beforehand; breaking a katana by flexing his chest muscles; and punching dinosaurs to death
Note that alot of this happens in the manga, so you won't actually get to see it all animated. The other pilots are similar in nature. Hayato is a smart, murderous, insane terrorist turned pilot turned scientist turned leader. Musashi and Benkei are the most level headed, and are the big/slow/strong type.
New Getter Robo is an anime that retells the original story, except more in line with the original manga, featuring the characters I talked about above. They are fighting against the Mysterious Oni, who seem intent on destroyed the Getter Robo. This is a very good introduction to the series. It can be kinda monster of the week, but the show itself isn't that long, and its still plenty awesome. I've wrote a longer review of this, that you can check out on a now-dead forum I used to be active here.
Its sort of hard to describe how the different Getter shows relate. They are all pretty much alternate universes to each other, but share the same characters, and basic plot points. Getter Robo Armageddon is basically a continuation the Getter story. Not a continuation of New Getter, but of another "starting Getter" story. Getter Robo Armageddon is without question the best Getter production ever made. It has a plot, it has badass robots (sup Black Getter), it has badass characters, it has Ryoma getting pissed and cutting Jupiter in half. If you liked Gurren Lagann, you should definitely watch this. Gurren Lagann borrows a ton from Getter Robo, so much so that people mistake Getter Robo references for Gurren Lagann references (proof).
Aim for the Top! Gunbuster
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Gunbuster was an OVA series from the 80s, that put Gainex (Evangelion, Gurren Lagann) on the map. This is another series that Gurren Lagann drew alot of influence from. The story is about a girl, Takaya Noriko, who is untalented, and average. However, her dream is to go into space one day. She is the daughter of a war hero, who died against the mysterious Space Monsters, who threaten mankind. Noriko is eventually selected to go on a mission against these Space Monsters. Noriko, with hard work and guts, has to rise to the challenge, aim for the top, and save humanity.
Gunbuster is only 6 episodes, but in those 6 episodes, it does what some shows aren't able to in 50 episodes. The climax of episode 4, and then episode 5 have some of the most epic scenes in anime. Gunbuster has another draw as well. TL User Spazer, who isn't a mechafag like I am, loves Gunbuster because of how hard-science fiction it is, at least in certain non-Gunbuster aspects. For example, the ships fire lasers out of lenses, and not cannons. Time dilation when moving at faster-than-light is actually used as a legitimate plot point. In the words of Spazer, "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The science in Gunbuster is probably some of the best I've ever seen. The writers did their research for this series, and it definitely shows."
Again, I could go on and on about this category, so I'll just sum up some other shows here:
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Yeah, this is a super robot show, although it is very uncharacteristic with a whiny main character, and a dark and serious plot. Considered a classic, and is basically a deconstruction of the genre.
King of Braves: GaoGaiGar: GaoGaiGar was a "reconstruction" of mecha after Evangellion. Pretty much everything is over the top (like the Goldion Hammer), and full of COURAGE and MORE COURAGE. GaoGaiGar started out as a kids show, but eventually changed target audiences half way through and got really awesome. GaoGaiGar Final was the Gurren Lagann before Gurren Lagann (it really is that awesome, plus even more).
Shinkon Gattai Godannar: The best way to sum this one up is that its all about BOTH of my favorite types of fanservice: Mecha fanservice and boobs. Its a fun show, lots of cool fights, and lots of hot anime girls. I mean shit, even some of the mechs in this show have huge breasts lol.
Thats about it. Keep in mind, I only focused on the anime stuff, but there are tons of games and stuff out there, but you didn't need me to tell you that. There are also alot more mecha anime that I didn't mention, so don't get salty if I didn't mention your favorite or something.
