To those of you who either know me, or browse the Anime Discussion Thread regularly, know that I am a big fan of Mecha anime. Some of you might remember my Guide to Mecha blog. Well, I've decided that I should make a guide talking about the most successful, popular, and influential mecha series of all time, Mobile Suit Gundam.
Mobile Suit Gundam is an anime series that was first made its debut in 1979. Gundam was revolutionary, as it was one of the first mecha anime that took robot anime from the "Monster of the Week", often childish, 'Super Robot' anime of the 70s, and made a gripping war drama out of it. It essentially created what is now known as the 'Real Robot' genre.
There are many different Gundam shows. There were full length TV series, there were movies, there were short OVAs, there were feature length Movies. There are roughly 20 main entries in the series, some great, some not so great. 20 series and over 30 years can be daunting and intimidating for new people wanting to get into Gundam, so this guide will be designed to talk about the series, say where starting points are, and things like that.
Before I begin, I'll get this out of the way first. Gundam is generally divided into two different categories, "UC" (for Universal Century) and "AU" (Alternate Universe). UC is the main Gundam Timeline, where as AU Gundams are all in a separate continuity. As such, almost ALL AU Gundams can be watched in any particular order, since they are their own self-contained story.
And since some people would prefer a TL;DR version, here is a list of Gundam anime that you can watch without anything prior. But please, please, check out the descriptions below for more information and clarifications. Bolded are recommended entry points: Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989) Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991) Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (1991) Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (1993) Mobile Fighter G Gundam (1994) Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team (1996) Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002) Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2007) Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (2011) Maybe Gundam: G no Reconguista? (2014, currently airing)
With that out of the way, lets begin.
UNIVERSAL CENTURY
The Classic
This is the original Mobile Suit Gundam, and the start of the Universal Century timeline. This is the main starting location for UC Gundam.
The original Gundam, often called "Gundam 0079", takes place in the year UC 0079, and tells the story of Amuro Ray, in what would go on to be called the One Year War. The war is between the Earth Federation, and the Principality of Zeon. Amuro is a young boy in a Space Colony that comes under attack by the Zeon, and he is thrust into the war, piloting a new Federation Mobile Suit, the Gundam (note: 'Mobile Suit' is what Gundam calls its giant robots). The story follows Amuro's development as a character, as he must mature and adapt to his situation, and end the bloodiest war in human history. This show created many of the tropes used commonly in anime even to this day that we now take for granted.
The original Gundam is a very old anime, coming from 1979. Its original run was 43 episodes. Surprisingly, the TV series was actually canceled during its first run! However, after it was canceled, Gundam was brought back as a Trilogy of movies, referred to as the Gundam Trilogy. It was with this Trilogy that Gundam took off and became the icon it was.
If you want to watch the original Gundam, either the series or the Movie Trilogy is fine. The Movie Trilogy might be the better choice, as it is shorter (filler cut out), and the animation is overall better (as the animation in the series was suspect in many cases (aka really bad), even for its time).
'Gritty War Drama', now darker
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is the next Gundam that was produced. Zeta Gundam is considered by many to be the BEST Gundam series ever made. In my humble opinion, it is a master piece.
Set in UC 0087, Zeta Gundam takes place 7 years after Mobile Suit Gundam. In the aftermath of the One Year War, a new fighting force has been created to try and stamp out new threats before they arise. This force, called the Titans, greatly abuse their authority, brutalize the Space Colonies, and sets the stage for a Civil War. Zeta Gundam follows the story of Kamille Bidan, who gets caught up in the Civil War, and throws in with the AEUG, an organization created to fight the Titans.
Zeta Gundam has aged very well for an anime from the 80s. Its animation back then, and even now, was stellar. The story of Zeta is dark, full of political intrigue, engaging, and almost perfectly paced (save for a few spots, its 50 episodes long give it a break). However, note that the cast is full of people who are batshit insane. Additionally, the show can have some pretty weird dialogue, which is actually the norm for many Tomino-directed anime.
Zeta Gundam was adapted into a set of movies called "Zeta Gundam: A New Translation". However, other than looking nice, ANT is NOT a good substitute for the series. The movies have many problems, omit too many things, and has an ENTIRELY different ending that doesn't fit with later UC works. Watch the series, you won't be disappointed.
Anime janai.
Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam, or "Double Zeta" Gundam, is a direct sequel to Zeta Gundam. It picks up right after Zeta Gundam ends. So, given how Zeta Gundam ended, you could almost think of ZZ Gundam episode 1 as Zeta Gundam episode 51. ZZ Gundam is a whole different dinosaur in terms of presentation than Zeta was, but for what it is, its a solid show.
As I said, ZZ Gundam is a direct sequel to Zeta. It continues to follow the AEUG, however, this time follows a youth by the name of Judau Ashta. ZZ Gundam starts off with a very different flavor than Zeta, as it is much more light-hearted and "fun". This anime is full of people who are even more batshit than people in Zeta Gundam. For almost the entire first half of the series, it keeps the happy-light-hearted attitude it started with, but later on it sobers up and gets much darker, more of what is expected out of a Gundam show.
ZZ Gundam is one of the dark-horses in the franchise, but so long as you aren't expecting to get another Zeta Gundam out of it, it is an enjoyable ride that turns into alot of people dying.
Conclusion of the most iconic Rivalry in Anime
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack is the first theatrical Gundam movie that was produced. The movie is significant in a lot of ways. In terms of this guide, it is most significant in that it is the "conclusion" of the main storyline in UC Gundam, that began back in the original.
Set in the year UC 0093, Char's Counterattack shifts back to Amuro Ray, the hero from the original Gundam. The events of the original, Zeta, and ZZ Gundam have left the Earth Sphere with many scars, and now Amuro's old rival, Char Aznable risen up with his Neo Zeon faction, and will once and for all attempt to settle the decades long, off and on conflict between the Earth and the Colonies.
CCA is a good movie. While it does have its share of flaws (a few annoying characters come to mind), it does have plenty of things to make up for it. The epic showdown between two rivals is a must see for Gundam fans. Additionally, the conclusion of story that has developed from the beginning of Gundam to now, the animation, and the pacing are all great.
These 4 constitute the "main" story-arc of Gundam. However, the Universal Century has many more entries. Most of these are Side Stories to the main arc, or "Late UC" entries, which take place long after the rest have ended. Late UC Gundam shows can be watched whenever, and don't require ANY previous Gundam experience.
"Stupid girl, the Federation doesn't have mobile suits, the Zeon are soooo cooool"
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is an 6 episode OVA that is set in, like its title suggests, UC 0080. It is set at the very end of the One Year War. 0080 was very well received, and is very popular among Gundam fans (although personally, I'm not a fan, but watch and decide for yourself).
Gundam 0080 is set in a Space Colony towards the end of the War, and follows a boy named Alfred. Unlike nearly all other Gundam shows, Alfred is no soldier, and he never fights or pilots a Mobile Suit. Instead the series tells the story of war from the eyes of a child, and the reality of fighting. The show itself is extremely well animated.
Gundam 0080 can serve as a decent "Gateway" anime, if you have never seen a Gundam show before. Although it takes place during the One Year War, having watched the original is not required to watch this.
Shit gets real...istic
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team is another very popular 12 episode OVA series. Again, this show takes place during the One Year War, and follows a Federation grunt by the name of Shirou Amada. Unlike other most other Gundam series, the main character is already a soldier. Unlike most other Gundam series, the main character is an adult, in his mid-20s. And unlike most other Gundams, he is no ace pilot, and is simply a grunt.
The 08th MS Team takes place mostly in the battlefields of South-East Asia during the One Year War. It tells of the grunts, the normally faceless pilots, who fight in grunt mobile suits, and attempts to tell a very "realistic" war story. Well, as realistic as giant fighting robots can be, but it damn well tries! While they still do pilot Gundams in this series, their Gundams are essentially glorified grunt units that are made to look like Gundams to sell the brand.
The 08th MS Team is one of the best Gundam series out there, and is very unique in its telling of a more realistic war drama, minus the teenage angst and beam spam.
This series is a side story, and you are not required to have watched any Gundam prior to watching this, although there are references to the original.
Birth of the Titans
Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory is a 13 episode OVA series. This is the first OVA series that is NOT set during the One Year War, and instead in its more immediate aftermath.
0083 tries to bridge the gap between the Original Gundam and Zeta Gundam. It follows Kou Uraki, a Federation Test Pilot, as a conflict with Zeon Remnants breaks out. 0083 is overall a solid series. The animation and battles in the show are great. However, the show is somewhat lacking when it comes to characters. Although, this is not without exception, as there is a character (Gato) who is well regarded by people who like the Zeon. Even still, 0083 is a good watch.
While technically you can watch 0083 without any previous Gundams, it is not recommended. I highly recommend at LEAST having watched the original Gundam before this. Watching Zeta Gundam before will also help you appreciate its ending more, but watching Zeta isn't required for this.
Best looking anime of all time
Gundam Unicorn is a 7 episode OVA series set in the Universal Century. Each episode is roughly an hour long, with the last episode being a whopping 90 minutes. And it is one of the best looking animes ever made.
Unicorn takes place in UC 0096, 3 years after Char's Counterattack. Unicorn basically tries to conclude all the loose ends left behind after CCA, with the fate of both the Earth Federation and the Zeon. It follows the story of Banager Links. In typical Gundam fashion, its has a very apparent anti-war message to it.
In this story, there exists something called "Laplace's Box". What the box actually is, and what is inside of it, is a complete mystery. However, its rumored to hold something that can completely throw the state of the world into chaos, and has been enough to blackmail the Federation Government for decades. Zeon remnants want it, to reestablish the Principality. The Federation wants it to secure their rule. And Banager Links is stuck in the middle, the the Unicorn Gundam, said to be the "key" to open the Box.
How to describe how Unicorn looks and sounds... Well, okay, imagine that Sunrise (the studio that produces Gundam) took like 50 million dollars, and directly converted it into anime. Gundam Unicorn is the one single best looking anime ever made. Production levels are off the chart for this. It looks and sounds incredible, the cinematography is great, there is just so much good with this project. The music was done by Hiroyuki Sawano, the same guy who did the music for stuff like Kill La Kill, Attack on Titan, Guilty Crown, and Aldnoah Zero. And this was before he just did the same type music for everything he ever did.
Unicorn is UC, but its a side story. You are able to watch and understand it ok without previous Gundam knowledge... But Unicorn is best appreciated after watching the main Gundam line (og->z->zz->cca). In fact, I would highly encourage watching it after the main Gundam line, since it builds and concludes on themes that had been ongoing ever since the original.
Reaction-face GOLD MINE
Gundam: MS Igloo is very unique for Gundam, in terms of production. MS Igloo is a set of 3 OVAs, each one 3 episodes long. The entire series is done with CGI, even the characters themselves (which is rarely done in anime). The end result is a very mixed bag, with incredibly odd looking characters, who look absolutely insane (due to the CGI), but at the same time, has some very good fights.
MS Igloo takes place in the One Year War, at many different parts. Two of the OVA series for it concern a group of Zeon Weapons Developers, who in each episode, test a new prototype Mobile Suit in battle, at various parts from the war, from the very first battle, to the conclusion of the war. The last part, and in my opinion the best/most interesting, tells of Earth Federation grunts fighting against the Zeon Invasion. One episode is ENTIRELY about a squad of infantry-men who are tasked with hunting an killing colossal Mobile Suits with nothing but anti-tank weapons. Another episode is entirely about a tank crew, and features battles between the Federation's Main Battle Tanks against the Zeon's mobile suits. The last episode features squad of Guntanks (imagine a gundam upper body, and a tank's lower body) during one of the biggest land battles in the war.
Strictly speaking, no prior Gundam knowledge is required for this series. However, MS Igloo is almost entirely fanservice for people who are already Gundam fans. The story is either non-existent or forgettable, the characters all seem insane from the CGI, and all that's left is cool CGI battle sequences.
Tomino really hates mothers
Gundam F91 is a movie, and is considered "Late UC". Originally, F91 was supposed to be a TV series. However, that never went through, and F91 was forced into being a movie.
Set in UC 0123, decades have past since the conflicts between the Earth Federation the Zeon. Now, a new war occurs in the space colony of Seabook Arno. The movie's first half tells of a civilians struggle through a battlefield of Mobile Suits, and while the second half of the show tells of Seabook joining with the Federation to defeat the Crossbone Vanguard.
F91 looks very good, and you can tell that they had some real good ideas for a TV series from it. However, it suffers from being incredibly compressed, so the pacing feels really off.
Since F91 is Late UC, you can watch it at any time you want.
Okay, fine, he really hates women and children in general, holy shit
Victory Gundam is perhaps the darkest and most bloody Gundam show made to date.
Victory Gundam is the only TV Series Late UC Gundam. It is set in UC 0153, making it the latest UC Gundam to date. Additionally, it has one of the youngest protagonist in any Gundam, a boy named Usso Evin. The poor kid is 12 years old, and this is DEPRESSION TOMINO (Tomino is the director/creator of Gundam). Victory Gundam tells the story of Usso getting wrapped up in the bloody war between the Earth Federation, and the fanatical Zanscare Empire. As I said, this is the darkest and most bloody Gundam show to date, and the director really goes out of his way to make Usso miserable. Sometimes it feels as if characters get introduced simply so they can get killed.
Victory Gundam is alright, although it isn't great. It is Late UC, so watch it whenever. Victory Gundam has alot of really interesting fights. Usso is like the MacGyver of Gundam pilots. Usso will pull of stuff that other pilots would never even consider doing. And not only will he kill people in ways other Gundam pilots would never even dream of, he will passive-aggressively blame his victims for their own death, at the same time as killing them with the detached legs of his Mobile Suit that are holding a beam saber in their feet. Like for example, this is some of the stuff you might see from the fights in Victory.
That is it for all of the completed UC gundam shows. For those of you who want a tl;dr version of that
Original->Zeta->ZZ->CCA Side Stories and Late UC mostly whenever*
*Read above for each entry for details
Now I'll move onto the AU Gundams. AU Gundams can essentially be watched whenever you want, without prior Gundam experience, other than a few cases.
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
LETS SEE IF THIS BURNING HAND OF MINE CAN FIT INSIDE MY MOUTH
Mobile Fighter G Gundam was the first AU Gundam show made, and it is one of the most unique Gundam shows. If I had to sum up what G Gundam is like, its basically "Gundam + Professional Wrestling + the Olympics + Kung Fu". Sounds crazy, right? But don't worry, its a really fun ride.
G Gundam takes place in world where every country on Earth has moved their government to orbiting Space Colonies. And instead of fighting huge wars for dominance of the Earth, they have a huge Competition called the "Gundam Fight" every four years to decide who will rule the Earth. Each country fields a single Gundam, and they all fight in a battle royale, until there is only one Champion. G Gundam follows the Gundam Fighter for Neo Japan, Domon Kasshu. He is a hot-blooded young man, searching for his brother during the tournament, who is accused of murdering Domon's parents.
The show is almost like a mix of a "Super Robot" (with Mechs with super powers, and attack calling), mixed with the stuff that made Gundam so different. It is a very enjoyable watch.
G Gundam is AU, watch whenever. In the west, this was some people's first Gundam ever.
Bishounen Gundam
Gundam Wing is probably the best known Gundam show in America, due to its debut on Toonami back in the 90s. As such, it brought many people into the franchise, including myself.
Set in the year After Colony 195, the Earth and the Colonies are controlled by the Earth Sphere Alliance. However, the colonies are unhappy with their rule, and desire independence. As such, 5 powerful Mobile Suits are built in secret, and are then sent to Earth to fight for their independence.
Gundam Wing isn't the best Gundam, and in my opinion hasn't aged well, but it was a good gateway gundam. Its AU, so watch whenever.
Dem Wings
Gundam Wing: The Endless Waltz is the movie sequel to Wing. It takes place shortly after Wing ends, and continues the story. There really isn't much to say about this one. The Mobile Suits have a different design in this movie (Wing Zero Custom is particularly famous), and there are some good fights, but there isn't much to this movie.
Its AU, but also a direct sequel to Wing, so you have to watch Wing first.
Fucking Japan, canceling this show
After War: Gundam X is a show I have a soft spot for. Gundam X is unique in its setting. As you can tell from the title, Gundam X takes place "After the War". The War in this case was a catastrophic war that resulted in turning the Earth into an almost barren wasteland.
Set in the year After War 0015, the Earth's ecosystem has finally recovered enough for the few scattered survivors on Earth to start rebuilding the planet. It follows the story of Garrod Ran, a boy who grew up in this post-apocalyptic world. Garrod is essentially a mercenary, and one mission is hired to rescue a girl named Tiffa Adell.
Gundam X is a solid show, but unfortunately the Japanese didn't think so when it was airing. Gundam X shared the original's fate, and was cut short before it reached its full run, so the ending is rushed. Even despite that, Gundam X is a good watch. Garrod is one of the most likable Gundam MCs, and his relationship with Tiffa is handled really well.
Gundam X is AU, watch whenever.
Depression-Tomino is no more
Turn A Gundam is a master piece. I'll get this out of the way now, before I actually start to talk about the show. Turn A is really really good, and you cantechnically watch it whenever you want since it is AU, but I still strongly recommend at least watching the main UC Gundams (og->z->zz->cca) before watching this. Turn A was meant to be the "Final" Gundam show. There are plot points revealed in this anime as it progresses that directly tie into almost all Gundam series that had aired before this. Thus the big reveal towards the end is best appreciated after getting some Gundam experience.
Turn A Gundam is set on Earth, but it is set in an Earth that seems like its during the 1910s. There are zeppelins and biplanes, horse drawn artillery, and old model-T styled cars. The world is mostly peaceful. However, this ends when humans from the Moon (aptly called 'Moonrace') begin their immigration back to the Earth. In the midst of the conflict this creates, a young Moonrace who wants to live among the Earth's people finds an ancient Mobile Suit in some ruins, the Turn A Gundam, and works bring peace between his people and the Earthlings.
Turn A Gundam gives off a really "War of the Worlds" feel to it, with WW1 era technology attempting to fight off invaders from space in giant robots. Turn A Gundam is directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the director of other Gundams like the original, Zeta, and Victory. So it still has the same style as those, however he has gotten over his depression, so it is alot more... Happy I guess? Not that Turn A Gundam is all smiles and sunshine, there is plenty of war drama to be had in this show. The cast of characters in Turn A is really strong, the development of certain characters is really strong. The story is great too, although slower paced. And as per usual with Tomino anime, the cast of chracters, while having a strong cast that gets developed quite well, also is full of people who are insane or just plain silly. But it makes senses, so enjoy.
One of the most off-putting things people have before they watch Turn A is how the Turn A itself looks. It does look odd compared to all other gundams, with its moustache, but don't let that turn you off. However, it looks beautiful in the show, and the design really grows on you. This anime is very well animated, and stylistically pleasing to watch.
Savior of Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is a love-hate deal. On the one hand, its a very popular show, that was insanely successful, and saved the franchise after the poor sales of previous entries. On the other hand some people loath the show for various reasons I'll mention in a bit.
Gundam SEED is can sort of been seen as "The Original Gundam remade for a new audience." And indeed, it can be sort of a retelling of it, as many aspects of SEED's plot are very similar to the original, more so than almost any previous Gundam, although there are twists and changes made to make it stand on its own.
Gundam SEED is set in Cosmic Era 71. War has broken out between the Earth Alliance and the ZAFT, the armed forces of the Space Colonies (called Plants in this). The war is more than just that, however. The Plants are made up of a people called Coordinators, whose people are all genetically altered and advanced prior to birth. This is a war between "Naturals" (people born naturally) and Coordinators (people whose genes were altered pre-birth). Gundam SEED's war is structured very similarly to the One Year War, however, halfway through the series it takes its own turn with the inclusion of a 3rd faction, Orb. SEED also differs greatly from the original, with the inclusion of significant characters like Athrun and Cagalli.
Gundam SEED is personally one of my favorite Gundam shows, but it gets alot of hate. In the pursuit of fairness, I'll outline why here. But since this is my blog, and fuck these people, I'm going to spoiler it: + Show Spoiler +
Gundam SEED makes way to much use of Stock-Footage. Its used all the time, and can be jarring if you are looking for a well animated show, that's not watching the same motions repeat all the time in battles. Gundam SEED has too many recap episode, I think it had like 4 or 5 (its 50 eps in total). Gundam SEED has a strong anti-war/pacifist message. It makes use of endless escalation of war between two down-right evil sides, to demonstrate this. It may seem preachy to some. There are many complaints about the melodrama in the show as well. And SEED's sequel really sucked (but IMO a sucky sequel shouldn't reflect on this work). The main character and the female lead are often criticized as being "Mary Sue" characters.
Despite the haters, I still found its story well executed and most of the characters well developed. The writing flows consistently for the most part (I can think of one or two places that were poorly written/explained), and the plot progression makes sense. It has some of my favorite mecha designs as well, and incredible music. Watch for yourself and find out.
SEED is AU, and can be watched whenever. If you are unsure about Gundam as a hole, SEED is an excellent entry point into the series.
Gundam SEED Destiny is a direct sequel to Gundam SEED. It takes place 2 years after its end. Destiny introduces a new cast of characters, a new war, and a new story. Destiny is one of the most popular Gundam shows ever made. Teamliquid's favorite Banling, Harem, loves this show just ask him about it!!!
The main character in this is Shinn, a ZAFT pilot. The story revolves around him when a new war breaks out between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT.
Now let me be clear. Fuck this show. This show is really popular, and you should watch it to decide for yourself, but fuck this show. And here is why. You remember those problems I outlined for Gundam SEED? Multiple most of those by like 10. This show uses the same stock footage as SEED, they didn't even produce their own stock. The anti-war message is still there, except at this point you have the main character from SEED, Kira Yamato, who is just way too powerful, who just shits on everything that disagrees with him. Not even death can stop Jesus Yamato. Kira was an okay character in SEED, who was decently developed for the most part (despite being fairly generic), but in Destiny he is almost emotional-less, stubborn, and over-powered. Its like Destiny went out of their way take all the characters that Gundam SEED developed, and ruined them. For example, Cagalli, who was one of the best characters in SEED, was handled extremely poorly in Destiny.
Destiny is a good example of a train-wreak. It actually started out fine, but eventually gets to a point where you are like "fuck this show". But, this is simply my opinion on the matter, and its a fact that SEED Destiny was one of the most popular anime created in the past 2 decades. Watch it for yourself to decide, although I don't recommend doing so.
Destiny is a direct sequel to SEED, so watch SEED first.
Why so short
Gundam SEED: Stargazer is a very short OVA series that takes place during SEED Destiny. It is also alot better than SEED Destiny, but its really really short. Stargazer is only 3 episodes, each 15 minutes long. Thus its problems are what you would expect of a series that doesn't even last an hour. However, its a nice little series, and if you did decide to watch Destiny, following up with Stargazer is a good choice.
Requires having watched both Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny.
ORE WA... GUNDAMU
Gundam 00 is the most recent, completed Gundam series, made back in 2007. It was broadcasted in two separate parts, Gundam 00, and Gundam 00 Season 2, each 25 episodes. Because of this, Gundam 00 is often considered two separate animes, but technically its just two different seasons of the same show. However, for discussing Gundam 00, breaking it up into these two parts is useful.
Gundam 00 is set in 2307 AD. So that means 300 years from now. This show is one of the few Gundams that actually take modern world and works with it. At this point in Human History, most of the worlds Energy comes from 3 Orbital Elevators and Solar Power. Fossil Fuels have been mostly depleted and used up. The entire world has organized under 3 different factions, each one controlling a different Elevator. We have the Union (formerly the United States), the Human Reform League (formerly Russia, China, and India), and the AEU (formerly the European Union). In this world, suddenly an organization called Celestial Being emerges. They entire any conflict in the world, and with their vastly superior mobile suits, defeat both sides and end the fighting. Their goal: The eradication of Warfare, by the use of force.
Gundam 00 Season 2 takes place 4 years after season 1. Due to this, and their split broadcast, is why Season 2 is often treated as a separate anime. Gundam 00 continues the same story as Season 1, just 4 years after the dust settled after Season 1.
Gundam 00 Season 1 was very good. Both seasons are very well animated, and Season 1 was didn't copy any set format of previous shows. The mechs were cool, the animation is great, and the story is interesting. Season 2 however is often grouped with SEED Destiny. It shows promise, and then just falls off, ruining characters and ruining the plot.
Gundam 00, AU, etc, you have read this already.
Giant. Space. Flower.
Gundam 00: Awakening of the Trailblazer is a movie sequel to Gundam 00. It takes place 2 years after Season 2.
Gundam 00 does something that no other Gundam show has ever done (and hopefully will never do again). It brings in Aliens as the villains. Yeah, Aliens. Except they are more like space needles. The Gundam 00 Movie is well animated, but... All the fights are basically beam spam against endless numbers of space needles who fly around. There isn't the normal drama between two people fighting, two characters who you know and care about. No. This is characters who you stopped caring about in Season 2 shooting beams at endless numbers of [literally] faceless space needles that just sorta fly around all over the place. Then the ending is kinda wtf.
I don't really recommend watching this one, but feel free to watch it yourself, and decide for yourself. You need to have watched Gundam 00 prior to watching this.
Ehh...
Gundam AGE is the most recent 50-episode AU Gundam series. It does some unique things, and it also does some of the most despised cliche stuff that it almost ruins the whole package.
Gundam AGE is set in the year AG 101, when without warning, a Space Colony is attacked and destroyed by a mysterious, unknown enemy, referred to as the "UE" (Unknown Enemy). This sparks off a war that will span generations. And there lies the draw of Gundam AGE. This show is designed to be a Generational story. Which means, the show starts out with a kid named Flit Asuno as the main character. Then, like 15 episodes later, we hit a timeskip, and Flit is now an Adult, and a leader within the Federation. His son Asemu takes over as the main character. And then after another dozen or so episodes, we have another time skip, and will then follow the son of Asemu, Kio. So this is one continuous story, spanning 3 Generation of the Asuno family, telling the story of this war. Characters from previous parts return older, changed, and you get to see just how exactly people grow up and change over the course of their life.
Initial impressions had the first generation being nothing special, but the 2nd Generation, the one about Asemu, has been extremely good in my opinion. However, its ultimately irrelevant, and we move on to Generation 3 with Kio. It starts out good, and then it goes full "UNDERSTANDING". The last arc really left a bad taste in my mouth.
Animation has been anywhere from great to spotty. Sometimes it looked as if they took animation directly out of Gundam Unicorn for it, other times things just looked like shit. Battles in the Beam Saber battles in the 2nd Generation were great, and fights throughout the 3rd Generation were all good too (several well done "base battles"). One of the points of complaint about Gundam AGE is character design. And indeed, the character design does look "childish", like you were watching Digimon or something. But over time, character design has improved, and doesn't actually affect the content of the story, so don't let that turn you off.
YuGiOh x Gundam wtf? ITS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD
This was an entry that took many people by surprise. A few years back, there was a short OVA series called "Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G", that was about building Gunpla plastic models, and battling them. Since the title technically doesn't have "Gundam" in it, I can't really included it in this guide. However, for the short series that it was, it was a fun little show, for Gundam fans, by Gundam fans. And then Gundam Build Fighters was announced, and it was taken to the next level in terms of quality.
Lets get it out of the way right here. Gundam Build Fighters is not a war drama. The closest thing it could be compared to is a highschool sports/tournament anime. It is a world where people build their own Gundam Models, and then can battle them in areas, as a competitive sport. However, its so good. This anime ranks as one of my favorites. You have the main characters of Iori Sei, a Gunpla builder who is no good at fighting, and Reiji, a mysterious boy who is extremely talented at battling. They team up, and attempt to win the Gunpla Battle World Championship. On the way there are many rivals and challenges to overcome. Sounds nothing like Gundam, except maybe G Gundam, right?
The story is filled with engaging characters, compelling character drama, excellent mecha design, and above all, incredible mobile suit battles. Fights in episode 6 and episode 14 (I think) rank as some of the best Gundam battles I've ever seen. Another stand out thing in this show is the music, as the music is great. It rivals even Turn A Gundam and Gundam Unicorn in musical quality. I think the thing that stands out most about this anime, is just the love the creators poured into it. Having written this guide, you can probably tell I love Gundam. The creators are just like that. Every episode is filled with love of the franchise. You can tell that the creators love their work, and want you, the viewer, to love it too.
Gundam Build Fighters is technically AU. Some would argue that it isn't even Gundam. However, its full of fanservice and love for the Gundam franchise, that having watched Gundam before will increase your enjoyment of it. It has, however, been certified by people who don't even watch other Gundams as a good show, so don't let lack of Gundam experience stop you from watching it.
So that concludes all the completed main entries of the Gundam series. There are currently two on-going Gundam projects, one is sorta UC, the other AU. I'll discuss them briefly, since they aren't finished yet, and I don't like judging incomplete projects.
CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS
Build Fighters is back, now with 3v3
Considering it has just started, and only 1 episode has aired, not much can be said about it. This anime is a direct sequel to Gundam Build Fighters, which was a sleeper hit when it aired a year ago. It is set 7 years after, and about a group of students at Sei's old school. The Gunpla Battle club is in dire straights, and Hoshino Fumina is trying to put it back together. She finds Kamiki Sekai, a new student with a love for competitive martial arts, and tries to convince him to join. The first episode ends with them uncovering a hidden/secret Gunpla made by Sei, the Build Burning Gundam.
So not much to say about it. Where Gundam Build Fighters was mostly geared towards one on one Gundam battles, this one is supposed to be geared towards Team Focused battles, specifically 3v3. Time will tell how it will turn out, but the first episode fills me with hope.
Tomino is Back
"Gundam: G in Reconguista" is another currently airing Gundam anime. This one, unlike Build Fighters, is actually a war drama. It is being directed and written by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator and director of the Original Gundam, Zeta Gundam, ZZ, CCA, Victory, F91, and Turn A Gundam.
This anime is set in the Regild Century, at least 1000 years after the Universal Century. The World is at peace, or seemingly is. The Capitol Tower, a Space Elevator, connects the Earth and Space, as well as being the sole provider of Energy for the Earth. A trainee of the Capitol Guard, Bellri Zenam, is on a non-simulated exercise on the Elevator, when Space Priates attack. Over the course of the battle, Bell captures the G-Self and its pilot, the young woman Aida. Aida's objective, the G-Self, and the mysteries surrounding them will change Bell's destiny, and will shake the Regild Century.
Its only 3 episodes long, so I can't go much into it. This anime has been known as "G Reko" ever since it was announced 2011, so that is what I will be calling it. A few things stand out about G Reko so far. First, the character design is by the same guy who did the character designs for Eureka Seven. The Mecha Design is odd, but to me refreshing, and done by the guy who did it in King Gainer, along with some Turn A designs. And finally, the directoral style. We are getting raw Tomino, as he is doing both the directing and the script. This show is crazy. Its full of the batshit characters like from other Tomino productions such as Zeta or Turn A Gundam. It has extremely good battles, thus far. It as a strange, foreign setting, with a culture vastly different from our own, that the show is filling in, little by little as it progresses. And the mobile suit cockpits have their pilot chairs double as a toilet. Genius. I'm enjoying G Reko right now, but the style and pacing seem to be weird for many people. This might be one to wait till it finishes, and then marathon it (if it bothers you after watching a few episodes weekly). I, however, will enjoy the crazy open-cockpit shenanigans, and toilet humor, combined with mecha porn, every week.
So there it is, lots and lots of writing about Gundam. Hopefully that answers any questions you guys might have about the series, in addition to the impressions on various shows from a Gundam fan. I'll close with some FAQ about Gundam:
How many Gundam shows are in English? Every single one of these have been subbed in English, and you can find them on various places on the Internet. Most of these have also been Dubbed in English as well, if you don't want to watch it in Japanese. Gundams with no English dub are as follows: ZZ, Turn A, X, Victory, Stargazer. Unsure if MS Igloo is dubbed. Not sure if 00s2 is dubbed yet either.Both MS Igloo and 00s2 are dubbed.
What is "SD Gundam"? It stands for Super Deformed Gundam. SD Gundam is basically a short series of parodies, with cute super deformed robots/characters making a spoof of different things that happen in the series. There are also other SD Gundam works, like SD Gundam Force, but shit sucks.
Are there any new Gundams planned on the horizon? Yes. After Unicorn finishes, there are plans to animation "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin". The Origin is a manga, which retells the One Year War, with updated mecha designs, and really just has everything else fleshed out more than what was originally presented. If Unicorn is any indication, this is something to look forward to. But from information that has leaked out about it, it seems like it will not be a direct adaption, so who the fuck knows.
How come they always add so many robots into every Gundam series? The simple answer is that Gundam is more or less a really long 'Gunpla' commercial, that generally comes with good plot/characters/fights.
What is a 'Gunpla'? 'Gunpla' stands for Gundam Plastic Model. They are model kits made by Bandai in Japan, that you assemble yourself. I own a ton of them, and could really go into Gunpla, but thats beyond the scope of this blog. Check out this blog for information on Gunpla.
Favorite Gundam shows? Personally, SEED, Turn A, Gundam Build Fighters.
I've never watched Gundam before, where do I start? Depends. If you are comfortable with old anime, start with the original. If you want something more recent, Gundam SEED is probably the best point.
Other 'gateway' Gundams include: 08th MS Team, Wing, 00
I think that <insert anime here> looks better than Gundam Unicorn! WELL YOU ARE WRONG SERIOUSLY THEY LIKE PUMPED 50 MILLION DOLLARS OR SOME SHIT DIRECTLY INTO THE ANIME IDK HOW DONT ASK ME OMG IT LOOKS SO GOOD UR WRONG unless you say Redline, but thats not fair
I watched Gundam Wing on Toonami, and I thought it was real good!! Yeah, I thought Power Rangers was real good too when I was a kid. But I don't think 'OMG THE FUCKIN ILLUMINATI ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD, LETS SEND 5 SOCIOPATHS IN INVINCIBLE DEATH MACHINES TO STOP THEM WITH TERRORISM: The Anime' stands the test of time.
Of course I loved Gundam Wing as a kid, it was my first mecha and along with Dragonball and Pokemon my first view into Japan and anime. I was wondering if you could go a bit more into detail about Gundam Wing and whether the themes are also in zeta/double zeta/char. I found the plot was interesting because the gundam characters were interesting (switching sides, having personal struggles, pushed by others against their own will). The whole space politics + mechanized warfare really got me interested, and I assume those themes are core to the originals? There's something about fighting about the dark and cold of space that's so romantic. As I think about it more, the Gundam Wing series did have its flaws. Even as a kid I noticed there was soooo much recapping and narration (the narration was well done when it wasn't over-done). And one character (I think it was Katra) was annoying to say the least.
On April 27 2012 12:31 Sentenal wrote: Yeah, I thought Power Rangers was real good too when I was a kid. But I don't think 'OMG THE FUCKIN ILLUMINATI ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD, LETS SEND 5 SOCIOPATHS IN INVINCIBLE DEATH MACHINES TO STOP THEM WITH TERRORISM: The Anime' stands the test of time.
Was disappointed at the lack of the nostalgic Wing statements and just when I give up on seeing it, it's there at the very end lol. Still remember trying to rewatch Wing a couple years ago and was like "where are all the good parts???" Did not age well at all.
This shall be useful when I eventually get around to marathoning some Gundam. I've seen all the newer ones (SEED and after, which is why I found your statement about it being for "a new audience" quite interesting) along with any that aired on Toonami but there're still so many I have yet to try. actually maybe not "any" that aired on Toonami...hmm not sure but definitely seen Wing and G and I feel like 1 more. How many did air on Toonami?
This guide is amazing, I felt like I took a crash course through Gundam 101.
Also, its nice to know that I can still watch Unicorn even though its UC. Ill most likely give that a go when EVOL is done airing to fill my mecha void.
On April 27 2012 12:31 Sentenal wrote: Yeah, I thought Power Rangers was real good too when I was a kid. But I don't think 'OMG THE FUCKIN ILLUMINATI ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD, LETS SEND 5 SOCIOPATHS IN INVINCIBLE DEATH MACHINES TO STOP THEM WITH TERRORISM: The Anime' stands the test of time.
Was disappointed at the lack of the nostalgic Wing statements and just when I give up on seeing it, it's there at the very end lol. Still remember trying to rewatch Wing a couple years ago and was like "where are all the good parts???" Did not age well at all.
This shall be useful when I eventually get around to marathoning some Gundam. I've seen all the newer ones (SEED and after, which is why I found your statement about it being for "a new audience" quite interesting) along with any that aired on Toonami but there're still so many I have yet to try. actually maybe not "any" that aired on Toonami...hmm not sure but definitely seen Wing and G and I feel like 1 more. How many did air on Toonami?
Worth checking out if you are into the original gundam timeline. Might be hard to find since it was only on Dreamcast, but you might be able to find an emulator.
On April 27 2012 13:10 Roe wrote: Of course I loved Gundam Wing as a kid, it was my first mecha and along with Dragonball and Pokemon my first view into Japan and anime. I was wondering if you could go a bit more into detail about Gundam Wing and whether the themes are also in zeta/double zeta/char. I found the plot was interesting because the gundam characters were interesting (switching sides, having personal struggles, pushed by others against their own will). The whole space politics + mechanized warfare really got me interested, and I assume those themes are core to the originals? There's something about fighting about the dark and cold of space that's so romantic. As I think about it more, the Gundam Wing series did have its flaws. Even as a kid I noticed there was soooo much recapping and narration (the narration was well done when it wasn't over-done). And one character (I think it was Katra) was annoying to say the least.
Space politics+mechanized warfare is pretty core in every gundam. Most of those things you listed are attempted to be used in almost every Gundam, its just an issue of execution, and how much they use them. However, the space politics in Wing is mostly limited to people like Treize's extremely romantic view of warfare vs the total pacifism of the Peacecrafts. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but they got to the point where it felt like they were throwing in twists and turns for just the sake of it. Like, for example:
At the beginning of the show, we see the Earth Sphere Alliance as the badguys. But then it turns out that Oz is actually the badguys, and they have a coup to take over. So Oz is now that badguys. But then it turns out that Oz is actually funded and controlled by the IlluminatiRomefeller Foundation. And then they have a coup, and eventually make Relena their Queen. And then there is a group in the colonies who start fighting for independence, and the colonies are the good guys. Except then they start attacking the Wing boys, and decide to drop a giant piece of metal on the Earth, so they are the bad guys. And then Treize decides he wants to take over again, and does so.
The constant twists and turns might be okay as a kid, but it gets to a point where as an adult, you feel alot of those were simply done for their own sake. Another flaw Wing had was just how powerful its Gundams were. They were so powerful, that most battles lacked that tension of being on death's door. Most UC Gundams don't have the completely invulnerable, one-suit Army that just go into a fight and obliterate everything. They are powerful, but also vulnerable. You really only get the same feel out of Wing when you have Gundams fighting each other.
Zeta Gundam is essentially about a Civil War, and stays that way the entire time. The growth of the main character, and his interaction with Amuro and Char, is really well done. Politically, you have both sides trying to gain support over the Federation council, and then a 3rd faction enters the fray, turning it into a very interesting free-for-all. I don't want to spoil what happens in it, but Zeta was paced extremely well, and the politics behind the AEUG, the Titans, the Earth Federation, and the Zeon all really draw you in, and for the most part doesn't feel forced.
The original doesn't have as much as Zeta, but its still there, and pioneers alot of the tropes that even Wing used. The original was more or less WW2 in space.
On April 27 2012 12:31 Sentenal wrote: Yeah, I thought Power Rangers was real good too when I was a kid. But I don't think 'OMG THE FUCKIN ILLUMINATI ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD, LETS SEND 5 SOCIOPATHS IN INVINCIBLE DEATH MACHINES TO STOP THEM WITH TERRORISM: The Anime' stands the test of time.
Was disappointed at the lack of the nostalgic Wing statements and just when I give up on seeing it, it's there at the very end lol. Still remember trying to rewatch Wing a couple years ago and was like "where are all the good parts???" Did not age well at all.
This shall be useful when I eventually get around to marathoning some Gundam. I've seen all the newer ones (SEED and after, which is why I found your statement about it being for "a new audience" quite interesting) along with any that aired on Toonami but there're still so many I have yet to try. actually maybe not "any" that aired on Toonami...hmm not sure but definitely seen Wing and G and I feel like 1 more. How many did air on Toonami?
Toonami had... Wing, Endless Waltz, G, 08th MS Team, the Original, Char's Counterattack, 0083, 0080. I don't know if they ever had SEED, if they did, it would have been after I stopped watching Toonami.
On April 27 2012 13:30 pathy wrote: in your opinion, what is the sexiest gundam unit of all time?
Its technically not a Gundam, but this thing:
If it has to be an actual Gundam, then Freedom or Nobel Gundam.
I loved this show as a kid. Thanks so much for reminding me of this. I remember watching G Gundam and Gundam Wing on Cartoon Network along with a show called Zoids - dunno if you guys remember that. Same sorta thing. I had so many models... now I'm nostalgic about my childhood. Time to waste time watching this instead of studying for finals
5/5 Ive watched episodes here and there but despite being into anime for a few decades now I never knew what to do with the Gundam stuff. This blog shall be favorited and used to help me! Thank you for the work and thought put into this, I will start with the first season now and see how it goes. The opinions on all the other works will come in handy I think.
So much better then your Guide to Mecha IMO. Really great read, I actually want to watch some Gundam now (after watching SEED...which was horrible. The only reason I want to remember SEED is because I was watching it when Obama announced that they had killed Bin Laden).
Omg thank you for this blog I now have some direction for my future Gundam watching. I have seen a good number of the shows up to this point (not Zeta o,o) and my favorites have always been CCA and 08th MS (because of the more "realistic" way they depict the Gundam fights, they are brief do a shit ton of damage in a hurry usually).
Wing introduced me to Gundam, but it was always a turn off once I discovered the other series. Dem Gundams just wayyy to strong and the storyline doesn't even make it worth it.
On April 27 2012 13:30 pathy wrote: in your opinion, what is the sexiest gundam unit of all time?
F91 is pretty beast imo. Maybe it's because I like its theme so much.
As you can tell from the YT vid, I got to know the Gundam series through Super Robot Wars so I knew bits and pieces before actually watching any of them. Haven't gotten around to watching Turn A yet but it looks promising from your description.
How many Gundam shows are in English? Every single one of these have been subbed in English, and you can find them on various places on the Internet. Most of these have also been Dubbed in English as well, if you don't want to watch it in Japanese. Gundams with no English dub are as follows: ZZ, Turn A, X, Victory, Stargazer. Unsure if MS Igloo is dubbed. Not sure if 00s2 is dubbed yet either.
I think MS Igloo was dubbed back in 2008. Gundam 00 season 2 was in fact dubbed and was broadcasted on SciFi in the US.
What is a 'Gunpla'? 'Gunpla' stands for Gundam Plastic Model. They are model kits made by Bandai in Japan, that you assemble yourself. I own a ton of them, and could really go into Gunpla, but thats beyond the scope of this blog.
Considering the scope of Gunpla it would be best if someone made a guide for it. There was an old Gunpla thread on TL but it didn't have much.
Toonami had... Wing, Endless Waltz, G, 08th MS Team, the Original, Char's Counterattack, 0083, 0080. I don't know if they ever had SEED, if they did, it would have been after I stopped watching Toonami.
Toonami did air SEED in 2004. It did poorly in the US due to poor ratings and poor merchandise sales attributed to the oversaturation of G Gundam toys. As a result it was the last Gundam series to be broadcasted on US tv until 00 in 2008 on SciFi.
Sunrise has uploded several Gundam series to youtube. Some are region restricted so you may not be able to view them. Here's a list:
I really linked wing also, imo it got a lot more 'realistic' towards the end once Virgos were deployed, but my favorite mobile doll was always the Taurus, it's just too damn sexy! specially with the energy shields of the Virgos, man did Tauruses become even more cool at that point lol
also everyone is going to hate me for this but i think code geass's first season is better than most of the older 'japanese' gundams
Wing did have alot of cool looking Mobile Suits. I've always had a soft spot for the Aries, even if the suit itself did suck compared to almost anything that wasn't a Leo. I wish Bandai would release a HGAC Aries Gunpla.... Tallgeese was one sexy beast too.
On April 27 2012 16:02 Endymion wrote: I really linked wing also, imo it got a lot more 'realistic' towards the end once Virgos were deployed, but my favorite mobile doll was always the Taurus, it's just too damn sexy! specially with the energy shields of the Virgos, man did Tauruses become even more cool at that point lol
also everyone is going to hate me for this but i think code geass's first season is better than most of the older 'japanese' gundams
I hate Unicorn. My hatred for it might even be greater than my hatred for ZZ and Seed. It's so bland and uncreative.
Let's have a child protagonist and a love interest that's on the opposing side! Surely that hasn't been done before. Amuro and Lalah weren't actually just the two of them. The original's love story was an enormously interesting one when you add Char and Sayla. In Zeta, Four shows Kamille just how powerless he is. The Judau and Puru thing is kind of creepy, but I think he ends up with Lu Luka so that's fine. From what I remember about V, Usso's pursuit of women isn't uncommon. His attraction to Katejina is still weird, because she's batshit crazy and I can only assume he likes that. We can't forget the most cliched plot twist in 08th MS team. Aina and Shiro are in love, but they are fighting for opposite sides and GASP Aina's older brother is the commander. Domon and Rain have possibly the best relationship, because it's so integral to the plot.
Not only will we force them to be on opposing sides, we'll instantly make the female character important by making her Mineva. We can even bring back Char or at least someone who looks like him, because that isn't old yet. If anyone complains we can just say it's not really him! The use of Char to garner interest is just so blantantly wrong. Let him die already. Char without Amuro is like a Gundam series without Mobile Suits. Trying to being back every dead character seems cheap. So much for that 50 million budget.
The Unicorn and to some extent Banagher irritates me. In six episodes we're supposed to believe he can hold his own against someone who is supposed to be Char? Let's see the list of people who defeated him. This includes Amuro at the end of the one year war with lots and lots of battle experience as well as being a high level Newtype, Haman at the end of the Gryps Conflict a skilled pilot and a high level Newtype, and Amuro again this time with even more experience and a more advance Mobile Suit compared to his opponent. Both of them rank in the top five of pure Newtype powers. How do we solve this problem? Let's give the Unicorn GOD MODE, but we can balance it out by having it last five minutes that seems fair right? He doesn't have to be a decent pilot at all and we can continue pretending he's beating the Red Comet all while whistling to the bank.
It has merits like the Marida and making people look at the Puru saga, which made ZZ somewhat bearable. Still unless they do something spectacular I don't see how this series isn't just some cheap characters and lazy plot points dressed up in a large budget.
I remember a scene in Gundam when a kid has a broken shoulder i think, hes the toughest kid in this serie. So they're 'omg he has a broken shoulder' bt he's 'np' and he fixes it. Which one is it ? :o I watched it around 2001.
FUCK YOU SEED DESTINY, SHINN YOU'RE A WHINY PIECE OF SHIT NO-ONE CARES ABOUT YOU. I really fucking hated it, SEED was good but Destiny was an absolute train wreck. I was hoping you would agree with me =)
Same thoughts on 00 1 and 2. 2 was rather meh and started to drag on. Haven't really watched the others except for Wing which i am ambivalent about.
On April 27 2012 23:16 Erasme wrote: I remember a scene in Gundam when a kid has a broken shoulder i think, hes the toughest kid in this serie. So they're 'omg he has a broken shoulder' bt he's 'np' and he fixes it. Which one is it ? :o I watched it around 2001.
Heh, nice guide. I'll have to check out some of the series I missed/never bothered watching, though I think I'll wait until Unicorn is finished before I start with that one.
When Capsule Fighter got the US release last year, I went into a bit of a Gundam craze for a few months. I rewatched Wing and 00; I would definitely agree that Wing wasn't anywhere nearly as awesome as I remember it being as a kid, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. The story in season two of 00 definitely had a lot of 'wtf' moments, but it was still worth rewatching. I finally watched the movie, however, and I think it was an absolute waste of two hours.
I loved Gundam Seed, too. I remember it was airing on Toonami at around episode 13ish (whenever the arc in the desert is), and I was like "this is awesome" and proceeded to buy a terribly subbed bootleg copy off ebay with all 50 episodes. Wasn't really aware that it was bootleg when I bought it (Hey, $50 for 50 episodes seemed reasonable to a 13 year old kid), but that quickly became apparent with how absolutely horrendous the subtitles were. I'd still probably say I got more enjoyment out of it than I did watching the dub, though. Destiny felt almost exactly like Seed, except that it was really easy to dislike Shinn more than any of the original Seed characters.
My most positive recent experience with the Gundam series was when I imported Gundam Extreme Vs. Holy shit is that game awesome, and it really makes me want to go back and watch the series some of my favorite suits come from.
On April 27 2012 23:16 Erasme wrote: I remember a scene in Gundam when a kid has a broken shoulder i think, hes the toughest kid in this serie. So they're 'omg he has a broken shoulder' bt he's 'np' and he fixes it. Which one is it ? :o I watched it around 2001.
Gundam Wing, and it was a broken leg.
There was also a scene where he dislocates his shoulder then just pops it back in. Probably more than once too.
Hmm none of the other series ring a bell and I can't really think of a different plot so I guess I've only seen Wing, Endless Waltz, and G from Toonami. Oh well, I'll fix this lack of older Gundam soon enough.
the only gundams i watched were seed and seed destiny. i like saying "i like gundam" and mention how i only watched those two just so everyone gets pissed off.
destiny is horrible. changing the main character to kira because of popularity was retarded and i think the director pretty much admitted that he did it to sell more robot toys.
Might as well put this here as well. Probably the best mutliplayer game I have ever played in the Gundam series :S. Its SD, but with the control of the suits being pretty good, and the actually models coming out not so chibi its pretty fun, even for someone who isn't a fan of SD Gundams. It has suits from every series ofc.
I hate Unicorn. My hatred for it might even be greater than my hatred for ZZ and Seed. It's so bland and uncreative.
Let's have a child protagonist and a love interest that's on the opposing side! Surely that hasn't been done before. Amuro and Lalah weren't actually just the two of them. The original's love story was an enormously interesting one when you add Char and Sayla. In Zeta, Four shows Kamille just how powerless he is. The Judau and Puru thing is kind of creepy, but I think he ends up with Lu Luka so that's fine. From what I remember about V, Usso's pursuit of women isn't uncommon. His attraction to Katejina is still weird, because she's batshit crazy and I can only assume he likes that. We can't forget the most cliched plot twist in 08th MS team. Aina and Shiro are in love, but they are fighting for opposite sides and GASP Aina's older brother is the commander. Domon and Rain have possibly the best relationship, because it's so integral to the plot.
Not only will we force them to be on opposing sides, we'll instantly make the female character important by making her Mineva. We can even bring back Char or at least someone who looks like him, because that isn't old yet. If anyone complains we can just say it's not really him! The use of Char to garner interest is just so blantantly wrong. Let him die already. Char without Amuro is like a Gundam series without Mobile Suits. Trying to being back every dead character seems cheap. So much for that 50 million budget.
The Unicorn and to some extent Banagher irritates me. In six episodes we're supposed to believe he can hold his own against someone who is supposed to be Char? Let's see the list of people who defeated him. This includes Amuro at the end of the one year war with lots and lots of battle experience as well as being a high level Newtype, Haman at the end of the Gryps Conflict a skilled pilot and a high level Newtype, and Amuro again this time with even more experience and a more advance Mobile Suit compared to his opponent. Both of them rank in the top five of pure Newtype powers. How do we solve this problem? Let's give the Unicorn GOD MODE, but we can balance it out by having it last five minutes that seems fair right? He doesn't have to be a decent pilot at all and we can continue pretending he's beating the Red Comet all while whistling to the bank.
It has merits like the Marida and making people look at the Puru saga, which made ZZ somewhat bearable. Still unless they do something spectacular I don't see how this series isn't just some cheap characters and lazy plot points dressed up in a large budget.
Char is dead, Full Frontal isn't him. Char clones are a stable of virtually every single Gundam. And Full Frontal is a Char Clone.
I'm also fairly amused how you claim to be a Gundam fan, yet all your complaints about Unicorn are general anti-Gundam complaints. You like Gundam, yet are complaining about Charclones, Kid getting OP mobile suit, and love interest being part of an enemy faction? Really?
Additionally, Char was a 2nd rate pilot. Anyone who says otherwise is just blind to his entire piloting career lol. And Garrod x Tiffa was by far the best relationship in any Gundam show.
On April 28 2012 02:02 kainzero wrote: the only gundams i watched were seed and seed destiny. i like saying "i like gundam" and mention how i only watched those two just so everyone gets pissed off.
destiny is horrible. changing the main character to kira because of popularity was retarded and i think the director pretty much admitted that he did it to sell more robot toys.
Well, selling more robot toys has been the objective ever since the original, and they do that by adding as many gundams and mobile suits into the series as possible. Destiny was ruined by its main screenwriter, Chiaki Morosawa, who is the director's wife. She was pretty incompetent, and regularly submitted the scripts for each episode extremely late, which resulted in rushed animation. Also, apparently the woman is absoluetely nuts. In Destiny, she basically got it into her head that she was represented by Lacus, and Kira was represented by her husband, Mitsuo Fukuda. And then wrote their parts accordingly. Apparently she thought that Cagalli's voice actress was having an affair with Fukuda, and wrote her character into the ground for revenge.
But, when its all said and done, God gave Morosawa cancer for her crimes in GSD.
I hate Unicorn. My hatred for it might even be greater than my hatred for ZZ and Seed. It's so bland and uncreative.
Let's have a child protagonist and a love interest that's on the opposing side! Surely that hasn't been done before. Amuro and Lalah weren't actually just the two of them. The original's love story was an enormously interesting one when you add Char and Sayla. In Zeta, Four shows Kamille just how powerless he is. The Judau and Puru thing is kind of creepy, but I think he ends up with Lu Luka so that's fine. From what I remember about V, Usso's pursuit of women isn't uncommon. His attraction to Katejina is still weird, because she's batshit crazy and I can only assume he likes that. We can't forget the most cliched plot twist in 08th MS team. Aina and Shiro are in love, but they are fighting for opposite sides and GASP Aina's older brother is the commander. Domon and Rain have possibly the best relationship, because it's so integral to the plot.
Not only will we force them to be on opposing sides, we'll instantly make the female character important by making her Mineva. We can even bring back Char or at least someone who looks like him, because that isn't old yet. If anyone complains we can just say it's not really him! The use of Char to garner interest is just so blantantly wrong. Let him die already. Char without Amuro is like a Gundam series without Mobile Suits. Trying to being back every dead character seems cheap. So much for that 50 million budget.
The Unicorn and to some extent Banagher irritates me. In six episodes we're supposed to believe he can hold his own against someone who is supposed to be Char? Let's see the list of people who defeated him. This includes Amuro at the end of the one year war with lots and lots of battle experience as well as being a high level Newtype, Haman at the end of the Gryps Conflict a skilled pilot and a high level Newtype, and Amuro again this time with even more experience and a more advance Mobile Suit compared to his opponent. Both of them rank in the top five of pure Newtype powers. How do we solve this problem? Let's give the Unicorn GOD MODE, but we can balance it out by having it last five minutes that seems fair right? He doesn't have to be a decent pilot at all and we can continue pretending he's beating the Red Comet all while whistling to the bank.
It has merits like the Marida and making people look at the Puru saga, which made ZZ somewhat bearable. Still unless they do something spectacular I don't see how this series isn't just some cheap characters and lazy plot points dressed up in a large budget.
Char is dead, Full Frontal isn't him. Char clones are a stable of virtually every single Gundam. And Full Frontal is a Char Clone.
I'm also fairly amused how you claim to be a Gundam fan, yet all your complaints about Unicorn are general anti-Gundam complaints. You like Gundam, yet are complaining about Charclones, Kid getting OP mobile suit, and love interest being part of an enemy faction? Really?
Additionally, Char was a 2nd rate pilot. Anyone who says otherwise is just blind to his entire piloting career lol. And Garrod x Tiffa was by far the best relationship in any Gundam show.
In every other show that "Char" is his own or becomes one. Look at Harry Ord, for all his womanizing, he is one thing Char never was, loyal. I don't remember much about Zechs, but he aside from the helmet, he never seemed very "Char" to me. Schwarz Bruder is what Char would've been had Sayla been a main character and if he was less concerned with revenge. All the clones are just references to him, not an attempt to revive him.
If you look at the original series and Zeta, Amuro and Kamille did get powerful Mobile Suits that were eventually outclassed. What a stronger Mobile Suit does is allow for the pilot to grow while fighting stronger opponents. Once Amuro starts fighting Gelgoogs the advantages his Gundam have aren't as vast as against Zakus. He would have no chance against Gelgoogs at the beginning of the OYW. Kamille struggled to fight off the quicker transformable Mobile Suits the Titans developed and developed his own to deal with them.
I've never seen X, so I don't know about that one. It just gets very stale when it's in every series. At some point you have to admit it gets old, unless something entirely different is done. Shouldn't a fan want to see a series grow rather than use stale tropes over and over again? I'm a fan of the old series and while rehashing plots is an easy way to make a series, it doesn't make it original in any way. Shows like Turn A and G are great and completely new with slight references to UC done correctly. There has to be a point where there are no more time periods in UC that are usable for writers to try and make their mark on the Gundam series. If you're attempting it, it better be damn good, because of the legacy left by MSG, Zeta and CCA.
Char wasn't a 2nd rate pilot. He was constantly pitted against ace pilots. Considering his ability to evenly match more powerful Newtypes, his skill has a pilot is even greater. There's no way a 2nd rate pilot would've stood any chance against Haman or Amuro. If you only compare him to Amuro, of course he's not going to come close. Amuro's experience and Newtype strength are too great for him to match. There are probably one or two people capable of defeating Amuro on even terms.
Zechs was the most blatant Char to ever Char. He went from rival masked pilot with an estranged sister, who works with the badguys, but eventually betrays them, and then after all that decides "hey lets start dropping giant objects onto the Earth".
I dunno what you are complaining about with Unicorn. Banagher has had plenty of tough battles thus far. Did you forget he was even defeated/captured in episode 2? OP mobile suits is par for the course in Gundam. Its like you got it into your head that Char is an untouchable godly pilot (when actually hes not), and is in Unicorn (hes not), and is getting surpassed by this upstart (even though Char gets surpassed by upstarts in gundams like all the time), and you are mad about it. The tropes are there, but the use of basic plot elements like "romance with enemy", "kid thrust into war", and "masked villain" are all so minor, who cares if they are reused?
Char was outclasses really early on by Amuro, even when he was a complete novice. And after that, the gap only got bigger and bigger. Did you know that the Sazabi's specs are tons higher than the Nu Gundams? Even in Zeta, he wasn't even in the top 5 for best pilot. Amuro, Kamille, Haman, Scirocco, and Yazan were all superior pilots. Char isn't even that powerful of a Newtype. Pretty much everyone other than Yazan I mentioned before, plus Judau, are all much more powerful Newtypes. Char's character was made by his charisma and fame, but in terms of piloting, he ran almost solely based on his reputation, and being better than average.
Just finished watching 8th MS Team after reading this guide, and holy shit this sucked me in so much, I have watched the whole series in dwo days. I'm not sure what to watch next since i've never been into anime that much, I think i'll go with Zeta.
On April 29 2012 06:35 Sentenal wrote: Zechs was the most blatant Char to ever Char. He went from rival masked pilot with an estranged sister, who works with the badguys, but eventually betrays them, and then after all that decides "hey lets start dropping giant objects onto the Earth".
I dunno what you are complaining about with Unicorn. Banagher has had plenty of tough battles thus far. Did you forget he was even defeated/captured in episode 2? OP mobile suits is par for the course in Gundam. Its like you got it into your head that Char is an untouchable godly pilot (when actually hes not), and is in Unicorn (hes not), and is getting surpassed by this upstart (even though Char gets surpassed by upstarts in gundams like all the time), and you are mad about it. The tropes are there, but the use of basic plot elements like "romance with enemy", "kid thrust into war", and "masked villain" are all so minor, who cares if they are reused?
Char was outclasses really early on by Amuro, even when he was a complete novice. And after that, the gap only got bigger and bigger. Did you know that the Sazabi's specs are tons higher than the Nu Gundams? Even in Zeta, he wasn't even in the top 5 for best pilot. Amuro, Kamille, Haman, Scirocco, and Yazan were all superior pilots. Char isn't even that powerful of a Newtype. Pretty much everyone other than Yazan I mentioned before, plus Judau, are all much more powerful Newtypes. Char's character was made by his charisma and fame, but in terms of piloting, he ran almost solely based on his reputation, and being better than average.
Dude stop the Char dissing crap. He is the definition of someone who actually had to work hard to become who he was. Amuro and just about every other main character was someone with very little experience and a shit ton of talent that let them survive long enough to become who they were. Char and his other "personalities" were always someone who had to work extremely hard to get to the position they had. He fought and fought and fought and fought until the universe feared him onSIGHT. He is the most realistic character in all of the stories because of that alone. You don't become better at something just because your talented, you are good at something because you have talent, and you work harder than the person next to you. Chars characters were always the inspiration for the main character to progress and become the pilots they became. Nothing made him a good pilot except the sheer will power and hours he put into becoming better than those around him. So you can shit all over him if you want but he is the only reason the main characters have to work hard at all, and the only reason they become anything more than just naturally talented pilots. His reputation came from his work ethic and his ability to survive any battle he got himself into.
Most realistic character in all of the Gundam series, stop shitting on him please.
in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
On April 30 2012 04:33 Endymion wrote: in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
I've been watching the english dubbed version because of this blog, only like 4 episodes in because my internet has been spotty the last few days. I like it, but I'm such a gundam fanboy I don't know if that counts.
My favorite character of all time has to be Anavel Gato.
On April 30 2012 04:33 Endymion wrote: in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
I've been watching the english dubbed version because of this blog, only like 4 episodes in because my internet has been spotty the last few days. I like it, but I'm such a gundam fanboy I don't know if that counts.
My favorite character of all time has to be Anavel Gato.
On April 30 2012 04:33 Endymion wrote: in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
I've been watching the english dubbed version because of this blog, only like 4 episodes in because my internet has been spotty the last few days. I like it, but I'm such a gundam fanboy I don't know if that counts.
My favorite character of all time has to be Anavel Gato.
which series?!
Watching Zeta. Anavel Gato is from Chars Counter Attack and Stardust. CCA is probably my favorite Gundam anything :S
If you haven't seen CCA is pretty much a must as it is the ending to the Orig UC Gundam Storyline with Amuro and Char.
On April 30 2012 04:33 Endymion wrote: in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
I've been watching the english dubbed version because of this blog, only like 4 episodes in because my internet has been spotty the last few days. I like it, but I'm such a gundam fanboy I don't know if that counts.
My favorite character of all time has to be Anavel Gato.
which series?!
Watching Zeta. Anavel Gato is from Chars Counter Attack and Stardust. CCA is probably my favorite Gundam anything :S
If you haven't seen CCA is pretty much a must as it is the ending to the Orig UC Gundam Storyline with Amuro and Char.
I feel like zeta was so unrealistic, the kid just abandon's his family and his nation for no reason other than some pilot insulted him, then he is just some super gosu pilot and blows tons of military pilots out of the sky..
What a great blog! I've only seen Gundam W and that was, like you said, when it was on Toonami and I was like...14. But yeah, this was a really cool read.
On April 29 2012 06:35 Sentenal wrote: Zechs was the most blatant Char to ever Char. He went from rival masked pilot with an estranged sister, who works with the badguys, but eventually betrays them, and then after all that decides "hey lets start dropping giant objects onto the Earth".
I dunno what you are complaining about with Unicorn. Banagher has had plenty of tough battles thus far. Did you forget he was even defeated/captured in episode 2? OP mobile suits is par for the course in Gundam. Its like you got it into your head that Char is an untouchable godly pilot (when actually hes not), and is in Unicorn (hes not), and is getting surpassed by this upstart (even though Char gets surpassed by upstarts in gundams like all the time), and you are mad about it. The tropes are there, but the use of basic plot elements like "romance with enemy", "kid thrust into war", and "masked villain" are all so minor, who cares if they are reused?
Char was outclasses really early on by Amuro, even when he was a complete novice. And after that, the gap only got bigger and bigger. Did you know that the Sazabi's specs are tons higher than the Nu Gundams? Even in Zeta, he wasn't even in the top 5 for best pilot. Amuro, Kamille, Haman, Scirocco, and Yazan were all superior pilots. Char isn't even that powerful of a Newtype. Pretty much everyone other than Yazan I mentioned before, plus Judau, are all much more powerful Newtypes. Char's character was made by his charisma and fame, but in terms of piloting, he ran almost solely based on his reputation, and being better than average.
Dude stop the Char dissing crap. He is the definition of someone who actually had to work hard to become who he was. Amuro and just about every other main character was someone with very little experience and a shit ton of talent that let them survive long enough to become who they were. Char and his other "personalities" were always someone who had to work extremely hard to get to the position they had. He fought and fought and fought and fought until the universe feared him onSIGHT. He is the most realistic character in all of the stories because of that alone. You don't become better at something just because your talented, you are good at something because you have talent, and you work harder than the person next to you. Chars characters were always the inspiration for the main character to progress and become the pilots they became. Nothing made him a good pilot except the sheer will power and hours he put into becoming better than those around him. So you can shit all over him if you want but he is the only reason the main characters have to work hard at all, and the only reason they become anything more than just naturally talented pilots. His reputation came from his work ethic and his ability to survive any battle he got himself into.
Most realistic character in all of the Gundam series, stop shitting on him please.
I wasn't shitting on him, I was saying that he wasn't a godly pilot. And he wasn't. 100% of Char's fame as an ace pilot comes is him blowing up an bunch of practically defenseless Battleships at the Battle of Loum, before the Federation had any Mobile Suits, and didn't even field Balls at the time. Is he a good character? Yes, hes a great character. He is iconic? Yes. Does he work hard for what he has? Yes. Is he a top tier pilot? Hell no.
On April 30 2012 04:33 Endymion wrote: in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
I've been watching the english dubbed version because of this blog, only like 4 episodes in because my internet has been spotty the last few days. I like it, but I'm such a gundam fanboy I don't know if that counts.
My favorite character of all time has to be Anavel Gato.
which series?!
Watching Zeta. Anavel Gato is from Chars Counter Attack and Stardust. CCA is probably my favorite Gundam anything :S
If you haven't seen CCA is pretty much a must as it is the ending to the Orig UC Gundam Storyline with Amuro and Char.
I feel like zeta was so unrealistic, the kid just abandon's his family and his nation for no reason other than some pilot insulted him, then he is just some super gosu pilot and blows tons of military pilots out of the sky..
Admittedly, the first part of Zeta, along with one brief arc towards the end, are parts that I felt were done poorly. Zamille's reason for joining the AEUG were done very poorly. The reason was that virtually everyone in the colonies really hate the Titans, and the thing with Jerid and later the interrogation pushed him over the edge. And he was already an autistic, angry kid. The series didn't do a good job conveying that.
On April 30 2012 04:33 Endymion wrote: in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
I've been watching the english dubbed version because of this blog, only like 4 episodes in because my internet has been spotty the last few days. I like it, but I'm such a gundam fanboy I don't know if that counts.
My favorite character of all time has to be Anavel Gato.
which series?!
Watching Zeta. Anavel Gato is from Chars Counter Attack and Stardust. CCA is probably my favorite Gundam anything :S
If you haven't seen CCA is pretty much a must as it is the ending to the Orig UC Gundam Storyline with Amuro and Char.
I feel like zeta was so unrealistic, the kid just abandon's his family and his nation for no reason other than some pilot insulted him, then he is just some super gosu pilot and blows tons of military pilots out of the sky..
This. I've started watching Zeta just after finishing 08th MS Team, and it feels like a totally different anime, in a bad way unfortunately Need to watch it anyway since I've loved MS Team so much, I hope it will grow on me.
On April 30 2012 04:33 Endymion wrote: in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
I've been watching the english dubbed version because of this blog, only like 4 episodes in because my internet has been spotty the last few days. I like it, but I'm such a gundam fanboy I don't know if that counts.
My favorite character of all time has to be Anavel Gato.
which series?!
Watching Zeta. Anavel Gato is from Chars Counter Attack and Stardust. CCA is probably my favorite Gundam anything :S
If you haven't seen CCA is pretty much a must as it is the ending to the Orig UC Gundam Storyline with Amuro and Char.
I feel like zeta was so unrealistic, the kid just abandon's his family and his nation for no reason other than some pilot insulted him, then he is just some super gosu pilot and blows tons of military pilots out of the sky..
Yeah Newtypes are usually weird emo kids. I don't think its unrealistic for someone so young to make such rash/emotion descisions. But the whole idea of multiple ton robots fighting a surviving more than 1 or 2 hits is much more unrealistic. And I don't feel like he was really abandoning his family so much as he wanted to be independent and probably didn't have much contact with his family in the first place (seemed like he lived on his own and his parents were always working or at least not even living in the same place as him). That and the Titans are a bunch of pricks, I can totally understand wanting to knock those suckers around like they did everyone else. He had a pretty strong opinion of them and thats probably why he attacked that Titan in the first episode.
I have only seen the episode up to where he watches his mom get blown away in the capsule, its pretty obvious he cared a great deal about her ; ).
Edit: To the post above me, I really doubt I will like Zeta as much as I did 08th MS Team, that series was just full of awesome. I felt like I was watching a story about Vietnam being played out with Mobile Suits.
Well, Zeta and 08th MS Team are different anime, so you shouldn't really expect one out of the other. One is a short OVA side story about Grunts in the field, the other is a 50 episode series detailing an entire civil war. Anyway, the first few episodes of Zeta are done poorly, but trust me, it gets tons better, and quickly.
On April 29 2012 06:35 Sentenal wrote: Zechs was the most blatant Char to ever Char. He went from rival masked pilot with an estranged sister, who works with the badguys, but eventually betrays them, and then after all that decides "hey lets start dropping giant objects onto the Earth".
I dunno what you are complaining about with Unicorn. Banagher has had plenty of tough battles thus far. Did you forget he was even defeated/captured in episode 2? OP mobile suits is par for the course in Gundam. Its like you got it into your head that Char is an untouchable godly pilot (when actually hes not), and is in Unicorn (hes not), and is getting surpassed by this upstart (even though Char gets surpassed by upstarts in gundams like all the time), and you are mad about it. The tropes are there, but the use of basic plot elements like "romance with enemy", "kid thrust into war", and "masked villain" are all so minor, who cares if they are reused?
Char was outclasses really early on by Amuro, even when he was a complete novice. And after that, the gap only got bigger and bigger. Did you know that the Sazabi's specs are tons higher than the Nu Gundams? Even in Zeta, he wasn't even in the top 5 for best pilot. Amuro, Kamille, Haman, Scirocco, and Yazan were all superior pilots. Char isn't even that powerful of a Newtype. Pretty much everyone other than Yazan I mentioned before, plus Judau, are all much more powerful Newtypes. Char's character was made by his charisma and fame, but in terms of piloting, he ran almost solely based on his reputation, and being better than average.
Dude stop the Char dissing crap. He is the definition of someone who actually had to work hard to become who he was. Amuro and just about every other main character was someone with very little experience and a shit ton of talent that let them survive long enough to become who they were. Char and his other "personalities" were always someone who had to work extremely hard to get to the position they had. He fought and fought and fought and fought until the universe feared him onSIGHT. He is the most realistic character in all of the stories because of that alone. You don't become better at something just because your talented, you are good at something because you have talent, and you work harder than the person next to you. Chars characters were always the inspiration for the main character to progress and become the pilots they became. Nothing made him a good pilot except the sheer will power and hours he put into becoming better than those around him. So you can shit all over him if you want but he is the only reason the main characters have to work hard at all, and the only reason they become anything more than just naturally talented pilots. His reputation came from his work ethic and his ability to survive any battle he got himself into.
Most realistic character in all of the Gundam series, stop shitting on him please.
I wasn't shitting on him, I was saying that he wasn't a godly pilot. And he wasn't. 100% of Char's fame as an ace pilot comes is him blowing up an bunch of practically defenseless Battleships at the Battle of Loum, before the Federation had any Mobile Suits, and didn't even field Balls at the time. Is he a good character? Yes, hes a great character. He is iconic? Yes. Does he work hard for what he has? Yes. Is he a top tier pilot? Hell no.
On April 30 2012 04:33 Endymion wrote: in an interesting turn of events I just watched all of zeta without subtitles and in japanese.. it actually makes the story line of gundam somewhat bearable lol, although i'm sure what I thought happened is nothing close to what actually happened..
I've been watching the english dubbed version because of this blog, only like 4 episodes in because my internet has been spotty the last few days. I like it, but I'm such a gundam fanboy I don't know if that counts.
My favorite character of all time has to be Anavel Gato.
which series?!
Watching Zeta. Anavel Gato is from Chars Counter Attack and Stardust. CCA is probably my favorite Gundam anything :S
If you haven't seen CCA is pretty much a must as it is the ending to the Orig UC Gundam Storyline with Amuro and Char.
I feel like zeta was so unrealistic, the kid just abandon's his family and his nation for no reason other than some pilot insulted him, then he is just some super gosu pilot and blows tons of military pilots out of the sky..
Admittedly, the first part of Zeta, along with one brief arc towards the end, are parts that I felt were done poorly. Zamille's reason for joining the AEUG were done very poorly. The reason was that virtually everyone in the colonies really hate the Titans, and the thing with Jerid and later the interrogation pushed him over the edge. And he was already an autistic, angry kid. The series didn't do a good job conveying that.
Also, Gato was in CCA? When?
I must have watched CCA and Stardust Memory together >.< Its been years since I have seen either.
On April 30 2012 14:46 Sentenal wrote: Yeah, I'm like 99% sure that Gato was only in 0083. Almost completely sure his debut was in 0083, and CCA came out before it.
Yeah and CCA happened UC 0093 storyline wise, and Gato died in UC 0083 ; )
It was my mistake, still my favorite character. Maybe even a better pilot than Char ; ) eheheheheheeheh
On April 30 2012 07:17 Sentenal wrote: Well, Zeta and 08th MS Team are different anime, so you shouldn't really expect one out of the other. One is a short OVA side story about Grunts in the field, the other is a 50 episode series detailing an entire civil war. Anyway, the first few episodes of Zeta are done poorly, but trust me, it gets tons better, and quickly.
Yeah, but the thing that bothers me is that even though 08th MS Team is a side story about faceless soldiers, it does a better job telling it than Zeta does. I mean, the characters are all grunts, but there is a lot of diversity among them. You can literally believe that they are some random guys thrown into the same team and the relationship between them is developing throughout the entire series. The way the characters were presented simply made me care about them. And then I'm comparing this to Zeta, where main character is a emotionally unstable pilot kid which feels so one-dimensional that like 100% of his actions are easily predictable, and other characters are just 'meh' minus a few exceptions. I can accept that Kamille's feelings are severely hurt because of what he suffered, but he is still just a bad main character. The only way of justifying this is that this anime is aimed towards a younger audience, but hell, when i was a kid i wanted to see lasers and huge robots smashing themselves to pieces, not some kid sobbing for the half of the episode. I'm not bashing Zeta in any way, it does a great job at telling a story of a civil war involving a lot of factions and political intrigue between them, but It's hard to believe that this is the best Gundam out there.
Everyone will have differing opinions about what is the best and what not (for example, SEED is my favorite, and some people loath that show), but its a fact that Zeta is probably the most critically acclaimed one.
How far are you in Zeta? Because Kamille does develop nicely as a character, especially once you get onto Earth.
Im currently at episode 10, so there's a lot more to be seen. Probably it's just the oldschoolness of the series that is hard to get over, since the only anime I've seen before is Ghost in the Shell and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.
Try watching films from before your parents were born and then complain about oldschoolness.
I had a fair few hundred words of complaints after I finished Zeta Gundam, but none of those were actually about Kamille. For me the gestalt of Kamille's character ended up being far more interesting and textured than Shiro Amada's. Maybe it's just an issue of scale; 08th MS team only had 11 episodes to work with, and if you compare the first 11 episodes of Zeta Gundam with all of 08th MS team, yes the latter show ends up being more economical with its character development.
Overall I preferred Zeta for a number of reasons:
1.) The romance with Four felt more suspenseful and less arbitrary. Four has the momentary freedom from almost total slavery, Kamille has a less intense freedom but still a change of social contexts (return from military to civilian setting for a boy who was civilian for 99% of his life), and they both have the connection of Newtype + Cyber Newtype. They're also both mentally adolescent at the time, so love at first sight might not be a surprise.
Shiro and Aina have a completely unromantic encounter, and then the second time they meet in person, BAM, love at first sight. Btw they're fully grown well adjusted adults, but somehow it remains completely predictable that they're going to disregard literally everything for this newfound relationship.
Four of course is a psycho killer so the entire show you never know wtf is going to happen with them. (Rosamia felt unnecessary entirely though.)
2.) Kamille is stuck proving himself and trying to escape boyhood through his entire show. Shiro is a grown-ass man and after a couple sick operations and learning not to be an idiot in this new terrain, he pretty much commands as much loyalty as he's going to get, with only more nods to heroism and backstory to come.
The scale of challenges Kamille or characters like him contend with make some people go "Wow look at all this shit he does when he was previously a complete newbie. This is completely unrealistic." Fair enough. A hero's job is to defy the impossible, but the execution is important: it has to be engaging, not arresting. I would argue the execution was great in both shows. I really enjoyed Shiro's multiple fights with Norris and his noble sacrifice against Gilnias.
I enjoyed the way Zeta Gundam handled Kamille's trials even more. Consider Shiro handling his mates dying. Norris finally kills a third nameless Guntank crew and "K that's it. I'm gonna ragequit the military." Obviously it wasn't exactly like that and he must've had other reasons, but the execution made what should've been an intense, somber moment, border on humorous. Compare that with the dozens of deaths of named characters Kamille contends with. How stressful are those situations, before, during, and after? How much history have they built and now lost? How can Kamille respond, how does he, and why? He even needs to deal with the enemies he killed through the vengeance of Jerid (albeit laughable in his own way.)
3.) The factional power play in Zeta Gundam was miles more engaging. You have the original Deikun Newtype Theory, Char's Dakar treatise on the environment, the Titans' ascendancy plus differences within it through Bask and Scirroco, Neo-Zeon dynastism through Haman and Axis, the antiquated Earth Federation now doing silly things like imprisoning Amuro, Karaba now doing silly things like giving Amuro a mobile suit to kill all the things with...
On the other hand Gilnias had to have been one of the most one-dimensional and stereotype-evil archvillains ever to play in Gundam. The unarticulated brinksmanship of the general who tries to have Shiro executed isn't much more developed.
This last field is probably outside 08th MS Team's intended focus, but I feel like the time they did spend articulating factions, leaders, and motivations could have seen improvement.
This is a really really nice guide, huge contribution.
I watched a ton of anime when I was younger and had more time but honestly Gundam was one of the few I could never get into. Maybe it was because I tried it pretty much immediately after Evangelion. I'm not well-versed at all even after reading your whole guide but I was just turned off by war-politics and fictional space politics. The few series I tried watching I fell asleep or kept checking the time of the episodes to see how long it was gonna take to end. I think character development is one of my favorite parts of anime and lots of people recommended various gundams to me but all the characters I watched were whiny or uninteresting.
Anyway, I had a sour experience with it but your guide is really great and I hope it encourages people to watch gundam. If it tells you anything I just liked the silliness of G Gundam cuz it didn't really take itself seriously plus master asia is a hilarious character compared to like heero yuy or some other gay shit.
On May 01 2012 05:02 EchOne wrote: Try watching films from before your parents were born and then complain about oldschoolness.
I don't see why should I do this since i have clear difficulty watching an early 80s anime. I always thought watching movies is about enjoyment, not "hurr i'm watching 100 years old films, i'm such an connaisseur". The thing is, in my opinion (which shouldn't be something that important to you, since you're a bigger Gundam fan than me) Zeta hasn't aged well, and through its oldschoolness I can't appreciate things that you can. And holy shit, just let me finish the series so I can have a more developed opinion (ep15 now).
Personally I think it has aged just fine, but its not like everyone has the same taste. Reason being I don't think it has aged poorly, is one the animation is still stellar to this day, and two I don't think the drama and storyline within have an expiration date. Case in point, plot points and "tropes" created by Zeta Gundam are still mirrored today in more modern anime (Wing, Destiny, 00s2 all spring to mind, just among Gundam)(although most of the time the usage of such points aren't executed nearly as well as in Zeta). So rather an issue with its "age" and "oldschoolness", its probably something else in the presentation. If anything, I'd pin it on Tomino's directly style, or the script. Tomino had an awkward way of dealing with character dialogue in Zeta. Not that I personally think it was a bad style or anything, but its definitely not a "norm".
Kira, the main character, always crying about killing and then doing it anyway, and then beats down his opponent because he's a special kind of human. The OP is wrong about there being character development...the characters were incredibly shallow and same. I found it really difficult to like Kira, he snatched his friend's girlfriend away from him and then beat him down physically. But the audience sees him as a good guy.
The only thing redeeming about Gundam Seed was only the Gundams itself, they look decent.
Kira was probably the worst main character of all gundam series. I could bear even Shin more than Kira.
EDIT:
Lol at OP getting super pissed, asks me a question, then bans me from his blog.
I wasn't even trying to insult him and he takes it offensively. I'm sorry I dissed a series you like but you should realize people have different tastes. You got anger problems man...
On May 02 2012 15:00 GhostOwl wrote: Gundam Seed was trash.
Both the original and the sequel.
Kira, the main character, always crying about killing and then doing it anyway, and then beats down his opponent because he's a special kind of human. The OP is wrong about there being character development...the characters were incredibly shallow and same. I found it really difficult to like Kira, he snatched his friend's girlfriend away from him and then beat him down physically. But the audience sees him as a good guy.
The only thing redeeming about Gundam Seed was only the Gundams itself, they look decent.
Kira was probably the worst main character of all gundam series. I could bear even Shin more than Kira.
"OP's opinion is wrong" Please, spare me. I don't have a problem with people disagreeing with my opinion, but when they start spewing crap like this, then we have a problem. Kira was forced into a war, and killing his own people, fighting against his own best friend, because if he didn't, both him and his other friends would die. If that isn't cause for sorrow, then I don't know what is. Its ridiculous for you to complain about Kira's reaction to the situation he was placed in. Do you want a soul-less, boring, killing machine, rather than a human being as your MC? Kira wasn't a trained soldier, wtf do you expect out of him?
Characters were shallow? How are they shallow? How are they the same? Lets just take 6 major characters from the story, shall we? Kira, already talked about him. Fllay, nothing like Kira. Lacus, nothing either of those two. Athrun, Cagalli, Mu La Flagga. Every single character is distinct. Outside of Lacus, who didn't have nearly the screen time as the others, each one of those got enormous amounts of development as the series went on. This isn't even counting other characters like Miriallia, Dearka, Yzak, Natarle, or Murrue, all of which developed as well. Now compare them to characters like Apolly, Reccoa, Henken, or Katz.
You say he beats his opponents down because his a special kind of human. How is that any different at all from Amuro or Kamille? Or Judau? Or hell, even Banagher in Unicorn. Just as much of their piloting skills comes comes from being Newtypes, as Kira's does being a coordinator. I assume that since you are singling out SEED in particular, you must like other Gundam series, like UC, right? And for some reason that bothers you in SEED, but doesn't bother you in those, even though its handled exactly the same way?
And with Fllay, maybe you missed the whole thing with her being completely obsessed with revenge, the fact that she didn't give a shit about her "boy friend", and how she was going out of her way to manipulate Kira into killing as many Coordinators as possible? I mean, this was a really crucial plotpoint, and was extremely obvious to the viewer, but from how you describe it, you must have missed it somehow. "Beat him down physically"? Sai attacked him. What was he supposed to do, let it happen? Not to mention, "beating him down physically" only amounted to restraining him (twisting arm behind back), and throwing him to the ground. Oh yeah, he really whopped the poor guy's ass.
awesome thread. i've watched gundam wing , endless waltz, and just finished gundam seed a few days ago. i'd have to say that gundam wing is my favorite due to how it ended and the way the characters chose to pursue their desires for the future.
im an anime newb, but im gonna go back and watch the main gundam line now.
so far my favorite gundam moment was in gundam wing when the 4 pilots are fighting the remote mobile dolls and qatra and dorothy both realize at the same time who is coordinating each. so awesome.
Sent reminding me I actually enjoyed watching SEED even more than I recall (I blame Destiny). Kind of want to re-watch it now. The SEED remastered version is still airing right? I think I'll marathon that when it's done :D Wait, actually that'll be awhile...hmm, guess I can watch the older ones while I wait for it.
On May 02 2012 16:54 KazeHydra wrote: Sent reminding me I actually enjoyed watching SEED even more than I recall (I blame Destiny). Kind of want to re-watch it now. The SEED remastered version is still airing right? I think I'll marathon that when it's done :D Wait, actually that'll be awhile...hmm, guess I can watch the older ones while I wait for it.
Yeah, SEED HD Remaster is still ongoing.
Looks like the Official Youtube stream for that is to episode 19. Of the actual HD broadcast, its up to like... 16 or 17, but subs have been falling behind on them. Its hard for me to want to rewatch it with the HD Remaster though, not after they ruined the first ED
I've seen like all of these but I've somehow missed Unicorn. Holy god the way this show looks is just...astounding.
I liked SEED. However, I have a really difficult time seperating SEED from Destiny. Kira really did develop as a character in SEED. He was a bit of a whiny bitch for me but he did develop and actually grew a spine as the series went on.
Shinn however. Dear god I hated that character.
On May 02 2012 15:00 GhostOwl wrote: Gundam Seed was trash.
Both the original and the sequel.
Kira, the main character, always crying about killing and then doing it anyway, and then beats down his opponent because he's a special kind of human. The OP is wrong about there being character development...the characters were incredibly shallow and same. I found it really difficult to like Kira, he snatched his friend's girlfriend away from him and then beat him down physically. But the audience sees him as a good guy.
The only thing redeeming about Gundam Seed was only the Gundams itself, they look decent.
Kira was probably the worst main character of all gundam series. I could bear even Shin more than Kira.
I think you missed the part where Fllay you know...used sex, charm, feminine wiles, whatever you want here to manipulate Kira to kill coordinaters so SHE could get revenge. I dunno. I think most hate for SEED makes some sort of sense but you seemed to just miss the entire concept of the series.
Dude this was legit. I got into Gundam with SEED and then watched some of the early UC stuff, but there's actually a lot that I didn't know about. Going to make it my mission to watch all of the different Gundam shows worth watching (08 MS Team actually looks pretty sick, IMO), and I haven't tried Unicorn but apparently my eyes will burst from all of its anime goodness so I must give it a try.
+1 million respect, brownie, and Mario Party points for this thread. Awesome read and guide, got my jimmies rustled in the very best of ways. Great post OP!
This was a brilliant guide! I loved SEED, I was like 7 at that time, it was THE childhood Mecha Anime for me. All the cool gundams(Freedom mainly) made me really want to buy those plastic models, managed to snag one on a trip to China, except it was from Zeta, but still.
Gonna take a look at some of the previous ones, like Wing and such. Thanks for the guide.
Since like 2 years have come and gone, Gundams have started and ended, and I felt the Blog deserved an update. Updated with more stuff on Gundam Unicorn, Gundam AGE, Gundam Build Fighters, and Gundam: G no Reconguista.
On November 18 2020 02:26 dolby333 wrote: Before I begin, I'll get this out of the way first. Gundam is generally divided into two different categories, "UC" (for Universal Century) and "AU" (Alternate Universe). UC is the main Gundam Timeline, where as AU Gundams are all in a separate continuity. As such, almost ALL AU Gundams can be watched in any particular order, since they are their own self-contained story. - [spam link]
Before I begin, I'll get this out of the way first. What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills.
I am trained in gorilla warfare and I’m the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words.
You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Internet? Think again, fucker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of spies across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You’re fucking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that’s just with my bare hands.
Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the United States Marine Corps and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little “clever” comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fucking tongue.
But you couldn’t, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it.
EPT![[image loading]](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/darksentenal/sentsguidetogundam.png)
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Need to watch it anyway since I've loved MS Team so much, I hope it will grow on me.
