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Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/14 23:14:24


Post by: LordofHats


I'll post it. I love Gundam XD

And it's not a bad time for a thread on it, given that we're a week away from the release of Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway, the first in a movie trilogy adaptation of the novel Hathaway's Flash.







The film trilogy is slated to be the start of the UC100 project, an announced series of works set after UC 100 in the Universal Century Timeline. Two years ago at the 40th Anniversary event, we were also confirmed a wide range of projects were in development, including new entries/sequels to Gundam SEED, Reconguista in G, Gundam 00, and Iron Blooded Orphans. Rumors still keep going around that Sunrise and Bandai are plotting a complete remake of the original Mobile Suit Gundam.

Hathaway will probably hit GundamInfo a month or so after it's release next Friday for a week or so, enabling those in the west to view it! Bandai has taken a rather novel approach to the issue faced by anime releases in the west and has for the past few years cycled content in and out of their YouTube channel. Currently it hosts Gundam Wing, Gundam Seed Remastered, Build Fighters, Build Fighters Try, and Build Divers and Build Divers Re:Rise, plus the ongoing SD Gundam series.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/15 06:25:12


Post by: aphyon


Hey there
i have been a fan of universal century gundam since the 1980s(and have the model and figure collection to prove it) i recently re-watched the entire timeline in chronological order from "the origin" series up through "unicorn".

I am not a fan of any of the alt universe series as i prefer Tomino's original break from the super hero robot shows of the 70s with his dark utilitarian war story setting.

I am looking forward to hathaway's flash in animation form, even though i hated his character in chars counter attack, (unfortunately my favorite gundam character of all time dies in 0083 stardust memory, not that should surprise anybody).

I am kind of sad they retconned giagear out of the UC timeline. i have many of the old newtype magazines from when the novel was being serialized and i loved the mech designs.



Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/15 13:11:54


Post by: LordofHats


 aphyon wrote:
I am looking forward to hathaway's flash in animation form, even though i hated his character in chars counter attack, (unfortunately my favorite gundam character of all time dies in 0083 stardust memory, not that should surprise anybody).


I think a lot of us didn't like Hathaway in CCA. His plot was a complete third wheel. I think Hathaway's Flash though took him and makes something intriguing from that wheel and I usually see people approve of him more from the book than the CCA movie.

I am kind of sad they retconned giagear out of the UC timeline. i have many of the old newtype magazines from when the novel was being serialized and i loved the mech designs.


I mean, they insist Victory Gundam isn't an adaptation of Gia Gear, but you can totally see that Victory Gundam started out as an adaptation of Gia Gear, so in a way it's kind of there in spirit even if it got sidetracked by Tomino trying to kill off the franchise by throwing bikini soldiers with bazookas at the main character to sexually disturb him XD Victory Gundam was weird, I've honestly struggled to ever take it seriously. I think bits of it also found their way into Gundam Unicorn though you have to squint to really see them.

On the other hand, I feel like you can also squint and kind of see that attitudes about the franchise shifted after Victory and G Gundam. For once, a major media company actually realized that too much executive interference can kill something, and Gundam I think has managed to endure and keep up a consistent quality because the people making it have kept that in mind.

Even the maligned Gundam AGE probably would have been financially successful and well received had it not had Gundam in the title. I didn't like it either, but in retrospect it wasn't 'that bad' it just wasn't up to the standards I think fans have for the franchise. Hopefully the interference mucking up the second season of IBO helped reteach that lesson. I love IBO but IBO definitely suffered from scuffles in the drawing room in the second season.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/15 19:43:01


Post by: aphyon


On the other hand, I feel like you can also squint and kind of see that attitudes about the franchise shifted after Victory and G Gundam. For once, a major media company actually realized that too much executive interference can kill something, and Gundam I think has managed to endure and keep up a consistent quality because the people making it have kept that in mind.


I think that is really born out by the animators that grew up watching the original gundam series (especially Zeta) that have gone back and constantly re-visited the original timeline.

The 0080 side story really set the standard that became to modern "look" of the universe. most of the really good series are in fact just side stories outside the main character arcs (the origin, Z,ZZ,CCA,unicorn)

0080, 0083, 08th MS team, thunderbolt and the MS igloo series being some of the best(and darkest) the show has ever looked.



Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/15 20:20:17


Post by: LordofHats


I'd agree. Like, I don't hate the main UC continuity. I rather liked Unicorn, but I've generally been the opposite of you and liked the Alt universes more than the original continuity. But 0080 and 08th MS Team and especially Thunderbolt (at least its first arc, everything after that drags a bit) are amazingly well done in my eyes. I just did a rewatch of 0080 a couple weeks ago and its just such a good bit for how short it is.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/16 15:46:43


Post by: aphyon


Well i am honestly not the target audience for the ALT universe shows, i am not a fighting game fan so G never was my thing, Wing was pretty boy super hero robot fodder to draw in more female fans etc...


Like any other IP with a rich and detailed back story (40K, battletech, star wars etc..) the story is a major part of the draw that got and kept my interest.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/17 14:40:56


Post by: Easy E


Do any of you have a good primer source for the Universal Century? I have had a passing interest in Gundamn, but I have no idea what is canon to UC and what isn't.

I really just need a place to grab onto to understand the basics of the setting.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/17 14:56:18


Post by: aphyon


Here is a brief overview of the timeline, including a list of all related released video media-

https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Universal_Century

If you need something more specific just ask.




Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/17 15:18:13


Post by: LunarSol


I tend to prefer the alt timelines, but that's mostly because I like self contained anime more in general. The UC timeline is generally the best thought out of the bunch though, though personally I don't feel like any of its sequels have felt as well realized as the original series.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/17 19:52:01


Post by: Eilif


Well, the Hathaway movie looks great.

So the implication is that it'll be free to view on youtube?

My knowledge of Gundam is near-nil, but I've been enjoying building some of the kits with my son and we've watched a few episodes of Gundam Wing.

I don't have alot of interest in the classic hero Gundam suits, but I really like the mass production troops and the bad guys that have a more military (slightly battletech) aesthetic. Leo, Zaku, Jesta, Ground types, etc.

My son has built a few with me and he likes the Gundam action figures well enough to save his $5 a week allowance (with some extra work for $ too) for them.

We just assembled the Z'Gok last night. Quick clean build with sort of an Exo-Squad-meets-diving-suit vibe.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/17 20:29:42


Post by: aphyon


 Eilif wrote:
Well, the Hathaway movie looks great.

So the implication is that it'll be free to view on youtube?

My knowledge of Gundam is near-nil, but I've been enjoying building some of the kits with my son and we've watched a few episodes of Gundam Wing.

I don't have alot of interest in the classic hero Gundam suits, but I really like the mass production troops and the bad guys that have a more military (slightly battletech) aesthetic. Leo, Zaku, Jesta, Ground types, etc.

My son has built a few with me and he likes the Gundam action figures well enough to save his $5 a week allowance (with some extra work for $ too) for them.

We just assembled the Z'Gok last night. Quick clean build with sort of an Exo-Squad-meets-diving-suit vibe.


Gundam was actually designed to break from the hero robot shows of the late 70s to be a hard gritty war story where the mechs were military equipment.

So i can understand your point if you have only watched gundam wing. that alt universe story turns the gundams into the hero robots the show was trying to avoid. as the gundam prototype(named after the gundarium alloy it was made from) is just a test unit with all the best and most advanced electronics aswell as the most advanced armor systems to later be used on mass production model units like GMs(General Model) or later jegans that replaced them.

Here is a quick clip from the MS igloo series of short stories set during the one year war in the original timeline.




I also recomend for any anime watcher the fan run and supported streaming site-otaku-streamers.

https://otaku-streamers.com/anime/

It is free to join but requires you to make an account to keep out spam bots. and they have every gundam series original timeline and alternate universes in their enormous catalog(most of which has never been released outside japan).





Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/17 22:44:02


Post by: LordofHats


 Easy E wrote:
Do any of you have a good primer source for the Universal Century? I have had a passing interest in Gundamn, but I have no idea what is canon to UC and what isn't.

I really just need a place to grab onto to understand the basics of the setting.


I wrote up a guide to the various timelines and which shows belong to which over on SpaceBattles. Copy Paste I tried to put in spoiler boxes but it's not cooperating so here it is as a long ass quote;

The First Rule of Gundam Club

You will watch Mobile Suit Gundam, also known as Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 first. Now obviously a lot of people have probably seen some of the more modern Gundams and not seen this one. That's fine, but this series started it all. Every Gundam features Gundams. Every series features masked rivals. Most series mix hard sci-fi robots with humanity evolving supernatural powers. You need to watch it if you want to continue in Gundam Club. There are rumors swirling that Sunrise intends to fully remake Gundam 0079, with modern animation, new voice work, and a revamped story. If you want to wait to see if that comes to be you can, but honestly the original anime series has held up amazingly well given it's age.

Now go watch it *prepares beam saber*.

The Second Rule of Gundam Club

The hardest thing to grasp in Gundam, are the timelines. While Gundam 0079 spawned a massive line of series, most Gundam series' are indpendent timelines with no relation to it. They carry on its story, themes, and motif but they're not sequels and you can honestly watch them in any order and be fine. I will give as full a list of these timelines as I can below. I have these separated by timeline and will strictly list the series that are most important for that timeline and I list them in my suggested watch order. Some series I nest under another. You can watch those after seeing the series they're under, or later if you want. This is mostly for the Universal Century, which has a lot of side stories, some of which are the best in the entire franchise.

Universal Century

Spoiler:

Mobile Suit Gundam (aka Gundam 0079)
Mobile Suit Gundam: 8th MS Team
Mobile Suit Gundam: War in the Pocket
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam Thunderbolt
Mobile Suit Gundam: Stardust Memory
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (aka RE:0097)
Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight AXIS
Mobile Suit Gundam NT (Gundam Narrative)
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (brace yourself, this one is depressing)

This is the biggest timeline in the franchise, and probably the hardest to get through. It's got prequels, sequels, and side stories all over. While the above is my suggested view order, there are others you can find on the internet. You could watch these in chronological order if you wanted, in which case simply watch The Origin first (I'd still watch Gundam 0079 before it). The rest of it basically is in chronological order. As an additional warning, Victory Gundam is widely seen as the most depressing Gundam series of all time (I'd debate that, but it is the series' standing reputation). It's a good series. It's worth watching. Just brace yourself.

There are two other films in this timeline, Mobile Suit Gundam F91 and G-Saviour, but honestly both were poorly recieved at the time of their release, they're not good, and Sunrise ignores they ever happened. You might be able to find F91. I think G-Saviour might have honestly gotten the E.T. video game treatment.


Future Century

Spoiler:

Mobile Fighter G Gundam

This was the first of the alternate Gundam Timelines, created because the UC was becoming too big and Sunrise wanted to keep Gundam accessible to new audiences. G Gundam wasn't well recieved when it first aired, but today is kind of a legend in the fandom for tale of how it came to be (it's quite the story) and the utter ridiculousness of the series. The pilots have horses who have Gundams that their Gundams can ride! Horse Gundams I gak you not. It's worth watching, but don't expect it to be like other entries in the franchise.


After Colony

Spoiler:


Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (aka New Mobile Report Gundam Wing)
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop

This is the entry that exposed an entire generation of western fans to Gundam. It aired on Toonami and recieved massive acclaim as a result. It was less popular in Japan, but in the US is effectively a sacred cow for Mecha fans. It's a dense series, both in terms of narrative and theme. Endless Waltz is the film sequel to the anime series, and Frozen Teardrop is a manga series that takes place well after the movie. It's one of the only manga adaptations that can be easily obtained outside Japan, but I warn you it's... not bad but it's very different.


After War

Spoiler:


After War Gundam X

Kind of the forgotten step child of the Gundam family. The series wasn't bad, but it got hit by negative fan reactions at the time. Longstanding fans wanted a return to the Universal Century, and Gundam X suffered in ratings as a result. The series was canceled and quickly wrapped up. These days it's a bit more warmly regarded.


Cosmic Era

Spoiler:


Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: STARGAZER

The Cosmic era is fundamentally, a retelling of the Universal Century. Gundam SEED pretty popular today, but like the After War timeline, it suffered during release from angry fans. However, it succeeded by also bringing in a whole new generation to franchise. It's even been called a major reconstruction of the Real Robot genre after Neon Genesis Evangelion deconstructed many of the tropes and themes of mecha anime. I never hated it myself. It's a great series and recently got an HD remake from Sunrise!

SEED Destiny not so much. The main characters of SEED return, but most of their stories get shat on and flanderized (not my words per se), the new characters are varying degrees of pathetic and exceptionally annoying (also not my words per se), and the plot itself is seen as a very weak rehash of Zeta Gundam. The negative reactions to SEED Destiny effectively killed the inital lofty ambitions Sunrise had of creating a new Universal Century in the Cosmic era. I'd still watch it though, cause it's honestly not that bad, but it's definitely one of the weakest entries in the franchise.

STARGAZER is a barely comprehensible film sequel to SEED and SEED Destiny. It's okay, but it's going to confuse you at times. It's a choppy movie. There are side stories from both SEED and SEED Destiny published with Astray at the end of the title. These are optional but pretty good and can be obtained in the west.


Anno Domini

Spoiler:


Mobile Suit Gundam OO
Mobile Suit Gundam OO -A wakening of the Trailblazer-

The first Gundam series to take place in the "real world." Gundam OO is often compared to Gundam Wing given their similarities, but imo this is the best Gundam series ever made, with a wonderful and powerful story, great setting and characters, and maybe the loftiest themes and ideas to ever appear in the franchise. It's also the one that is most heavily referenced in Trailblazer, so I'd watch highly recommend seeing it if you haven't. A wakening of the Trailblazer is the film sequel to the 2 season anime. It's generally not as popular, but I enjoyed it for what it tried to do.


Advanced Generation

Spoiler:


Mobile Suit Gundam AGE
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Memory of Eden

This is maybe today, the most hated Gundam series. It wasn't that bad imo, and it was very ambitious in trying to tell a 100 year story across 3 generations of Gundam pilots, but it's animation quality was contentious. Many people thought it was too childish for a Gundam series, and the final arc was seen as very weak compared to the first and second. Memory of Eden is a retelling of the middle sections of AGE but it features a lot of new scenes and better elaborates on some of the characters, so if you like AGE then it's worth watching Memories of Eden.


Post Disaster

Spoiler:


Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS

The most recent mainline series, and arguably the most popular and beloved since OO. Especially in the west, this series is almost as popular as Gundam Wing was back when it first appeared in the 90s. It deserves the recognition to. IBO is Gundam deconstructing itself without betraying its purpose and vision. Artistically I consider it to be the best series in the franchise. However, I'd also consider it to be the most depressing series in the franchise, even beating out Victory Gundam. The ending puts the bitter in bitter sweet, and the series fully embraces Post-Modernism as a world view which I think makes it difficult to understand or enjoy for some people.

It's still fantastic. Watch it. It nothing else it features Barbatos, one of the coolest Gundam to ever grace our screens.


Again you can watch these timelines in any order. They are all Gundam, but stories don't carry over across timelines... well until you get to Rule 3 anyway.

The Third Rule of Gundam Club

You will watch Mobile Suit ∀ Gundam (also called Turn A Gundam or For All Gundam), Reconguista in G (also called G-RECO), and Gundam Build last. Mostly because they're hard to appreciated without watching most of everything else.

Correct Century

Spoiler:


∀ Gundam (Turn A Gundam or For All Gundam)

Turn A is a trip. No seriously, Turn A will feth with your head a little bit. Essentially, the Correct Century is the end result of all Gundam Timelines. They all become Turn A and Turn A is how they all end. Turn A was conceived in the late nineties as a way to combine the entire franchise into a single metaverse. Whether that is through multiple parralel histories or a single massive timeline where each individual timeline leads to the next is... baffling as feth for fans, and unclear in terms of word of god. We've gotten conflicting variations over what exactly Turn A is supposed to represent for Gundam as a franchise.

But it's one hell of a good series. It was polarizing when it released 20 years ago, but today is regarded as one of the best entries in the Franchise for it's distinct desings, art, and story. It stands alone perfectly well too, even if you've never seen any other Gundams. It's just that it's harder to fully appreciate it before watching a lot of other Gundams, namely the series from the 90s (G Gundam, Gundam X, and Gundam Wing). As such my advice is watching it last, or near last.


Regild Century

Spoiler:


Gundam Reconguista in G (G-RECO)

This series is interesting. It takes place in the same timline as Turn A, 500 years later. It's animated by the same guy who did Eureka Seven, and the animations are beautiful. It's got this watercolor feel to it from start to finish, with great animations all around and beautiful music. Unfortunately, it is arguably the worst Gundam series ever made, or at least, the worst of the last 20 years. Not necessarily because it's bad, but because the series takes after Turn A, is kind of trippy, and isn't as good. Many fans decried it as Gundam in name only, and it is quite a bit different outside of the obvious. Is it worth watching? Honestly I'd watch it to see the animation and nothing else. It really is crack for the eyes. Good luck making any sense of the nonsensical characters and the story around them though.

G-RECO's second season was cancelled and never produced, and for a long time it felt like it was going to go the way of F91 and G-Saviour, forgotten and ignored by Sunrise. Of course, then the title Gundam got featured in one of the four 40th Anniversary Posters, and it was announced that future works for the Regild Century were planned which actually sparked some enthusiasm because while long time Gundam fans didn't like the series, a lot of people unfamiliar with Gundam did and have been wanting a sequel for a long time.


Our Century

Spoiler:


Gundam Build Fighters
Gundam Build Fighters Try
Gundam Build Divers
Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE

You know those animes about people who take a particular children's card game or hobby, and blow it up into the most important thing ever? Well this is that, but for Gunpla. In these series', Gundam is serious business and everyone loves it even to the point of entire sports and games taking over culture!

There are basically two timelines in this "timeline" cause it's not really a proper timeline.

Gundam Build Fighters was the first, and it was a huge hit for it's light hearted tone, themes of freindship, and love of all things Gundam! Build Fighters Try is the direct sequel.

Gundam Build Divers is the "video game" version, where the most popular game in the world is an MMO about Gundam and people can dive into it VR style. It's not as good, but it's still good even with its more kiddy tone. Re:RISE is the series' direct sequel.

And they're freaking amazing! Really you could watch these at any time, it's just they're they're filled to the brim with references galor, and you'll miss most of them without watching lots of Gundam. It even features kit bashed gundams and reimagined versions of popular mobile suits throughout the franchise, all going head to head in battles of "toys are serious business."


The Fourth Rule of Gundam Club

There's so much more stuff. Seriously, there's gak tons of it. I haven't even touched SD Gundam, which basically might as well be its own franchise honestly. There's mangas, books, games, and light novels galore. I can't feasibly list all of them, and a lot of them only exist in Japan anyway. You'd have to import them to legally experience their content, but at this stage if you've followed the three prior rules that is something you can do if you want. There is no need for a read/watch/play order. If you've gotten this far then you're fully prepared to grasp everything else without any hand holding.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/17 23:08:31


Post by: BlackoCatto


Sieg Zeon, Austrailia deserved it. It had a colony drop written all over it.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/18 15:16:02


Post by: Easy E


 BlackoCatto wrote:
Sieg Zeon, Austrailia deserved it. It had a colony drop written all over it.


I mean.... did you see how Australia was just sitting there out in the ocean like that!

@Hats- Thanks for the list. I do not expect I will even get through the UC timeline. However, I did manage to catch some of 0079, so I think I will just start there.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/18 15:25:58


Post by: aphyon


start with the origin that is actually the back story starting point that leads up to the one year war. it is also only 6 episodes so it won't be overwhelming




Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/18 15:49:44


Post by: Lance845


The original series has the worst theme song in the world lol. It's so bad.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/18 16:20:23


Post by: aphyon


 Lance845 wrote:
The original series has the worst theme song in the world lol. It's so bad.



Well considering the focus is on char i think maybe they were trying to give it the chars counter attack feel(i think it is a remake of the ending song). but yeah nowhere nears as good as the themes for 0083, or unicorn as examples for UC timeline openings

CCA ending




0083 OP



unicorn/0096 OP



Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/21 13:43:08


Post by: Dropbear Victim


The trailers look ok to me as someone who doesn't really know any of the gundam story.

Ive seen Wing+Endless Waltz and Seed+Seed Destiny a long time ago. I liked Wing and thought Seed was kinda gak, especially Seed Destiny where it losts my interest with annoying characters.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/22 06:14:30


Post by: aphyon


 Dropbear Victim wrote:
The trailers look ok to me as someone who doesn't really know any of the gundam story.

Ive seen Wing+Endless Waltz and Seed+Seed Destiny a long time ago. I liked Wing and thought Seed was kinda gak, especially Seed Destiny where it losts my interest with annoying characters.


Understandable given your rather short exposure to the alternate universe shows.


The UC timeline tends to be a bit darker and hard/dirty.

I mean i already know the end of the story with hathaway and what his own father is forced to do to him. Bright noah has almost as tragic a story as most other characters. the joke about the UC timeline was that Tomino introduces us to deep well fleshed out characters with rich backstories...and then kills them


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/22 10:59:39


Post by: balmong7


I just wish they would get more Gundam shows up on the streaming services. There are so many shows on my watchlist that I really don't want to pirate, especially because I do most of my watching at work, and don't want to get fired for putting viruses on the computer.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/22 11:25:01


Post by: BlackoCatto


 aphyon wrote:
 Dropbear Victim wrote:
The trailers look ok to me as someone who doesn't really know any of the gundam story.

Ive seen Wing+Endless Waltz and Seed+Seed Destiny a long time ago. I liked Wing and thought Seed was kinda gak, especially Seed Destiny where it losts my interest with annoying characters.


Understandable given your rather short exposure to the alternate universe shows.


The UC timeline tends to be a bit darker and hard/dirty.

I mean i already know the end of the story with hathaway and what his own father is forced to do to him. Bright noah has almost as tragic a story as most other characters. the joke about the UC timeline was that Tomino introduces us to deep well fleshed out characters with rich backstories...and then kills them


Except War in the Pocket, he didn't do that one.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/22 12:32:41


Post by: aphyon


balmong7 wrote:I just wish they would get more Gundam shows up on the streaming services. There are so many shows on my watchlist that I really don't want to pirate, especially because I do most of my watching at work, and don't want to get fired for putting viruses on the computer.



Ahem-

https://otaku-streamers.com/anime/

You can hate me later.




BlackoCatto wrote:
 aphyon wrote:
 Dropbear Victim wrote:
The trailers look ok to me as someone who doesn't really know any of the gundam story.

Ive seen Wing+Endless Waltz and Seed+Seed Destiny a long time ago. I liked Wing and thought Seed was kinda gak, especially Seed Destiny where it losts my interest with annoying characters.


Understandable given your rather short exposure to the alternate universe shows.


The UC timeline tends to be a bit darker and hard/dirty.

I mean i already know the end of the story with hathaway and what his own father is forced to do to him. Bright noah has almost as tragic a story as most other characters. the joke about the UC timeline was that Tomino introduces us to deep well fleshed out characters with rich backstories...and then kills them


Except War in the Pocket, he didn't do that one.


No but the animators that followed tomino with the side stories keep the spirit of the setting......the entire cyclops team dies, chistina nearly dies and al is left suffering emotional trauma.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/22 12:42:49


Post by: LordofHats


balmong7 wrote:
I just wish they would get more Gundam shows up on the streaming services. There are so many shows on my watchlist that I really don't want to pirate, especially because I do most of my watching at work, and don't want to get fired for putting viruses on the computer.


Most of the main shows are somewhere. The annoying thing is that they're not all on the same service/source.

Last I checked;

Netflix has Iron Blooded Orphans and Gundam Unicorn.
Hulu has Gundam The Origin, Gundam Wing, Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, Gundam 00, 8th MS Team, and Iron Blooded Orphans
GundamInfo has Gundam Wing, Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny the Build series, SD Gundam (Gundam Info cycles content every 2-3 months)
Crunchy Roll has Gundam 0079, G Gundam, Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, and Gundam 00

The only shows that are really hard to find through official channels are the OVAs and the series from the 80s.

Sunrise seems to have recognized this is an issue and it's costing them money (most of the industry has) but is being very slow in addressing it. Unofficially speaking, Victory Gundam, Gundam X, Turn A Gundam, Zeta Gundam, ZZ Gundam, Thunderbolt, War in the Pocket, Stardust Memory, and a few others can be found on YouTube and I bring them up there only because some of those have been up there for over a decade and the shows aren't available any other way but extremely expensive second hand market for ancient DVD sets or expensive (overpriced as feth too) imports.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/22 19:45:19


Post by: BlackoCatto


You'd think Z would have something out right now.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/22 23:11:14


Post by: LordofHats


GundamInfo was hosting the New Translation compilation films a year or so ago?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/24 12:30:34


Post by: balmong7


I watched F91 when they had the movie up on Gundam.Info during the pandemic. That movie is a bit of an underrated gem in my opinion. It has serious problems with pacing, especially towards the end of the second act when it feels like entire plotlines got cut out and you aren't really sure why the final battle is happening as a result. But I really enjoyed it otherwise. Am I mistaken in thinking that there is no current anime adaptation of any of the manga that followed up on that movie and its section of the UC timeline?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/24 12:59:27


Post by: BlackoCatto


balmong7 wrote:
I watched F91 when they had the movie up on Gundam.Info during the pandemic. That movie is a bit of an underrated gem in my opinion. It has serious problems with pacing, especially towards the end of the second act when it feels like entire plotlines got cut out and you aren't really sure why the final battle is happening as a result. But I really enjoyed it otherwise. Am I mistaken in thinking that there is no current anime adaptation of any of the manga that followed up on that movie and its section of the UC timeline?


F91 is an oddball. It is one if not the farthest out in the UC timeline and is one of the few things to be followed by anything. Part of the reason is just the mess that occurred during production. The movie itself is the reason why Bandai takes a far lighter hand on things and allows the Sunrise team a lot more freedom as it was the interruption from Bandai over models that cause the various rewrites and different scripts to be created. As well the reason why instead of a TV show, it became a highly condensed movie.

UC timeline's newer direction seems more focused on telling side stories and moving linearly with the timeline now, nothing too far out that it'd break chronological order. OYW and the resulting Cold War between the Federation and Zeon is a pretty perfect a spot to hatch stories, adding to its level of being iconic. F91 will probably get a remake of some kind to fix it, but will probably have to wait. Reports suggest a remake of the old series, more so done to bring the animation up to date. Expect them to put a lot of cash into that.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/24 22:24:11


Post by: LordofHats


F91 was clearly intended to be a series rather than a movie. It's got all the plot beats but most of them are just slammed together in the second act and pass by like it's an abridged series. Also I think it happens after Hathaway's Flash but before the events of Victory or Crossbone Gundam (the later by virtue of the film's character's being supporting cast).


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/25 13:23:15


Post by: BlackoCatto


Yes, Between Unicorn and and F91 there is a huge gap in the timeline. Hathaway takes place in this gap. Victory takes place after F91 and then.... G Savior.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/25 20:26:55


Post by: LordofHats


We don't talk about G-Savior.

It's also worth noting that The Reguild Century and the Correct Century happen after the Universal Century. Exactly where the other alt-timelines fit in there is a confusing/contradictory question XD


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/26 05:51:47


Post by: aphyon


 LordofHats wrote:
We don't talk about G-Savior.

It's also worth noting that The Reguild Century and the Correct Century happen after the Universal Century. Exactly where the other alt-timelines fit in there is a confusing/contradictory question XD


That was just Tomino messing with you when he made turn A

It is no longer considered part of the UC timeline, any more than giaigear is now.


And it fits the timeline better than turn A




Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/27 14:01:39


Post by: BlackoCatto


Take it like this, right now the things that are absolutely canon are Original,MS08, IGLOO, Stardust, Thunderbolt, Z, ZZ(Though some elements have been thrown out, good) CCA, Unicorn, Hathaway, and now somewhere Victory.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/27 18:10:55


Post by: aphyon


Don't forget the origin, the MS igloo mini series(i mean it literally happens during the one year war) as well as the video games like blue destiny they are still in the timeline.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/28 00:09:11


Post by: LordofHats


Canon and Gundam are questionable concepts. The Origin for example introduced numerous minor continuity errors, but the general response from Sunrise has been to shrug. Same with whatever the hell Turn A is supposed to be.

The Universal Century has a well defined chronology, but canon coherence is generally treated like a suggestion. The entries all tend to do their own thing for the most part these days, even the ones in UC so it's generally not been an issue.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/28 11:45:36


Post by: Dropbear Victim


I just finished rewatching Gundam Wing on GundamInfo' s Youtube page and noticed MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0083: The Afterglow of Zeon (EN,HK,TW,CN,KR Sub) is premiering. Guess Im watching this now.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/28 21:23:45


Post by: LordofHats


Afterglow of Zeon I think is the compilation film of Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/29 06:10:06


Post by: aphyon


 LordofHats wrote:
Afterglow of Zeon I think is the compilation film of Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory.


Yeah i thought that's what it was, i tend to avoid the compilations since they leave out so much.

Once again i will point you to otaku streamers they have it all including both versions of unicorn (as seven 1 hour long videos or the TV show size breakdown)


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/29 13:46:05


Post by: LordofHats


Honestly, Stardust could probably benefit from being shorter. It's plot meandered a lot to fill time.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/30 12:39:35


Post by: aphyon


Completely disagree, 0083 is still my favorite side story every bit of it was worth the watch. it is the bridge between the original one year war and zeta gundam, as well as the hard war story that is iconic to gundam. this wasn't an accidental genius pilot situation. everybody involved were trained military personnel even if some of them were green when it came to actual combat.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/30 18:43:08


Post by: BlackoCatto


Who the feth wanted more SEED?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/30 21:10:39


Post by: LordofHats


 BlackoCatto wrote:
Who the feth wanted more SEED?


I think SEED was fairly well received when it was just SEED. I'd consider it average as a Gundam show (which is still better than 75% of anime in my book).

SEED Destiny was so bad it retroactively made SEED almost unwatchable. It's hard to invest in any of the plot lines or characters when the sequel series so thoroughly butchered them. There was something of a clear in intent in the early 00s to kind of recreate the Universal Century in the Cosmic Era, but SEED Destiny tanked the entire concept. I think Post Disaster is the first alt timeline since that the fandom has really rallied around to say 'we want more of this.' I'm really hoping the proposed IBO content that was announced isn't just Udr Hunt and that we'll get a film sequel or a prequel set in the Calamity War. Post Disaster has a great setting and I'd love to see more of it.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/30 23:53:10


Post by: aphyon


 BlackoCatto wrote:
Who the feth wanted more SEED?


Bandai

$$$$


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/31 13:01:15


Post by: Albertorius


Yeah, I quite liked SEED when it aired.


And then Destiny happened.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/31 17:58:15


Post by: BlackoCatto


I'll never forgive the Japanese!


Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/31 18:27:44


Post by: aphyon


Albertorius wrote:Yeah, I quite liked SEED when it aired.


And then Destiny happened.


*cough* G gundam *cough*

BlackoCatto wrote:I'll never forgive the Japanese!


Hey everybody makes mistakes, like not re-hiring madhouse studios to do season 2 of the gunslinger girl TV series for example.


Otherwise there is so much about japan to love that is so unique it could not happen anywhere else in the world.




Gundam Thread @ 2021/05/31 21:44:34


Post by: BlackoCatto


 aphyon wrote:
Albertorius wrote:Yeah, I quite liked SEED when it aired.


And then Destiny happened.


*cough* G gundam *cough*

BlackoCatto wrote:I'll never forgive the Japanese!


Hey everybody makes mistakes, like not re-hiring madhouse studios to do season 2 of the gunslinger girl TV series for example.


Otherwise there is so much about japan to love that is so unique it could not happen anywhere else in the world.




It's.... it's a JoJo reference


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/01 05:42:13


Post by: aphyon


that's nice, i was never a fan of the series, saw it nearly a decade ago and took a pass.


These make my list of top anime series in my collection.


https://imgur.com/gallery/znuWcuw


https://imgur.com/gallery/6MG2iGz


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/01 11:58:53


Post by: Dropbear Victim


Ive just finished watching SEED as a marathon after Wing. The first half of SEED I found to be pretty slow while the later half was similar paced to Wing in my opinion. Not even bothering with Destiny. It doesnt exist.
Now that Ive rewatched them both Ive realized I must have partially watched the 00 series years ago too. I vaguely remember the plot about a celestial being group.

Probably going to find something in Universal Century to watch next.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/01 17:54:11


Post by: aphyon


For UC timeline

avoiding the dated anime of the original 1979 TV show- i would suggest in this order

One year war era-
.the origin
.thunderbolt
.MS igloo
.08th MS team
.0080 war in the pocket

Post 1 year war era-
0083 stardust memory
zeta gundam(starts out slow but gets really good, considering it was popular enough to garner 2 seasons)
double zeta gundam (a bit to upbeat for my taste so it was hard to get into for me)

chars counterattack movie
gundam unicorn OVA seriesUC0096 TV show sut


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/01 19:45:52


Post by: SamusDrake


Currently rewatching Gundam Wing. Hilariously awful and brilliant at the same time...

Rhythm Emotion is at present my wake up song...








Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/02 13:43:18


Post by: LunarSol


 aphyon wrote:
that's nice, i was never a fan of the series, saw it nearly a decade ago and took a pass.


Are you talking about the JoJo OVA from the 90's or the modern TV series that started in 2012?

If the former... you got to see one of the most iconic sequences of the series with almost zero plot setup or context. It was made basically for fans of the manga only.

Assuming your talking about the 2012 series... it's worth another try. The series changes its main character and setting every story arc and while Jonathan and Joseph have their fans, the Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency arcs are a little mundane compared to what comes after. Stardust Crusaders and its lead Jotaro are when the series hits its stride, even if its a little villain of the week. In some ways I think Diamond is Unbreakable is a perfect starting point, simply because its a very self contained story and the whole Stand power system moved beyond traditional combat applications. It's a super fun series though, and well worth at the least hitting the highlights.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
 aphyon wrote:
Completely disagree, 0083 is still my favorite side story every bit of it was worth the watch. it is the bridge between the original one year war and zeta gundam, as well as the hard war story that is iconic to gundam. this wasn't an accidental genius pilot situation. everybody involved were trained military personnel even if some of them were green when it came to actual combat.


0083 is my favorite as well. I think mostly because its encapsulates a lot about what makes the UC stand the test of time without being weighed down by it. The mecha designs are great, the conflict itself is self contained and easy to get into without needing a lot of backstory and its just... Gundam, without any real caveats. 08th is better, but 0083 is my favorite.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/02 22:48:52


Post by: BlackoCatto


War in the Pocket or 0080 is fantastic. A great buy for the blue ray.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/02 23:03:28


Post by: LordofHats


I like War in the Pocket because it mocks us for thinking 'these giant robots are so cool' and making light of the fact people are dying on screen so long as we get our cool robot show.

It's the Gundam that calls out Gundam on its bs XD


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/03 05:47:33


Post by: aphyon


LunarSol wrote:

0083 is my favorite as well. I think mostly because its encapsulates a lot about what makes the UC stand the test of time without being weighed down by it. The mecha designs are great, the conflict itself is self contained and easy to get into without needing a lot of backstory and its just... Gundam, without any real caveats. 08th is better, but 0083 is my favorite.


I like the concept of the 8th MS team and the battle with norris and the gouf custom was top notch, but after being spoiled by 0083, 0080 etc (remember i was watching them as they were being released in japan) i just did not care for the character designs or character portrayal in 08th ms team for most of the main cast. i think the MS igloo series did a far better job of depicting the "average grunts in the war" setting.

Lt. Col. cima garahau is still my favorite tragic developed character in the timeline.

This was done for me by an artist in japan who is a huge gundam fan i used to correspond with.



LordofHats wrote:I like War in the Pocket because it mocks us for thinking 'these giant robots are so cool' and making light of the fact people are dying on screen so long as we get our cool robot show.

It's the Gundam that calls out Gundam on its bs XD


The point of 0080 was to show the real impact of war by focusing on the war from the point of view of a child caught up by events he didn't understand.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/03 13:51:45


Post by: LunarSol


Went back to Unicorn recently just as something a little more modern from the UC. I think part of the struggle of that timeline is that it suffers from the same problems that a lot of 70's sci-fi does in the sense that the future it envisions now feels retro and a lot of the ideas that floated around in that era that people cling to as what defines the property kind of hold it back.

Like, I'm not sure if the Newtype thing itself is that dated, but they way they talk about it sure makes it feel like it is. It's been 40 years in the real world and the franchise has never moved the idea forward. It's still kind of stuck in the same place trapped between that bubble of 80/90's love of post apocalyptic sci-fi cliches.

I'd love to see something that felt like a real modernization of the UC. Put the thought into 40+ years of progress and give the setting a real future to work from.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/03 14:34:51


Post by: Elemental


 aphyon wrote:
For UC timeline

avoiding the dated anime of the original 1979 TV show- i would suggest in this order


The original was very ahead of its time in terms of the sort of story it was telling, especially compared to Western animation, but it definitely meanders a lot and has a rushed ending.

Instead, I'd recommend the manga Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. It retells and reorganises the original into a tighter narrative while hitting all of the high notes, as well an incorporating the material of the Origin OVA (covering Char's early life and the rise of Zeon). And the art is gorgeous.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/03 20:35:04


Post by: BlackoCatto


I'd rather they not change the UC timeline or modernize it. Origin is as far as that should go. If anything, a remake of 0079 series should stay relatively the same besides visuals. There is a reason why UC stood has stood the test of time in popularity and content.

Furthermore the series has always changed to the times. Zeta capturing very different times of mid 80s and with something like Unicorn if you pay attention to the background of the show as it came out.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/03 23:05:44


Post by: LordofHats


 LunarSol wrote:
Went back to Unicorn recently just as something a little more modern from the UC. I think part of the struggle of that timeline is that it suffers from the same problems that a lot of 70's sci-fi does in the sense that the future it envisions now feels retro and a lot of the ideas that floated around in that era that people cling to as what defines the property kind of hold it back.

Like, I'm not sure if the Newtype thing itself is that dated, but they way they talk about it sure makes it feel like it is. It's been 40 years in the real world and the franchise has never moved the idea forward. It's still kind of stuck in the same place trapped between that bubble of 80/90's love of post apocalyptic sci-fi cliches.

I'd love to see something that felt like a real modernization of the UC. Put the thought into 40+ years of progress and give the setting a real future to work from.


I had a convo about this the other day.

To a degree, the lack of super tech in UC doesn't feel too out of place cause Minovsky physics can justify most of the setting's conceits. It stands out more in some of the alt-timelines and I wonder when or if we'll see Cyberpunk Gundam; mobile suits being remotely operated from heavily armored carriers by remote, a higher emphasis of cyberwarfare, and...I don't know. The internet existing? It's amazing how many TV shows and movies still feel like they're being made in the late 90s or early 00s in terms of how technology is featured in stories. Gundam Wing was a bit ahead of its time in a way for featuring drones and the consequences as a big part of its story, and I think I'd like to see a return to that. Why put someone in a giant robot when they can operate it by remote from miles away? How would that play out with the series' war is hell themes? Scifi is in a lot of ways, long overdue for reinvention that actually catches up to the technology we're now realizing. A lot of scifi still feels like it's being made with the assumptions and state of things of the 90s in mind.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/04 00:59:58


Post by: LunarSol


 LordofHats wrote:
Scifi is in a lot of ways, long overdue for reinvention that actually catches up to the technology we're now realizing. A lot of scifi still feels like it's being made with the assumptions and state of things of the 90s in mind.


I don't have anything to add. I just wanted to highlight this because its spot on.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/04 05:57:24


Post by: aphyon


 BlackoCatto wrote:
I'd rather they not change the UC timeline or modernize it. Origin is as far as that should go. If anything, a remake of 0079 series should stay relatively the same besides visuals. There is a reason why UC stood has stood the test of time in popularity and content.

Furthermore the series has always changed to the times. Zeta capturing very different times of mid 80s and with something like Unicorn if you pay attention to the background of the show as it came out.


Well it is entirely possible the remake of space battleship yamato season 1 from 1974 with space battleship yamato 2199 from 2014 was incredibly well done with a huge budget and only minor tweaks story wise to modernize it.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/04 13:06:34


Post by: BlackoCatto


Yes, I didn't like that show.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/04 18:34:51


Post by: Easy E


 LunarSol wrote:
 LordofHats wrote:
Scifi is in a lot of ways, long overdue for reinvention that actually catches up to the technology we're now realizing. A lot of scifi still feels like it's being made with the assumptions and state of things of the 90s in mind.


I don't have anything to add. I just wanted to highlight this because its spot on.


This is exactly why I can not play Cyberpunk genres anymore. Too much like real life!


Is there an in series explanation why manned, giant robots fighting in space is still the ideal way to fight a war?

Even watching the the Battle of Loum (IIRC- where Char becomes the Red Comet) seems weird as the space warships seem completely out of date and a waste of time. Yet both sides have a ton of them. It is like watching carrier planes taking apart battleship fleets in WWII only on much larger sci-fi scale.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/04 19:16:28


Post by: LunarSol


 Easy E wrote:

Is there an in series explanation why manned, giant robots fighting in space is still the ideal way to fight a war?


Menovsky particules essentially jam all forms of targeting beyond the manual line of sight variety. You'll see at the start of pretty much every battle someone in charge order their deployment to shield themselves from automated weaponry.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/04 22:42:49


Post by: Ensis Ferrae


So, just now seeing this thread. . . and I'm a total newb when it comes to the gundams

I did finish watching UC Unicorn on Netflix, and built a few random gundams now sitting on my son's shelf (he thinks they look as cool as I do, so hey, more space!!)

But I'm not sure where to really "start" or where to go next since I've finished Unicorn.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/04 22:56:43


Post by: LordofHats


 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
So, just now seeing this thread. . . and I'm a total newb when it comes to the gundams

I did finish watching UC Unicorn on Netflix, and built a few random gundams now sitting on my son's shelf (he thinks they look as cool as I do, so hey, more space!!)

But I'm not sure where to really "start" or where to go next since I've finished Unicorn.


I made a post on the first page that attempt to offer a basic guide to the franchise.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/05 06:33:38


Post by: aphyon


 BlackoCatto wrote:
Yes, I didn't like that show.





Well whatever does it for ya, It is the anime that got me hooked back when i was a little kid in the early 80s when it was released here as star blazers.

I own the models, the new movies (both live action and animated) as well as both season 1 &2 remakes (2199/2202) of the original show. i think i have watched 2199 now about 5 times.

I love how much effort- quality and story wise went into the remakes to keep it as close to the original as possible. Much less of a let down that was record of lodosss war-legend of the heroic knight- TV series compared to the quality of the original OVAs.

With fixed budgets the shorter the length the quality usually rises
.movie
.OVA
.short TV series (12 episodes)
.full TV series(24 episodes)

Every now and again they really put the effort in like they did with 2199 or macross frontier. Given uchu senkan yamatos place in the golden age of anime and japanese culture it really isn't a surprise though.




Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/06 07:35:34


Post by: Elemental


 LordofHats wrote:
I had a convo about this the other day.

To a degree, the lack of super tech in UC doesn't feel too out of place cause Minovsky physics can justify most of the setting's conceits. It stands out more in some of the alt-timelines and I wonder when or if we'll see Cyberpunk Gundam; mobile suits being remotely operated from heavily armored carriers by remote, a higher emphasis of cyberwarfare, and...I don't know. The internet existing? It's amazing how many TV shows and movies still feel like they're being made in the late 90s or early 00s in terms of how technology is featured in stories. Gundam Wing was a bit ahead of its time in a way for featuring drones and the consequences as a big part of its story, and I think I'd like to see a return to that. Why put someone in a giant robot when they can operate it by remote from miles away? How would that play out with the series' war is hell themes? Scifi is in a lot of ways, long overdue for reinvention that actually catches up to the technology we're now realizing. A lot of scifi still feels like it's being made with the assumptions and state of things of the 90s in mind.


There are in-setting reasons, but the real one is simply that such things are undramatic, and an especially bad fit for the sorts of war stories that Gundam tells, where the pilots are putting their ideals and passions on the line in a way that gets sapped of meaning if they're not on the battlefield. A big appeal of mecha shows in the first place is that they add a personal element to modern or sci-fi warfare, where a hero can have a face.

And then you just go down the rabbit hole of why this other impractical thing is being used and congratulations, you've just talked yourself into eliminating giant mecha from your giant mecha show, whoops!

At most, it might be something like the Ace Combat series, where drones and automated robots do exist, but they're the faceless robotic minions used by sinister AI's, or villains who are too cowardly to show their faces.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/06 16:28:50


Post by: Dropbear Victim


 aphyon wrote:
For UC timeline

avoiding the dated anime of the original 1979 TV show- i would suggest in this order

One year war era-
.the origin
.thunderbolt
.MS igloo
.08th MS team
.0080 war in the pocket

Post 1 year war era-
0083 stardust memory
zeta gundam(starts out slow but gets really good, considering it was popular enough to garner 2 seasons)
double zeta gundam (a bit to upbeat for my taste so it was hard to get into for me)

chars counterattack movie
gundam unicorn OVA seriesUC0096 TV show sut

Found a bunch of this on YT. So far Ive binge watched The Origin, Thunderbolt, Ms Igloo eps1-6 and War In The Pocket.
I really liked The Origin, Thunderbolt and War In The Pocket. MS Igloo had a good story but the 3d animation felt weird at times.

Have started on the original series now. Not gonna lie, after all the depressing stories Ep10 was a laugh.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/06 20:45:03


Post by: endlesswaltz123


IBO is probably my hands down favourite. I tend to watch the alternate timelines rather than much in the UC, I don't even like Unicorn all that much even though I've rewatched it a few times.

I enjoyed SEED, I was young when I watched SEED destiny and think I was just a little too young at the time to realise how trash it was, I rewatched it about 5 years ago, well, I say re-watched it, I skipped a fair amount of it.

Wing was my first series, like a lot of westerners.

00 is great, I really enjoyed all of it.

Shame the IBO series 3/spin off was turned into a game, though I'd worry about any further leaps into the Post Disaster timeline would lack the bleakness and well, grim and darkness (intended) that the original series had. The calamity wars would be cool though, especially if you started to see the toll the gundams took on their pilots when fighting the mobile armours.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/06 21:33:41


Post by: LordofHats


I'd be interested to see how Barbatos came to be abandoned on Mars.

It's kind of weird.

Kimaris, Bael, Dantalion, Gremory, Astaroth and Vaul were all maintained by their families in some form or another after the war. Gusion and Flauros were presumably lost in battle and never recovered, one in the debris belt and the other buried on Mars. Machosias was apparently destroyed, written as lost, and then rebuilt centuries later from its scraps.

Barbatos though was just left in on a field, exposed, seemingly abandoned after the war.

I find that kind of weird and would be interested to see the story behind it. And yes, I love the Post Disaster setting a lot and am very enthusiastic about it XD


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/06 23:51:48


Post by: aphyon


 Dropbear Victim wrote:
 aphyon wrote:
For UC timeline

avoiding the dated anime of the original 1979 TV show- i would suggest in this order

One year war era-
.the origin
.thunderbolt
.MS igloo
.08th MS team
.0080 war in the pocket

Post 1 year war era-
0083 stardust memory
zeta gundam(starts out slow but gets really good, considering it was popular enough to garner 2 seasons)
double zeta gundam (a bit to upbeat for my taste so it was hard to get into for me)

chars counterattack movie
gundam unicorn OVA seriesUC0096 TV show sut

Found a bunch of this on YT. So far Ive binge watched The Origin, Thunderbolt, Ms Igloo eps1-6 and War In The Pocket.
I really liked The Origin, Thunderbolt and War In The Pocket. MS Igloo had a good story but the 3d animation felt weird at times.

Have started on the original series now. Not gonna lie, after all the depressing stories Ep10 was a laugh.


The 3d animation in MS igloo got better over time because obviously it was released with newer and newer graphics capabilities.

MS IGLOO: 1-nen Sensou Hiroku was 2004
MS IGLOO: Mokushiroku 0079-was 2006
MS IGLOO 2: Juuryoku Sensen-was 2008/2009

All 3 trilogies are on otaku streamers.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/07 01:08:24


Post by: BlackoCatto


 Elemental wrote:
 LordofHats wrote:
I had a convo about this the other day.

To a degree, the lack of super tech in UC doesn't feel too out of place cause Minovsky physics can justify most of the setting's conceits. It stands out more in some of the alt-timelines and I wonder when or if we'll see Cyberpunk Gundam; mobile suits being remotely operated from heavily armored carriers by remote, a higher emphasis of cyberwarfare, and...I don't know. The internet existing? It's amazing how many TV shows and movies still feel like they're being made in the late 90s or early 00s in terms of how technology is featured in stories. Gundam Wing was a bit ahead of its time in a way for featuring drones and the consequences as a big part of its story, and I think I'd like to see a return to that. Why put someone in a giant robot when they can operate it by remote from miles away? How would that play out with the series' war is hell themes? Scifi is in a lot of ways, long overdue for reinvention that actually catches up to the technology we're now realizing. A lot of scifi still feels like it's being made with the assumptions and state of things of the 90s in mind.


There are in-setting reasons, but the real one is simply that such things are undramatic, and an especially bad fit for the sorts of war stories that Gundam tells, where the pilots are putting their ideals and passions on the line in a way that gets sapped of meaning if they're not on the battlefield. A big appeal of mecha shows in the first place is that they add a personal element to modern or sci-fi warfare, where a hero can have a face.

And then you just go down the rabbit hole of why this other impractical thing is being used and congratulations, you've just talked yourself into eliminating giant mecha from your giant mecha show, whoops!

At most, it might be something like the Ace Combat series, where drones and automated robots do exist, but they're the faceless robotic minions used by sinister AI's, or villains who are too cowardly to show their faces.


I would also argue that heavily modernizing it would as well destroy themes and tones that were being presented, espeacialy once you get to Zeta. I'd argue that the only real thing that needs to be done is with 0079, Orginal Gundam just being reanimated, but leaving the look and the tech intact.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/08 05:03:32


Post by: LordofHats


Apparently Netflix will begin streaming the Mobile Suit Gundam compilation film trilogy (the movie versions of the original Gundam) and Char's Counterattack starting on the 18th.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/18 00:55:32


Post by: LordofHats


Sunrise wants to remind us that there is a LA adaptation in the works.




G-Savior: Nobody loves m-

Everyone: Who the feth are you? Shut up. I'm watching this train explode!


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/18 15:02:48


Post by: BlackoCatto


 LordofHats wrote:
Sunrise wants to remind us that there is a LA adaptation in the works.




G-Savior: Nobody loves m-

Everyone: Who the feth are you? Shut up. I'm watching this train explode!


G Savior isn't even acknowledged anymore by Bandai or Sunrise. I have a bit more faith in this adaption though, director got into a public fight about Turn A Gundam, the only person that does that is someone that is a fan of Gundam.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/25 05:01:45


Post by: Ensis Ferrae


Just saw the other night on Netflix, that Mobile Suit Gundam I, MSG II, and MSG III Encounter in Space, among a couple others I'm forgetting are available for viewing. the data on MSG I says it was released in 1981, but I don't know if there's been any remastering or anything that would make it different/special from other releases.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/25 05:43:38


Post by: aphyon


Those are the movie compilations of the original TV series from 1979.


In other fun gundam news anybody see the gundam mouse/keyboard set?




A side note, back in 2000 i took a trip to Tokyo and i saw this fun stuff



And i also picked up a zeon flag (pic from my old apartment) i still have up in my house, sadly they didn't have a same sized feddy flag or i would have grabbed one of those as well.





Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/26 17:52:08


Post by: BlackoCatto


 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Just saw the other night on Netflix, that Mobile Suit Gundam I, MSG II, and MSG III Encounter in Space, among a couple others I'm forgetting are available for viewing. the data on MSG I says it was released in 1981, but I don't know if there's been any remastering or anything that would make it different/special from other releases.


It's the exact same release of the OG series Compilation film trilogy. All three of which compile the original series from 1979, ingraining Gundam into Japanese Pop Culture.

Fun fact. Roughly 10% of the first compilation film is new animation. Soldier of Sorrow has roughly around 25% new animation with the last one, Encounters In Space, having roughly 75% of it new animation.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/27 00:30:51


Post by: Ensis Ferrae


 BlackoCatto wrote:

Fun fact. Roughly 10% of the first compilation film is new animation. Soldier of Sorrow has roughly around 25% new animation with the last one, Encounters In Space, having roughly 75% of it new animation.



That is pretty cool. . .
And honestly, I didn't know these films were "just" compilations of the episodic show. As I said maybe a few pages back now, I am mere months into finding and liking the Gundam-verse.

I've only finished UC Unicorn on Netflix, and other than the films which I'm working on watching, have no idea what to watch next.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/27 00:41:52


Post by: BlackoCatto


Many of the UC timeline series have compilation films. Best thing is to watch those compilation films of the OG, Zeta, and then if you want ZZ. Then Char's Counter Attack to finish it all.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/27 15:09:29


Post by: LordofHats


Hathaway hits Netflix on Thursday.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/27 15:56:15


Post by: balmong7


 BlackoCatto wrote:
Many of the UC timeline series have compilation films. Best thing is to watch those compilation films of the OG, Zeta, and then if you want ZZ. Then Char's Counter Attack to finish it all.


I would not recommend the compilation films for Zeta. Mainly because they make some odd choices with what to cut/what to keep. But also because they completely change the ending, which makes later timeline stuff a little confusing because you keep wondering why certain characters from Zeta are/are not showing up still.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/06/30 14:38:40


Post by: Easy E


I started watching Gundam I from 1981.

Some of the early scenes, when the Zakus get into Side 7 are pretty brutal. Shows how powerful a Mobile Suit was compared to other conventional military forces.

Plus, the scene when Frau Bow goes to the assorted dead bodies and is crying over her dead mother. That's a pretty interesting scene in a show like this, and when it was made.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/01 17:24:12


Post by: endlesswaltz123


Hathaway is an interesting watch.... It’s not quite as bombastic as I expected, I think it will show it’s worth in terms of story once the other parts have released but it is quite slow, very slow in fact. There’s more to discuss in terms of the story but I’ll wait till others are posting rather than making a spoilered post now.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/01 22:33:33


Post by: LordofHats


It's got a similar issue to the Hobbit trilogy. The films aren't bad, but you sit there after the fact and wonder if it really needed to be more than one movie. The film's short on action and Gundam epicness, but it's oddly engrossing despite that. I didn't even realize the movie was at the end until it hit the end. But yeah. After the end, I sat there wondering why we needed 90 minutes to cover this, when the only relevant parts of the plot honestly are the first and last 15-25 minutes.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/02 00:27:55


Post by: The Red Hobbit


I'm glad to hear the movie was engrossing even if it didn't cover a lot of ground.

I'm looking forward to watching it later this evening.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/02 10:45:15


Post by: endlesswaltz123


 LordofHats wrote:
It's got a similar issue to the Hobbit trilogy. The films aren't bad, but you sit there after the fact and wonder if it really needed to be more than one movie. The film's short on action and Gundam epicness, but it's oddly engrossing despite that. I didn't even realize the movie was at the end until it hit the end. But yeah. After the end, I sat there wondering why we needed 90 minutes to cover this, when the only relevant parts of the plot honestly are the first and last 15-25 minutes.


Yeah I see what you mean, however, given all the time dedicated to the story and building the characters... *Spoilers contain some aludment to possible future events in the next two parts*

Spoiler:

Knowing the story outline, firstly I don't think it really embedded a justification/motivation for Hathaway to be Mafty, but maybe this is coming in a later part.

Secondly, his relationship with Kenneth does not seem to friendly/entrenched at this point either, so the parts in future which will show some amount of loyalty and endearance to each other doesn't make sense off of this basis as of yet. I also found it interesting how quickly Kenneth got on the scent of Hathaway being mafty also... How is their friendship and mutual respect going to blossom when they are enemies now?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/02 11:10:57


Post by: LordofHats


Yeah. The film seems to take for granted that everyone knows the book's original early plot twist going in (that Hathaway is Mafty), and thus didn't even try to hide it. Even in the trailers there was no attempt to hide it. That doesn't surprise me I guess. Most fans have probably never read the novel (I haven't) but anyone who does even a little digging is probably vaguely aware of its plot. They doubled down on that a bit by making every character aware of it too.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/02 18:35:51


Post by: The Red Hobbit


I'm the same way, I was are of the general premise of Hathaway's Flash but I didn't know any of the fine details or the plot twist. I guess it's not too surprising the movie had all the characters figure out early on that twist since it's a very old spoiler.

General impressions of the movie

I was a little concerned that this would be multiple movies vice one but I have to say I loved the pacing in this movie. No moment felt wasted and it had the right mix of long shots and fast moving scenes.

Great sound design, I especially liked the music near the end that had a bladerunner esque theme to it. Could have done without an insert song in the beginning though.

Animation was very fluid, loved the opening sequence on the space shuttle reentry.

Since Hathaways's Flash is meant to be more about the characters and the political intrigue I'm glad they took the Godzilla approach with mobile suits. It's a nice sense of immersion when you see people on the ground fleeing a mobile suit conflict and we only catch glimpses of the MS since the characters on the ground have terrible visibility with the conflict raging. Really enjoyed that section.

Seeing the beam scatter melting bollards and fire hydrants is a simple scene that does a good job of reinforcing Gundam's "War is terrible for civilians" theme.



Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/02 20:35:56


Post by: LordofHats


 The Red Hobbit wrote:
I'm the same way, I was are of the general premise of Hathaway's Flash but I didn't know any of the fine details or the plot twist. I guess it's not too surprising the movie had all the characters figure out early on that twist since it's a very old spoiler.


Yeah it's kind of up there with Vader being Luke's father, at least for anyone with more than passing awareness of Gundam. Another example is Char being Casval Deikun. That was a somewhat late story reveal in the original series, but the compilation films don't even try to hide it and come right out with Sayla and Char being related early on.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/05 12:48:30


Post by: balmong7


I was planning to watch Hathaway with my Gundam viewing partner this week. but turns out he never saw CCA. So now this week is going to be CCA so that he can have his true Hathaway hatred fresh in his mind before starting Hathaways flash. lol


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/05 13:43:27


Post by: Albertorius


I thought it was OK, so far. Good to see all the involved parties are donkey-caves that don't really mind much to fight it out inside populated areas and cause enormous amounts of civilian casualties, even so one goes "sorry, y'all" before the fact. But the "defenders" shooting down with entirely too big weapons towards a city take the cake.

Anyways. Gigi Andalucia.

Gigi. Andalucia. Pfffft. Ahahahahahahahah, oh my god, that surname. I literally can't take anything seriously after that.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/05 15:41:38


Post by: LordofHats


And her personality is a slightly less agitating version of Quess Paraya. Or maybe she's exactly the same as Quess Paraya. The plot just doesn't make most of the middle arc about how everyone wants her to the point of completely sidelining their own goals so she's nowhere near as agitating.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/05 15:49:03


Post by: Albertorius


By way of explanation: Andalucía is one of the autonomies that comprise Spain as a country. Unlike, say, Washington, the name does not come from anyone, but is instead derived from the old Al-Andalus. It is very much not, and never has been, a surname.

It's kinda like being called... dunno, Etienne Tokyo, or something like that ^^

Incidentally, Japan IS a surname in Spain XD (the people with it are descendants of japanese sailors that came with a diplomatic delegation at the end of the XVIIth century).


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/05 16:52:58


Post by: The Red Hobbit


You know I never would have thought of that. I recall Andalucia being a location / autonomy but never would have guessed it's a weird surname. Gundam always has weird and unusual names, perhaps Bask Om should really be Basque Om?

Interesting info on the Japanese sailors taking their country as a surname. Perhaps in the universal century as the world united into the Federation people began adopting surnames towards their region or nationality as a sign of remembrance or identity.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/05 17:02:08


Post by: Albertorius


It might very well at least be a justification, but it will still make me giggle ^^


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/05 17:12:22


Post by: The Red Hobbit


Oh certainly, if I saw someone named Joe America or Sturgill Appalachia I'd be chuckling just the same at the absurdity of it.

Well, outside of G Gundam of course where absurdity is the prize.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/05 19:33:14


Post by: Lord of Deeds


First, the animation quality was very good IMHO.

I will echo the comment about the positive impact that deciding to focus in on the view of the MS action from a human’s ground level perspective. It gave one of the best impressions of scale and horror I have seen in the Gundam universe to date. Even watching the birds eye view of the MS aerial fights, having seen the view from ground level and then seeing the tracers of the shots or the beam rifle shots missing their target and then landing in the city below indiscriminately I think really added some extra gravitas to the fight and the underlying theme that war is hell.

Then when they switched to in cockpit FPS views, I seemed to get a real sense of claustrophobia combined with information overload from the HUD along with the tension of fighting at night. In a story where it seems any “kid” is able to get into a MS and is a natural from the get-go, it was refreshing to get a sense of just how much a pilot in that situation is having to manage, irrespective of the seemingly abundant supply of teen prodigies.

Though it sounds like the slow pace was a bit off putting to some, I appreciate the attempt at characterization along with mystery they were trying to achieve despite the big spoiler of Hathaway’s role. I felt at the end of the movie invested in seeing where the characters stories go from here, what are their deeper motivations, and how their interpersonal relationships will play out.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 05:39:45


Post by: aphyon


Then when they switched to in cockpit FPS views, I seemed to get a real sense of claustrophobia combined with information overload from the HUD along with the tension of fighting at night. In a story where it seems any “kid” is able to get into a MS and is a natural from the get-go, it was refreshing to get a sense of just how much a pilot in that situation is having to manage, irrespective of the seemingly abundant supply of teen prodigies.


That is also a thing that bugged me a bit, i understand why they did it story wise for marketing but one of the reasons why my favorite UC gundam series like 0083 make sense is that even the main character although green when it comes to actual combat is a trained military test pilot. same goes for Christina Mackenzie from 0080, Shiro Amada from 08th MS team etc...

I think they justify it a bit with Amuro, Kamille, and Banagher all of whom had experience with the gundam development through their fathers who built them.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 15:36:57


Post by: The Red Hobbit


The original Gundam which kicked off the real robot genre still had a lot of Super Robot trappings so we have the classic protagonist's father built the robot. Amuro also would look through his father's computer and pull up information.

For Kamille he would compete in design and even piloting competitions for the little mobile workers they had. There was also the hang-glider competition they had going on.

For Banagher I'd say it was just a case of the Unicorn not really needing a pilot, it's relatively ineffective (scoring a kill because of the absurd power of the beam magnum) until the NT-D kicks on.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 16:02:46


Post by: Easy E


I am watching the OG Compilation series, and Amaru (sp?) has his Father's technical book, has his own gift with technology (as he is frequently doing the technical work himself), and is rumored to be a New Type of human evolution. Therefore, not just any kid could have gotten into the Gundam and been successful.

However, the Gundam can take blows other Mobile Suits can not survive for reasons not fully explained. They only mention that it has strong armor, but not much else. So, that hints at some of those "Super Robot" roots.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 17:08:35


Post by: The Red Hobbit


The RX78-2 combines several massive technological revolutions.

The first is they miniaturized a battleship beam cannon to be used by a mobile suit. This is the Beam Rifle that shocks everyone who encounters it in the first few episodes. Previously Zeon had a supreme edge by developing MS but now their enemy, the Federation, has not only completely a Mobile Suit but they managed to arm it with a miniature battleship beam cannon and a generator to support it as well.

The second major technological revolution is what's called Luna Titanium which comes up a lot in the TV show and I believe it also gets mentioned in the compilation movies. Luna Titanium is a special type of Titanium that can only be made in space and thus is super expensive. Luna Titanium is also useful in technology development of their mobile suits fusion reactors, I'd have to dig up a few sources for more info on that.

It is usually described as stronger, lighter or both when compared to regular titanium / titanium ceramic composites. Most importantly is its durability. The material is incredibly resilient to ballistic weapons so the Zaku machine gun literally causes no visible damage even at point blank range. Luna Titanium is near-impervious to machine guns although one of the most recent PG manuals mentions that the armor will fail eventually due to sustained fire.

Luna-Titanium is so incredible that it is renamed to Gundarium after the war in honor of the Gundam. It starts getting rolled out onto other Mobile Suits, along with some variants like the lightweight Gundarium Gamma during the events of Zeta Gundam. However, during that point beam weapons become common-place so the material is not as impressive as it was during the one year war (OYW).

If you're ever interested in obscure Gundam technology trivia Mark Simmons has some really great information. Here's an example on Mobile Suit Development. http://ultimatemark.com/gundam/archive/zetagundam3.html



Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 19:03:55


Post by: Easy E


Thanks, the Beam Cannon is mentioned about what makes it great.... not in any detail, but the way the Zeon react gets the point across. Plus, it just owns stuff. The armor is also carried by how the Zeon react to it in the compilation films. No need for an in-depth explanation based on what they show..... to me anyway.

Thanks for the info though as it will help me understand as I move beyond the initial series.

The only thing I really recall the Compilation going out of its way to explain is how Minovsky particles obscure detection and long range targeting so combat has to get "up-close" and personal. That was the advantage of the MS. Therefore, when they mention Minovsky Particles later, they make a bit of sense to what they are talking about.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 21:34:12


Post by: Elemental


On a tangent, I'm seriously surprised nobody tried to license a wargame version of Gundam yet. It should be perfect--small skirmishes that can happen in a wide variety of environments, with colorful mecha designs, and lots of named characters who can personalise a force.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 21:35:45


Post by: The Red Hobbit


Oh yeah the compilation movies have to cut a lot by they do their best retaining the core concepts and do a good job with the show don't tell as you mention.

Minovsky particles are a very fun piece that makes the whole setting work. How do you justify using up-close and personal warfare with giant robots? Well, you make a particle that interferes with radar, communication, and tends to destroy non-shielded electronics making guided missiles and long range sensors almost impossible. Minovksy particles themselves are based off of Muons with some added twists to make the universe work.

 Elemental wrote:
On a tangent, I'm seriously surprised nobody tried to license a wargame version of Gundam yet. It should be perfect--small skirmishes that can happen in a wide variety of environments, with colorful mecha designs, and lots of named characters who can personalise a force.


Hey that's a fun tangent. There were a few Gundam simulation games released in Japan in the 1980s made by the same companies who made WW2 tabletop games. You can read more about it here:

Gundam has always been a passion of mine so I put together a free set of wargame rules for Mechs. The rules are here, and there are also some pre-generated profiles for Gundam units located there as well. The roster is small at the moment but new units are being added each week. If you end up giving it a try I'd love to hear any feedback you have in this thread over here.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 21:35:57


Post by: LordofHats


There's a few fan made projects that make Gundam TTGs. Beam Saber, a hack of Blades in the Dark, is basically a fan made Gundam TTRPG. Mobile Frame Zero is a simple rule set that can be used to simulate Gundams in a wargame type set up.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/06 21:41:43


Post by: Albertorius


 Elemental wrote:
On a tangent, I'm seriously surprised nobody tried to license a wargame version of Gundam yet. It should be perfect--small skirmishes that can happen in a wide variety of environments, with colorful mecha designs, and lots of named characters who can personalise a force.


There have been multiple Gundam wargames. Also multiple RPGs, one of them using the Mekton system, licensed from Talsorian Games.

In Japan.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/07 05:50:00


Post by: aphyon


 Elemental wrote:
On a tangent, I'm seriously surprised nobody tried to license a wargame version of Gundam yet. It should be perfect--small skirmishes that can happen in a wide variety of environments, with colorful mecha designs, and lots of named characters who can personalise a force.


I used heavy metal pro and the official mobile suit stats to put them into the classic battletech system, it works quite well.

Then i just used some of the toys and presto-TT gundam battles.


Spoiler:



Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/07 09:17:28


Post by: balmong7


 Elemental wrote:
On a tangent, I'm seriously surprised nobody tried to license a wargame version of Gundam yet. It should be perfect--small skirmishes that can happen in a wide variety of environments, with colorful mecha designs, and lots of named characters who can personalise a force.


Right before the pandamic hit a company tried to kickstart a game called GunplaTop. It eventually became MechaTop and has rules to turn basically any Gundam/Transformers/PowerRangers/etc model into a unit for the game. According to the developers of the game, they have an active contract with Bandai/Sunrise to continue development of GunplaTop. However, Bandai apparently wanted to limit the game to only UC/Historical style gameplay and they also wanted to restrict the game to models that used like a 1/220 scale rather than the HG 1/144 scale that GunplaTop was written to use. So MechaTop is now a real product that you can buy and play and GunplaTop is in some kind of development hell until it either gets secretly cancelled or Bandai/Sunrise decide to officially announce it.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/07 10:05:07


Post by: Albertorius


balmong7 wrote:
 Elemental wrote:
On a tangent, I'm seriously surprised nobody tried to license a wargame version of Gundam yet. It should be perfect--small skirmishes that can happen in a wide variety of environments, with colorful mecha designs, and lots of named characters who can personalise a force.


Right before the pandamic hit a company tried to kickstart a game called GunplaTop. It eventually became MechaTop and has rules to turn basically any Gundam/Transformers/PowerRangers/etc model into a unit for the game. According to the developers of the game, they have an active contract with Bandai/Sunrise to continue development of GunplaTop. However, Bandai apparently wanted to limit the game to only UC/Historical style gameplay and they also wanted to restrict the game to models that used like a 1/220 scale rather than the HG 1/144 scale that GunplaTop was written to use. So MechaTop is now a real product that you can buy and play and GunplaTop is in some kind of development hell until it either gets secretly cancelled or Bandai/Sunrise decide to officially announce it.


That seems likely, mostly because it's the scale they're already using in the japanese game for the gachas.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/12 12:01:59


Post by: balmong7


 Albertorius wrote:


That seems likely, mostly because it's the scale they're already using in the japanese game for the gachas.


I mean I'm down for any official gundam game, no matter the scale. I guess Bandai just figured rules alone wouldn't turn enough profit, so it needed it's own model line to justify any investment.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
So I just scrolled back through the facebook group for Mechatop and it looks Bandai did cancel GunplaTop.

Apparently Sunrise could not get Bandai to approve the license for utilizing Gunpla models because "Gunpla are meant to be displayed they are not game pieces."

The devs of GunplaTop were informed that in order to utilize the license for Gundam they would have to produce their own model line, and they aren't a large enough studio for that. So that is why they just released the generic MechaTop system. Since it had no license or permissions from Bandai required. lol.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/12 14:33:13


Post by: Easy E


Just finished the first 3 compilation movies from 1981.

I can see why it is a big deal.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/12 17:59:59


Post by: Eilif


I've come across some random Gundam figure parts in a toy lot I picked up for my son. If I posted them here do you think you all could help identify them?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/12 20:33:28


Post by: LordofHats


 Easy E wrote:
Just finished the first 3 compilation movies from 1981.

I can see why it is a big deal.


Gundam is also known by the name "Japanese Star Wars"


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/12 21:01:39


Post by: Easy E


 LordofHats wrote:
 Easy E wrote:
Just finished the first 3 compilation movies from 1981.

I can see why it is a big deal.


Gundam is also known by the name "Japanese Star Wars"


It was interesting to compare and contrast it to Macross. There are some similarities and some big differences. As things in the same genre often do.

However, I just do not have the energy to put on my pretentious hat now and make those comparisons. I will leave it up to others if they wish to do so.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/12 21:43:33


Post by: aphyon


 Eilif wrote:
I've come across some random Gundam figure parts in a toy lot I picked up for my son. If I posted them here do you think you all could help identify them?


That we can help with post away.



Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/16 02:13:08


Post by: The Red Hobbit


 Eilif wrote:
I've come across some random Gundam figure parts in a toy lot I picked up for my son. If I posted them here do you think you all could help identify them?


If you post them here I'm sure we'll be able to identify them.

In Gundam news Super Robot Wars 30 will be coming out globally (except for Venezuela it seems). Preorders have gone up on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/898750/Super_Robot_Wars_30/

For those of you who have never heard of Super Robot Wars (SRW) it is a SRPG similar to Fire Emblem that puts multiple Mecha Anime series together into one game and tries to blend in the core themes of their stories into a shared universe. For example the last one I played had Gundam joining forces with Voltron to defeat the bad guys from the Tekkaman Blade universe. While Hathaway's Flash isn't going to be in this release it does include several UC Gundam series including the original, Zeta Gundam, Char's Counterattack and Victory Gundam.

Since there are so many series smashed together bringing it stateside was always thought to be impossible due to licensing issues. I plan on picking it up and I'm hopeful they will continue releasing more of them. For anyone considering jumping into the series the games are pretty fun and not too hard, if you're a Fire Emblem veteran you shouldn't run into any issues.





Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/19 15:37:42


Post by: Easy E


I finished Char's Counter-attack which also feels like a compilation. I feel like I missed something between Gundam III and Char's Counter-attack though.

Is the next one Victory Gundam?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/19 18:18:35


Post by: aphyon


 Easy E wrote:
I finished Char's Counter-attack which also feels like a compilation. I feel like I missed something between Gundam III and Char's Counter-attack though.

Is the next one Victory Gundam?


Wow you missed soo much


so i am assuming you first watched the origin on hulu?

then there are the side stories of the one year war that were going on at the same time as the gundam compilation movies you watched

thunderbolt

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/6304/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_Thunderbolt

the MS igloo series

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/3526/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_MS_IGLOO:_1-nen_Sensou_Hiroku

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/3534/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_MS_IGLOO:_Mokushiroku_0079

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/3879/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_MS_IGLOO_2:_Juuryoku_Sensen

the 08th ms team

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/3372/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam:_Dai_08_MS_Shoutai

0080 war in the pocket

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/4168/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_0080:_War_in_the_Pocket


Then the in between link series that ties the one year war tv show to the zeta tv show

0083 stardust memory

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/3346/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_0083:_Stardust_Memory

then
zeta

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/2870/Kidou_Senshi_Zeta_Gundam

double zeta

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/3601/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_ZZ

Then you get to chars counter attack

then it is gundam unicorn or the TV episode edit version UC 0096

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/6410/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_UC_RE:0096

Then hathaway (on netflix)

THEN you get to victory gundam.

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/4167/Kidou_Senshi_Victory_Gundam

In that order in the timeline




Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/19 18:47:27


Post by: Easy E


I see. Well, I do not have access to all of those so.......


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/19 18:56:00


Post by: BlackoCatto


 Easy E wrote:
I see. Well, I do not have access to all of those so.......


Only way atm is get a VPN and go on Japanese Netflix. But yes, you missed tons if not years of in canon events that occurred.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/19 19:14:35


Post by: balmong7


 Easy E wrote:
I see. Well, I do not have access to all of those so.......


In terms of relevant plot. 0079/Zeta/ZZ are all that is really required view before Chars Counterattack. Even ZZ is sort of skippable. Althrough the destruction of Haman's Neo-Zeon creates the power-Vaccum that Char fills in the movie.

The rest are all just nice OVA's that help to flesh out the universe 0083 is a nice prequel to Zeta. 0080 is a nice cap on 0079, etc. I too have pretty much taken the stance of "If I can't watch it legally I won't be watching it." when it comes to gundam recently.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/19 20:55:38


Post by: LordofHats


 Easy E wrote:
I finished Char's Counter-attack which also feels like a compilation. I feel like I missed something between Gundam III and Char's Counter-attack though.

Is the next one Victory Gundam?


Zeta Gundam and ZZ Gundam both happened, plus a mountain of side-story that isn't strictly necessary. I imagine though that without the two Zeta series, the significance of Axis and such is kind of bizarre/baffling. And I cannot confirm that all these series are on Youtube. Nope. Can. Not. Confirm. On. Youtube.

Char's Counter-Attack isn't abridged/a compilation, so much as the later 10 episodes or so of ZZ Gundam were changed/rewritten/cut up once the film was green lit, after the Tomino thought the film wouldn't happen and wrote the story to fit a TV series. Then the movie was green lit and some things from the TV version of the plot were clearly kept around even though they became something of a plot tumor that distracted from the actual plot (looking at you Quess, you sure have a lot of screen time in this movie supposedly about Amuro and Char's final showdown).


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/19 21:03:07


Post by: Easy E


Plus, Quess is an annoying stand in for Lalah. Lalah was MUCH better.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/19 21:24:33


Post by: LordofHats


I think Quess would have been tolerable in a full series that could spend an appropriate amount of time elaborating and developing her. In Char's Counterattack, she's an unwelcomed distraction from why everyone is really there who has a horribly disproportionate amount of screen time and plot weight for no appreciable reason except to make Char a much less developed character than he became by the end of Zeta Gundam.

It's why Gigi in Hathaway I think is more acceptable despite having a very similar personality to Quess. She isn't given the undue amount of screen time and what screen time she gets actually justifies her presence in the plot insofar as her presents gives opportunities for the two male leads to elaborate themselves to her, one another, and the audience.

Quess in comparison was a very unlikable girl who everyone decided to start competing over in the middle of a crisis for no apparent reason except that she has super powers (which most of the cast in the film also have, so what do they need her for?).


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/20 05:48:02


Post by: aphyon


 Easy E wrote:
I see. Well, I do not have access to all of those so.......


Funny i am pretty certain all those links i posted was access, all you need to do is make a free membership and start streaming.


I too have pretty much taken the stance of "If I can't watch it legally I won't be watching it." when it comes to gundam recently.




Sorry but that is just a silly position, maybe because when i started back in the 80s there was NO, NONE, ZERO ways to watch 99% of all anime legally short of ordering the laser discs/VHS tapes from japan(and i did quite a bit of that as well).

Also given the short print run of japanese media (it is available for 2 years after that you have to get it used) If i didn't have access to fan sites i would never have seen half of the shows i love.

I have not seen any US releases of the enemy is the pirate, or combustable campus guardress for example and it took from 1985 to 2010 to get the original dirty pair TV series released in the USA, .fortunately i didn't have to wait 25 years to see a fan sub.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/20 13:41:34


Post by: LunarSol


Char's Counterattack for ages was held up as one of the all time classics that everyone MUST watch, which unfortunately lead me to watching it essentially first and having absolutely no idea what was going on (but enjoying the giant robots all the same).


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/20 14:13:55


Post by: BlackoCatto


It still is a classic of old school anime, but does require a knowledge of Gundam's Universal Century, which at the time was the only Century timeline, to understand it.




Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/20 14:48:44


Post by: The Red Hobbit


It doesn't help that Char's Counter Attack was adapted from the High-Streamer novel but essentially cuts out the beginning and any background parts and immediately plunges you into the conflict without any exposition as to why Char and Amuro are bitter enemies once again.

Beltorchika's Children, the manga retelling, helps a little bit with that.

 Easy E wrote:
I see. Well, I do not have access to all of those so.......


If you don't want to rely on streaming Right Stuff Anime currently holds the US license for Gundam, the Zeta Gundam bluray is currently half off. It's a phenomenal show picking up about 8 years after the original Gundam. In terms of universe building it's the most important series right after the original MSG.



Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/20 20:21:36


Post by: LordofHats


 LunarSol wrote:
Char's Counterattack for ages was held up as one of the all time classics that everyone MUST watch, which unfortunately lead me to watching it essentially first and having absolutely no idea what was going on (but enjoying the giant robots all the same).


Honestly, I've never thought it was that good. I can see where it could have been good and for a moment it was; right before the ultra abrupt ending that explained nothing and offered no real resolution imo to Char and Amuro's rivalry.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/23 00:13:09


Post by: BlackoCatto


 LordofHats wrote:
 LunarSol wrote:
Char's Counterattack for ages was held up as one of the all time classics that everyone MUST watch, which unfortunately lead me to watching it essentially first and having absolutely no idea what was going on (but enjoying the giant robots all the same).


Honestly, I've never thought it was that good. I can see where it could have been good and for a moment it was; right before the ultra abrupt ending that explained nothing and offered no real resolution imo to Char and Amuro's rivalry.


It did, they died


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/23 05:30:05


Post by: aphyon


Well technically died isn't quite right, Amuro "acended" to the higher level of "newtype" Consciousness with lalah as a few other characters in the series have done.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/23 13:50:12


Post by: LunarSol


Was that even in the movie? Heavily implied I suppose, but I remember it being pretty contentious until... Unicorn was it?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/23 23:05:09


Post by: The Red Hobbit


Hard to say since Unicorn OVA has a different ending than Unicorn Novel. Unicorn OVA has the time-travel shenanigans with the Neo Zeong although Sunrise has waffled a bit on whether or not it was really time travel or just a Newtype hallucination. It's implied that after that scene Char's Soul also transcends to be with Lalah and Amuro.

Then you've got Hathaway's flash where we see a spectral image of Amuro speaking to Hathways. It's ambiguous as to whether that was actually a Newtype ghost moment or just Hathaway's recurring PTSD moments.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/24 04:13:33


Post by: LordofHats


 LunarSol wrote:
Was that even in the movie? Heavily implied I suppose, but I remember it being pretty contentious until... Unicorn was it?


That's why I say the movie had no real resolution. The novelization of the film is a bit more complete and better than the film itself cause it addresses these issues, but the film just ends without wrapping anything up.

It just ends abruptly, explains nothing, and the final battle between Amuro and Char really felt like more of a middle battle than an actual final fight.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/28 10:05:42


Post by: balmong7


 LordofHats wrote:
 LunarSol wrote:
Was that even in the movie? Heavily implied I suppose, but I remember it being pretty contentious until... Unicorn was it?


That's why I say the movie had no real resolution. The novelization of the film is a bit more complete and better than the film itself cause it addresses these issues, but the film just ends without wrapping anything up.

It just ends abruptly, explains nothing, and the final battle between Amuro and Char really felt like more of a middle battle than an actual final fight.


I mean I feel like Char ejecting, Amuro grabbing the escape pod and then slamming it into the side of Axis was a decent victory both in the fight and ideologically for Amuro.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/29 06:04:52


Post by: aphyon


Just scored this sweet item from mandarake-

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1097056908&ref=alist&lang=en

My 0083 collection of rare and out of prodcution toys and figures is growing.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/29 19:43:57


Post by: The Red Hobbit


While the Xamel looks a little out of place compared to other MS I love the role it fulfills. Strapping a giant artillery gun onto a Dom-esque hovering body is a really fun idea.

I'm surprised it didn't turn up for the Assault in Torrington in 0096, but I guess that would be rubbing salt into an old wound


Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/30 05:46:41


Post by: aphyon


Well i think it may have been a little hard for that Xamel to be around in 0096 considering South Burning skewered it with a beam saber. i think the xamel likely suffered the same problem as many of the late war zeon units to many resources spent on a very few super units like all the mobile armors. while the feds focused on mass production cheep units.

There is a fine picture in the MS era 0099 art book (get a copy if you can find it, fantastic art set as war photographer collected photos) that shows a bunch of captured zeon mobile armors that were never used.



Gundam Thread @ 2021/07/30 20:14:38


Post by: The Red Hobbit


I was referring to another Xamel unit, there was more than 1 produced and I think I recall seeing one in one of the manga side stories, perhaps LWC or Gundam Senki.

MS Era by Izubuchi right? I've seen a few images floating around, they look really nice.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/04 16:10:04


Post by: Easy E


Slowly watching Iron Blooded Orphans which I am guessing is either out of cannon, or 300 years after the One Year War or something.

I am enjoying it a lot. The basic plot and story line would make for a really great RPG game.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/04 16:21:42


Post by: aphyon


 Easy E wrote:
Slowly watching Iron Blooded Orphans which I am guessing is either out of cannon, or 300 years after the One Year War or something.

I am enjoying it a lot. The basic plot and story line would make for a really great RPG game.


ALT universe, has noting to do with the UC timeline just gundam name and troupes


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/04 18:08:27


Post by: The Red Hobbit


 Easy E wrote:
Slowly watching Iron Blooded Orphans which I am guessing is either out of cannon, or 300 years after the One Year War or something.

I am enjoying it a lot. The basic plot and story line would make for a really great RPG game.

In Gundam you have Universal Century (UC) and then you have Alternate Universes (AU) which star Gundams but with a completely different setting, this allows other creators to have a Gundam story with a completely different tone and premise. IBO is the most recent AU series and it's got a great setting. Here's a quick list of other AU series.

AU Series
G Gundam
Gundam Wing
Gundam X
Turn-A Gundam
Gundam Seed
Gundam 00
Gundam IBO
(Note: Gundam X is a What if? style UC story, Turn-A Gundam is also UC but takes place about 7000 years after the UC calender is dropped as I recall)

Gundam Wing, Gundam Seed and Gundam 00 are all available for free on Gundam Info youtube channel currently. https://www.youtube.com/user/GundamInfo

Wing was the first series to come to the U.S. and has a large fanbase, Seed is an Alternate Universe that matches up fairly closely with the original Gundam's plot but with several twists and far more character drama, Gundam 00 has a similar formula to Gundam Wing involving overpowered Gundams descending to Earth. Let me know if you'd like any more information or recommendation.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/04 20:31:34


Post by: LordofHats


 Easy E wrote:
Slowly watching Iron Blooded Orphans which I am guessing is either out of cannon, or 300 years after the One Year War or something.

I am enjoying it a lot. The basic plot and story line would make for a really great RPG game.


I really really love the Post Disaster setting. It's maybe the best settling they've come up with since Universal Century. There's a lot of really cool and clever little elements to it, but most of all I like the mystique. I won't spoil anything but I'm pretty damn hungry for more entries in this timeline.

It isn't related to the One Year War at all. The timelines are maybe the weirdest thing about the franchise. Most Gundam Series are not related chronologically. They're their own stand alone settings and stories, using the same basic package of tropes and motifs.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/05 02:11:30


Post by: aphyon


I really really love the Post Disaster setting.

In that case

are any of these on your list

.appleseed

Spoiler:


.rakuen tsuiho

Spoiler:


.vypers creed

Spoiler:



.blue sub #6

Spoiler:


Gun parade march

Spoiler:


Rhea gall force





Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/06 11:45:32


Post by: BlackoCatto


Also watch Patlabor


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/06 17:05:02


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


For those of us with no real knowledge of Gundam, can anyone recommend a movie or short series as a good primer, so we can see if it tickles our pickles?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/06 17:50:25


Post by: AegisFate


For something that doesn't have as much behind it in terms of necessary backfill, 0083 Stardust Memory or 08th Mobile Suit Team are both good UC offerings that are short and work to provide a lot of the basic gundam feeling tropes, without going for the newtype stuff that the regular series in UC tend to.

Different timelines though usually have different tones and feel overall to them though. G Gundam for absolute ham, Iron Blooded Orphans for 'child soldiers are bad' 00 for 'mankind should be united for what's to come' and anything UC for 'war is hell, and nobody can understand each other'


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/06 17:53:14


Post by: aphyon


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
For those of us with no real knowledge of Gundam, can anyone recommend a movie or short series as a good primer, so we can see if it tickles our pickles?


How short?

Also do you want the original war story universe or one of the alt universe stories?

The origin series is the start/background, but that said, that is 6 one hour long movies. It is available on HULU though so it is very accessible

Thunderbolt is also a newer series of four 20 minute episodes but it is narrowly focused on one combat theater so it really doesn't give much background on the universe.


I might recommend this little CGI series circa 2008 of "side stories" from the one year war that kind of give a feel for the universe.

https://otaku-streamers.com/info/3879/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam_MS_IGLOO_2:_Juuryoku_Sensen.html

The streaming service is free, you just have to make a free account to keep out the bots becasue they have a forum

The setting is the god of war watching over the battlefields but the overall setting is well represented of the struggles of the normal soldiers in the war in 3 short 30 minute episodes

The first follows an anti-tank/mobile suit heavy weapons squad
The second focuses on a federal forces tank company as it fights mobile suits
The third an experimental gun tank unit that is basically turned into a penal battalion


P.S. i would not call 0083 or the 08th MS team (as much as i love them) short however both being 13 half hour+ OVAs clocking in at over 6 hours total each..


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/06 22:06:54


Post by: Lord of Deeds


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
For those of us with no real knowledge of Gundam, can anyone recommend a movie or short series as a good primer, so we can see if it tickles our pickles?


I will second MS Gundam 0083 if partly for sentimental reasons as it was my introduction to Gundam. Aside from being somewhat aged, it does assume some familiarity with the Gundam UC universe, but all and all is a pretty self contained story.

For a more recent somewhat standalone Gundam short series set in the UC universe, MS Gundam Thunderbolt. The first season is only 8 episodes but there is also a pretty decent compilation film titled December Sky. It has a great Jazz soundtrack to boot.

Also, might would consider MS Gundam: The Origin. I know this series has some mixed reviews from the Gundam faithful, but the fact that my uni aged daughter who could care less about Gundam was hooked on the show I think speaks of how well suited it is for a casual watchers or Gundam curious folks. It's also relatively short at 6 episodes.

All of these are not too hard to find on the internet.




Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/06 22:09:13


Post by: BlackoCatto


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
For those of us with no real knowledge of Gundam, can anyone recommend a movie or short series as a good primer, so we can see if it tickles our pickles?


War In the Pocket is real short.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/07 00:44:04


Post by: The Red Hobbit


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
For those of us with no real knowledge of Gundam, can anyone recommend a movie or short series as a good primer, so we can see if it tickles our pickles?


Echoing what the others said, 08th MS Team is a great intro for Gundam if you prefer the focus on Mecha warfare, it's a bit grittier than the other series and is a blast to watch for how short it is. 0080 is another terrific entry point, it focuses more on the human element than the Mecha fighting and is one of the best series to capture that lightning in a bottle Gundam pioneered with "war is hell". Fair warning, the story is a tragedy.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/07 09:16:02


Post by: Albertorius


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
For those of us with no real knowledge of Gundam, can anyone recommend a movie or short series as a good primer, so we can see if it tickles our pickles?


Personally? I'd go with War in the Pocket. You don't need much at all previous knowledge, there's some cool robot fights, and it is the most Gundam series ever, themes-wise.

It is also a personal favorite.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/09 14:22:31


Post by: balmong7


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
For those of us with no real knowledge of Gundam, can anyone recommend a movie or short series as a good primer, so we can see if it tickles our pickles?


Iron-Blooded Orphans hands down. The most modern of the Gundam series, and the only one my wife has ever been able to fully sit through. I also would recommend Gundam 00, as it has more of the grand soap opera vibe that most gundam series have. IBO is much more character-focused than many of the other series.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/09 16:05:26


Post by: endlesswaltz123


I back IBO as well, anything in the UC, has baggage etc.

IBO is an IMO more realistic portrayal of human characters. It's not got all the needless broodiness and the idealistic/political elements whilst core to the story are not as well, wet in their delivery, not to mention it is completely stand alone.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/10 11:24:01


Post by: Albertorius


I mean... IBO is a great series, but at 50 episodes, I wouldn't exactly call it a "movie or short series", so I don't think it applies here?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/10 14:57:13


Post by: BlackoCatto


Eh, IBO is iffy. 1st Season is pretty good but goes downhill towards the end. Community seems 50/50 on it.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/10 16:49:09


Post by: The Red Hobbit


Same here, I enjoyed S1 even if it meandered a bit. S2 was so-so.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/10 21:12:58


Post by: LordofHats


 BlackoCatto wrote:
Eh, IBO is iffy. 1st Season is pretty good but goes downhill towards the end. Community seems 50/50 on it.


Part of the issue I think is content and the other is production.

My very long analysis of IBO;

Spoiler:
Production wise, it's clear some plans for the series changed between Seasons 1 and 2. There were things in season 2 that could have been better set up in Season 1, but instead pop up in season 2 and are thus kind of thrown at the audience with no time to acclimate. This is especially troublesome because Rustal Elion and Julieta Juris are important foils for Orga and Mikazuki in the second season, but their character development is so rushed and wild that there's no real time to take any of it in before your at the ending of the series. And even then, I think most people just hated their guts by that point and had no real sense of what the series was trying to say through them.

The biggest plot tumors here are the opening ten episodes of season 2, which actually don't do much to advance any of the story's themes or plots but serve only to establish the new villains of the season. Something that could have been done in season 1 during the Dort arc relatively easily. The wasted time pushed season 2 into a frantic pace where a lot of things just didn't have the time to grow.

And I think part of the production issue is the content issue; in season 1 of IBO, the audience overwhelmingly missed the point. The writers seemed to realize this on some level (and behind the scenes drama relating to season 2 largely seems to originate with arguments over how best to get the point across). They tried to course correct early in season 2, but I think all they really did was muddy the water on multiple levels.

Content wise is trickier and could also be connected to writing changes made between the seasons. Season 1 was a story about a plucky bunch of child soldiers trying to survive in a cruel world with wits, guile, and raw determination. It's the stuff heroes are made of and I think season 1 won the audience over to Tekkadan's side hard because of it. The problem is that the audience chose to near universally ignore the rather epic foreshadowing provided in season 1;

-Orga and Mikazuki's personal dynamic is insanely toxic, for both of them. The characters are unhealthily codependent on one another and it drives a lot of the needless risks they and Tekkadan take over the series. People were comparing them to Kamina and Simone basically from the start and that's exactly what we were supposed to do. Unfortunately, people lost sight of that at some point and stopped noticing how Orga and Mikazuki are an inversion of Kamina and Simone's dynamic; the deconstruction of Gurren Lagan's reconstruction.
-Tekkadan's loyalty to Orga becomes more and more blind as the series goes on. This is a running theme throughout the series. Ein is blindly loyal to his superiors. Galio and Carta to their friend McGillis. Julia to Rustal. Amida and the Turbines girls to Naze. Many of the deaths the characters face throughout the series play into how they are undone by their own loyalties and the series hams it up hardcore in most cases.
-Orga himself becomes so obsessed with achieving his goals he actually loses sight of them and loses the only member of Tekkadan willing to challenge him late in season 1 (Biscuit).

These flaws are largely acknowledged toward the end of the series but the moments are often muted and understated. Personally, I like that. I saw exactly what the writers were getting across. I think a lot of people though missed it entirely and were just pissed by the trauma congaline that began with Naze and Amida's deaths and then continued right up to the finale.

I think that while we were meant to identify and cheer for Tekkadan, the audience was not supposed to ignore the obvious flaws in the characters. That becomes a problem because come season 2 the obvious flaws in the characters become a huge plot point and a big part of how the season plays out.

People went in expecting a story about how the crazy awesome underdog protagonists pull it out their ass and save the day.

Instead, they got a story about how the admirable but fundamentally youthful and naive heroes get themselves into a horrible situation and plot armor isn't real.

Tekkadan's luck ran out. McGillis for all his cut throat scheming, was just as naive and childish as Orga. The title of the series is actually incredibly fitting on multiple levels. Iron Blooded Orphans can refer to the Gundam frames who won the calamity war only to be cast aside as evil in the aftermath. It can refer to Gjallerhorn, a relic of a apocalyptic age ill-fit for a recovering world. It can refer to McGillis and Tekkadan quite literally, as the 'human debris' that is being left behind by the state of things and struggling not just to survive but to live as human beings. For me, this is a huge plus for the series.

It has a constant air of tragic romanticism akin to stories like the Iliad or Le Mort d'Arthur. And maybe that's the problem too because people don't always recognize traditional tragedy anymore. People loved Tekkadan so much by the end of season 1, they were ignoring the questionable nature of many of Orga's decisions and how his hardening became reflected in those around him. Moments between him and Mikazuki that were meant to be dark and 'oh that's not good' were instead viewed as awesome. Orga's plans that constantly risked it all were treated as just being narrative convention of anime protagonists, not wildly reckless decisions that pinned all hope of victory on significant amounts of luck (and more often than not, Mikazuki's insane level of skill).

When those habits came home to roost in season 2, it came off to a lot of people as bs rather than part of the message.

Unfortunately, I think these themes are more often than not far too understated maybe and don't come across well to anyone who isn't very very actively looking for them. In some ways I think the story was even written with an expectation that the audience would read a lot meaning into it. But the audience never really did that. I think the ambition of IBO undid it a little bit toward the end.

I'd also say the Iok Kujan is a serious problem for season 2. The guy is phenomenally incompetent, and banally stupid on top of that. With Carta, he naivete was somewhat endearing because there was this air of competency about her that was undone by her obvious case of wrong genre savvy. She's a 'knight in shining armor' who'd be the hero of another story but in this one is the romantic fool getting her ass handed to her by a team of savvy combat pragmatists. Iok on the other hand doesn't even have Carta's positive traits. He's just fething stupid and the loyalty shown to him by his men is so wildly out of wack with his actual abilities it's unbelievable.

The late in season 2 explanation for why that is is so dumb, it falls on its face instantly as SOD breaking. It maybe makes more sense to a Japanese audience where the incompetent son of a great man is a common narrative convention, especially in period dramas. To a western audience though, the guy is too stupid to live and he keeps living anyway, making the deaths of numerous characters we actually liked come off as more and more bitter. Easily one of the best parts of the final ending is finally seeing Iok die and the joy of Akihiro getting to be the one to do it.

By that point though, I think Iok had done a lot of damage to the credibility of the plot. He survived too many things that should have killed him, and it made the season 2 downward spiral of 'being determined and clever isn't going to save you when your luck runs out' part of the series come off like bs rather than a sober wake up call that Iron Blooded Orphans wasn't a shonen battle manga and actions have consequences. Unless your Iok. If your Iok you basically get away with everything and every faceless mook loves you no matter how many of them you get killed and how absolutely nothing you accomplish.

Orga got people killed too. And McGillis. And Rustal. But all three of them had enough success under their belt that it was easy to overlook their feth ups. Not so much with Iok, who I honestly think managed to muddy the waters of season 2 horribly and really killed a lot of its momentum.


TLDR: Iron-Blooded Orphans is a really distinctive story in the Gundam franchise. It's a really good story with some rather obnoxious flaws that can be a serious sore spot for some of the audience though. The audience revolted when they didn't get the ending they wanted and instead got a bitter and tragic allegory about the folly of ambition, blind loyalty, the death of innocence, and cruelty of an uncompassionate world that I think really resonates with the present times we live in. People seemed to be expecting Mobile Suit Gundam: Red Dawn, but instead they got Mobile Suit Gundam: Beasts of No Nation.

Personally, I admire the series' ambition and approach to the franchise's themes and motifs and how it embraces post-modernism on a conceptual level.

I can't really blame people for not liking the show though. It's very different from pretty much everything else in the franchise, especially because is absconds in some ways from establishing a clear moral high ground. Or at least, it was supposed to. The main characters of the story were so charismatic in so many ways that a lot of the audience overlooked the obvious problems in their team dynamic.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/10 23:39:55


Post by: Albertorius


I mean, I tend to refer to Mikazuki as "the Walking, Talking War Crime" so...


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/10 23:45:34


Post by: The Red Hobbit


That is an excellent analysis, thank you for sharing.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/11 00:22:10


Post by: LordofHats


 Albertorius wrote:
I mean, I tend to refer to Mikazuki as "the Walking, Talking War Crime" so...


Honestly, I think that's utterly missing the point of his character.

Spoiler:
Mikazuki is the pinnacle of his peers. He is someone who only knows how to fight to survive and relies on Orga to help him deal with the world he doesn't understand.

Except Orga doesn't really understand it either. Mikazuki is a child soldier whose tragedy is that his best friend couldn't really help him, and he couldn't really help his best friend. He's not a dispassionate monster, though he can come off that way because of his stoicism. Mikazuki appears inhuman to those who don't know him but is presented as one of the most human characters in the story because of the simplicity of his desires; life, love, and happiness and who ultimately dies giving that to his friends when his own chance for it is lost (come the final battle, there's no real way to save Mika as he cannot move without being attached to Barbatos. He doesn't fight to his death because he's a blood thirsty monster. He fights to his death because it's all he has left after the choices he's made and he's accepted the consequences of his life as the only life he could ever live).

There's a reason a number of games released since the series ended have achievements titled 'more human than anyone else' attached to Mikazuki. Part of Julieta's understated late series character development is realizing this and accepting that Mikazuki isn't really a devil, but rather someone just like her who fought for the things he loved. Mikazuki wasn't a monster. He was a child soldier. He didn't get the opportunity to live a normal life and could never find his way to one until it was too late to do anything about it. That's a big part of what I love about him. Unlike Kira, Amuro, Kamill, or all the other child soldier's in this franchise who become philosophers after talking to some people, Mikazuki takes the classic Gundam protagonist and plays his role completely straight. Child soldiers are fethed up. They don't really get to be children and a lot of them never get to grow up.


I think a lot like IBO's story, his character suffers in the west from a lack of cultural context. Mikazuki overtly references a number of similar cultural figures that would be very familiar to a Japanese audience but completely alien to a westerner (I can only really spot it because of a few history books I've read). It's a compounded problem because making Mika so quiet and stoic certain makes him cool on screen but it also presents an inaccurate image of who he is inside. Only very quiet and slow scenes offer much indication that Mikazuki would rather be doing something else with his life but doesn't know how to get there (hence the tragedy of Orga, who Mika trusts to take him to the destination despite Orga clearly not knowing anymore than Mika about how to get there).


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/11 05:07:12


Post by: BlackoCatto


I wouldn't say Amuro is much a philosopher at all for awhile. Most of OG Gundam is him essentially having PTSD before realizing "Wow...I'm really good at killing people.

Meanwhile Kamille is a very.... special child. He is less philosophy and more so someone else's philosophy on him.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/11 05:47:50


Post by: aphyon


 BlackoCatto wrote:
I wouldn't say Amuro is much a philosopher at all for awhile. Most of OG Gundam is him essentially having PTSD before realizing "Wow...I'm really good at killing people.

Meanwhile Kamille is a very.... special child. He is less philosophy and more so someone else's philosophy on him.


Well tragic stories are part of what makes it gundam (except ZZ that was a bit to happy for most fans coming off zeta).

The joke was always about Tomino introducing you to interesting but flawed characters with a deep back story...and then killing them.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/11 07:17:27


Post by: endlesswaltz123


 Albertorius wrote:
I mean... IBO is a great series, but at 50 episodes, I wouldn't exactly call it a "movie or short series", so I don't think it applies here?


Absolutely anything in UC doesn't apply to this either though as the first time newtype pops up you'll be WTF.

The UC Gundam movies are not exactly a good primer as well, I find them more useful if you know what is going on rather than not - a recap for ready made fans.

I suggest IBO as you will get enough out of the first 5 episodes to make a decision of whether it is for you or not, as there is plenty of action and character development to get the franchise - the start of all are fairly consistent in this approach.

I'd say Unicorn would be a good start as well as it does actually explain enough of the phenomena within the UC within the episodes... However, Banagher and 'Audrey' are so wet and illogical/emotional (Audrey less so tbf) it can be off putting if you are an adult imo.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the most awful character in Unicorn, Riddhe....


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/11 14:21:17


Post by: Albertorius


 LordofHats wrote:
 Albertorius wrote:
I mean, I tend to refer to Mikazuki as "the Walking, Talking War Crime" so...


Honestly, I think that's utterly missing the point of his character.


It's also a short hand, you know ^^


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 endlesswaltz123 wrote:
 Albertorius wrote:
I mean... IBO is a great series, but at 50 episodes, I wouldn't exactly call it a "movie or short series", so I don't think it applies here?


Absolutely anything in UC doesn't apply to this either though as the first time newtype pops up you'll be WTF.

The UC Gundam movies are not exactly a good primer as well, I find them more useful if you know what is going on rather than not - a recap for ready made fans.

I suggest IBO as you will get enough out of the first 5 episodes to make a decision of whether it is for you or not, as there is plenty of action and character development to get the franchise - the start of all are fairly consistent in this approach.

I'd say Unicorn would be a good start as well as it does actually explain enough of the phenomena within the UC within the episodes... However, Banagher and 'Audrey' are so wet and illogical/emotional (Audrey less so tbf) it can be off putting if you are an adult imo.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the most awful character in Unicorn, Riddhe....


As I said, I believe War in the Pocket would be a very good intro to the franchise, IMHO, and it's also on the short side. And you need about as much info as any WWII film.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/11 15:10:12


Post by: The Red Hobbit


 BlackoCatto wrote:
I wouldn't say Amuro is much a philosopher at all for awhile. Most of OG Gundam is him essentially having PTSD before realizing "Wow...I'm really good at killing people.

Meanwhile Kamille is a very.... special child. He is less philosophy and more so someone else's philosophy on him.


True, but later in life he gets a lot more introspective. In Tomino's Zeta novel Amuro becomes a bit more of a philosopher. Here's an excerpt when talking about Newtypes.

Spoiler:
A Newtype... That was not the same thing as having ESP. Borrowing the words of a pilot named Amuro Ray who apparently awakened as a Newtype, "Newtypes are people capable of mutual understanding with no misconceptions." According to Amuro, they did this without ESP or the use of telepathy.

"Maybe you could call it enlightenment, although I don't think it has anything to do with the enlightenment they talk about in eastern religions. I don't have any personal experience with religious teachings or enlightenment, so I can't compare or critique them. But to me, it doesn't mean just partial understanding of another person. I'd call it total understanding. That person's beliefs, their history, what they intend to do next... you understand all of those things as they take on a comprehensive shape.

"Clairvoyance? It's not that either. If that was it, you could see everything about another person. In that case, I'd be disturbed to see it. It's better to say you can see the actions that the other person intends to perform. So if they're an enemy, I can see this enemy's intention to kill me through the pattern of their actions. That's what it's like... Of course, these appear in different particular ways. Think of this as a general description... That's all I can tell you."


The longer quote has him pontificating on religions and enlightenment.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/11 15:24:04


Post by: LunarSol


 endlesswaltz123 wrote:

I'd say Unicorn would be a good start as well as it does actually explain enough of the phenomena within the UC within the episodes... However, Banagher and 'Audrey' are so wet and illogical/emotional (Audrey less so tbf) it can be off putting if you are an adult imo.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the most awful character in Unicorn, Riddhe....


I feel like Unicorn really suffers from UC baggage. It's runtime has so much technobabble nonsense where they repeat tired old concepts without even really explaining them. Drink when someone says "Newtype" is likely to kill a man, but it comes with shockingly little meaning at this point in the evolution of sci-fi storytelling. The emergence of Newtypes hasn't been an exciting concept since the 80's, but Unicorn expects it to still carry the same sense of mystery some 30+ years later.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/08/11 16:04:36


Post by: BlackoCatto


 The Red Hobbit wrote:
 BlackoCatto wrote:
I wouldn't say Amuro is much a philosopher at all for awhile. Most of OG Gundam is him essentially having PTSD before realizing "Wow...I'm really good at killing people.

Meanwhile Kamille is a very.... special child. He is less philosophy and more so someone else's philosophy on him.


True, but later in life he gets a lot more introspective. In Tomino's Zeta novel Amuro becomes a bit more of a philosopher. Here's an excerpt when talking about Newtypes.

Spoiler:
A Newtype... That was not the same thing as having ESP. Borrowing the words of a pilot named Amuro Ray who apparently awakened as a Newtype, "Newtypes are people capable of mutual understanding with no misconceptions." According to Amuro, they did this without ESP or the use of telepathy.

"Maybe you could call it enlightenment, although I don't think it has anything to do with the enlightenment they talk about in eastern religions. I don't have any personal experience with religious teachings or enlightenment, so I can't compare or critique them. But to me, it doesn't mean just partial understanding of another person. I'd call it total understanding. That person's beliefs, their history, what they intend to do next... you understand all of those things as they take on a comprehensive shape.

"Clairvoyance? It's not that either. If that was it, you could see everything about another person. In that case, I'd be disturbed to see it. It's better to say you can see the actions that the other person intends to perform. So if they're an enemy, I can see this enemy's intention to kill me through the pattern of their actions. That's what it's like... Of course, these appear in different particular ways. Think of this as a general description... That's all I can tell you."


The longer quote has him pontificating on religions and enlightenment.


At that point Amuro isn't really a kid anymore. By Char's Counter Attack he is nearing 30.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 LunarSol wrote:
 endlesswaltz123 wrote:

I'd say Unicorn would be a good start as well as it does actually explain enough of the phenomena within the UC within the episodes... However, Banagher and 'Audrey' are so wet and illogical/emotional (Audrey less so tbf) it can be off putting if you are an adult imo.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the most awful character in Unicorn, Riddhe....


I feel like Unicorn really suffers from UC baggage. It's runtime has so much technobabble nonsense where they repeat tired old concepts without even really explaining them. Drink when someone says "Newtype" is likely to kill a man, but it comes with shockingly little meaning at this point in the evolution of sci-fi storytelling. The emergence of Newtypes hasn't been an exciting concept since the 80's, but Unicorn expects it to still carry the same sense of mystery some 30+ years later.


The reason why it feels like baggage is because it is the epilogue to Char's Counter Attack. It'd be like starting someone in media res to the series and told to sink or swim.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Albertorius wrote:
 LordofHats wrote:
 Albertorius wrote:
I mean, I tend to refer to Mikazuki as "the Walking, Talking War Crime" so...


Honestly, I think that's utterly missing the point of his character.


It's also a short hand, you know ^^


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 endlesswaltz123 wrote:
 Albertorius wrote:
I mean... IBO is a great series, but at 50 episodes, I wouldn't exactly call it a "movie or short series", so I don't think it applies here?


Absolutely anything in UC doesn't apply to this either though as the first time newtype pops up you'll be WTF.

The UC Gundam movies are not exactly a good primer as well, I find them more useful if you know what is going on rather than not - a recap for ready made fans.

I suggest IBO as you will get enough out of the first 5 episodes to make a decision of whether it is for you or not, as there is plenty of action and character development to get the franchise - the start of all are fairly consistent in this approach.

I'd say Unicorn would be a good start as well as it does actually explain enough of the phenomena within the UC within the episodes... However, Banagher and 'Audrey' are so wet and illogical/emotional (Audrey less so tbf) it can be off putting if you are an adult imo.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the most awful character in Unicorn, Riddhe....


As I said, I believe War in the Pocket would be a very good intro to the franchise, IMHO, and it's also on the short side. And you need about as much info as any WWII film.


War in the Pocket and Thunderbolt I would say for an intro. Origin is also good as well, but a little longer.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/09 02:23:20


Post by: BlackoCatto


Update!

Both English and Japanese versions of Gundam Zeta are on Funimation.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/09 02:47:08


Post by: LordofHats


I also saw all the Rebuild of Evangelion movies over on Amazon Prime. Not Gundam I know, but Gundam adjacent and maybe folks here will be interested.

GundamInfo recently put up the Reconguista in G compilation films on Youtube recently. I don't think the series is very good, but the art was pretty gorgeous (very Eureka 7 if anyone liked that). The main series had a problem with Bellri being kind of a wet noodle who shuffled wherever the plot needed him. The movies make that worse in my opinion. Aida would have been a much better focus character.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/09 11:10:36


Post by: Kanluwen


Popping in to say I have my first Gundam model kit coming in the next few weeks...

Pale Rider DII (Titans)

My Gundam loving brother picked it out to give me something to do between commission projects this fall.

Anyone able to help me get an idea of what to be expecting?


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/09 11:48:12


Post by: aphyon


What grade is it?

standard, master, perfect?

the higher the standard the more complex the parts.

the rubber washer link system is a bandai iconic design. so the kit will go together well, it just depends on the level of detail you get.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/09 12:07:43


Post by: Kanluwen


"HGUC"?

It's a 1/144. That's all I've got!


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/09 13:56:55


Post by: LunarSol


High Grade Universal Century. Not the most complicated kits, probably similar to building a Redemptor or something similar, but you don't need glue and the parts are pre-colored so you don't need paint. It's mostly the experience of sprue clipping and clicking parts into pace. I find it very zen. I'm personally fond of the Master Grade kits. That new Eclipse Gundam is very tempting. HG/RG scale is better if you're going to buying a lot of them though. The MG 1/100 scale fills up shelves pretty quick.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 LordofHats wrote:
I also saw all the Rebuild of Evangelion movies over on Amazon Prime. Not Gundam I know, but Gundam adjacent and maybe folks here will be interested.


As a story, the Rebuilds didn't really click with me. The characters just feel more bombastic and less sincere than their original incarnations. Bringing thing to a close with an Eva duel with the primary antagonist felt a little cliche where the original was anything but. That said, when it came down to exploring Gendo and how he is in many ways trapped in the same failures as Shinji and seeing both move past that was compelling and I like the final sendoff even if I'm not enamored with the spectacle that it takes getting there. The meta narrative is likely more interesting than the actual narrative, which might just be something I had accepted about the original. I wasn't "pleased" with the Rebuilds, but they've given me a lot to think about and the more I do, the more I find myself appreciating them. That's pretty fundamentally Eva in the end.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/09 18:01:32


Post by: aphyon


 Kanluwen wrote:
"HGUC"?

It's a 1/144. That's all I've got!


At that scale it is most likely a standard kit. so it should be pretty simple to assemble with minimal extra detailed/moving parts.



Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/09 23:07:40


Post by: LordofHats


 LunarSol wrote:
As a story, the Rebuilds didn't really click with me.


I think that it was good enough until the third movie. The third movie was a huge 'wtf is this now' of weirdness one after the other and the films kind of lost me because the series fully embraced its nonsensical side and revealed that what was ultimately a shallow series meant to troll otakus is... a very shallow series that just doesn't hold up when you try to do too much with it. The action scenes were still great and Eye-Patch Asuka does look pretty bad ass. The new character girl is just empty fan service.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/10 14:37:33


Post by: LunarSol


I wouldn't call it shallow exactly. There's a lot of depth to what's going on, but its more meta narrative than consistent worldbuilding. The original is a pretty raw examination of depression and social anxiety that does a great job taking the kaiju premise and subverting a lot of its tropes into something that quickly birthed a new generation of tropes of its own.

I think the third is easily the weakest of the 4 though in terms of having anything meaningful to say. In a lot of ways I feel like the 4th is working double duty to add substance. I do think the weakest thing about the 4th one is that it goes for more of a final boss fight that doesn't feel like it does as much with the characters as EoE and 25-26. There are definitely perfect moments, like Shinji showing a pretty great understanding of exactly how he hurt Asuka, but those moments feel very at odds with the relatively empty action that lacks the sense of desperation and purpose that made the original so iconic.

The new girl is definitely a bit of a waste. It is interesting that she represents an actual responsible adult point of view into the mix, but outside of a couple nudges towards the end, she's really never a compelling character.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/13 17:10:55


Post by: balmong7


Regarding EVA: Most of my friends getting into Anime today vastly prefer the rebuilds to the original series. It may just be a case of "what you started with." I think the 2nd rebuild film is one of the better anime films I have ever seen. It has just always stuck with me for some reason. I enjoyed the new movie a lot, felt like a really good closure for a franchise that has always had trouble with that.

This may just be a meme but I have always heard that Mari was introduced as a commentary on people who complained about wanting eva pilots that weren't incredibly flawed individuals, and how an EVA pilot that enjoyed their job would just come across as a complete psychopath. I was surprised they gave her so much focus in the last film as I firmly believed that was true.


concerning Reconguista in G now on youtube. I found the films incredibly charming. I think I agree about the whole Bellri being a wet noodle thing, but I am enjoying the ride so far. Can't wait for the 3rd movie.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/13 20:13:32


Post by: BlackoCatto


Darn, they still cant get the original OP to Zeta in the US still. Funimation version for both English and Japanese uses a generic OP and EP. They did keep the regular score thoughx but sound effects differ between the translations.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/14 05:32:33


Post by: aphyon


is it a copyright issue with the vocals? or the fact that they used several OP songs as normal for anime series usually switching over at the halfway point, in the case of zeta with 50 episodes


Gundam Thread @ 2021/09/15 01:18:26


Post by: BlackoCatto


aphyon wrote:
is it a copyright issue with the vocals? or the fact that they used several OP songs as normal for anime series usually switching over at the halfway point, in the case of zeta with 50 episodes


No, both the OPs "Zeta - Toki wo Koete" and "Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete", along with the EP "Hoshizora no Believe" were composed by the American singer and songwriter Neil Sadaka. Zeta being "Better Days are Coming", Mizu being "For Us to Decide", and Hoshizora "Bad and Beautiful," all rewritten most likely with lyrics written by Tomino under a pen name.

Due to US copyright and Neil's apparent dislike of them (even though he was apparently paid for their use) they haven't been able to use them in the US.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/10/21 14:06:35


Post by: BlackoCatto


Live again!

New Gundam stuff coming soon. Excited to see what "The Witch from Mercury" is.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/10/21 20:29:58


Post by: LordofHats


 BlackoCatto wrote:
Live again!

New Gundam stuff coming soon. Excited to see what "The Witch from Mercury" is.


Dare I dream?

From the design of the title screen, it's in a very very similar style to Iron-Blooded Orphans. I wonder if this might also prelude our first female Gundam MC? In a mainline series that is. For a franchise that has generally done better than many at giving leading ladies chances to shine and stand out independent of the leading boys, the main animation series have usually stuck to the same formula.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/10/22 03:15:11


Post by: BlackoCatto


 LordofHats wrote:
 BlackoCatto wrote:
Live again!

New Gundam stuff coming soon. Excited to see what "The Witch from Mercury" is.


Dare I dream?

From the design of the title screen, it's in a very very similar style to Iron-Blooded Orphans. I wonder if this might also prelude our first female Gundam MC? In a mainline series that is. For a franchise that has generally done better than many at giving leading ladies chances to shine and stand out independent of the leading boys, the main animation series have usually stuck to the same formula.


Apparently IBO is getting something unrelated to this, slated for some sort of OVA.

Be in mind that formula has had since Zeta a large amount of female writers as part of staff.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/10/22 03:33:57


Post by: LordofHats


The other IBO announcement was the Urdr Hunt mobile game finally getting anything close to a release date, but it's been delayed for years so who knows if it'll actually arrive next year XD


Gundam Thread @ 2021/10/22 06:05:08


Post by: aphyon


 LordofHats wrote:
 BlackoCatto wrote:
Live again!

New Gundam stuff coming soon. Excited to see what "The Witch from Mercury" is.


Dare I dream?

From the design of the title screen, it's in a very very similar style to Iron-Blooded Orphans. I wonder if this might also prelude our first female Gundam MC? In a mainline series that is. For a franchise that has generally done better than many at giving leading ladies chances to shine and stand out independent of the leading boys, the main animation series have usually stuck to the same formula.


Of my favorite female anime characters one from Gundam scores in my top 10 list.

And like most of the characters i like she isn't the love interest or in need of saving.

Spoiler:



In true gundam fashion she has a rich back story.....and she dies.


Gundam Thread @ 2021/10/29 04:17:21


Post by: The Red Hobbit


 BlackoCatto wrote:
Live again!

New Gundam stuff coming soon. Excited to see what "The Witch from Mercury" is.


I've seen some speculation that it might be references a Witch from Mercury old pulp novel. I haven't read it but certainly seems interesting. https://www.amazon.com/PLANETS-ADVENTURE-WITCH-MERCURY-BEAST-JEWEL-ebook/dp/B003C8G6X2

I'm hopeful Witch from Mercury will be another AU from Sunrise.


Gundam Thread @ 2022/02/10 20:57:13


Post by: The Red Hobbit


Some recent Gundam news.

The Witch from Mercury has a release date of October 2022. https://g-witch.net/

Several popular shows aired in that slot including Gundam 00, Code Geass and Full Metal Alchemist. No other details yet.

Doan's Island will be released on June 03, 2022. This is in the Origin continuity. https://twitter.com/g_cucuruzdoan/statu ... 0956144644

The official twitter account also put out some new character art as well as information on the voice actors.

Reprising from original anime:
-Toru Furuya as Amuro
-Toshio Furukawa as Kai

Reprising from Unicorn:
-Ken Narita as Bright

Reprising from The ORIGIN:
-Hideaki Nakanishi as Hayato
-Megumi Han as Sayla
-Misato Nakuen as Fraw Bow

New to the role:
-Satomi Arai as Mirai
-Tomofumi Ikezoe as Sleggar

From Nintendo Direct "SD Gundam Battle Alliance" was announced and will debut in 2022 of this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j12f4rP6ao4

It will be a coop action game on the Switch pulling from multiple Gundam universes including a favorite of mine Gundam X. https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/article/a55960f0-11c7-4911-a163-a0dc9daf343f


Gundam Thread @ 2022/06/13 20:16:04


Post by: Lord of Deeds


Not Gundam per se, but as we wait for a western release of Cucuruz Doan's Island, US anime mecha fans rejoice. Limited theatrical release of Macross Frontier compilation movies in the US June 16 and June 30 respectively.

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Macross-Frontier-The-False-Songstress

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Macross-Frontier-The-Wings-of-Farewell?date=2022-06-30

Notable as I believe these are the first wide showings of non-Robotech Macross universe properties since Harmony Gold and Big West made peace. Gundam related because it was Macross in its guise as Robotech that introduced me to mecha anime and eventually lead to my current Gundam fandom.



Gundam Thread @ 2022/06/16 02:00:43


Post by: ScarletRose


 Lord of Deeds wrote:
Not Gundam per se, but as we wait for a western release of Cucuruz Doan's Island, US anime mecha fans rejoice. Limited theatrical release of Macross Frontier compilation movies in the US June 16 and June 30 respectively.

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Macross-Frontier-The-False-Songstress

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Macross-Frontier-The-Wings-of-Farewell?date=2022-06-30

Notable as I believe these are the first wide showings of non-Robotech Macross universe properties since Harmony Gold and Big West made peace. Gundam related because it was Macross in its guise as Robotech that introduced me to mecha anime and eventually lead to my current Gundam fandom.



And of course they both have to be on Thursdays when I have no chance of being able to make it to the theater. Hopefully this will become a larger trend though, I'd love to see more anime movies.


Gundam Thread @ 2022/10/06 20:36:01


Post by: LordofHats


Thought I'd resurrect this now that Witch From Mercury has officially (and finally) arrived.

The Prologue episode is still on Youtube in the states;




As for the proper series, ep1 was great. The plot is essentially a mix (thus far IMO) of Gundam, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Shakespeares' The Tempest. Someone took good lessons from Iron-Blooded Orphans on that last one, though we have a writer who is infamously inconsistent with their endings (they also wrote the series for Code Geass, Eureka Seven, and Guilty Crown).

I really appreciate some of the little details though.

For example, Gundam Aerial is canonically the first headliner Gundam to be confirmed sentient and it is it's pilot's 'little sister.' If you look at Aerial's design it actually backs this up with the suit having wider hips and a narrower waist than most Gundams giving it a feminine visual aesthetic. Even tiner, there are actual 'nails' on the fingers of the suit. They looked like claws in the original art pieces but at the end of ep1 an angle shows they're too thin to be claws. They're actually long (feminine) nails. And that's just the sort of attention to detail I appreciate in my stompy stompy robots anime >.>


Gundam Thread @ 2022/10/07 06:09:39


Post by: aphyon


I'm a UC fan so i feel the opposite. the entire point of gundam was military hardware to get away from that kind of super hero robot "detail" that was the norm in the 1970s. it set the tone for future works of various franchises, even if it did start out a bit exaggerated in the 70s art style it was eventually refined down. it is one of the reasons i dislike most of the alt universe stories like wing. it goes against everything the show was trying to do.


Aside from the gundam itself the overall setting looks clean and gritty enough at least from the one episode. i will probably still watch it, though i doubt it will rank up there in my gundam playlist like 0080, 0083, 08th, thunderbolt etc...


Gundam Thread @ 2022/10/07 20:51:21


Post by: LordofHats


 aphyon wrote:
I'm a UC fan so i feel the opposite. the entire point of gundam was military hardware to get away from that kind of super hero robot "detail" that was the norm in the 1970s. it set the tone for future works of various franchises, even if it did start out a bit exaggerated in the 70s art style it was eventually refined down. it is one of the reasons i dislike most of the alt universe stories like wing. it goes against everything the show was trying to do.


I mean, I think that's kind of exaggerated when things like the Axis Shock became core to the UC timeline and the Unicorn one upped that. The sort of hard insistance that Gundam can't have super robots has been a bit silly since Zeta Gundam if you ask me.

And so far I can't say there's much of that in Witch yet. If anything it looks to be doing the IBO thing and being a bit more grounded, but with higher tech instead of mechs with maces being the upper tier of things. The only thing a bit off in it is that I don't think any other show ever started with the starter Gundam having bits/funnel equivalents (the hell is the mid-season upgrade gonna be?).


Gundam Thread @ 2022/10/08 05:51:54


Post by: aphyon


Zeta did get a little silly, but the story got so good i gave it a pass.

If you notice most of my favorite Gundam series are side stories in and around the one year war.

the origin, 0080, 0083, 08th ms team, thunderbolt, MS igloo etc... i am also a huge fan of Kazuhisa Kondoh's various Gundam manga series,

I love the hard war story aspect of Gundam as refined with modern animation techniques.




As for a mid season upgrade.... why the shining finger of course (J/K) maybe they will pull something from victory or X Gundam.


Gundam Thread @ 2022/10/08 14:18:17


Post by: LordofHats


I have a feeling the story's school setting is going to go Fire Emblem Three Houses, just to up the tragedy XD


Gundam Thread @ 2022/10/08 16:08:33


Post by: Tyran


With the blatant Utena references, at the very least I'm expecting rape, incest, grooming, suicide attempts, etc.

Utena may not have been a war story, but it definitely had its fair share of fethed up things


Gundam Thread @ 2022/10/08 16:46:09


Post by: LordofHats


Yeah. I'm kind of eyeing the parts of the premise that recall The Tempest and hoping because for a revenge story The Tempest ends on a better note cause Prospero gives up his revenge so his daughter can be happy XD