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I started out with Gundam 0083 (consusing to no end if you have no context, so defintely not for the beginner, but definitely still some good eye candy). I'd say Gundam 0080 is probably a good starting point: easy enough to understand, has some great action, relatable characters and believable drama. And short enough to serve as an appetizer. Only problem: few things in the Gundam franchise live up to it.
As for the others I've seen, Gundam F91 is probably the worst one I've seen. Not only because it tries to condense the idea for a 50 episode tv-series into a single movie, but also because it refuses to make any consessions (like... I don't know... dropping some of the unwielding number of characters, say) in condensing that material. But the animation quality is fantastic, I give it that.

Gundam Wing is... wel, I'll just come right out and say it: Gundam Wing is the worst Gundam tv series I've seen so far and probably also one of the worst anime series I actually finished. Never mind the hideously ugly character designs and mecha designs (which seem to want to do in earnestness what G Gundam did in jest), its characters, their motivations and personalities are written by aliens who have only the faintest of notions of how real human emotions and thoughts actually work, and thus simply went with what might look like edgy and cool. Still, I will occassionally watch a couple of episodes on account of how genuinely bizarre it is.

Seed and Seed Destiny are ok, but really derivative of the original. I never got the love people have for the first and hate for the second: they very much seemed like the same thing to me.

I did like 00 quite a bit, because of some of the real world politics. Sure, the characters might not always be likeable, but they are relatable and at least I understand where they are coming from (the main character basically being an ex-Al Quaeda terrorist was a brave thing to do). I also like the Foundation style idea of a political and social plan unfolding over centuries.

G Gundam is awesome, but it is practically an entity unto its own, quite distinct from all the other Gundam series. What can I say, I love Go Nagai and G Gundam is Nagai-style Gundam.

8th MS Team has good characters and a setting that feels nicely grubby and down to earth, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you what the plot was about any more.

The original still holds up quite well, both in the tv and movie edit version (which are really much closer to eachother than people care to admit). But then I like 70s anime, so i'm not bothered by the style. On the contrary, I still think Yasuhiku Yoshikazu is one of the best character designers anime has ever produced.

Zeta Gundam has great maturity and interesting characters, but its pacing can be dreadful, picking up characters and storylines and then discarding them as if written by a child suffering from ADHD. The pacing is far better and more focused in the movie edits, but unfortunately the switch between the old and new animation in the films is very jarring, and I dislike the "happier" direction the story took.

Have not seen the others yet, but Turn A is currently in my pile of unwatched DVDs.

FilthyCasual wrote:

So where does Cross Ange fit into this?

Worth watching or worth watching?

Basically the same people (someone please correct me if I'm mistaken or leaving something out) that did Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny did Cross Ange. So you'll see similarities in mech designs, specifically color schemes and battle sequences, between the two. Ange is very similar to Stella, Tusk very similar to Kira, etc.

Story wise, it's an okay story. It starts out simple enough but does a weird M. Night Shamalan twist that leaves you kind of wondering why it went into the direction that it did. There is also lots AND lots of yuri fan service as well.

To me, it wasn't a bad show, but at the same time, it wasn't also good. If you go into watching the series expecting to just have a little bit of fun, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Appreciate it for what it is, but don't expect it to be an A+ title or anything.

Seed Destiny was an absolute garbage of a Gundam series and should be forgotten for the betterment of mankind. Seed wasn't terrible that I could actually watch the series. It wasn't a bad retelling of the original Gundam show with a new paint job. Destiny though from the get go was that show crap. All three main characters were completely unlikable in completely different ways. Athrun was a passive waste of a character, Kira was [expletive] perfect in every way, and Shin was an arrogant hypocritical little ass that never changed through out the series.

The animation is by far some of the laziest ever done in anime with the same exact scene being used multiple times in episodes and I mean multiple times. All the female characters were written horribly with the worst being the enemy battleship commander. She chooses to die with the main badguy and leaves her 5 year old son an orphan telling the commander from Seed who she barely knows to take care of him. What kind of mother [expletive] does that for no good reason at all it was mind boggling. I hated Destiny and that I was able to slog through that series to completion was a chore.

Dessa wrote:

First would be "Vital viewing" (i.e. needed to understand other parts, for UC-based this would be if it's referenced in other things, for alternate continuities it would likely be "if you're going to watch the others in the continuity"). This would be a non-biased answer, for people who are looking for facts in helping them get into Gundam, not opinions.

Producing a "vital viewing" section like this would definitely be biased. Not only would it require an extremely intimate knowledge of Gundam but, ultimately, it's subjective to decide whether watching one thing is a pre-requisite for the other. Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, for example, helps explain the political degradation to what we see in Mobile Suit Gundam F91 and Mobile Suit Victory Gundam but some may complain about it as ret-conning. Also, others might say you have to watch Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory to understand Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam but, again, it was a ret-con and isn't 100% necessary.

It's a nice thought but an "objective" piece such as you suggest just doesn't work very well in such a long-running and crazy franchise such as Gundam.

im sorry but i disagree with so many of your worth watching. so many so wrong in so many levels. sorry but aside from the really bad gundam shows most of them you got wrong.

I know this is just a personal recommendation, and people like what they like. However, I was shocked that two of the more recent and incredibly successful Gundam series both failed to be designated as worth watching.

The writer is clearly mostly a early UC fan which is fine, but I think if this is suppose to be recommendations for people to get into the series, the format should have been a bit different due to that. For example, I loved First and Zeta (especially Zeta). However, a lot of people have a harder time getting into series with incredibly ancient animation. I would absolutely recommend current gundam fans watch those. I just don't think I would recommend non-gundam fans to watch those.

I think I would have gone with a "worth watching for current fans" and "worth watching for new fans." I mean one of the main purposes of the article was suppose to be an answer of "where to start," but pretty much everything that is 'worth watching' is UC which really only leaves First as the 'where to start,' and like I said, I think due to the series age, it is actually a pretty poor starting place. Some people won't care. Lots of people do though. Remember how Wing did really well on Toonami while First bombed? However, if you ask serious gundam fans, the vast majority will tell you First is better. I'm not saying the newest, prettiest one makes the best start, but it might have been nice to have also pointed out more recent series that are good starting points. And there most definitely are a some.

Quote:

Members of the Toonami generation may remember falling in love with Gundam Wing, but we didn't know any better. With poor pacing and a weak plot, the Gundam Wing older fans remember has not aged well.

I have to agree with this. I loved it at the time, but after rewatching it recently, it just seemed really cheesy and actually boring. It was my first Gundam, and after seeing fights in other series where they have to dodge it just makes the Wing fights boring as there is almost never any real threat.

Quote:

One of the major criticisms is that this show doesn't appear to fit into the Universal Century. We never hear about the Zanscare Empire before or after this and it occurs so far after the One Year War it doesn't seem related to anything else in this timeline.

I'm really not sure how you can say this. I mean yes there is a large time skip which means there will be more new stuff showing up than the other older full length series gain during the transitions.

I'm also especially confused on CCA's maybe. First was highly recommended as it was both the suggested starting point and labeled as worth watching. Seeing the conclusion of the primary character conflict involving probably the two most significant UC characters is only a maybe? I get that the movie was slow at parts, and Hathaway drags it down a bit (god I hate that bastard) so I'd get a lower score for it, but to drop it down to a maybe watch seems wrong.

Hellsoldier wrote:

Okay, I'm going to put my finger on the biggest problem with G-Reco: It looks just like a show who was all of the sudden cut short. It seems like it has a story, but that it was a story that required 50 episodes. Meaning: It took too long to arrive to the point of conflict, and it ended abruptly. Also, I have a couples of questions regarding the Kuntala.

The point of the conflict is addressed in the second episode and is further realized in the four, the second half is different but falls in line with what's basically the show said would happen in the 9th episode, it seems confusing because its compacted due to Tomino's reluctance to do a 50 episode series so he tried to squeeze everything at once.

[Edit]: removed unnecessary nested quotes. Please read the quoting guidelines. Errinundra.

Probably take too long for me to point out everything I disagree with so I won't bother~

Gundam the Origin: I thought the first episode was pretty good, exploring a part of the UC never before animated. I appreciate that it kept a sense of humor about it and didn't get bogged down in seriousness.

MS IGLOO: It was okay, though I'll agree the CG looked wonky at times. The 2nd episode with the supped up tank was awesome. The Feddie based one was much weirder.

Mobile Suit Gundam: It's still a classic for a reason. It is probably better just to watch the movies, though.

The 08th MS Team: Been awhile since I've seen this one, but who could forget Norris and his awesomeness?

0080: A pretty powerful little OVA definitely with a watch.

0083: Now here's a work with a ton of problems. It looks great and the suits are cool, but it kind of falls apart on the character front as it goes on.

Zeta Gundam: Hoo boy. I don't like Zeta very much. It's far too bleak and you'll feel drained after only a few episodes. None of the characters are particularly likable and spend most of their time bickering with each other even when they're supposed to get along. The fights are kind of dull too for the most part, though when it gets good it gets really good. I actually really like the Zeta movies and would recommend those instead.

Gundam ZZ: I love this one. After the despair for despair's sake ending of Zeta it was good to be able to smile and laugh again. The characters (save a few) are much more likable than Zeta's cast and even when it gets darker later on it's not so heavy handed. But it's not anime, so why are we even talking about it? Laughing

Char's Counter Attack: Yeah, definitely need to watch this to see the conclusion of Amuro and Char's story. The action is pretty awesome too and it's a fitting finale.

Gundam Unicorn: Pretty to look at, but I dunno I kinda felt indifferent to it. Doesn't help that the story ended up being irrelevant and had no impact on the UC as a whole.

Gundam F91: My first UC title, and I still love it. Despite being cut down it still works as a stand alone film with the F91 being one of my top Gundam suits.

Victory Gundam: Had a lot of the same problems with this one as I did with Zeta. It was too dark and bleak but at least the cast was likable and they had good chemistry with each other.

G-Saviour: I actually really enjoy it unironically. It's a fun little cheesy movie that gave us a different sort of story with a different kind of protagonist. The battle at the end was pretty cool too.

Gundam Wing: Yeah, doesn't really hold up too well these days, but it's still enjoyable enough.

Endless Waltz: Was a lot better and I'll still rewatch it from time to time. The scene of Wing Zero launching is still glorious.

Gundam SEED: The first part is a bit of a slog, but once it picks up it gets really good.

Gundam SEED Destiny: I don't hate it, but the spotlight stealing squad is an unignorable blight on it. The first part is really good, at least, and Impulse VS Freedom was a highlight.

Stargazer + Astray: Short and harmless, you won't lose anything by watching them.

Build Fighters: All kinds of awesome fun that can stand on its own even if you aren't familiar with Gundam.

Build Fighters Try: Also lots of fun, unfortunately it's extremely watered down compared to the first.

Gundam X: My absolute favourite. Has lots of heart, a good story, and the best couple of the franchise. Even if it was cancelled, it shouldn't be missed.

G Gundam: Gets much better later, but it's still a fun send up to super robots with all sorts of silly awesomeness to go around... with the help of KYOUJIIII!!!!

Gundam 00: If X is my favourite, then I'd say 00 is objectively the best. People give the 2nd season flack but it was better than the first. The first was a bit more disjointed, lacking a concrete focus until halfway in. The second season had clear set goals, allowing the characters to truly come together for a common cause. Season 1 was about changing the world, season 2 was about dealing with the consequences. And my god the movie is truly glorious! It introduced aliens in the best way possible and gave us one of the most amazing and intense final battle of the whole franchise. Maybe even all of anime.

Gundam AGE: Again, I don't hate it as much as everyone else. The generational story was an interesting premise and really people only seem to hate the show because of Kio. I didn't mind him because his naïve idealistic attitude is what I'd expect from a young kid like him.

Reconguista in G: Yeah, definitely skip this one. It's a total mess and really feels like Tomino crammed 50 episodes worth of content into 25. He knew how many episodes he had beforehand so he should have cut out content. Instead things are introduced briefly, have no relevance, and only get brief reactions out of characters before they forget about it. Characters do things for no or ill defined reasons. It had some cool battles, at least, but had a bad habit of pulling new machines and backpacks out of nowhere.

Turn A Gundam: The designs might be off putting to some (they were for me), but once you see them in action they'll grow on you. The premise is interesting and it's a different sort of war from other installments. It's got plenty of weirdness but happy Tomino is best Tomino.

amagee wrote:

o

Producing a "vital viewing" section like this would definitely be biased. Not only would it require an extremely intimate knowledge of Gundam but, ultimately, it's subjective to decide whether watching one thing is a pre-requisite for the other. Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, for example, helps explain the political degradation to what we see in Mobile Suit Gundam F91 and Mobile Suit Victory Gundam but some may complain about it as ret-conning. Also, others might say you have to watch Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory to understand Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam but, again, it was a ret-con and isn't 100% necessary.

This isn't something so much as subjective but its just common sense. You have to watch 0079, Zeta, ZZ, and CCA if you want to get the importance of Unicorn since that OVA DIRECTLY references all of them, her recommendation is flawed by saying ZZ is not worth watching but Unicorn is whichis just dumb. Also calling Zeta masterful with its characterization while saying G-Reco has characters with no motive is the biggest load of hypocrisy.

8th MS Team is my absolute favorite Gundam series. I loved that it was about a normal team of MS pilots fighting on Earth. They piloted mass produced gundams that while better then a GM they were no where near as good as the RX-78. No one was an ace or had some magical MS pilot powers just soldiers fighting in a war. The fight between Shiro and Norris is by far, to me, the greatest fight in any Gundam series.

My first was G-Gundam and I have seen all but MS-IGLOO and G-Savior, apparently thankfully. 00 is a good starting point, as when I was going through the bulk of the Gundam series, that's where I started. My favorite would probably be Unicorn, though Origin looks like it will mount a good challenge for that. I liked X, and it's unfortunate that it got cut down to 39 episodes. As for the original, I found the mecha battles with disco music to be amusing, and certainly its moral grayness and showing the grittiness of war sets the tone for the francise. As for SEED Destiny, I'll admit I watched it mainly for Lunamaria Hawke, my then-waifu, though I liked Cagalli as well. ZZ's second half was definitely better than the first and more inline with the tone of the franchise. I'll agree that Victory is brutal. That and Zeta is why Tomino got the epithet Kill'em All. One squad in Victory had one member killed almost every episode and spoiler[Zeta ended with all but one pilot getting killed, Kamille that is, and he was mentally damaged in the final battle and the main ship was destroyed, with the captain down with it]. Definitely don't watch F91; it's like a poorly cut compilation movie of a tv series that was never made. Things will just cut to the next scene in another setting, and you will think you missed something. I assure you you did not.

As to Build Fighters, both the first and Try, I'll admit I skipped the first season, thinking it was a toy commercial and thinking "I don't want to watch people building gundams. I want to see them fight." After Try was airing and I saw some of Lauren's reviews of it (Thank you), I gave Build Fighters then Try a try (no pun intended). They were well written and had the battles that mecha fans will enjoy and references that Gundam fans will like (don't think Ral was that much of a perv though). If you have impure intentions, fan artists and doujinshi makers like Iori's mom and Fumina wears a spandex outfit for a good part of Try.

Gundam: The Origin

I'm not disagreeing with it being worth watching, but I think you should have been more clear for newer viewers. Origin isn't canon. Like the Zeta movies, its an alternate universe retelling. While that doesn't relate to quality at all, it does mean you should probably separate it rather than lumping it into the UC timeline.

zrnzle500 wrote:

One squad in Victory had one member killed almost every episode and spoiler[Zeta ended with all but one pilot getting killed, Kamille that is, and he was mentally damaged in the final battle and the main ship was destroyed, with the captain down with it].

You're a little off there. spoiler[The main ship wasn't destroyed. There was another ship of the same class that was destroyed. The main ship was the Argama, and both it and its captain (Bright) made it through.]

Zac wrote:

Black Thunder 6 wrote:

condescending mean-spirited trash

You are out of here if I see even one more nasty comment from you.

So pointing out the flaw in her article is being condescending and mean-spirited now?

I also started with wing and I agree it's not that great. It does have its great moment and the mech look really good, but there's too much wasted time between the cool moment.

Overall I agree with most of it, I didn't really like Zeta but that's because Camille is such a terrible main character, but once you get past him it get really good.

I'd say SEED is worth watching, I like that they replace the mystical aspect with genetic engineering. Some character are pretty interesting and the mech looks good. Destiny is uther crap though.

I wasn't crazy about unicorn story, but it look too good to pass up.

Be sure to skip 00 and Reconquista. You can watch the first part of 00, but after that it take a giant noise dive, rival destiny in how terrible it is.

Seed was what got me into anime in the first place. Yes, it suffered from uneven pacing and probably trying to do too much. It could have benefited from a bit more planning, especially with someone firm enough to ask the question "does this need to be left in, and if so why"? Plus a little more of the backstory would not have gone amiss, since the world-building was hinting at genius, but never quite got there.
Yet for all it's faults, what it had was ambition and a real sense of purpose.

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