Forum - View topicMobile Suit Gundam: Where to Start and What's Worth Watching
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GVman
 Posts: 729 |
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I'm sorry you can't appreciate a wuxia story by way of giant robots.
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BVerfG
Posts: 43 |
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So from reading this article and the thread I take away the following: There is no right way to watch Gundam. Apparently the base is completely divided and everyone likes and dislikes a different Gundam.
I only watched Wing completely and liked it a lot. Then I moved to The 08th MS-Team and dropped it after a couple of episodes and now I'm watching Unicorn and I don't really like that one either. Reading the guide and the comments I guess I should have watched something else before it? |
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residentgrigo
 Posts: 2430 Location: Germany |
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@BVerfG You are correct that the Franchise couldn´t have a more divided fandom and the biggest proof of that is the exceptionally positive critical reception of Seed Destiny in Japan.
Unicorn can´t work as a standalone but i watched it after seeing/reading all the ones around it and was left cold too as it went on. The later manga is a bit better as the author included content he had to skip in the novels and the characters are less bitchy which leads to another problem. Most tales in the franchise were released in multiple mediums at once or were later remade by the original staff as manga so going animation only isn’t advisable. Macross though is actually harder to explain to newcommers despite having way less content so it could always be worse  .
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Zoldicc
Posts: 6 |
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Eh, pretty much on point. Most of Gundam is just trash. UC only has two good Tomino entries (the only two that contribute at least something to UC timeline) and the rest just depends on your taste in robots.
Even G Gundam while fun, sometimes drops in quality to a rather shitty shonen show with boring fights and tropes that aren't dumb enough to be entertaining. Also Unicorn, even though it has excellent production value it's story is kind of shit. While 0080 excelled at telling interesting, self-contained story that nicely fits into UC, Unicorn tries to be too ambitious and shows THE most important event in UC ever. Of course it's all bullshit because it didn't have any effect on UC for obvious reasons. |
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Animeking1108
Posts: 1244 |
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And you thought "Final Fantasy" and "Shin Megami Tensei" fans hated their own franchise. |
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Mr Adventure
 Posts: 1598 |
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Sounds like you might want to try 00. It's definitely more on the Wing side of the spectrum. |
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Griffith91
Posts: 2 |
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The only problem i see with most of Gundam well mainly the UC side to the story as most Gundam fanbase i see is generally in the 30-40's. So yeah my issue from personal experiencing trying to get into the UC side of the series would be the animation, its when you see all these other mecha and other anime genre's well modern anime its crappy to watch. I tried watching Mobile Suit Gundam i fell asleep twice and i gave up though i never wanted to as i tried my hardest to get into the UC.
Gundam Wing - I only watched 1-2 episodes back when it was toonami and it was okay though i only watched some explosions and some Gundam fights. Gundam SEED - I only began watching this and i have to say its got a nice way of the plot usage but i found it really ... whats the word ... slow paced. Gundam 00 - This was the first Gundam i saw from start till end without knowing about the movie till later and i have to say its one of the best anime i have seen. It has nearly everything good mecha fights, beam sabers and what not with good animation. Gundam reconguista in G - Watched 2 episodes and gave up. So yeah my question about UC would be is there no other way to get someone who watches nowadays anime into the series after having some interest in the series? |
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GVman
Posts: 729 |
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@Griffith91: I've always found the complaint about animation odd, as I got into UC when I was just 15 back in 2007 (I'm currently 23) and it didn't bother me a bit.
With First Gundam, though, it would probably be better to watch the compilation movies. Those are essentially Tomino's director cut of the show to something more in-line with his original ideas, rather than what Bandai forced him to add to the show. After that, watch Zeta. You should find it a bit easier, as it has a bigger budget and five years of improvement in animation techniques. One thing to keep in mind when watching older anime is that each single frame of animation was drawn AND painted by hand. Nowadays, anime is still usually drawn by hand but colored digitally. There's a physical, hand-drawn charm these older anime have that a lot of modern stuff lacks. The colors are also something to love; personally, I don't care for how plastic and neon a lot of the colors look now. Also, I feel like mistakes happened less due to the greater amount of work to produce something. Anyway, yeah, start with the movies. That should work well for you. |
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Marzan
 Posts: 515 |
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I couldn't believe it but I actually agreed with every single judgment in this analysis. Well, maybe I'd raise Stardust Memory from a maybe to a yes.
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GVman
Posts: 729 |
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Stardust Memory is worth it for the animation alone.
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Scub Coral
 Posts: 1 |
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I literally just registered an account to say that I strongly disagree with a few choices in this list. Been watching Gundam series for 15 years as well and I can't keep my mouth shut:
First of all, Char's Counterattack is essential viewing for any UC enthusiast. It's the end-cap to MULTIPLE series worth of character development between Amuro and Char. Also, to put Gundam SEED (which is "maybe" worth watching) above 00 is simply absurd. 00 is widely considered a strong entry in the franchise. The characters are varied and fairly complex, the animation and battle scenes are well-done, and the plot (while occasionally trite) is satisfying. SEED has weak characters, bad writing (as OP mentioned) and looks dated already. Gundam X is amazing - great mech design, animation, and character development. It is doubly tantalizing because it was cancelled early, leaving the viewer wondering what could have been. Out of all the non-UC related series, this one is the top for me (depending on how good Iron-Blooded Orphans turns out). I can live with your other choices (other than changing Turn A to a "maybe"). I've made my peace. |
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Fourteenthangel
 Posts: 66 |
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I think we all agree that no one here can agree on what's good when it comes to Gundam. Gundam is apparently are really touchy subject for some people. Ultimately, I think this article is a good starting point and people should come to own conclusions. The person who wrote never said that their opinion was the be all of end all. They just wanted to help. I've met many people who swear off Gundam simply due to have massive it is. I like Gundam and I wish more people would come to appreciate it. I glad this article exist even though I don't wholly agree with it but ultimately that doesn't matter.
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H. Guderian
Posts: 1255 |
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Gundam has more entries than Star Wars, I think some people are really hurt that their favorites aren't considered "Required" or as this article says "What's Worth Watching." Is the Rebels CG cartoon for Star Wars any good? I dunno. Is it required for getting a feel of Quality Star Wars stories? Doubtful.
I like 0083, but I consider this in context of the article, is 0083 really -needed-? Maaaybe. Is Zeta Gundam needed viewing for Gundam? Yeah! The 00 movie was one long constant fight scene, is that really the hill people want to die on for "Required Viewing"? 0080: War in the Pocket is simply required viewing for Anime Fans in general, not just Gundam fans. I think the CE: Stargazer sidestory in the CE timeline to be one of the better movies. It feels more adult than most of anything that happens in the main story. But not only is it not essential to that universe, Rightfully so it is not worth it. In twenty years will anything post TurnA be "Worth Watching" out of Gundam? The UC stories here already hold up. Many fan favorites, won't. |
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WatchforMoons7
 Posts: 529 |
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DUDE, watch ZZ.
 I watched it after Z, and I was like "WTF", but you have to have comedy sometimes. (not a spoiler?)spoiler[but then again, you might go to sleep thinking that Haman Khan is masturbation material...]
"Too dark, and too light" (referring to SEED Destiny comment) I think happens often in general. Look at Hellsing; This also describes ZZ. I heard a bunch of other criticisms regarding SEED series, mostly the characters' morality. If anything, I think 00 deserves a "maybe". It's fun, and I agree with the deus machina, but it excels in S1 as a pragmatic gundam. Love the four gundams too, particularly Exia and Dynames series. Also, Tiera's. If you like dark, watch IGLOO. And X has the best romantic pairing.
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leep
Posts: 9 |
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While Gundam is a multi-verse with the UC universe being the only one that has a relatively standard progression of technology and plot lines; Macross is much more unified in terms of plot lines and universe with only one outlier, Macross II.
Macross is best looked at as taking modern airplanes and turning them into robots. Robots are designed to sell a series that is actually about music. See Lynn Minmay of Macross, Myung Fang Lone (Sharon Apple, AI Voice) of Macross Plus, Fire Bomber of Macross 7, Sheryl Nome & Ranka Lee of Macross Frontier. If you like a series with great music -that is somewhat representative of the era it was made in- and with decnt robots, then watch Macross. The shows can be watched relatively independent of each other, but if care about the progression of the mecha designs then start from the beginning. |
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