MovieChat Forums > Kidô senshi Gandamu (2001) Discussion > Reasons I love Mobile Suit Gundam

Reasons I love Mobile Suit Gundam


1: First anime show to have robots that weren't superheroes. Even though other mecha shows have come along and outdone Gundam for realism, this show laid down the groundwork for them, and made their production possible.

2: Casual violence. Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino creates action scenes where everything from beam sabers, massive robot hands, and even offscreen weapons shots can destroy objects. Other shows do this true, but Tomino does it in a way that catches you off guard. He has no buildup, no dramatic pauses in the animation before a character dies or a mobile suit blows up. The death/destruction simply happens and the action moves on, because there are always more enemies to fight.

3: Characters. Each character grows up and develops, even Amuro. Amuro turns from a cranky spoiled kid, to a young man who bears up better under pressure. In one episode he even gives water to a wounded enemy soldier. No big deal is made out of it (no moral debates in his head, no dramatic pauses of should I or shouldn't I). He just goes ahead and does it. All the other characters are so good, particularly the complicated Char Aznable, that every non-Universal Century Gundam series has basically copied them, changing only the character designs.

4: One heck of an ending. Anybody a Star Wars fan out there? How about Saving Private Ryan? You'll see a final battle at the end that combines the high-tech combat of Star Wars with the grunt beach landing battle scenes of Saving Private Ryan.

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Amuro matures greatly in the series. And that maturity goes with him on his journey throughout life. This is my favorite anime, by far. Tomino didn't pull any punches with the dramatic deaths of Matilda, or Lalah.

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Without a doubt, this series changed and influenced future robot series for the next thirty years. A few examples: Macross, Evangelion, Patlabor, Votoms; the list goes on.

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Gundam 0079 is a masterpiece. Unfortunately, Gundam Wing hogs all the glory! I mean, mention the word "Gundam" to any rookie otaku out there! They'll go on and on about that android Heero and that Char wannabe Zechs. I, however, avoid WING like the plague.

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Wing was the least popular Gundam series in Japan ever. Even less than X. The only thing it had going for it was unique and original suit designs. Which is why it actually finished its TV run.

I've seen almost every single gundam show and movie out there (with the exception of a few off the wall things like Green Divers). I have to say the original will always be my favourite.

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Wing isn't great by any means, but I love it because it's what gave me a look into the fantastic universe of Gundam. While I can't bring myself to go watch the show multiple times I can't help but love this series. Z Gundam has always been my favorite though with 0083 as a close second. Hopefully the series that premieres in October will shape up better than Seed did though.

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I agree with OP. "Evangelion" is the greatest anime ever made to my eyes. But even I can admit that "Mobile Suit Gundam" started it all.

P.S: I would like to say that "Gundam Wing" is vastly superior to anything in "Mobile Suite Gundam."

Last Films Seen:
The Darjeeling Limited(2007)- 9/10

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Nothing beats UC Gundam when it comes to giant robots.

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Evangelion is my personal favourite anime, but I'll be the first to admit that it wouldn't exist without the original Gundam's influence.

I only saw a few eps of Wing and didn't like it much, to be honest... I really love the Universal Century Gundam stuff, however (the UC stuff grouped together is probably my second-fave anime ever).

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Just wait until 'Gundam: the Origin' is finally released in its animated format. If Sunrise decides to swing for the fence and give it a proper adaption, it will even top Tomino's original masterpiece, as it will clean up the bits he left uneven (there's even substantial insight to Char's background, including flashbacks to his youth). Sunrise has already claimed that this will set the new standard for future mecha to come... bold words from a company that's already riding high with the success of 'Gundam Unicorn.'

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I've seen lots of Gundam, but the original 1979 series is still my favorite. I can re-watch it any time and still feel the excitement. And I've only seen it in its English dub, although I have the three MSG movies in Japanese with subs. As much as I disdain dubs, I'd rather see the series, even in English, because it tells the whole story and the movies kind of gloss over key incidents. Same with Star Blazers and Space Battleship Yamato. I've seen all the Yamato movies, but I'd rather watch the Star Blazer series, even though I only have it dubbed, because you can see all of the story.

P.S. I recently learned that the full 1979 series is coming out on DVD this fall in Japanese with subs.

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