Comment on Getting up to speed with Gundam
maplebar@lemmy.world 2 days agoNot overwhelming at all, and I enjoyed the read. Thanks for taking the time!
Like many in the west, my first exposure was to Gundam Wing on Toonami, and while I remember thinking the character and mech designs were cool, it never really clicked for me. I never watched it from the beginning, however, so I don’t think I can fairly judge it.
Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) Vague Spoiler Talk
I really enjoyed the original Mobile Suit Gundam (0079), having just finished it. Despite being aware of Gundam for my entire life as an anime geek, it always felt to me like its own niche thing. For some reason I always had the [false] impression that it was really super dry, with a focus on the military/technology aspects over character drama and storytelling. Initially I wasn’t sure whether to watch the series version or the film retelling, but I wanted to try experiencing the whole thing in its original form and I’m glad I did. I did find it a bit slow at times, particularly towards the very beginning at around episode 3 when the focus was primarily on the battle dynamics between Amuro and Char. But once the story started to get into the human/psychological effects that the war was having on Amuro and others, I was able to really get into it and easily binge a few episodes per day. I wont say too much about the ending, other than that it was truly epic, ambitious, and very well done. I only wish some of the concepts that were important at the end would have been gradually worked into the show sooner, but obviously that’s hindsight that the creators didn’t have the benefit of. As a HUGE Evangelion (and Gainax in general) fan I always knew that Gundam was a big influence on it, but I was still really impressed and fascinated by the many parallels–not just in terms of the story and characters, but also in the direction (like the style and timing of the cuts), and even the soundtrack (there are a few Gundam OST cues that I wouldn’t be surprised were used as placeholders or references during Eva’s production) . To a lesser extent I also like the original Eureka Seven, and the parallels there are even more strikingly obvious in retrospect–from the Gekko State being kind of like White Base, to the 3 kids on the ship, and some story beats being very similar. These shows obviously do their own thing too, but I really enjoyed picking up on the various ways in which Gundam had influenced them.
So yeah, I really liked 0079… Both from an “important part of anime history” perspective, but also just as a very good and ambitious 70s anime in it’s own right. I come away from the experience as a budding Gundam fan, and I think I’ve really been sleeping on the show. I’m looking forward to checking out more of the series.
Because I don’t have a lot of time before Gquuuuuux (what a name Khara… lol) premieres, I won’t be able to hit all the best stuff in order. So my current plan is to get a sampling of different well-regarded stuff from different eras. I’m thinking about going straight for 0080 War in the Pocket next (Small Gainax connection there too), then 08th MS Team, and then maybe checking out a bit of Witch from Mercury if I have time. Basically I’m going for the Gundam sample platter. lol
Finally, anything I should know about watching the series vs the films? Are the 0079 films meaningfully different (in terms of story, animation quality, etc.) than the series to warrant checking them out too? Would you recommend speeding through the Zeta films or waiting until later when I have time to watch the full Zeta series? Also, are there any standout must-watch films in the Gundam series in general?
MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net 2 days ago
Wing was also my gateway. A friend of mine got me watching on VHS during downtime at work (man I’m old), but the official releases were taking forever to come out. So I tried tracking down Toonami reruns, and the damn thing never had a consistent time slot by then lol. So things felt very disjointed. It was only on rewatch when I got the DVDs that I realized that disjointed feel was due to the plot. 😂 I still enjoy it but it’s definitely a brain-off show.
Glad you enjoyed! If the end felt like things could have been fleshed out better, it’s because they were supposed to be. The show was slated to be outright cancelled, but they negotiated to at least allow the it to end properly. The end result is about 10 eps of planned content had to be cut.
The movie versions do some massaging to work in the newtype concept earlier, as well as improve the overall pacing. A lot of series ended up getting the compilation movie treatment, but 0079 is the only one to do it right IMO. They are worth watching on their own, and Ai Senshi is a fucking banger.
The Zeta movies in particular I do not recommend as a shortcut for the series. Main reason being the ending was completely changed, which makes the start of ZZ problematic if not impossible. The cuts between 80s and 2000s animation are also jarring. If you want the overall notes, they’re there. But the series does a far better job of telling the story.
0080 and 08th Team are fine next steps. They touch on thematics brought up in Zeta a bit, but that’s all. They’re self-contained and worth watching.
The only feature film I can recommend at the moment is Cucuruz Doan’s Island. Just roll with the Origin continuity differences (Sleggar had already joined the crew on Earth, for example) and it’s basically an extended episode of 0079 with modern production. I think there’s a good chance it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
WfM is its own thing and can be enjoyed at your convenience. Hell, you can probably binge it between episodes of GQuuuuuuX if you wanted lol.
I’m almost positive I read/watched that MSG and Eva shared some sound staff, and could have sworn that Anno himself was involved somehow. But I cannot find a source, and searches are naturally putting GQX front and center thanks to the Khara connection. So grain of salt all of that, and if I come across the source (because it’s now bugging me lol) I’ll share it.
Enjoy!