Tempting as it is, I’m not counting this as today’s post. While working on last night’s mecha post, I asked my friend Nik to point me in the right direction on Gundam. Nik delivered. I was originally going to tack his feedback onto the mecha post, but he gave me too much good info. Check out his blog. The following is essentially a guest post with my editing and linking touches.
Nik starts us off with essential Gundam shows, particularly those following the conflict between Char Aznable and Amuro Ray:
1. Mobile Suit Gundam: The original series, it was planned to be 52 episodes but was cut to 43. Watch the dub, which covers 42 episodes. The episode that isn’t dubbed is a filler episode that Gundam creator Tomino refuses to have released outside of Japan because of poor animation quality.
2. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin: This adapts all of the background information from the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin manga. The animation is meh (but does get marginally better as it goes on), lots of cheap CGI. Nik only recommends it because it provides more background to Char and Amuro, whose stories are the original Gundam experience.
3. Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket: The first Gundam OVA series.
4. Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team: Another OVA series, the plot goes off the rails a little because director Takeyuki Kanda died during production, but it’s beautiful. Watch the first eight episodes, then the Miller’s Report movie, then the rest of the series. Both War in the Pocket and The 08th MS Team are self-contained and beautifully animated.
5. Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory: Is another OVA series. The plot goes of rails again here due to a mid-series director change. The first seven episodes were directed by Mitsuko Kase who became the first woman to direct a mecha anime 10 years prior to Stardust Memory. The remaining six episodes were directed by Takashi Imanishi. This series also provides some background for Zeta Gundam below.
6. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Nik didn’t have anything to add on Zeta Gundam, but TV Tropes tells me its initial run had the best ratings any Gundam show has ever received.
6.5. Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ: This happens between Zeta and Char’s Counterattack, but affects the story of Char vs Amuro in no way. You can watch it after Zeta if you want, but it had a major tone shift compared to Zeta and only served to finish the war started in Zeta and do stuff with side characters.
7. Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack: This is the first full-length Gundam movie, and it wraps up the story of Char vs. Amuro.
8. Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn: Unicorn is popular with fans that’ve never watched anything else before. Nik thinks it’s mediocre, but says watch it after CCA if you’re going to watch it. The final final final final end to the original conflict (except they just announced a movie to keep milking it).
And then Nik offered his take on the remainder:
Mobile Suit Gundam F91: This is a movie originally intended to be an entire series, but it’s a cluster. It’s the only animated piece of the Crossbone Gundam saga. Watch it after Unicorn if you want to see it, as it takes place in the original universe.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam: I can’t bring myself to recommend G Gundam, because it’s the most non-Gundam Gundam series. It wasn’t supposed to be Gundam, but Bandai said so. It’s a shounen battle series . . . with Gundams. It’s good, but not Gundam.
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam: Tomino’s middle finger to Bandai. It’s a good series at the very end of the original timeline.
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: The true American experience. A boy band of protagonists in an absolute cluster of a show. Great mid ’90s TV quality animation. Recommended if you only only want a single taste of Gundam.
After War Gundam X: 39 episode series cancelled because the last 4 years of TV in Japan had been non-stop Gundam. It’s alright.
Turn A Gundam: The end of all Gundam. Turn A takes place in a combined history, where all Gundam universes have collapsed into each other at a point known as the Black History. Great show, the main Gundam has a fancy mustachio. Very beautiful animation.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: Do not watch. Actual garbage.
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Neat. Watch 00 and the 00 movie (Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer) for the only decent Gundam TV series of the last 18 years.
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Neat concept. Started alright. Ended OK. Everything in the middle was like having cats scratch out your eyes.
That’s it. I’ve got to get to work on the actual Day 16 piece. Thanks again, Nik!
chasetriesagain.com 
1 Comment