Once again it’s been a month since I’ve posted anything here. I wish I could say I’ve been too busy doing something incredible to bother with silly Japanese cartoons but no, I’ve been watching just as much as usual. In fact I’m in deeper than ever thanks to ghostlightning (fast becoming the guy I go to for all my recommendations) turning me into a fanatic for anything relating to Gundam, that highly influential and ever popular mainstay of mecha anime.
I never thought I’d get into Gundam. For one thing, I had the idea that it was all merely a marketing ploy by Bandai to sell toys to little boys. I know better now; it’s a ploy to sell to boys and full-grown men (and women if I break down and buy those Dynames and MS-07B3 Gouf kits I’ve had my eye on, but I digress).
However the real reason I didn’t want to get into Gundam is that the sheer size of the franchise is utterly overwhelming. As if the incredible number of TV series, OVAs, novels, manga, video games and more wasn’t enough to scare off newcomers there’s the alternate timelines to worry about. Universal Century, Future Century, After Colony, After War, Anno Domini… it all sounds more complicated than millions of years of real human history. At least until you realize that each timeline exists in its own bubble and you really don’t need to know about anything except for the timeline that the particular Gundam you’re watching takes place in.
Instead of being turned away by the dizzying number of Gundam shows I now view each one as an exciting possibility. It’s like sitting down at a table piled high with food for a feast. You might try the turkey only to find out that it’s stringy and overcooked or you might end up with a slice of delicious apple pie. That’s all part of the fun. Stay at the table long enough and you could also find yourself engaging in a vicious food fight with the people around you, each side pelting the other with mashed potatoes and insisting that the other has no taste. That’s all part of the fun too… I think.
The one question that remains for newcomers like myself is, where to start? Allow me to recommend Mechafetish and ghostlightning’s Finding Your Gateway Gundam guide. As for me I’ve only just wet my feet with the original Mobile Suit Gundam compilation movies (which are a bit dated but still highly worth it and deserving of a post of their own), Gundam 08th MS Team and the currently airing Gundam 00. My feelings for 00 will depend on how it ends but I can say that I’ve been enjoying the hell out of it and reports of train wrecks have been greatly exaggerated.
I might be looking at this with the rose-tinted glasses of a newborn fan but I don’t think there’s a better time to get into Gundam than right now. As we approach April 7th, 2009 which marks the 30th anniversary of the original Mobile Suit Gundam it means not only that there’s 30 years worth of shows to go back and watch but also at least one new, recently announced addition to look forward to. Not to mention Bandai’s plan to build a life-sized, 59 foot tall Gundam at Tokyo’s Odaiba island. I know I’m really far gone because I don’t think this sounds like a ludicrous endeavor in a failing global economy… it sounds awesome.
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KEIKAKU DOORI.
You’ve articulated well part of what used to intimidate me so about the whole boat, and your buffet table analogy is a pretty good one.
Stardust memories will now be part of the love you remember, and Gundam’s vast number of shows will work for you – as it’s doing so for me now that I’ve exhausted the canon of Macross.
GANDAMMUUUUUU
man, 00 season II is realllly overwhelming for me, for some reason. I’ve heard others say that it’s incredibly underwhelming, but I dunno, I think the battles are so damn EPIC.
As far as the REAL GANDAMUUUU, well, I’m not that inducted into GANDAMUUUU to look at it in admiration, but…it is quite GAR in its own right.
When you need a second opinion about Gundam shows, feel free to ask me, too!
“I never thought I’d get into Gundam.”
I hear ya. I never thought i’d be into Gundam, didnt even like mecha all that much, and now i own pretty much every show there is (except for Gundam V). Mostly it happened because SEED was so incredibly awesome and breath-taking.
On the other hand, i still despise all that Leiji Matsumoto crap, and that is something i will never get into, no matter how many people think its one masterpiece after another if its based on Matsumoto.
@ghostlightning
Luckily exhausting the Gundam canon will indeed take quite some time. In the meantime, keep feeding me recommendations!
@lelangir
The battles are quite awesome. They’re so over-the-top I can’t help loving them, GN sparkles and all.
@schneider
Will do, thanks!
@Karry
You’re talking to a huge Matsumoto fan. I won’t try to convince you of anything but I would be interested to know what shows you’ve seen and why you hated them.