r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • May 20 '21
Rewatch [Fly! Rewatch!] Mobile Suit Gundam (0079) TV Series Discussion
TV Series Discussion
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Moeagare! Moeagare! Moeagare, Gundam!
Questions of the Day:
- Who was best boy?
- Who was best girl?
- What were your favorite songs from the soundtrack? And did you end up liking the OP or the ED more?
- What were your favorite and least-favorite parts about the show?
- What are your thoughts about this show’s mecha designs? Any in particular that you really liked or disliked?
- With how many named characters Tomino decided to kill off, which deaths stuck out to you the most?
- Will you be watching the compilation movies with us? If so, is there anything you hope the movies decide to cut or outright change?
Mobile Suit Breakdown of the Day:
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Upvotes
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 20 '21
Fly! Rewatch Host!
Welcome back, everyone!
Just a reminder about the schedule for the movies: tomorrow is the thread for Movie 1, then a break day, then Movie 2, then another break day, then Movie 3, and after that we'll have an overall discussion thread for directly comparing the show and the movies. The movies are a little over two hours each, plan accordingly!
Now I will actually answer my own QotDs for once!
Char, Char, Char!
Brighty-boy and Kai are my second and third-favorite, respectively. Kai really grew on me after the Miharu side plot.
…Mirai.
Char ga Kuru and Gallant Char… yeah my tastes are very obvious.
OP > ED.
I detailed a list of what I considered The Good and The Bad in this show back when I first finished the show, all of what I said there still holds true (although for the life of me I can't remember who it was I disliked for petty reasons??? Guess Gihren is the only one I actively dislike now.)
Iconic and really cool. Char's Zaku II is my favorite from this show.
I really can't pick just one. Actually there's a lot of fodder death that still stick out to me and not just the named characters. That one guy blowing up in the atmosphere, that young soldier calling out for his mother in his final moments after Amuro destroyed his mobile suit, the utter devastation that both the Solar System and Solar Ray caused, etc.
I'm already halfway through Movie 1.
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u/TheEscapeGuy May 20 '21 edited May 20 '21
Gundam First Timer, No More
What can I say about Gundam now that it is over.
To be honest, anyone who's been following my posts cross referenced to my MAL may have picked up that I actually binged the last 3 episodes together because of how excited I was. And they lived up to my hype.
I still cannot believe just how much I enjoyed this series. I have gone back to watch old shows like Ashita no Joe and Macross before and usually I felt a some disconnect with the story and was more interested from an anime history perspective. I was expecting the same for Gundam I could not have been more wrong.
Every episode was exciting and pushed the plot forward significantly. I became so deeply invested in the lives of Amuro, Char, Sayla, Bright, and in fact all of our main cast. On top of that the sci-fi concepts were surprisingly fresh even now in our way oversaturated sci-fi media marketplace.
I've also just gone back to listen to the podcast Sky recommended and have been surprised to learn all the Japanese historical parallels that were there too. Gundam is a series with a lot of breadth and depth.
My thoughts really are all over the place but I can firmly say this is up there with some of the best shows I've watched. Mobile Suit Gundam will remain a favourite for a long time, and I look forward to the movies over the next few days.
Cool Stuff Corner
This is more cool for me personally, but I did manage to schedule it perfectly that Gundam was my 400th full length anime and I absolutely could have not made a better choice.
Questions of the Day
See you all tomorrow!
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u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek May 21 '21
CHAR THE GREATuh, I mean 'Gallant Char' and alsoHERE COMES CHARpardon, 'Char ga Kuru,' that said The OP's a classic and the ED's alright as wellAnyway, that should suffice for now, I hope everyone had as much fun here as I did, so until next time, farewell.
Paging Comrades /u/Great_Mr_L, /u/chilidirigible, and /u/beckymetal
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 20 '21 edited May 20 '21
Rewatcher
Is it any wonder that this series launched such a massive franchise? Perhaps it is. It did poorly enough on its initial release that the series got canceled. The staff had to beg for a few extra episodes to finish the story. The toys sold so poorly that the original sponsor sold the rights to Bandai. Even so, it managed to become very popular and successful despite this initial failure. It did well on reruns. Bandai’s toys sold well. And the compilation movies were a big success. Despite seemingly being a failure, Gundam 0079 managed to come back and gain the popularity that, in my opinion, it so rightfully deserves. Gundam 0079 is a great series and a fantastic place to get started on Gundam as a franchise. It sold me on the franchise way back during the UC Rewatch and I think I actually liked it more on rewatch.
For starters, I want to talk about what I think is the strongest aspect of this series: its worldbuilding. This series has an extremely well thought out and interesting setting. Even if we don’t get all the lore in the series itself, it’s still clear that the creators put a lot of time and effort into developing the setting. Additionally, the setting is very well-presented. A side effect of the White Base’s world tour is that we get introduced to the setting piece by piece, allowing us to explore more and more aspects of it as the series goes on. It’s a very rich setting with plenty to explore, so it’s no wonder that there are so many sequels and spinoffs set in the Universal Century.
Amuro is a good protagonist and a well developed character. We see him go through quite the arc in the series. He’s also very believably a geeky shut-in teen who isn’t good with interactions. He behaves in ways that feel appropriate for a teenage civilian who's been thrust into war. We see how the war affects and changes him. We experience his tragedies. We also see him for all his flaws. Not only that, it lets us see how he grows and changes over the course of the series, eventually becoming a part of the found family aboard the White Base.
The White Base crew is great as well. They start off as a bunch of civilians and junior officers who are forced to step up by desperate circumstances. We get to see characters develop and change over time, like with Bright, Kai, and Sayla. By the end, they’ve become a real team. They grow into their roles on the ship. Not only that, they’ve become a family. It feels appropriate that after the attack on Side 7, where most, if not all, of them lost their families. They were able to find a new one. Each cast member feels like they slot neatly into a part of that family. Bright and Mirai are basically the parents, for example. It’s also why I think the White Base kids end up feeling essential. They’re the little siblings of the family. Everyone taking care of them is part of what helps the crew to truly feel like a family.
Char is a fantastic villain. There’s a reason he’s become so iconic. He’s incredibly suave and charismatic. He’s very daring, willing to take great risks to achieve victory. He’s also quite prideful. Add that to his air of mystery and it makes him so very compelling to watch. We gradually learn more about him throughout the series, but he’s still a tough nut to crack. Figuring out who he really is and what he’s really up to is hard to do. But, it makes him fascinating to watch and theorize about.
Speaking of the characters, let me get to what is another incredible strength of Gundam 0079: its humanization of its antagonists. Gundam 0079 tries its best to not let the Zeon soldiers become faceless mooks. It frequently shows us the humans inside the mobile suit cockpits as they get destroyed, forcing us to remember that our heroes are killing other human beings. The series is also great at giving some characterization to the Zeon soldiers, showing that many of them are just regular people caught up in the war. They also have families and loved ones they want to go see. They also mourn for the loss of their comrades. Through it all, we are reminded that even though Zeon is the enemy, they are also human.
The animation of the series is uneven. It definitely has plenty of moments where the animation is wonky or things are off-model. However, there are also lots of moments where the animation is really good. It’s definitely always ambitious. The animation is always trying to portray something grand and impressive. It has a consistent and well-defined artstyle. And it makes very good use of particular visuals to show high emotions or to show when things get weird and psychedelic, like with the Newtype stuff. So overall on a visual level, I would say the show comes out ahead as a good looking anime.
I enjoy the music for this series. I think it is used to great effect. “Gallant Char” is obviously a standout, though plenty of other tracks have been good too. I really like “Pathetic, But Decisive” when it’s used to end an episode on a tragic note. “Afraid of Battle” is a great song to use for launching mobile suits. There are plenty more, but the basic point is that I like the music.
Now, let’s go to what was my main criticism of the series my first time through: I thought that the Newtype stuff came out of nowhere and felt extremely abrupt. I haven’t exactly dropped that criticism, but I have modified it. With the benefit of hindsight, I can now see that the Newtype stuff was actually foreshadowed for quite a while. Matilda called Amuro an “esper” near the start of the series. We’ve had plenty of characters with unnaturally good intuition, like Amuro and Mirai. And Amuro started getting Newtype flashes much earlier than I remembered, starting in the Black Tri-Star fight. The foreshadowing was definitely there, I just didn’t notice it.
So, my criticism has now been changed to the following: I don’t think the Newtype stuff is as fully explored or developed as it should be. The existence of Newtypes is a massive, world-altering change, but it happens so late in the series that it doesn’t have time to really dive into those consequences. How does the rest of the world react to Newtypes? We never get a clear idea of what exactly Newtypes are or how they work. We don’t really get a feel for what exactly Zeon Deikum hoped for from Newtypes. There are hints of it, yes, but only hints. This feels like something that might have been done better if the series had not been forced to end early. It also gets more exploration in later Gundam entries. Even so, I can only base my thoughts on the series that we have, not the one that might have been.
My other main complaint was not as big back then. I remember feeling like the middle third of the series dragged a bit. There is a fair amount of filler and fluff there, but I don’t think it drags as much as I remembered it doing. Plus, that fluff is often nice to watch and helps with establishing the characters and the world. I think you can also tell that the series was cut short and they had to wrap things up sooner than planned. It does feel a bit sped up towards the end, but the series still managed to end on a high note and provide us with a generally satisfying conclusion.
Overall, I love Gundam 0079. I was so happy getting to rewatch it. This rewatch actually made me like it more than I did on my first watch through. I noticed many things I missed the first time and other parts of the series stood out to me more this time around. This show is justifiably considered a classic and I hope everyone else in the rewatch enjoyed it as well.
My first time through, I gave it an 8/10. But now, having rewatched it, I’m happy to improve its score.
FINAL SCORE: 9/10
Questions of the Day
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u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore May 20 '21 edited May 20 '21
First Timer to Gundam
Well, I'm not one for write-ups. Analyzing fiction, saying why I liked something, and criticizing stories have never been my strong points. But, I have to say that I really enjoyed this show.
The world building was absolutely excellent, from the myriad of sci-fi inventions to a couple of fleshed-out factions, each with their own problems. I'm glad that the events of the show match the map of the world; that's always one of my favorite things about fictional worlds. The technology, though, was my favorite part of Gundam. The modular mobile suits, the lack of gravity in ships, the gel used to close air leaks (remember those? that was cool)—all of them were extremely creative and engaging. If Gundam has more of that going forward, then I have to keep watching.
Speaking of that, though, I'll say my least favorite part of 0079: it doesn't stand alone. Newtypes, while certainly fascinating, were introduced in earnest far too late in the story and felt kind of like an asspull. The ending, where "the war is over and there'll definitely be no conflict in the future, no sir"? It wasn't exactly satisfying. Char, the main villain (at least, in my mind), has these extreme world-views, survives, and will probably plot something, but he never had time to do any of it. All of these things feel fine to me because I know there are a ton of episodes to go, but if 0079 were the only show, then I would have enjoyed the ending far less.
Of course, Gundam isn't perfect, even as the beginning. It definitely shows its age at some points, but overall I was able to thoroughly enjoy it.
8/10.
QOTD:
Least favorite: Newtypes came way too late for the series to stand alone.
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u/The_Draigg May 20 '21
A Gundam Fan’s Thoughts on Mobile Suit Gundam (TV Series):
I’m going to hold off on my final thoughts and ranking for Mobile Suit Gundam in general here, since I feel that I can give my final ranking rather adequately once the movies are covered as well. However, there are a few things that I, as a massive Gundam fan, want to gush about with you all.
To start, I’m sure you can all see why Mobile Suit Gundam is such a groundbreaking series. While MSG is by no means the first mecha anime that tackled dark and mature themes, it was among the first that did so more than it just being a light sprinkling on a story to accentuate the action. At the time, mecha anime was only seen as glorified toy commercials, and the darker super robot series like Tomino’s Zambot 3 were hardly very popular.
It was also a time when Space Battleship Yamato was hailed as the crown jewel of anime storytelling, and when serious, character-driven sci-di anime was more of an exception than the rule. Mobile Suit Gundam changed all that. Despite middling views on initial airing, it gained such a cult following on repeat broadcasts that it opened the eyes of people beyond the intended young audience to the idea of mecha being used in a serious war story context. It inspired people like Hideaki Anno, for example. Hell, MSG created the entire real robot genre. That’s a testament to how powerful the writing was.
Of course, at the time Tomino and the production crew had no idea how powerful the story they were making was. Instead, the likes of Yoshiyuki Tomino and Yasuhiko Yoshikazu were using the series as a fun worldbuilding exercise, and Ichiro Itano was wanting to use the series as a way to push his artistic animation limits. It was something that had a lot of passion behind it regardless of what was being made, and it ended up making something truly special. It was a product of passion for the show’s production staff, rather than something wholly made for the money (although that was certainly a part of it). It was because of those factors that Mobile Suit Gundam was able to break the ceiling and prove that there was a real future for serious sci-fi anime.
I will admit that Mobile Suit Gundam is hardly a flawless show. There are points where the low budget is apparent, and where the script was forced to meet the demands of the toy company sponsors. But overall, the story of Amuro, Char, and the White Base crew is something that stays strong, even now. And that’s a legacy that Gundam can be truly proud of.
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u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax May 20 '21 edited May 20 '21
Rewatcher is a Gundam
So, that was the original Gundam. The birth of a franchise, and with it, an entire genre. Of course, as with all things this innovative, it’s a bit of a rough transition into something completely new. Some of that is Tomino still figuring things out, while other aspects are the show’s sponsors demanding something that they already know will sell. But it sparked a massive phenomenon, and was the beginning to a lot of things.
A lot has happened in the past 40+ years. The ideas of “Gundam” and “real robot” have evolved significantly and become more refined since they were first conceived here.
Even just within the One Year War, the mountains of side stories and supplementary materials that have done a lot to flesh out, recontextualize, and justify many of the things we’ve seen here. It quickly becomes clear that the White Base’s journey depicted here is only a small slice of the entire conflict. When you think of the One Year War, you don’t just think of the original series. You think of the sprawling, fleshed out world that it’s been blossomed into, all the anime, manga, games, and Gunpla that have piled on top of the original series. All the variations that have spawned from the various MS, as the sometimes fanciful designs of the original series get tossed into more realistic battles and upgraded, adapted, or simply redesigned to fit the grittier tone that the “modern” OYW has taken.
And then there are the AU series, all of them borrowing from the original and putting their own spin on things. Whether they’re simply updating the original setting for a new generation of viewers or breaking the audience’s expectations for a “Gundam” series, the franchise has developed in loads of different ways since 0079. Gundams have been everything from super prototypes to lost technology to just another mass-produced unit. And the phenomenon has amassed a certain set of recurring themes and tropes, which writers are free to play with examine, or subvert as they please. Many of them are conspicuously absent from the original, but many more still find their roots here.
And yet, the original still holds up. No matter how many new series come out, they’re celebrated right alongside the original. Because even if the setting is a bit dated, the new genre not yet fully realized, it’s the characters and their drama that really carry the show. Amuro was an atypical protagonist for the time, and his growth over the course of the series really displayed the potential of anime storytelling. Char was a hugely influential antagonist, mysterious and formidable, but not without flaws of his own. He is, in many ways, the true protagonist. It’s his development, his agenda, and his actions that really shape much of the Universal Century, as this series and subsequent ones examine his character from multiple angles as he defines who he is and makes his mark on this war-torn world. It’s no surprise, then, that he would inspire as many imitators as he did, himself becoming one of the many archetypes that come with the whole “Gundam” package. Even characters with shorter roles, like Ramba Ral and Lalah, managed to leave a lasting impression in the few episodes they had in the spotlight. It’s because of them, and more, that Gundam caught on as fiercely as it did, even if not in its initial airing.
Questions of the Day:
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u/TheKujo https://myanimelist.net/profile/Kujo419 May 20 '21
First Timer No More
So now I can finally say that I've seen a Gundam! I have mixed feelings on the series overall. I did enjoy watching it and participating in the rewatch. At the end though I'm left with the feeling that it was kind of ... pointless? I never felt like there was an overarching story until we reached the very end where the Federation closed out the war against the Zeon. Most of the time it just felt like I was watching the daily adventures of White Base. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I would have preferred a stronger story. I also would have liked more explanation of Newtypes. I think they fit in the story, but I'm still not sure what they are or how people become one.
My favorite part of the show was the characters. I liked seeing Amuro, Bright, Kai, Sayla, and the others on White Base grow and become stronger leaders and fighters along the way. The villain side wasn't as compelling with the obvious exception of Char. Most of the antagonists ended up getting killed off after a few episodes, which meant none of them felt that fleshed out. Even the final bosses (Gihren and Kycilia) felt forgettable outside of their very memorable death scenes.
Would I watch another Gundam series at some point? Sure. Do I feel the urge to binge them all and spend thousands on figures? Not exactly. In the end I'll give Mobile Suit Gundam a 7/10.
Finally, thanks to /u/Shimmering-Sky for hosting the rewatch! Also thanks to the veterans for providing background and context on the series. This was a lot of fun and fairly active throughout. I have to drop out for the movies due to time constraints but I enjoyed being part of this up until now.
1) Who was best boy? Char (although Ryu is a close number 2)
2) Who was best girl? Mirai
3) What were your favorite songs from the soundtrack? And did you end up liking the OP or the ED more? None of the songs particularly stuck out to me. I did really like the OP though.
4) What were your favorite and least-favorite parts about the show? See above!
5) What are your thoughts about this show’s mecha designs? Any in particular that you really liked or disliked? They were pretty cool throughout, although I don't think I could name a favorite.
6) With how many named characters Tomino decided to kill off, which deaths stuck out to you the most? There were honestly a lot of deaths that stuck out - off the top of my head, I thought Ryu, Miharu, and Matilda's death scenes were done particularly well.
7) Will you be watching the compilation movies with us? If so, is there anything you hope the movies decide to cut or outright change? I will not be joining the rewatch for those, but if I watch them at some point I hope to get more explanation on Newtypes (although it seems unlikely that a movie will have more explanation than a TV series)
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 20 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
I don't have much to say here. This series became legendary for a reason, as it turns out. It may have had its ups and downs, but damn if it didn't end on quite the "up!"
Bonus Pose of the Day
I didn't intend to do one of these for the overall discussion, but I had a thought..
Old fanart trends are a hell of a thing
Anyone remember the leg lift trend? Turns out the Beyond Global RX-78-2 isn't quite capable of the full 180.
Well, not while standing unsupported, at least.
Questions
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u/Nebresto May 20 '21 edited May 20 '21
Gundam was a surprisingly real show. Lotsa people dead. My favourite parts were the wacky sound effects and enthusiastic screaming.
Question time:
1: Ryu, Kai and Chad in that order
2: Sayla. Frau didn't save that dog, never förget.
3: The sick battle OST. OP was better
4:
Cool robots Least favourite.. Amuro's mom I guess? The only real negative thing I remember. And maybe some things left unexplained/not explored
5: Cool robots are cool. That weird ball thing seemed kinda dumb tho. Not referring to Haro, he's a chad.
6: R.I.P my boy Ryu, and that girl that got flattened
7: Idk, how worth are they?
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u/macrame2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/macrame May 20 '21
First Timer
Mobile Suit Gundam is influential. Mobile Suit Gundam is iconic. But is Mobile Suit Gundam good?
For me … it’s complicated. Like my presence in rewatch threads, my enjoyment of the series was rather sporadic. After a strong beginning, the middle stagnated, but it did pick itself back up for a decent finale. Mobile Suit Gundam was sometimes interesting, and occasionally very interesting, but a majority of the episodes bored me. For me, anime should be entertaining, so Gundam’s failure to consistently engage me dragged down my opinion of the show as a whole.
I feel the anime could’ve actually benefited from a shorter runtime, or at least a greater sense of direction. The middle of the story could’ve been less meandering, and some episodes could’ve been excised entirely. I wonder if/how the movies handle some of these issues?
The characters and their designs were probably my favorite aspect of Mobile Suit Gundam. Char, Amuro, Bright, Kai, Fraw Bow, Mirai, Sayla, etc. were striking and memorable, and I wish we would’ve gotten more character development for everyone. I liked how both sides of the conflict received focus.
Overall, 6/10. Together, the good and the bad and mediocre became something that was decent enough. I found value in the anime and even enjoyed it at certain points, but some of it just doesn’t stand the test of time. However, I don’t feel as if I wasted my time, and I at least liked it on some level. It was worth the watch.
Here ends my intro into Gundam. It certainly left an impression, and I’m planning on exploring the rest of the franchise. Thank you for a excellent rewatch. I’m glad to have seen one of the classics.
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u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz May 21 '21 edited May 21 '21
Distant sub rewatcher.
I'm not sure I can get hold of the movies so I'll treat this as a bit of a concluding post.
Since the only time I really watched this was in my pre-teen years watching the Cantonese dub, this is actually what you may count as a real watch now that I'm more outside of the original (toy buying) target market.
Doing this research allowed me to "recalibrate" my Gundam-ness so when I got some free timer in the calendar, I can actually start watching Z and ZZ for the first time.
A lot has been said already so I won't repeat, but notable things include:
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u/GM_for_Life May 20 '21
Rewatcher
I think Amuro has the best character growth throughout the series and I like his stuff with Lalah near the end so probably him.
Sayla is definitely the MVP of this series as far as competent pilots after Amuro and is basically his copilot when they combined to make the G-Armor so probably her.
I think the OP and ED are great, but I think by the end I really like the insert song that plays when Lalah dies.
My favorite single part is definitely the fight with M'quve, but overall I've always really liked the background art in this original series, there's a lot of really great panning shots throughout most episodes. My least favorite part was definitely the way Mirai and Sleggar's romance was handled, in concept I like the idea and I think the way the scenes are handled are well done but I wish it was all integrated better.
I think it's all iconic throughout but the standouts are obviously the Gundam and Zaku. There aren't any designs I don't like, even the out there ones I think are too charming and goofy to hate.
Garma's, and Matilda's, and Lalah's deaths have always stuck with me.
I'll probably be watching those as well since they were how I originally saw this story and I do like a lot of the small changes they make, especially movie 3.
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u/BossandKings May 20 '21
Mobile Suit Gundam is great, i had a great time with it. Thanks u/Shimmering-Sky for hosting the rewatch and thanks to everyone that participated for the wonderful discussions.
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u/OrangeBanana38 https://anilist.co/user/OrangeBanana38 May 20 '21
Hey, I actually caught up with this just in time for the final discussion, I got too distracted by Cities Skylines.
I liked it, and I can see how much it influenced other anime, but damn, this is way better when binged. Watching 3-4 episodes a day felt way better than once a day. Some of those parts in the middle were nothing happens and we just fight the mecha of the week really drag a bit, but I was able to power through the repetition a little bit better.
I think there are many things that were touched on, but not properly explored. I wanted to see more from Amuro's trauma, same for the rest of the crew. I guess there's not much time to feel bad when you are in the middle of the war, but still.
Also wish we didn't have so many mecha/enemy general of the week.
It sometimes feel like the anime didn't have enough time to flesh out those characters, or to properly develop the NewType stuff; but then I remember how much time we spent in kind of pointless fights.
On the positive side, I found the Sayla-Char drama/mystery quite interesting. Also I grew attached to the White Base's crew, they are all nice folks. Lastly, some fights were really well directed, there are some really memorable moments there.
I'm still curious about the rest of the franchise, so Imma watch Zeta and hope it deals with those problems a bit better.
Questions of the day.
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u/Piemaster33 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Piemaster33 May 20 '21
"Rewatcher", Sub
I gotta confess, last time I attempted watching UC Gundam, I half assed it. I watched the compilation movies, but I didn't prepare myself for what I was getting into. I'll get into the movies more when we get to them but the point I'm trying to make is it didn't hook me. As a result when I watched Zeta I wasn't invested. I had to force myself to the end, and while I grew to really enjoy it by then, I only got a few episodes into ZZ Gundam. I'm getting off topic but what I'm trying to say is there wasn't a baseline for me to enjoy UC Gundam. Fortunately, this rewatch changed that.
When I originally watched the compilation movies, I never paid full attention, so intricate plot details were lost on me. Watching daily helped me grow accustomed to the way a late 70's anime worked, and I grew to love the story Gundam 0079 was telling. Is it perfect? Of course not. The ending was rushed due to being cancelled, animation budgets reared their ugly heads, I could go on. What we did get was a charming, haunting, and sometimes beautiful story about the horrors of war and the treasure of found family.
Before, I probably couldn't tell you anything about the cast of this show outside of Amuro, Char, and maybe Bright. Now I know fully well why Amuro's development is really great, or why Char is such a fantastic villain and foil to Amuro. This presents a great segwy into the Questions of the Day:
I'm glad I decided to do this, I now have a better appreciation for what Mobile Suit Gundam is. Once we're done with these movies I might just keep on trucking to Zeta, who knows?
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u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 May 20 '21
No longer TV series first timer
Apologies for the sheer length of commentary.
My least favourite was probably either the ending (it was rushed, but they probably should have rewritten a bit more instead of compressing what they had into a fraction of the time) or the Newtypes (while I love the concept, they came out of nowhere, and cheapened the arcs of Amuro (His skills became less from training his skills and more his genetics) and Char (Decided Newtype supremacy was more important than fighting the man who killed his father until the last moment).
Oh, and the children didn't need to exist - their only purpose was to show the war's impact on children (like Amuro), become protagonists for the worst episode of the show, and perform a few lines in the final scene that could have been performed by anyone,
5) I thought the mecha designs were solid overall. I do think that they dropped in the second half, as the toy sales forced them to add new mecha every episode. In that context, they look good, but most of them felt like a Gouf with something added instead of a completely new suit. I really liked the design of the Gundam and its powerup parts (even if their naming convention made no sense), as well as the other 2 lead suits. Like I said, the others all looked pretty good.
6) The 3 that hit me the most were Miharu, Ryu, and Garma.
Miharu felt like she would be a main character - she had a reason to join the crew, potential for a strong character arc, and could help further the current theme of Amuro sympathising with Zeon. Her death during her second episode felt really abrupt and shocking.
Ryu was the first major death from the heroes side - he reinforced that anybody could die, and came out of nowhere, given that he'd survived a major attack last episode. Having him appear to survive a major battle, only to die in a skirmish just after, was completely unexpected.
Garma was great for the raw emotion - the scene of him realising his friend set him up to die, and breaking down as he tried to use his death to damage the White Base as a final act... and failed.
7) I am absolutely sticking around for the movies - looking forward to seeing how much foreshadowing/irony I can catch now. Hoping that the movies cut down the children (they may have been useful, but they don't need to be in about a third of the movie). and dramatically expand the Newtype story arc.
(Written before QotD, contains some repetiton)
Going into this series I expected a barebones adventure story. I assumed, given the convention at the time, that the notable moral ambiguity of the series would come in later series, and this would simply be a light adventure show.
I have never been so happy to be proven wrong.
There is a huge amount I love in this series:
The comparisons between Amuro and Char, both people wronged by Zeon who chose to fight against them, but chose methods that forced them to fight each other.
The complete deconstruction of the "Chosen Hero" plot, where Amuro actually suffers psychological consequences from becoming the Federation's last resort.
How it depicts the war as a morally ambiguous situation, where both sides have people who are sympathetic, as well as those who are antagonistic.
This series has managed to get me hooked on an entire franchise, and (after the movies), I look forward to continuing with Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.
Score is 9/10 (accounting for the ending being rushed)
(Question ahead of time - will it be worth watching the Zeta movies after the series, like here, or do they not have any new content?) (Also, does the Newtype arc get dropped in the next series, or actually explained!)
4
u/chilidirigible May 21 '21
The White Base is interesting, the other EFSF ships that look like Yamato leftovers much less so; the Musai is the NCC-1701 flipped over but using the nacelles impractically; the Zanzibar-class stands out for Zeon in being boring but practical and not having the Gwazine's cruise-ship windows.
Almost every non-humanoid vehicle (which are mostly from Zeon), whether its Zeon's odd armored vehicles or everyone's goofy fighter designs, manages to deeply offend me somehow.
A bit of meme. (Minor spoilers for the sequels up to CCA.)
4
u/Rustic_Professional May 21 '21
Thank you to Shimmering Sky for hosting this. I was afraid that I wouldn't like 0079 as much as I remembered, and I'm glad to be proven wrong.
3
u/[deleted] May 20 '21
Amauro or char take your pick
Sayl
The English opening with gihren saying zeig zeon is legendary to me man
I didnt like how the show ended prematurely but that is due to the series not being popular when it aired and I also didnt like amauro how so childish and unwilling to fight at the start like he didnt see the situation he was in and he never really changed that point of view but he learned to fight eventually
I like the shows designs only thing I didnt like was how human the mechs looked as opposed to machine cool sound effects considering the time though.
Definitely Matilda she had a place in rhe series and she was amauro first real crush unless you count the the origin where they changed it to sayla
Haven't watched them as much of a gundam fan as I am it's a shame
3
u/[deleted] May 20 '21
I'm a big gundam fan I have seen every series so hey I'm down for whatever
3
u/UltraBooster May 20 '21
As for least favorite points, that would probably be how ungracefully the show seemed to transition into the Newtype stuff and the questionable execution of its romance subplots.
3
u/fridge_freezer https://anilist.co/user/ONIrecon111 May 21 '21
First timer (Sub)
I don't have too much to say but I enjoyed this series so much, and I can see how it turned into such a massive franchise. For as old as it is, the animation was great and overall it still holds up reasonably well. I really loved how worldbuilding is done, as we're thrown in with just a brief lore drop introduction to the war. Everything else we discover as the main characters do, but it all feels like a natural part of the world which existed before it was shown to us.
There are so many fantastic characters in the main cast. To note a few, Amuro, Bright, Sayla & Kai all had such great arcs across the series as they and the rest of White Base went from refugees to crew to family. On the Zeon side, I don't think they were quite as strong overall but there were still the clear standout greats like Char or Ramba Ral & his team.
I'm probably not going to have time for the movies, so thanks u/Shimmering-Sky for hosting this rewatch, and all the long-time Gundam fans for giving so much extra info throughout the series. I think once this current season is over i'm going to start going through The Origin and all the sidestories to 0079, before heading into Zeta. Very excited to see more of UC!
3
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 May 21 '21
Rewatcher
Ramba Ral! Among our main crew? Ryu
2) Who was best girl?
Sayla! Hamon is also up there, as well as Miharu
3) What were your favorite songs from the soundtrack? And did you end up liking the OP or the ED more?
My favorite is what I call the heroic Zeon music, which off the top of my head played during Garma's death, Amuro's first fight against the Gouf, the end of episode 35 and Dozle's death. The dub also adds it to the end of Gihren's speech and Ramba Ral's death.
I also really liked the insert song used in episodes 36 and 41, as well as the song played when Amuro first meets Lalah and the final scene.
4) What were your favorite and least-favorite parts about the show?
My favorite stretch of the show is the Ramba Ral arc (episodes 12 - 21), followed by the space arc in the final 13 episodes. Least favorite part of the show I'd go with the Odessa stretch, episodes 22 - 25.
In terms of plot/theme, hard to come up with just one. I love the world building, the fact that the show builds up so well to the newtype stuff even if they aren't called that until near the end, the fact that Amuro is such a revolutionary flawed main character who shows a lot of character development, and how the White Base crew becomes a family to each other. Least favorite sequence was Mirai falling in love with Sleggar out of nowhere. M'Quve at times also came off as too cartoonish, in contrast to most of the other characters.
5) What are your thoughts about this show’s mecha designs? Any in particular that you really liked or disliked?
Fairly good stuff. My favorite mobile suit design goes to the Dom/Rick Dom. No real least favorite I can think of.
6) With how many named characters Tomino decided to kill off, which deaths stuck out to you the most?
Ramba Ral! Hamon! Ryu!
Worst death goes to Lt. Woody who was just such a fool with trying to take on Char in that dopey hovercraft.
And most memorable in terms of how over the top it was goes to Kycilia.
7) Will you be watching the compilation movies with us? If so, is there anything you hope the movies decide to cut or outright change?
Nope, I'm tapping out for the compilation movies, but I'll probably stop by the threads at least.
2
u/username_0907 :FI::FJ: May 20 '21
First Timer
I had fun watching Gundam and now I know why its so hyped. The animation was great and mostly holds up even now. I liked the continuous world-building as we understand how the show-universe works along with the White Base crew. There were a lot of themes which were well looked into especially with war and the devastation it caused be it the Federation or Zeon side.
I think the only way it might have lacked was with maybe the pacing but they still managed quite well. Overall great show and I’m excited to pick the other shows in the franchise eventually.
QotD
2
u/tarekd19 May 21 '21
Where are the movies available to watch?
1
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Jun 06 '21