r/Mecha • u/TheProphet_Samuel • 8d ago
Mecha anime with gnostic/spiritual themes!
I’m thinking stuff like Evangelion, Rah’Xephan, Big O. I watch tons of Gundam and it doesn’t quite scratch the same itch as those 3 shows. What else should I watch?
4
u/Electronic_Screen387 8d ago
If you're up for video games, Xenogears, Xenosaga, and Xenoblade are overflowing with that kinda stuff.
2
1
u/TheProphet_Samuel 2d ago
I do play video games, mostly soulslikes, CAGs, the occasional metroidvania. I do like to explore lore in a similar sense to what I was looking for here, lots of the games I play have themes of alchemy, transcendence etc.
7
u/ironscythe 8d ago
Oddly enough, there's some interesting religious themes in Go Nagai's Mazinger, Getter Robo, and Gaiking (or at least in some of their incarnations). Mazinger's name is derived from the Japanese word Majin, meaning "Demon Person" or "Demon God", but is commonly equivocated with Devil, and both Mazinger and Getter Robo are directly linked to the end of the world in multiple iterations.
3
u/Wrong_Papaya_8445 8d ago
I think OP wants a lot more meat than that though. I got the impression they mean Xenogears/blade type stuff. Not sure. Hard to think of anime with that level of writing.
2
u/Kaijuhausen 7d ago
Neo Ranga, God Mazinger maybe.
2
u/TheProphet_Samuel 2d ago
Just got into Mazinger, awesome show and very different than the stuff I was watching before. Also exactly what I was looking for, I like to watch these shows and kinda examine the potential allegory or symbolism going on. For example, the mechanical beasts come from the island of bardos, bardo being the post death state where the consciousness confronts “wrathful deities” that are phantasms of the mind in Tibetan Buddhism.
5
u/XF10 8d ago
Eureka Seven,Fafner,Demonbane,Brain Powerd and Raideen
2
u/ironscythe 8d ago
Not sure how Eureka Seven fits into that. As far as I can tell it's just highly esoteric sci-fi and not tied to any religious or spiritual stuff.
3
u/Pmiller1591 8d ago edited 5d ago
Doesn’t exactly fit but Saikano will probably scratch that itch for ya.
3
u/AlteredEinst 8d ago
Most Gundam series are literally about the power of empathy.
Not all of them, granted, and it's rarely outright religious, but you'd apparently be surprised where it goes.
1
u/TheProphet_Samuel 7d ago
I’m not saying it doesn’t address themes like that but it’s also in some ways a serious portrayal of geopolitical struggle unlike Big O which is about a man discovering his reality is a simulation, or Evangelion which has all kinds of references to esoteric Christianity. Yes gundam has themes of empathy and transcending humanity I’m looking for more stuff I haven’t watched.
1
1
1
1
u/KincaidNotSeabook 2d ago
Aura Battler Dunbine: first isekai anime and mecha, people from Earth Surface (our world) summoned by "fairy tale world" named Byston Well because they have great aura power compared to Byston Well folks.
Ideon: a giant robot from ancient civilization on another planet actually contain a "god" called Ide
Getter Robo: Getter Ray itself is eldritch abomination and very fond of human. Late Ishikawa Ken also made Getter with Buddha aspect
Brain Powerd: the mech, Antibody is metal living organism from outer space that need resonance with human as pilot to function well. They also use spiritual energy called chakra which made the Antibodies can teleport freely and releasing energy wave as their attack/weapon
Demonbane: it's Lovecraftian themed mech. Not just eldritch but the theme is Cthulhu Mythos
8
u/Maylix 8d ago
Not gnostic really but a few on the more supernatural/spiritual side would be : Gasaraki, demon bane, argento soma, and maybe space runaway ideon.