Gundam ("Wow Cool Robot/War is Hell")

[EcoHound]

Mobile Suit Gundam
The horrors of war wrapped in a mech anime veneer

Once I took the plunge the franchise quickly became one of my hyperfixations.
My personal favorite entry in the franchise is 00 with UC as a close second. Plus with just about every other entry I've seen so far I can find and talk about so many good things about them
(Except for SEED. Put SEED in front of me and I become a professional hater)

One of the biggest things I love about it (outside of the deep exploration into the human psyche under the stress of war) is the odd dissonance created by Tomino wanting to make a war drama and the executives wanting a super robot show to sell toys. It just creates such an unforgettable charm

If you haven't watched it yet, do yourself a favor and give it a shot. While my all time recommendation will be 00 due to it having an excellent balance of all the avenues Gundam explores and being a self contained story that requires no prior knowledge to enjoy, I will also happily recommend Gundam the Witch from Mercury as it's also good while being short and thus less of a commitment to get into (even though I think it really needed a longer run time to do its story and themes properly).
Plus G-Witch has disaster lesbian romance and is currently available in full, for free, officially on the Gundaminfo Youtube channel.
Finally, recently the fandom has been recommending the original show in full as a starter due to it holding up so well (as long as you can look past the super dated animation) so I'll also put in my recommendation for that as well.

[EdenCoven]

Original-ass 0079 Gundam is something we figured we were watching out of obligation to get to the real stuff but turns out it's an all-time banger. One of the best shows ever made. Iconic for a reason. Beautifully directed, full of pathos, politically interesting, contains Time, Be Still which is one of the best episodes of a TV show we've ever seen. Just astoundingly good.

So yeah we recommend one does not skip it.

We haven't seen very much of it though honestly. Gotta get around to watching the back 9 episodes of X (which is pretty good) and then go back and watch Victory

[RueAzure]

I've been following UC Gundam for a long time, and it's all great stuff. I think I might've watched or read every piece of available Gundam media in English or with a translation at all at this point. Including things like G Savior and MS Igloo, which I can't recommend in good conscience. Haha.

[a_random_fox]

I got into Gundam somewhat recently. So far i have seen F91, 0079, Zeta, Double Zeta, CCA, Witch from Mercury, Turn A and i am on episode 8 of Iron Blooded Orphans. There is so much great stuff among them that i don't really have a definitive favorite. The reason F91 is first in my listing is that it is actually the first piece of Gundam Media i watched, some youtube video recommended it as a place to "test the waters" with the reasons being that it is relatively self-contained, has good looking animation and represents the themes well. 00 is pretty high up on my list of Gundam shows to watch next.

[Lolo De Puzlo]

I've mostly just seen Witch from Mercury and GQuuuuuuX.

Witch from Mercury - Really liked it. It's absolutely hilarious how much the lesbian angle was attempted to scrubbed from it despite it being so blatant.

GQuuuuuuX - Not so much. As someone not familiar with 0079, some stuff got lost on me, however...

Hidden text.

It's fun seeing Kycillia getting headshot again even though it was no where near as brutal.

[EcoHound]

I've mostly just seen Witch from Mercury and GQuuuuuuX.

Witch from Mercury - Really liked it. It's absolutely hilarious how much the lesbian angle was attempted to scrubbed from it despite it being so blatant.

Have you seen the "fanbook" the animators and design team released after Sunrise said their relationship was "open to interpretation"?

[DizzyCrisis]

So happy to see a Gundam thread here - me and some friends have been watching through the main UC stuff (we're through 0079 and Zeta and now have been educated on how good ZZ is - if anyone tells you to skip it they are WRONG). I've also watched Witch from Mercury and GQuuuuuuX, both of which I have... opinions on. Mostly about how they end.

I do really like Gundam though! I love Gunpla too, and that's how I got into the series in the first place.

For those in the thread, what are some of your favorite mobile suits? I love the Gundam Virtue a lot despite not having watched much of 00, the Asshimar, the ZZ, the TR-1 Advanced Hazel, and I have a soft spot for the Zaku II.

[Lolo De Puzlo]

I've mostly just seen Witch from Mercury and GQuuuuuuX.

Witch from Mercury - Really liked it. It's absolutely hilarious how much the lesbian angle was attempted to scrubbed from it despite it being so blatant.

Have you seen the "fanbook" the animators and design team released after Sunrise said their relationship was "open to interpretation"?

I have not

[EcoHound]

For those in the thread, what are some of your favorite mobile suits? I love the Gundam Virtue a lot despite not having watched much of 00, the Asshimar, the ZZ, the TR-1 Advanced Hazel, and I have a soft spot for the Zaku II.

I have a deep love of Federation Grunt Suits
The GMs and Jegans that showed how the Federation simply had better logistics by relying on a general design and just making it better with each generation

GM III and Jesta being my top favorites

[EcoHound]

Have you seen the "fanbook" the animators and design team released after Sunrise said their relationship was "open to interpretation"?

I have not
[/quote]

I think the cover says enough about what the team thought of the higher ups saying that

[DizzyCrisis]

I have a deep love of Federation Grunt Suits
The GMs and Jegans that showed how the Federation simply had better logistics by relying on a general design and just making it better with each generation

GM III and Jesta being my top favorites

GM III MENTIONED!!!!! God I love that MS, it's so damn good. I've been admittedly watching through ZZ with bated breath wondering when it will show up... the kit is good, just, uh, Very 2010s HGUC, so it has a lot of fiddly polycaps. So glad those are getting phased out...

[EcoHound]

GM III MENTIONED!!!!! God I love that MS, it's so damn good. I've been admittedly watching through ZZ with bated breath wondering when it will show up... the kit is good, just, uh, Very 2010s HGUC, so it has a lot of fiddly polycaps. So glad those are getting phased out...

I built two of them and yeah, it's pretty limited

Hidden text.

But I can make it work

Hidden text.

My favorite detail about the GM III is how it's a mass produced Gundam Mk II
Same beam saber placement and backpack (even able to equip the G-Defenser)
Extra camera(s) on the chest which is a carry over from early Zeta era machines that ZZ dropped
Two vent thruster on leg
Extra inner shoulder armor and shoulder vent
Identical tubing placement in the backpack and knees

Hidden text.

Though my absolute true favorite is from Gundam 00, the GN-X line

[DizzyCrisis]

My favorite detail about the GM III is how it's a mass produced Gundam Mk II
Same beam saber placement and backpack (even able to equip the G-Defenser)
Extra camera(s) on the chest which is a carry over from early Zeta era machines that ZZ dropped
Two vent thruster on leg
Extra inner shoulder armor and shoulder vent

I do love that the GM III is a mass-produced Mk. 2 (also an excellent MS, especially in those beautiful Titans blues...). I have a second GM III, so I might see about getting a Super Gundam at some point alongside some 30 Minute Mission weapons and make a custom "Super GM III." Maybe I could learn how to paint and make it some sort of ace unit...

[a_random_fox]

For those in the thread, what are some of your favorite mobile suits? I love the Gundam Virtue a lot despite not having watched much of 00, the Asshimar, the ZZ, the TR-1 Advanced Hazel, and I have a soft spot for the Zaku II.

A hard question as there are so many good ones. Gundams Nu, F91, Aerial (preferring the first version over rebuild) and Barbatos, Rick Dias, Qubeley, Darilbalde, Kapool, Chuchus Demi Trainer and her later Demi Barding are my answer for now.

[Lemma]

Gundam witch is my favorite piece of media of all time despite (and sometimes because of) its flaws but I also really like 0079 and build divers rerise too! I enjoy build fighters but god it's got way too much misogyny in it, and if I get started on GQuuuuuuX I'm just gonna be sitting here for hours ranting about how much potential it had lmao

[darkwitchclaire]

i've been watching through zeta and four murasame did things to me

[Beancatte]

Main thing I have to add to this discussion is this

[EdenCoven]

i've been watching through zeta and four murasame did things to me

Does Zeta respect any of the women in it? No, absolutely not. Is Four Murasame intensely fuckin gender? Hell yeah she is

[a_random_fox]

Just watched the last episode of Season 1 of Iron Blooded Orphans. I liked it. The fights i think really benefited from using physical melee weapons and projectiles rather than beam weapons, by having more weight behind their actions. I also liked that the fuel of the mobile suits use for their thrusters was actually relevant a few times. I think it also has better pacing than the other Gundam shows i watched so far.

Hidden text.

Orga feels more like a protagonist than Mikazuki, which is an interesting deviation from other Gundam shows where the main Gundam pilot is also the protagonist. It ended on a surprisingly positive note, especially considering episode 24 had multiple people seemingly die only to turn out alive, but injured in episode 25. Season 2 from what i have heard will go down a darker path and some seeds for that are already apparent now, with Orgas tendency to take big risks for big results, Tekkadan being ready to follow him with this and Biscuit not being there anymore to moderate those factors. McGillis was also an interesting character with how his plans were slowly revealed. Him revealing the full extent of those to Gaelio was also a really well made moment. Kudelia Aina Bernstein had some neat character development with losing her naivity and learning about the real world outside of the sheltered life she lived. How she wants to achieve the liberation of Mars was always a bit vague though, the series mentions her specifically trying to get half-metals deregulated as a step on the way there, as a way for Mars to become more independent economically, but that still leaves a lot open.

[EcoHound]

I want Gundam to tackle Biomechanical Horror so much

We already have several examples of neural interfaces (Iron Blooded Orphans, Thunderbolt, G-Witch)
We already have several examples of souls trapped in machines (Blue Destiny, Narrative, Iron Blooded Orphans and G-Witch again)
Hell even the exploration (and exploitation) of the human mind and soul through UC Newtypes

WE CAN GO FURTHER
FLESH MECHA

A Mobile Suit made of flesh or even better yet, a mechanical Moblie Suit growing and becoming flesh.
Blur the lines of man and machine, towards man.

[Lemma]

I want Gundam to tackle Biomechanical Horror so much

We already have several examples of neural interfaces (Iron Blooded Orphans, Thunderbolt, G-Witch)
We already have several examples of souls trapped in machines (Blue Destiny, Narrative, Iron Blooded Orphans and G-Witch again)
Hell even the exploration (and exploitation) of the human mind and soul through UC Newtypes

WE CAN GO FURTHER
FLESH MECHA

A Mobile Suit made of flesh or even better yet, a mechanical Moblie Suit growing and becoming flesh.
Blur the lines of man and machine, towards man.

You should check out the Devil Gundam from G Gundam, it's a hell of a time

[EcoHound]

You should check out the Devil Gundam from G Gundam, it's a hell of a time

I know about the Devil Gundam but it's just not quite what I wanted.
Not overtly flesh since it's mostly nano machines that end up looking vaguely flesh like at times

And it's autonomous and possessive of the pilot, and I'm thinking the other way around

[Lemma]

I know about the Devil Gundam but it's just not quite what I wanted.
Not overtly flesh since it's mostly nano machines that end up looking vaguely flesh like at times

And it's autonomous and possessive of the pilot, and I'm thinking the other way around

Ahh yeah I think see what you're getting at, it would definitely be really cool and I wonder if gundam is ever gonna head in that direction

[darkwitchclaire]

30th anniversary video for wing really nails the original style