Board 8 > What Gundam series are good?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've never watched any, but I like space stuff and have heard good things. I plan to start with the original series, is that a good idea?
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Was wondering this myself recently, so *tag*
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Anagram posted...

I like space stuff

sounds to me like someone needs to watch Legend of the Galactic Heroes
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th3l3fty posted...

Anagram posted...

I like space stuff

sounds to me like someone needs to watch Cowboy Bebop

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I've already seen Cowboy Bebop.


Isn't LotGH a million episodes long and undubbed?
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Gundams I enjoyed:

0079 (The classic, it's a little dated but still fun)
ZZ (Slow starter, but the second half is really great.)
G Gundam (Basically not a gundam, but a super robot anime with gundams)
Wing (Just for hilarity purposes only, everyone in that show is insane)
SEED (Might be one of the few, but I liked the drama, Kira actually had a good character arc before Destiny. Don't ever watch Destiny)
00 Season 1 (Because season 2 is cursed, but season 1 might actually be the best Gundam has ever been?)
IBO (Hit or miss, but worth giving it a try. I felt like it was really cynical compared to other gundam endings.)

There's also Zeta which while not consistently good had a lot of great moments in between.
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I'll throw in my two cents. I thought for the original series the movie cuts were better than the serialization. There's probably a reason why it was not as popular at first and then exploded in popularity after the movies came out. They cut down much of the filler which didn't particularly add much to the story. For Zeta I feel like it's the opposite. Zeta really benefits from the tons of extra material that the full serialization adds. I think the movies weren't cut as well and the fact that the ending was changed is a huge negative point for me.

08th MS Team is very, very good. It's essentially a mini series that compliments the original series and Zeta Gundam really well. It does a good job of staying true to the setting and the themes that Gundam was built upon while shifting the focus and scope of the story.

I'm not a fan of G Gundam. I see why people like it but I think most would agree it's not a Gundam series in the traditional sense. It's just not the type of thing I'd personally enjoy.

Gundam Wing was most people in the west's first exposure to Gundam. It's a fine series, I think. I doubt I'd love it as much now as I did as a teenager, but I will say that I have rewatched it as an adult and still enjoyed it enough to finish. I think the first half is better than the second half overall, but the second half has some of the best moments of the entire series buried within a lot of mediocrity. I'm not sure where people stand on the dub for this series but I think it's pretty good. A lot of this could be nostalgia clouding my judgment. I agree with Logic that everyone on Gundam Wing is insane. That's sort of the appeal, in a way.

Not-Gundam Series That Are Worth Checking Out:
Space Runaway Ideon - This does have the occasional weak episode here or there but I found it to be really, really good overall. It has a similar tone and feel to it as the original Mobile Suit Gundam but I feel like it was done a lot better. I guess that's just my personal opinion but I felt like Ideon was always the superior series to Gundam. This is also a Tomino work if you're not aware. The highest episodes/best scenes in Ideon are miles better than anything in Gundam or Zeta Gundam, and the overall themes are really great.

Crest/Banner of the Stars - I heard about this series from a friend who considers/considered it to be his favorite classic sci fi anime. I think it had a lot of potential. I can't give an honest assessment since I haven't worked my way through it completely yet. But it is something that I plan to get back to and I would say it's probably worth at least considering on a list of classic sci fi anime that are worth checking out. Everyone has different tastes so it's good to think about a variety of stuff and what might appeal to you most. Gundam is the most popular with casuals, LoGH is the most well regarded by anime critics. But if you pick a random person and ask them what their favorite is... it might be something other than Gundam or LoGH.
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0079: Good but very dated, only start with this one if you really want to start with the very first.

Zeta: Best 'classic' Gundam imo. You really do need to have seen the original for this one to have much of an impact though.

08th MS Team: Great, more serious and gritty Gundam. Very short.

G Gundam: Incredibly fun but basically not a Gundam series.

Gundam X: I'd put this one near the top of my list of Gundams period if it wasn't canceled toward the end of its run and thus had a rushed ending. It does still end pretty satisfyingly though.

Turn A: One of the slowest and most character focused of all Gundams, but if you can get into or over its pacing it is really good. I probably wouldn't start with this one, however. Some things in it mean more if you've seen quite a few other Gundams beforehand.

Gundam SEED: This one gets quite a bit of hate from the Gundam fanbase for various reasons, but IMO its quite good. I think most of the negativity just comes from association with its sequel, SEED Destiny, which you should basically forget exists because it is ACTUALLY awful.

Gundam 00: Season 1 is phenomenal. Season 2 is still good but clearly went a bit off the rails. Overall I'd say its still watching through to completion.

Iron Blooded Orphans: The most recent one and a very, very solid entry in the series. It's quite a bit darker than most others in the series and that comes with its own set of ups and downs. Some people found it not very satisfying in the end, but otherwise I think its one of the best in the franchise.


Also I don't really recommend Wing. A lot of people started with it when they were kids and it was on Toonami and have a lot of fond memories of it, but having tried to rewatch it a few years ago, it does NOT hold up to those memories. It's about as close to angsty teen edgelord anime as you could get without crossing the line and it isn't very compelling compared to most of the rest.

What makes G Gundam not a "real" Gundam series?

It also sounds like I should maybe just watch them all.
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Anagram posted...

Isn't LotGH a million episodes long and undubbed?

not seeing the problem

why would you skip out on hearing Norio Wakamoto???
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sounds like two big problems to me
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Anagram posted...

What makes G Gundam not a "real" Gundam series?

It also sounds like I should maybe just watch them all.

To use Mecha terminology, Gundam series tend to be mostly 'real robot' series- focused on the military, war, soldiers and how it effects the characters and the world around it. Some political stuff sometimes, and everything while sci-fi leans towards trying to be at least somewhat 'believable' (though the extent to what it adheres to this varies on a case-by-case basis).

G Gundam is straight up a 'super robot' show with Gundam designs. It doesn't try to use logic or anything and straight up goes with whats cool and flashy and a lot of things happen just because its awesome.

It's a great series, though.

Man, I haven't seen or thought about Gundam Wing in years, but yeah, everybody on that show is batshit insane.
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tcaz2 posted...

Also I don't really recommend Wing. A lot of people started with it when they were kids and it was on Toonami and have a lot of fond memories of it, but having tried to rewatch it a few years ago, it does NOT hold up to those memories. It's about as close to angsty teen edgelord anime as you could get without crossing the line and it isn't very compelling compared to most of the rest.

I rewatched Gundam Wing recently and I actually was able to appreciate it more as an adult than I did as a kid.

So, basically, your mileage may vary.
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The first one is pretty good still, though they do have a movie trilogy version of it if you're really pressed for time. I'd recommend doing one or the other first, because there's a lot of other ones that take place in the same universe and the same time or shortly after the first Gundam series, and it's cool to have context for all the stuff happening.

Two that haven't been mentioned that happen during the middle of the first Gundam series and I really like are:

Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (6 episodes) - Way less focus on the mechs, way more on how a neutral space colony is responding to a galactic war.

Gundam Thunderbolt (4 episodes) - Integrates music super well, lots of action, gives a lot of focus to both sides of the war in a fairly isolated skirmish.
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Just watch Gurren Lagann instead.
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Of what I've seen, and in chronilogical order...

Mobile Suit Gundam, while dated visually(being from 1979), is a good story & the start of it all. Worth a watch, even if you just watch the 3 compilation movies of the series for a quick fix.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team is a 13-episode OVA that I highly recommend.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is a great OVA side story of a 10 year old boy during the events of the One Year War(which is the major conflict & setting of the Universal Century (UC) calendar era)

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory is a 13-episode OVA that I highly recommend.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a must watch.

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ is decent, but be warned that the 1st half of the series takes a more comical slant than other Gundam series & shifts back to a more somber/serious slant in the 2nd half of the series.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack is a movie that wraps up plots from Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam & Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ

Mobile Suit Gundam F91 is a movie set 30 years after Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack with all new characters.

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam is the final series to be set in the Universal Century calendar.

Mobile Fighter G Gundam is set in the "Future Century", and while a great series is vastly different from other Gundam series. It's like other Gundam series are G.I. Joe & this one is Street Fighter 2.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing takes place in the "After Colony" timeline. A great series, and alot of people's gateway into Gundam due to it airing on Toonami.

Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz is the 3-episode sequel OVA.

After War Gundam X takes place in an alternate timeline called After War, and is also recommended.



And whatever you do, avoid the G-Saviour movie at all costs.
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Gundammike posted...

And whatever you do, avoid the G-Saviour movie at all costs.

Why?
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tcaz2 posted...

To use Mecha terminology, Gundam series tend to be mostly 'real robot' series- focused on the military, war, soldiers and how it effects the characters and the world around it. Some political stuff sometimes, and everything while sci-fi leans towards trying to be at least somewhat 'believable' (though the extent to what it adheres to this varies on a case-by-case basis).

G Gundam is straight up a 'super robot' show with Gundam designs. It doesn't try to use logic or anything and straight up goes with whats cool and flashy and a lot of things happen just because its awesome.

I can VOUCH for this. both as a solid explanation of the difference between real/super and a reasoning why G Gundam is the black sheep of the Gundam series.
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Just a horrible mix of live action with bad CGI wrapped up in a shit story.
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I'm not exactly a Gundam fan, but I did really like Gundam SEED, which is the only one I've seen. It went a bit heavier on the personal drama than I was expecting, so maybe be aware of that? (This was good for me but might not be for you)
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