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The Official Gundam Thread of Gunpla, Origins, and 35 Years of GUNDAMUUUU!

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PhiLonius

Member
I sort of want to start watching Gundam since I'm enjoying the Gunpla model I'm working on. Where should I start?

Since your working on Master Gundam I'd say start with G Gundam, also since its a stand alone.

Otherwise I always say start from the beginning with 0079, Zeta, and the early OVAs. Then from there decide if you want to jump to another timeline (Wing, After War, Seed, 00) or continue with UC stuff (ZZ, Char's Counterattack, Unicorn, etc...)
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
Since your working on Master Gundam I'd say start with G Gundam, also since its a stand alone.

Otherwise I always say start from the beginning with 0079, Zeta, and the early OVAs. Then from there decide if you want to jump to another timeline (Wing, After War, Seed, 00) or continue with UC stuff (ZZ, Char's Counterattack, Unicorn, etc...)

Where does one start with these? I've been trying to find the various series and such, but I don't know where to LOOK. :/
 

Averon

Member
http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=426833

According to Nikkei MJ, the rating of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE has been hovering around the 2% level. Although the main target of the TV series is preteen boys, the rating among the kids sometimes goes down to zero. Bandai has been aware of the unpopularity of Gundam AGE among kids and have tried to identify the reason by conducting a questionnaire. What they found from the survey was that kids today are unfamiliar with wars and space colonies. To draw the attentions of those kids, Bandai featured scenes at school in Asem's Arc, but their attempt failed to obtain the expected result.

Despite the failure of Gundam AGE, Ueno Kazunori, the President of Bandai Namco HD, has been keeping his composure with the business. At the beginning of this year, Ueno encouraged the disheartened staff of Gundam AGE by saying, "Don't be in panic." The reason for his calmness is the favorable status of the whole Gundam sales, which has grown by 18% year-on-year. The increase is mainly attributed to the success of Gundam Unicorn. Bandai Namco HD will expand the business by coordinating the subsidiary companies taking advantage of the popularity of Gundam Unicorn among fans in their 30-40s.

According to Nijigen Shinbun, a film project of Gundam AGE has been surfaced. The authenticity of the report is uncertain.
 

PhiLonius

Member
The reason for his calmness is the favorable status of the whole Gundam sales, which has grown by 18% year-on-year. The increase is mainly attributed to the success of Gundam Unicorn.

A bit of hope for a MG Kshatriya sometime down the line. Make it happen Bandai.
 
AGE: No profit, aimed at little kids, shitty-as-hell production quality

Unicorn: Huge profit, aimed at actual Gundam fans, all-time high production quality

Where's the confusion in how you should run your business, Bamco?
 
AGE: No profit, aimed at little kids, shitty-as-hell production quality

Unicorn: Huge profit, aimed at actual Gundam fans, all-time high production quality

Where's the confusion in how you should run your business, Bamco?

Well basically they should figure out what made SEED so succesful and replicate it (or make just third season of SEED lol ). In Japan SEED captured both, the casual and hardcore markets of Gundam.
 

Kincaido

Got 99 problems and only one of them is a waifu
I say that they should just animate Crossbone Gundam next. Seabook needs more screen time.
 

Blader

Member
So after AGE completely bombing they still plan to make movie out of it? Wow. Bandai seriously hates money.

There was some artwork of Flit and Emily as 20-somethings, it may be that (though I doubt it'll be a full movie; probably just a short OVA or something).

AGE: No profit, aimed at little kids, shitty-as-hell production quality

uh...maybe for Gen 1, but Gen 2 of AGE has been getting dark as fuck and the battle animation has gotten significantly better than in Gen 1.

How was 00's popularity? Between the two seasons specifically as well?

Ratings-wise, I think it was about middle of the road. Someone (i.e. duckroll) feel free to correct me here, but I think Gundam TV ratings more or less rank like this:

Zeta > SEED > Destiny > 0079 > ZZ > 00 S1 > 00 S2 > Wing > G > Victory > Turn A > X

And I don't know where exactly AGE falls in there.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
There was some artwork of Flit and Emily as 20-somethings, it may be that (though I doubt it'll be a full movie; probably just a short OVA or something).



Ratings-wise, I think it was about middle of the road. Someone (i.e. duckroll) feel free to correct me here, but I think Gundam TV ratings more or less rank like this:

Zeta > SEED > Destiny > 0079 > ZZ > 00 S1 > 00 S2 > Wing > G > Victory > Turn A > X

And I don't know where exactly AGE falls in there.

Huh, I didn't know Zeta was that big. Also I expected Wing to have done much better than that.
 

Beth Cyra

Member
Huh, I didn't know Zeta was that big. Also I expected Wing to have done much better than that.

Wing sits as the best from the 90's Gundam and actually improved on G's ratings where as OO had the huge benefit of coming after SEED/Destiny.

Overall Wing's placement seems pretty good amd certainly better then what I expected. Plus that doesn't take into account Endless Waltz which if we go by marketing and just overall usage is far more popular then Wing TV.

Wish Bandai had mentioned something about the Wing revival/relaunches with MG's, Glory along side Frozen Teardrop and how they performed and how it compared to their expectations.
 
Wing sits as the best from the 90's Gundam and actually improved on G's ratings where as OO had the huge benefit of coming after SEED/Destiny.

Overall Wing's placement seems pretty good amd certainly better then what I expected. Plus that doesn't take into account Endless Waltz which if we go by marketing and just overall usage is far more popular then Wing TV.

Wish Bandai had mentioned if how the Wing revival with MG's and relaunches of Glory along side Frozen Teardrop performed and if it compared to their expectations.

I would like to know this as well but my guess is it's doing ok well Glory of Losers I mean.
 

Cloudy

Banned
Well basically they should figure out what made SEED so succesful and replicate it (or make just third season of SEED lol ). In Japan SEED captured both, the casual and hardcore markets of Gundam.

SEED had characters on either side that you cared about, an interesting plot with lots of twists, nice art and great music. Everything since then has been lacking in one or more of those categories
 

Blader

Member
SEED had characters on either side that you cared about, an interesting plot with lots of twists, nice art and great music. Everything since then has been lacking in one or more of those categories

...we're talking about Gundam SEED, right?
 

Beth Cyra

Member
I would like to know this as well but my guess is it's doing ok well Glory of Losers I mean.

I can't imagine the MG's did badly. They're pretty cheap and reusing parts for the inner frame on 5 of them had to keep the costs low.

Glory and FT are the big ones to me. It's been over a year and still we haven't seen Snow White or Warlock, in fact all we've seen is Epyon White. I don't really expect much more Wing given it is pretty middle of the road for Gundam and Bandai doesn't give a fuck about NA, but I still want to see the new suits and see them be made if they end up being cool.
 

Bebpo

Banned
SEED also had a good looking main gundam. Strike is a very, very solid design right off the bat and Freedom was a great upgrade. Justice wasn't bad either.

But mainly SEED was popular because it was SOAP. Pure soap opera relationship drama. That stuff has very wide appeal and makes you need the next episode.

It's not my favorite genre, but honestly they need to go back and do another gundam full of relationship drama and death and angst and stuff to sell. Stuff like Zeta Gundam and SEED are really popular.


Personally I'd like more stuff like OO S1 (semi-intellectual realistic gundam) and Turn A (fantasy world gundam). But those don't really have mass appeal.


Just don't give me anything like AGE ever again. I like AGE and I admit it's a better quality show than Destiny or OO S2 or some other Gundams, but no matter how many deaths there are in AGE, something about it still feels like a Digimon Gundam or like the latest Gai-King. Stylistically it's not what I'm looking for in gundam, which is gritty war.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
Just don't give me anything like AGE ever again. I like AGE and I admit it's a better quality show than Destiny or OO S2 or some other Gundams, but no matter how many deaths there are in AGE, something about it still feels like a Digimon Gundam or like the latest Gai-King. Stylistically it's not what I'm looking for in gundam, which is gritty war.

It doesn't help that the even the biggest battles so far have involved like maybe six ships on each side and only a handful of suits. Half of which are piloted by moron children. Nothing in this show feels grandiose at all.


...we're talking about Gundam SEED, right?

SEED gets a lot of hate, but I feel like it's pretty solid. I think Destiny retroactively ruined it for many people.
 

Bebpo

Banned
Ratings-wise, I think it was about middle of the road. Someone (i.e. duckroll) feel free to correct me here, but I think Gundam TV ratings more or less rank like this:

Zeta > SEED > Destiny > 0079 > ZZ > 00 S1 > 00 S2 > Wing > G > Victory > Turn A > X

And I don't know where exactly AGE falls in there.

OO S2 did MUCH MUCH better than OO S1.

OO S1 had pretty bad TV ratings early on and the ratings picked up in the 2nd half when it got really exciting.

OO S2, despite being stupid as all hell and constantly terrible and pandering, did great. Because Gundam audiences want stupid laser spam.
 

Beth Cyra

Member
SEED also had a good looking main gundam. Strike is a very, very solid design right off the bat and Freedom was a great upgrade. Justice wasn't bad either.

But mainly SEED was popular because it was SOAP. Pure soap opera relationship drama. That stuff has very wide appeal and makes you need the next episode.

It's not my favorite genre, but honestly they need to go back and do another gundam full of relationship drama and death and angst and stuff to sell. Stuff like Zeta Gundam and SEED are really popular.

Personally I'd like more stuff like OO S1 (semi-intellectual realistic gundam) and Turn A (fantasy world gundam). But those don't really have mass appeal.


Just don't give me anything like AGE ever again. I like AGE and I admit it's a better quality show than Destiny or OO S2 or some other Gundams, but no matter how many deaths there are in AGE, something about it still feels like a Digimon Gundam or like the latest Gai-King. Stylistically it's not what I'm looking for in gundam, which is gritty war.

This seems like what they are trying to do for Wing with FT. Thing is they decided to do it with a bunch of clones, awkward as hell time setups and making it so every is related to everyone else.
 
SEED also had a good looking main gundam. Strike is a very, very solid design right off the bat and Freedom was a great upgrade. Justice wasn't bad either.

But mainly SEED was popular because it was SOAP. Pure soap opera relationship drama. That stuff has very wide appeal and makes you need the next episode.

It's not my favorite genre, but honestly they need to go back and do another gundam full of relationship drama and death and angst and stuff to sell. Stuff like Zeta Gundam and SEED are really popular.


Personally I'd like more stuff like OO S1 (semi-intellectual realistic gundam) and Turn A (fantasy world gundam). But those don't really have mass appeal.


Just don't give me anything like AGE ever again. I like AGE and I admit it's a better quality show than Destiny or OO S2 or some other Gundams, but no matter how many deaths there are in AGE, something about it still feels like a Digimon Gundam or like the latest Gai-King. Stylistically it's not what I'm looking for in gundam, which is gritty war.

Ok in my head I get what your saying about soap drama. Soap drama is guilty pleasure stuff and keeps the masses going. I personally loathed SEED despite it's popularity. Given AGE's ratings they'll likely return to form for a chance to hit gold again. Alas semi real gundam I hardly knew ye.
 
OO S2 did MUCH MUCH better than OO S1.

OO S1 had pretty bad TV ratings early on and the ratings picked up in the 2nd half when it got really exciting.

OO S2, despite being stupid as all hell and constantly terrible and pandering, did great. Because Gundam audiences want stupid laser spam.
Goddamn it Japan. -_-
SEED had characters on either side that you cared about, an interesting plot with lots of twists, nice art and great music. Everything since then has been lacking in one or more of those categories
Wait, what?
 

Cloudy

Banned
But mainly SEED was popular because it was SOAP. Pure soap opera relationship drama. That stuff has very wide appeal and makes you need the next episode.

LOL I never thought of it this way but you're exactly right. The wait between each ep was excruciating cos you just needed to know what happened next. I never felt that way with any of the Gundam shows since (even Unicorn) and I gave up on AGE after 3 eps...

ps: Also the deaths in SEED and Destiny were kind of brutal cos the characters were developed out really nicely. The deaths in 00 were pretty blah
 

Bebpo

Banned
Pink explosions and terrible Hisashi Hirai character designs combined with overall lackluster mecha (Duel Gundam is the shit, though, as are the druggies' Gundams) makes me agree.

The character designs weren't that bad initially. Kira/Athrun/Cagalli/Lacus/Mu/Andy/Azreal/Durandal are all fine. It's the sub-characters that were kind of generic or bad looking. Lord Djibril was soooo bad.

And pink explosions rule wtf.

Lackluster mecha sorta, the generic grunts were generic. And later on they got really lazy with Impulse and Legend. But generally the Gundams were at least good, with some greats. Compared to UC stuff the mecha designs were weak. But compared to the stuff we're seeing come after SEED (with OO S1 being the exception), the designs are looking much better. Plus Strike Noir/Stargazer are pretty sweet looking.

I dunno, SEED gets a lot of hate, and it's not the greatest Gundam ever, but it was a good show and is overhated. I'd put the original SEED series in the top half of Gundam shows.

It also helped that it had incredibly good music. Like the Freedom & Justice theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5x05GjXGKc
 

Beth Cyra

Member
I always thought SEED was awful when it came to story.

That said, I did like some of the Gundams and music. Not my favorite (prefer WingEW and ZZ) but it's near the top.

Destiny sadly dropped this. SF and IF was just to much and Destiny is probably the worst title gundam of them all to me.
 
They'd have to make a new line of gunpla if they were serious about making model kits for Crossbone. It would be animated it if it wasn't financially risky.
 
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