Kidou Senshi Gundam Thunderbolt

The franchise of Mobile Suit Gundam, and specifically it's Universal Century timeline (UC), is one of monumental value for the anime medium as a whole, since it is one of the first animated media that features the human tragedies and the fragility of the human psyche in wartimes, the basis of which are the production cast's memories from their childhood, as kids who had to grew up in the aftermath of World War 2, which you can definitely feel as undertones throughout the franchise's origins.

The series and episode count could seem daunting and tad overwhelming as count, hence why at the start of this list a few "hooks" of a shows will be included, which are fairly standalone by themselves, with shorter episode count, but still having the titular Gundam thematic hallmarks as a series. If you were doubtful about whether this show is for you, they are very good indicator whether you'll enjoy your time with the Universal Century timelines, which is dubbed the "main" timeline for a very good reason.

Critics & Connoisseurs was a club that was founded in 2008 and ended club activities on the 31st of 2022.

The goal of the club was to come up with a list of highly recommended quality shows that are exemplary either within its genre or universally. An anime needed a 70% approval rate in our voting to get on the relation list. The following anime are all part of said list.

You can see the club page here:
https://myanimelist.net/clubs.php?cid=2913

Anime Relation List Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/328
Manga Relation List: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/334

Real robots are a subgenre of the mecha genre, in which the mechas are depicted as realistic warmachines as opposed to the superheroistic depiction of the super robot subgenre. It was started in 1979 by Mobile Suit Gundam.

Shows/Movies of all kinds that are either meant for or can be enjoyed by an older audience. A treasure trove of excellence covering a wide range. Story-driven thrillers, well researched historical shows, brilliant world-constructions, poetic narrations, gripping thrillers, dark comedies, complex future visions, tightly packed action, avant-garde art, solid entertainment, tear-jerking dramas to light-hearted slices of lives.
No big-boob dumdums, high-pitched VAs, fan-/lip-service or plot-around-the-holes-type shows. Teenage angst and school-settings are rarities in these two lists.

The mecha genre is specific to the anime medium, for the reason that what once started from an interesting concept, over the decades and the various artistic interpretations it had gone through, did managed to reach it's full development and thematic recognition.

It's origin can be traced way back to the end of World War 2, and the notion of the general populace at the time, that the technological breakthroughs, and their further usage to help and safeguard mankind are the way that we should develop as a species, so that's when the bipedal metal giants were born - a figures with humane limbs and features, that are controlled by a person and which allows them to wield this overwhelming power in service of a greater good.

In this interest stack, I've presented the ways in this genre had changed, and the specific shows which had major impact upon the development of the mecha as a concept, and the ways it had branched out of the established norm for this genre exploring a broad spectrum of themes. The order of the shows is in chronological order, since that way the slight alterations and changes can be presented in more simple and efficient manner.

I once made a list of Jazzy soundtracks I found in anime so I decided to put it here. Feel free to send me any suggestions.

Pre-scoring (プレスコ) is a technique that recordings are made before the animation. Most western animations adapt to this technique, while as Japanese animation prefers after-recording (アフレコ).

Here's a list of Japanese animation that sorely used pre-scoring technique throughout the entire production. As this technique doesn't require actors to follow Sakuga (作画), actors are able to deliver the lines with more organic approach without the constrain of timing. (They still follow the scripts though, but timing is less constrain compare to after-recording). Often times, this technique allows actors to display their best acting skills, which is why few sound directors like to explore this technique every now and then. Though, after-recording is still mainstream in modern anime industry, considering the fact that fast-paced production is in favor.

Hope this will give you an interesting perspective when looking for anime recommendation!

ref: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/プレスコ

This is a canonical watch order that is geared towards a first time viewer of Gundam. I myself experienced the series in this order, which preserves the canonical order, but mends it slightly to preserve watching experience and prevent burnout. Included will be double-ups of series, which means the TV and Compilation movie versions and/or OVAs. Most of those "rewatches" will come after a period of time, slid into the timeline in a way that prevents serious burn-out. Realistically you can swap around any of them for their relative compilation, but first will always come the "preferred" version.

There is nothing in this list I would call spoilers, but I do give some slight generalized opinions which may lead, or alter your own experiences. If you want to go in blind, just look at the show. The blurbs are there to decide if you aren't sure when you want to watch something, not to give you anything before you watch.

I will also be forced to keep a side list since the max number of items in a single list is 50. Until more Gundam content is released, it mostly has small 5-10 minute things that don't really add to the canon in anyway. However, Gundam is approaching a point where if 2-3 more series release this list will get tight. Here is a link to that list: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/12271

I want to clarify that I am not some super Gundam fan, and I began making this list from the beginning of my watching experience. It thus offers a glimpse into what watching Gundam in 2022 should be like for the open-minded, anime history inclined weeb. If you know nothing (or very little) about Gundam this is the perfect place to start in order to grind out the main Universal Century timeline.

If you have any questions (or suggestions to improve since I'm not a hardcore Gundam fan) please feel free to message me.

2005 - 2016

Had an enough of the seasonal garbage where every character is a highschooler? Look no further that here are the ones starring an actual adult.

In the dawn of the digital age, many creators have expressed their hopes and fears about technology and its influence on human society through science fiction anime, creating many interesting interepretations of what our future could be (or even what our present is) with regards to the ever accelerating integration of technology into our lives.

Some of these anime may explore technological revolution in a military or political context, some others in intimate personal dramas. Some are hard, realistic, grounded sci-fi with a lo of genuine scientific backing and others are bordering in fantasy. Some of these are true cyberpunk, and others are entirely opposed to it. Some of these works are pessimistic and fearful about tecnhology, whereas others present hopeful and idealistic possibilities, and some others simply present a grey future with as many advantages as disadvantages. But the main connecting aspect here is the exploration of sci-fi as a fundamental theme and the exploration of te philosophical, sociopolitical and/or psychological consequences of technology whether directly or indirectly, seriously or lightheartedly.

Common tropes & themes: artificial intelligence & meaning of being human, technological implants/bodily enhancements, virtual/augmented reality, social media & deep internet, space travel & space war, extreme capitalism and urbanism in the digital age, personal relationships between humans and androids, discrimination and opression between humans and androids, psychological/physical deterioration due to use of experimental technology

Notes:
- For Blame! read the manga instead
- For The Animatrix, watch The Matrix movies first
- For Blade Runner: Black Out 2022, watch the Blade Runner movies first

Full list of all Gundam anime in order of release date. List will include EVERY entry including summaries

Anime that have decided to be different than the meaningless ''Marvel-esque'' series made for the masses. These have actual meaning and messages that the audience could learn and gain something about themselves.

All entries are listed in alphabetical order with the expection of the Gundam Universal Centuary which are listed in chronological order (0079-0105).