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Jun 20, 2023 7:07 PM
#1
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Sep 2021
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For some reason I haven’t been able to get into the series, I tried watching some of the original show and found it way to slow paced to enjoy, and I watched the first movie and also found it a bit hard to fully enjoy. I like mecha anime, Evangelion is one of my favorite anime franchises and I like the 2004 version of Tetsujin 28. I enjoy older anime movies and series too. If there is something I’m doing wrong I would like to know, also if you have mecha recommendations let me know
Jun 20, 2023 7:18 PM
#2
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Oct 2020
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If you really want to try, you need to watch all three movies that summarize the first show. Then the chars counterattack movie. The first movie really isnt enough.

That being said, not enjoying a popular show is fine, there’s nothing wrong with you. Maybe you just want something more modern.

Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans is a standalone seperate gundam series that’s modern and also very good. It’s an AU (Alternate Universe) and seperate from everything so no need to see anything prior.

86 is also an excellent mecha series that came out just a year or so ago. It’s already one of the highest rated mecha on MAL. Amazing show with one of the best endings i’ve ever seen.

Code Geass is another that is so famous you’ve probably already seen it, but if not give that a go. Probably one of the most famous mecha of all time.
Jun 20, 2023 7:21 PM
#3
鋼鉄乙女

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Aug 2016
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I mean, I don't think you're doing anything wrong. I'm a Gundam fan but even I can understand why some wouldn't like the original Gundam, the animation is very dated and the dialogue can feel weird for those not used to the style of Yoshiyuki Tomino.

If you simply can't get into this series, I definitely recommend Gundam 0080: War in The Pocket, a short standalone series in the same timeline as the original Gundam, it's a very grounded series with polished animation and a compelling story. For other series in the Gundam franchise, I can also recommend Gundam 00 which has no relation to the original Gundam timeline.
"Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!" - Bill & Ted´s Excellent Adventure

Check my introduction to Char´s Counterattack interest stack if you´re interested in watching UC Gundam. Also check my Legend of the Galactic Heroes OVA Chronological Watch Order for LoGH info!
Jun 20, 2023 7:26 PM
#4
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18
I think a big reason i am not head over heels for the show isn’t necessarily because I think the animation is too dated, I am able to enjoy older anime without feeling too bored as long as I feel some sort of connection with the characters. I didn’t feel that with the very little of the series that I saw, does amuro’s character development get better in movies 2 & 3? I haven’t seen code geass yet but I definitely want to. Any non-gundam series that are worth a try? I dont mind if you give me a long list
Jun 20, 2023 7:39 PM
#5

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Aug 2021
203
In my opinion the weakest point of 80’s Gundam shows is their characters; especially with the original and Zeta the writing is very poor. If you’re watching through the compilation movies they mainly focus on the action and primary plot points, and the character development I remember being very minimal. As Galletita mentioned you can try any of the Alternate Universe shows in any order you’d like, I’m still working through them but I’ve heard good things about 00 and the currently airing Witch from Mercury is good if you don’t mind the slow start. Universal Century has a definite timeline so it’s a little harder to skip around without missing details, but when you’re done with the compilation movies give Origin a shot, it’s a prequel OVA series to those movies with modern animation and better story.
Jun 20, 2023 7:44 PM
#6

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Feb 2016
11940
operanerd said:
I like the 2004 version of Tetsujin 28.
G Gundam has the same director.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/96/Kidou_Butouden_G_Gundam

It sounds like you just don't enjoy Tomino's directing. ∀ has wider appeal than his other anime and it feels more like something Ghibli would make.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/95/Turn_A_Gundam

If you'd like to try more by Tomino, the Ideon movie "Be Invoked" is most similar to End of Evangelion. I must warn you however that the Ideon series is worse than Gundam.
LucifrostJun 20, 2023 8:02 PM
その目だれの目?
Jun 20, 2023 8:01 PM
#7

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Feb 2016
11940
operanerd said:
Any non-gundam series that are worth a try? I dont mind if you give me a long list
Sure thing. Our taste is pretty different though since I think the director of 2004 Tetsujin is no good.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/1089/Macross__Do_You_Remember_Love
https://myanimelist.net/anime/3327/Giant_Gorg
https://myanimelist.net/anime/165/RahXephon
https://myanimelist.net/anime/1690/Bokura_no
https://myanimelist.net/anime/5781/Isekai_no_Seikishi_Monogatari

Giant Gorg is noteworthy because it has the same character designer as Gundam. It is more of an adventure story compared to other mecha anime. I think there is a good chance you'll love it!
その目だれの目?
Jun 20, 2023 8:03 PM
#8
鋼鉄乙女

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Aug 2016
366
operanerd said:
I think a big reason i am not head over heels for the show isn’t necessarily because I think the animation is too dated, I am able to enjoy older anime without feeling too bored as long as I feel some sort of connection with the characters. I didn’t feel that with the very little of the series that I saw, does amuro’s character development get better in movies 2 & 3? I haven’t seen code geass yet but I definitely want to. Any non-gundam series that are worth a try? I dont mind if you give me a long list


Yes, Amuro definitely has more development later in the series although in my opinion, the movies aren't as good as the full series at showcasing this development.

As for non Gundam recommendations, I personally haven't watched many non Gundam series (Gundam has way too many spinoffs and I'm still not done with most of them) but I think you may enjoy Gunbuster, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and The Big O. As other usera stated, Code Geass is also a pretty fun mecha.
"Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!" - Bill & Ted´s Excellent Adventure

Check my introduction to Char´s Counterattack interest stack if you´re interested in watching UC Gundam. Also check my Legend of the Galactic Heroes OVA Chronological Watch Order for LoGH info!
Jun 20, 2023 8:10 PM
#9
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Sep 2021
18
Lucifrost said:
operanerd said:
Any non-gundam series that are worth a try? I dont mind if you give me a long list
Sure thing. Our taste is pretty different though since I think the director of 2004 Tetsujin is no good.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/1089/Macross__Do_You_Remember_Love
https://myanimelist.net/anime/3327/Giant_Gorg
https://myanimelist.net/anime/165/RahXephon
https://myanimelist.net/anime/1690/Bokura_no
https://myanimelist.net/anime/5781/Isekai_no_Seikishi_Monogatari

Giant Gorg is noteworthy because it has the same character designer as Gundam. It is more of an adventure story compared to other mecha anime. I think there is a good chance you'll love it!

you probably know more about what makes a better mecha show though, I don’t know much about his direction but i like the storyline for that version of Tetsujin 28 partially because I took a college course that involved watching it and talking about it in relation to post ww2 Japan. A lot of folks are saying that the weak point of the series is it’s writing so maybe i should rewatch the movie to look at it from a different viewpoint
Jun 20, 2023 8:20 PM

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Feb 2016
11940
@operanerd
Other fans like Imagawa's mecha anime more than I do. In addition to G Gundam, his most popular is Giant Robo. Tetsujin and Giant Robo both happen to be based on manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. I like Yokoyama's magical girls.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/2321/Giant_Robo_the_Animation__Chikyuu_ga_Seishi_Suru_Hi
https://myanimelist.net/anime/3356/Mahoutsukai_Sally
https://myanimelist.net/anime/2036/Cosmic_Baton_Girl_Comet-san
Only a tiny bit of Sally has been subbed, unfortunately.
LucifrostJun 20, 2023 8:37 PM
その目だれの目?
Jun 20, 2023 8:22 PM
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Sep 2021
18
Lucifrost said:
@operanerd
Other fans like Imagawa's mecha anime more than I do. In addition to G Gundam, his most popular is Giant Robo. Tetsujin and Giant Robo both happen to be based on manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. I like Yokoyama's magical girls.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/2321/Giant_Robo_the_Animation__Chikyuu_ga_Seishi_Suru_Hi
https://myanimelist.net/anime/3356/Mahoutsukai_Sally
https://myanimelist.net/anime/2036/Cosmic_Baton_Girl_Comet-san

I really want to find a way to watch sally but can’t find a sub that has all of it
Jun 20, 2023 10:16 PM
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Feb 2023
21
I liked watching the first gundam show so much two years ago that I haven’t stopped bingewatching anime since, so you may think my recommendations are trash. But some reasons I liked it were the hard sci-fi world building (for the time period), Char being a cool but complex character, the humanization of the enemy zeon soldiers in certain eps, and the cool retro robot design fighting to the campy disco beats. But other than that it isn’t a super deep show. Maybe get a little high before hand if you’re into that, it helps me get through the repetitive formula, cuz there are some gem episodes in there (I’d list them out but it’s been 2 years). I’d recommend watching it on the best sound system you can, maybe try the 2000s dub which I actually like a lot.

Mecha recomendations

—Super Dimension Fortress Macross (36 eps)
This one is as important or even more so to watch than gundam if you’re just getting into the genre.

—Gunbuster (6 eps)
If you liked Evangelion, this one is an earlier work from the same team. It’s a little more straight forward than Eva but some people like that about it.

—Fang of the Sun Dougram (75 eps)
Tactical political/war drama. You may hate this one if you didn’t like the first gundam, but the story has a lot of depth and style, and has some very rich characters (not all of them of course).

—Patlabor: The Early Days OVA (7 eps), Patlabor the Movies 1 and 2
Patlabor is very unique for an 80s mecha series in that it is probably the most grounded. It’s a procedural cop/slice of life mecha from the director of both the Urusei Yatsura anime series and the Ghost in the Shell movie from 95. You can see the roots of GITS here, esp in Patlabor 2 (which is imo the best PL entry by far)

—Armored Trooper VOTOMS (52 eps)
If you think Fang of the Sun has too much talking and not enough mech battles, this show tilts thing a bit more in the other direction. Some of the best mecha fights shown from the hand drawn days imo. The story is kinda vague but there’s enough action to take your mind off of that

—Armor Hunter Mellowlink (12 eps)
This show has action on par with the original Diehard. Though it takes place in the VOTOMS universe, it’s not a true mecha per se but what it truly is is so bad ass I don’t wanna ruin the surprise. Just know that the main character is widely suspected to be the blue print for solid snake (I don’t have anything to back this up btw).

—Bubblegum Crisis (8 eps)
Just some dumb surface-deep 80s fun. Great cheesy rock music and silly characters, but it is very iconic. Maybe worth checking out the first couple episodes but I liked it more after finishing it

HONORARY MENTION:
—Legend of the Galactic Heroes: My Conquest in the Sea of Stars
I bet you’ve been recommended this before, which isn’t a mecha, but if you like opera (I’m guessing from your username? idk) and if you can stomach old anime, check out this movie. It’s a great “space opera” lol but it uses classical music to create an opera out of a huge space battle. Gives me the chills every time I watch it.

—Project A-ko
A VERY silly movie. The creators were clearly having a lot of fun. The mecha aspect is super minor.

Also, I’m currently enjoying Galactic Drifter Vifam a lot but I’m only 14 eps in. I also refrained from recommending anymore Tomino shows (Gundam creator) even though there are some gems like Dunbine and Xabungle. I wouldn’t touch those until you decide whether gundam is worth watching or not.
ohumbasaJun 21, 2023 1:57 AM
Jun 21, 2023 3:15 AM
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Sep 2021
18
ohumbasa said:
I liked watching the first gundam show so much two years ago that I haven’t stopped bingewatching anime since, so you may think my recommendations are trash. But some reasons I liked it were the hard sci-fi world building (for the time period), Char being a cool but complex character, the humanization of the enemy zeon soldiers in certain eps, and the cool retro robot design fighting to the campy disco beats. But other than that it isn’t a super deep show. Maybe get a little high before hand if you’re into that, it helps me get through the repetitive formula, cuz there are some gem episodes in there (I’d list them out but it’s been 2 years). I’d recommend watching it on the best sound system you can, maybe try the 2000s dub which I actually like a lot.

Mecha recomendations

—Super Dimension Fortress Macross (36 eps)
This one is as important or even more so to watch than gundam if you’re just getting into the genre.

—Gunbuster (6 eps)
If you liked Evangelion, this one is an earlier work from the same team. It’s a little more straight forward than Eva but some people like that about it.

—Fang of the Sun Dougram (75 eps)
Tactical political/war drama. You may hate this one if you didn’t like the first gundam, but the story has a lot of depth and style, and has some very rich characters (not all of them of course).

—Patlabor: The Early Days OVA (7 eps), Patlabor the Movies 1 and 2
Patlabor is very unique for an 80s mecha series in that it is probably the most grounded. It’s a procedural cop/slice of life mecha from the director of both the Urusei Yatsura anime series and the Ghost in the Shell movie from 95. You can see the roots of GITS here, esp in Patlabor 2 (which is imo the best PL entry by far)

—Armored Trooper VOTOMS (52 eps)
If you think Fang of the Sun has too much talking and not enough mech battles, this show tilts thing a bit more in the other direction. Some of the best mecha fights shown from the hand drawn days imo. The story is kinda vague but there’s enough action to take your mind off of that

—Armor Hunter Mellowlink (12 eps)
This show has action on par with the original Diehard. Though it takes place in the VOTOMS universe, it’s not a true mecha per se but what it truly is is so bad ass I don’t wanna ruin the surprise. Just know that the main character is widely suspected to be the blue print for solid snake (I don’t have anything to back this up btw).

—Bubblegum Crisis (8 eps)
Just some dumb surface-deep 80s fun. Great cheesy rock music and silly characters, but it is very iconic. Maybe worth checking out the first couple episodes but I liked it more after finishing it

HONORARY MENTION:
—Legend of the Galactic Heroes: My Conquest in the Sea of Stars
I bet you’ve been recommended this before, which isn’t a mecha, but if you like opera (I’m guessing from your username? idk) and if you can stomach old anime, check out this movie. It’s a great “space opera” lol but it uses classical music to create an opera out of a huge space battle. Gives me the chills every time I watch it.

—Project A-ko
A VERY silly movie. The creators were clearly having a lot of fun. The mecha aspect is super minor.

Also, I’m currently enjoying Galactic Drifter Vifam a lot but I’m only 14 eps in. I also refrained from recommending anymore Tomino shows (Gundam creator) even though there are some gems like Dunbine and Xabungle. I wouldn’t touch those until you decide whether gundam is worth watching or not.

i’ll definitely give some of these a try, thank you
Jun 21, 2023 2:29 PM
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Apr 2018
2
operanerd said:
For some reason I haven’t been able to get into the series, I tried watching some of the original show and found it way to slow paced to enjoy, and I watched the first movie and also found it a bit hard to fully enjoy. I like mecha anime, Evangelion is one of my favorite anime franchises and I like the 2004 version of Tetsujin 28. I enjoy older anime movies and series too. If there is something I’m doing wrong I would like to know, also if you have mecha recommendations let me know

i recommend you to watch Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the story is not the complex and the characters what'll sell you the anime
Jun 22, 2023 12:19 AM
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Sep 2021
18
I do wonder if there are die-hard gundam fans that don’t like the mainline series?
Jun 25, 2023 7:53 PM

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May 2020
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operanerd said:
I do wonder if there are die-hard gundam fans that don’t like the mainline series?

Hi Operanerd,

Ive been going through the Gundam series for a long time, and there is a lot to love and to dislike. If you want to get into the Original Gundam series, i recommend watching and completing The Origin first. It's shorter, but really helps you understand the characters more.

What Ive found is that anything written by Tomino (the original creator) is going to 50/50, and he isnt usually super good at character development. However, many of the other anime that have different writers and directors are excellent!! My personal favorite is 08th MS Team, which has some of the best character development (and isnt written or directed by Tomino). Although admittedly some people dont care for it because it has too much romance for them.

Moreover, i can heartily endorse War in the Pocket alongside the person above who recommended it. And Eighty-Six (86) is one of the best mecha anime to come out recently, so you should definitely check that out as well! Also, the new Gundam movie Hathaways Flash was excellent! That is also a solid introduction to the Gundam series in a shorter movie.
Jun 25, 2023 7:59 PM

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May 2020
94
operanerd said:
I do wonder if there are die-hard gundam fans that don’t like the mainline series?

I enjoyed watching the first series, but i think that was because I didn't start with it first. My first introduction to Gundam was Gundam Unicorn, which is really good!

Hahaha I probably wouldnt have stuck with Gundam if the original series was my first foray into it (≧▽≦)

I think enjoying gundam requires a modicum of interest into the politics of the world. I think that's why i recommend Gundam: The Origin first - it's much better at getting you sucked into the politics.

Oh!!!! And I dont know how none of us have recommended Gundam Thuderbolt yet, cuz that show is FIRE!!! ( ˘▽˘)っ♨
Jun 25, 2023 8:04 PM

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May 2020
94
https://mechapassion.com/mecha-series/gundam/what-gundam-series-to-watch-first/

^this was a really helpful article to me when i was first trying to decide which Gundam series to watch first.
Jun 25, 2023 8:49 PM
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Sep 2021
18
Cammedham said:
https://mechapassion.com/mecha-series/gundam/what-gundam-series-to-watch-first/

^this was a really helpful article to me when i was first trying to decide which Gundam series to watch first.

thank you for this, Gundam X looks appealing to me enough that i may give it a go, Gundam G also looks like a fun and silly one
Jun 25, 2023 10:05 PM

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94
operanerd said:
Cammedham said:
https://mechapassion.com/mecha-series/gundam/what-gundam-series-to-watch-first/

^this was a really helpful article to me when i was first trying to decide which Gundam series to watch first.

thank you for this, Gundam X looks appealing to me enough that i may give it a go, Gundam G also looks like a fun and silly one


Heck ya! ( ˙꒳​˙ ) im glad that article was of some help! I havent gotten to those ones yet, so you will have to let me know how you like them!
Jun 27, 2023 8:11 AM

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Feb 2016
11940
Cammedham said:
https://mechapassion.com/mecha-series/gundam/what-gundam-series-to-watch-first/

^this was a really helpful article to me when i was first trying to decide which Gundam series to watch first.
That article sucks. It says ∀ Gundam is Universal Century, even though it's not. The only UC title explicitly recommended happens to be one I hate. But the recommendation is unhelpful even for those who do like 8th MS Team, because it doesn't tell them what to watch next. Worst of all is that some of the best entries in UC and other timelines are not so much as mentioned!
その目だれの目?
Jul 3, 2023 11:59 AM

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Cammedham said:
operanerd said:

thank you for this, Gundam X looks appealing to me enough that i may give it a go, Gundam G also looks like a fun and silly one


Heck ya! ( ˙꒳​˙ ) im glad that article was of some help! I havent gotten to those ones yet, so you will have to let me know how you like them!
Lucifrost said:
Cammedham said:
https://mechapassion.com/mecha-series/gundam/what-gundam-series-to-watch-first/

^this was a really helpful article to me when i was first trying to decide which Gundam series to watch first.
That article sucks. It says ∀ Gundam is Universal Century, even though it's not. The only UC title explicitly recommended happens to be one I hate. But the recommendation is unhelpful even for those who do like 8th MS Team, because it doesn't tell them what to watch next. Worst of all is that some of the best entries in UC and other timelines are not so much as mentioned!


I agree, Im not sure why Turn A Gundam fell into the UC Timeline XD lol but newbies arent going to catch those details, and it doesnt matter when someone is trying to just get started.

Also, the article was written over 5 years ago, so any recent shows are not going to be listed - thats partly why a lot of good ones are missing. And I think the author was on only writing about the shows he had personally watched, and therefore only limited his recommendations to the ones he has seen.

But its not a bad article for people who just need some basic direction for where to start imo...it helped me get into Gundam more fully. It at least helped me avoid some of the bad shows at the beginning.
CammedhamJul 3, 2023 12:07 PM
Jul 3, 2023 3:29 PM

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Feb 2016
11940
Cammedham said:
Also, the article was written over 5 years ago, so any recent shows are not going to be listed - thats partly why a lot of good ones are missing. And I think the author was on only writing about the shows he had personally watched, and therefore only limited his recommendations to the ones he has seen.
Build Fighters, IBO, Origin, and Thunderbolt all released before this article was written. If the author hadn't watched them, he should have had someone else write the article.
その目だれの目?
Jul 3, 2023 6:59 PM

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Simmer down bruskis
Jul 3, 2023 7:49 PM
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Sep 2021
18
yes please keep it civil, @Ashburnsg I respect your opinion but I would rather hear from someone who genuinely enjoys the series to help me understand it a little better than the cliche of "it sucks"

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