Mobile Suit Gundam

[battletech]

Very neat episode this week.

It was nice to see Flit out there fighting in the AGE-1.

Another reason for Gundam X awesomeness is Tiffa and Garrod's relationship.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

AW NO THEY DIH-ENN!!! Hells yeah.

Generation 2 is getting really good. Lots of interesting things going in in the shadows.

But, seriously, why did the Vegans just kick down the wall and start a mobile suit battle? Shouldn't they have just sniped Woolf?
---

Now for some thoughts on a couple of Gundam things I watched recently.

Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories

This is truly a mixed bag, for me. On the one hand, you've got fantastic mecha designs, superb battle animation and s couple of cool story concepts. In particular, the way they bridged 0079 with Zeta was quite neat, but you have to have already seen Zeta to really "get" it. On the other, you've got the least likable cast of characters that I have yet to encounter. Pretty much everyone under the age of 50 is terrible. The least offensive of them are simply uninspiring and boring, but there are a couple (Monsha, Nina...) that I actively loathe. They do not manage to topple Katz, but they give Quess a fight for the silver medal. Monsha is just a giant jerk, and Nina is completely crazy. The love triangle between Kou, Nina and Gato was the strangest, most forced, worst executed love triangle ever. ARGH! The old dudes are kind of cool, but they don't get enough screen time. Also, while some of the things Stardust tries to accomplish are conceptually cool, a lot of the stuff the story does in the last third is kind of a mess. Cima was a cool character, but...WTH, man? Why does she do what she does? I don't want to be overly negative because I did enjoy 0083 and I'm glad I bought it; however, I am bugged by a few little things. I suppose if you're a UC fan, though, you should see it (post Zeta Gundam, of course). Speaking of Zeta Gundam...

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: a New Translation

I picked up the compilation movies produced for Gundam's 25th anniversary. Let me start out by saying that I am an unabashed super-fanboy for Zeta Gundam. OK. Established. Having said that, these movies are pretty poor as standalone pieces. I would never, ever recommend anyone watch these as a substitute for watching the TV series like I would in the case of First Gundam. Why? They cut too darn much out. The First Gundam movies do a great job of getting in all the essentials while pacing things out nicely. A New Translation manages to do neither of those things, IMO. Zeta's story has a lot more moving parts, so the things they cut leave a gaping hole in the story, for me. Too much Four x Kamile stuff got lost...and NO CHAR'S SPEECH!? HUH? And the pacing is just too fast. TOO fast. Much of the gravity of events and atmosphere of despair is swept away in a rush to get ot the next thing.

Now, if, on the other hand, you've already seen the TV series and are a big fan of Zeta like me, it could be worth picking these up. Though Sunrise couldn't afford to reanimate the entire thing, a bunch of it has been redone, and the new animation, especially during combat, looks brilliant. The soundtrack getting an aural facelift helps. It was already awesome, but it just sounds fantastic on these discs. I expected more story changes, but there was really only one significant one I noticed at the end. All in all, I would say I liked it, but all it made me want to do is go back and rewatch the originals. For supah fans only, this one.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Bumpin' my edits cause they are important and need to be read =).

[battletech]

I'm liking the second generation as well even though in the beginning it went to fast. [spoiler]I wonder who the third party is. People in the Federation or something like Zeon[/spoiler] I agree with your assessment of 0083 and New Translation. I love reading peoples thoughts on Gundam.

On a side note I came across this. http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2012/03/17/feature-richie-bransons-the-wing-zero-ep-review

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Oh, man. I forgot about that, battletech. I heard about it via this dope mecha podcast and have been waiting for the hilarity. As of today, it's available for free download.

Wing Zero EP

Am listening now, but still can't believe this exists.

[blkmage]

Mobile Suit Gundam UC Episode 5 PV

Boom Boom Satellites

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Banagher must run away run away run away run away

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I was already thinking that episode 24 was the best episode in Gen 2, maybe the series, because of the events and interactions between Asem, Zeheart and Romary, but then that ending. Goodness. Incredible episode, though I would have liked it a little more if what happened to Grodek hadn't been so directly linked to Gen 1. It sort of made the whole thing a little bit, "Look! See what we can do with our Generations Thingy!" Excellent episode overall, though, including the part I'm griping about. AGE continues to get better.

[battletech]

My favorite episode of Age to date. [spoiler]It looks like the mysterious third party is a TITANS type. They will probably reveal them selves in the next generation.[/spoiler]

[blkmage]

The episode was pretty good, but the Asemu/Zeheart/Romary encounter was kind of hilarious in how "convenient" that encounter was. Like, Asemu wanders over to the lake and not only does Zeheart somehow get into the colony and find him, but he also stashed his mobile suit in that lake beforehand.

[battletech]

The episode was pretty good, but the Asemu/Zeheart/Romary encounter was kind of hilarious in how "convenient" that encounter was. Like, Asemu wanders over to the lake and not only does Zeheart somehow get into the colony and find him, but he also stashed his mobile suit in that lake beforehand.

Thanks for ruining my feel for the episode with your logic and reason.
It was convenient. How did Zeheart know Asemu would go to that lake.?

[TheSubtleDoctor]

The episode was pretty good, but the Asemu/Zeheart/Romary encounter was kind of hilarious in how "convenient" that encounter was. Like, Asemu wanders over to the lake and not only does Zeheart somehow get into the colony and find him, but he also stashed his mobile suit in that lake beforehand.

Yeah, sure, the manner in which it came about was a bit silly, but the encounter itself was pretty great. for me, that matters much more.

[Neane]

Mobile Suit Gundam UC Episode 5 PV

Boom Boom Satellites

[spoiler]
Did I just see Kai in the trailer at 0:15?
I believe that is him, not that surprised since I've been hearing rumors regarding Kai and Sayla appearing in Unicorn OVA's for a while but first real evidence that this true, at least for Kai that is.[/spoiler]

[TheSubtleDoctor]

That is the last time I read AGE threads on /m/. Somehow, someone got information on episode 26 before it aired! The impact was cut in half.

Great episode, though...thank goodness everything wasn't spoiled for me.

[battletech]

That is the last time I read AGE threads on /m/. Somehow, someone got information on episode 26 before it aired! The impact was cut in half.

Great episode, though...thank goodness everything wasn't spoiled for me.

I hate it when that happens. Last time it happened to me was on Clannad After Story. Now Asemu can man up and be the pilot he always could be. I don't think we will see him piloting like this for long because this Gen is almost up. Maybe we will be able to see him pilot more in the next Gen.

[Neane]

Hey, want to drink Gundam coffee, or eat Gundam pastries then come to the Gundam café.

[Neane]

Episodes 16 and 17 of After War Gundam X. The episodes are basically Gundam meets Flipper.

[battletech]

Episodes 16 and 17 of After War Gundam X. The episodes are basically Gundam meets Flipper.

"Flipper The Newtype" I would watch that show.

[Crossfire]

Hey, want to drink Gundam coffee, or eat Gundam pastries then come to the Gundam café.

Hey, I went to the Gundam Cafe...


In Akihabara.



Sigh, sometimes you just can't win...

[blkmage]

Is it me, or does AGE 2 seem like it went through some really heavy editing/changes?

[Crossfire]

Nah, it's not you. AGE-2 lost all the blue due to being repainted pure white. I guess as a tribute to Wolf?


But never mind the paint scheme, is it just me or does Asemu sound...different?

[blkmage]

I meant the arc/generation.
[spoiler]It's like, last episode they were saving the earth and now they're pulling a coup for some reason against a government/figure we haven't seen. And then marriage.[/spoiler]

[Crossfire]

Eh, right. It was in the "Double Bullet" configuration for the longest time, so I guess going back to the "Normal" model felt a little weird.

[Davidizer13]

I finished G Gundam today. It's got a lot going for it, but it's also got a lot of not-so-great points.

Gundam, from what I've seen so far, seems to be really good at climaxes, but kind of half-bakes the rest of the show. Accordingly, the first half of G Gundam is all right, going through the first rounds of the Gundam Fight, introducing the characters, and eventually fighting the Dark Gundam, but it really drags once they're in the actual final rounds of the tournament, at least, until the Battle Royale. Also, the last few episodes really felt tacked on, out of place with the rest of the show. Don't get me wrong, they were still super awesome, it's just, the tone clashed.

Also, Master Asia. He was also super awesome, but I still came away from the show not really knowing his motivations. [spoiler]OK, sure, he thinks humanity should just die and let the earth restore itself, I got that. But it feels like let himself be manipulated by Wong, because the plot says so. You could see it as the relationship they had made in the last Gundam Fight breaking down, but it doesn't feel quite intuitive - maybe it's just a translation thing.[/spoiler]

But yeah. When it's good, it's really good, and even when it's not, it's still bugnuts insane, and that's got to count for something, right?

[battletech]

I meant the arc/generation.
[spoiler]It's like, last episode they were saving the earth and now they're pulling a coup for some reason against a government/figure we haven't seen. And then marriage.[/spoiler]

Yes Gen 2 was a lot shorter and less developed then Gen 1. I'm hoping it's so they have more episodes for the Gen 3 so the ending will feel more complete.

[blkmage]

It's not just that it's shorter. It was really noticeable that they did some last minute changes, especially with this week's episode, and they've admitted that the short school life arc at the beginning of second gen was a last minute addition. Rumours are floating around that they might be cutting it short (probably at 39) because it's doing really badly.

[battletech]

I checked and saw that the ratings are falling especially in the demographic [4-12 year old] they made the show for. So it makes sense that they would be cutting their loses. At lest it will have an ending instead of just stopping it cold.

[Crossfire]

Eh, that sucks for me. While I can't say the same for the show, I really am enjoying the AGE HG models. Ah well, more money to save I guess.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

If these rumors prove true, then I mad.

I think the show has been steadily improving since the final part of Gen 1. The Asuno men are some pretty interesting characters. Pretty much every episode since Zehart has taken command has been really good, though I am disappointed that the ending of Gen 2 had to be rushed through.

More proof that Japan's taste can be pretty questionable.

[battletech]

Just saw the first episode of Gen 3 and it looks epic. You got a lot of old school Gundam homage. It's got things in it like stuff from Gundam, ZZ Gundam, Victory Gundam and Cross Bone Gundam.