What is the worth of Mobile Suit Gundam?
It is made of excellence and deserves to be on our Enlightenment list.
57.1%
8
It is too unremarkable to be on on either of our lists.
14.3%
2
It is vastly overrated and deserves to be on our Relations list.
0.0%
0
I have not watched this series because I was Bright Slapped and not even my father hit me!
28.6%
4
14 votes
| Mobile Suit Gundam is now up for vote. Decide if it will lead the Earth Federation to Enlightenment or if it'll force Char to quit his day job and drive a Toyota in the Relations. RULES: 1. You can only vote for a title if you've finished watching/reading it. You must’ve read or watched at least 60% of the published content for unfinished titles. There might be exceptions for very long finished titles – they are decided on a case by case basis, but usually amount to more than half of the published content. 2. Write your vote at the very top of your comment. 3. Below your vote, give a substantial explanation to back it up. It doesn't have to be lengthy; it just needs to cover the points you want to make. 4. If you have only read/watched the adaption/source material of the respective nominee, please state so in your post. 5. It will take a minimum of 5 votes for either Enlightenment or Relations to make it into any of the lists as an anime (3 votes for manga). If it fails to reach that, it will be deemed Invalid. 6. The votes for Enlightenment will have to outnumber the votes for Unremarkable and Relations for it to be included in our list; the same goes for Relations. If it fails to reach that, it will be deemed Unremarkable. 7. Behave yourself. We accept discussions and debate, not flaming and incoherent fanboy/fangirl behavior. 8. The fate of the poll will lie in the hands of the officers if it turns out that there are more first time voters than regulars or the series cannot be gauged by both voting and discussions. This polling process will last 14 days. BEGIN!!!!!!!! |
Ducat_RevelFeb 2, 2014 7:57 PM
| Option 2 Definitely not a bad show. I still recommend it. Heck, I deem it a must-watch classic. But it has too many faults that just can't outweigh its merits. First let me say what I liked: The mecha, the politics (albeit, I like this aspect more in Zeta,) Char and his hair, Kai, the Bright Slap, most of Zeon, and the tone (which is mature yet opens itself to a younger audience.) Also, Rambal Ral gave me one of my favorite arcs in mecha. I just really really liked that arc. Now, my problem lies in Amuro. And everything he does. And how he pushes the plot forward. And his hair. His stupid goofy looking hair. All attempts of development are wasted on him. I don't know why the show tries so hard to develop his character, when clearly he's just there to pilot the Gundam and be better at it than everyone else. Every time the next episode goes on, all prior development is lost. The only things that stay are his angst and his overpowered pilot skills. And don't even get me started on the "Newtypes." I have nothing against that element per se, but about how late it was introduced in the series. It comes out at the most critical part of the series, the last third. Some mysterious superpower gotten from being out in space. Literally, deus ex mechina OUT OF NOWHERE. I can stand it in Zeta, as it was already established. But in 0079, it was just introduced too late. And its introduction messed with the flow of the show and the combat. Also, Amuro being the greatest Newtype pilot makes no sense outside the fact that he's the main character. This irritated me since it meant that there'd be very little out there that could pose a threat to him. Not even Char is good enough. Char! Captain Bamf is not adequate! The only good thing that came out of this was it provided some inner crisis in Char. But it didn't do the same for Amuro. He was just like, "I'm just that strong. Now make the Gundam as strong as me!" It's a cheap move, which is a shame as this show is genuinely better than that. That said, I genuinely think that this show had a lot of potential. I wish it used that potential properly. Oh wait, it did! It's called Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta. See you guys in that poll! :D (Also, as this is the last poll before the six repolls, I'd like to reiterate the shows I'm backing. Spice & Wolf, Mawaru Penguindrum, and Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita. Do not let these shows go quietly in the night!) |
Ducat_RevelJan 20, 2014 12:36 AM
| Option 1 The face of mecha that practically defined it's genre is reason enough to see it but it's quite the solid series to boot. It's a great war drama with fantastic character development that's lined with a shounen flair (in a positive way). Interesting themes and sci-fi elements are plentiful in it and while Gundam may not be Legend of the Galactic Heroes tier it's definitely an obligatory watch for any mecha fan. It has it's share of problems but it holds up very well. Even though Zeta is superior and lived up to it's potential better as Ducat said, I still think the original is enlightenment worthy. |
MatasJan 20, 2014 12:06 AM
Matas said: +1 +1? I'll take this as a vote for Option 1? |
Ducat_Revel said: Matas said: +1 +1? I'll take this as a vote for Option 1? Oops yeah, my bad. |
Matas said: Ducat_Revel said: Matas said: +1 +1? I'll take this as a vote for Option 1? Oops yeah, my bad. Thanks for clarifying! Also, Matas said: I still think the original is enlightenment worthy. Even though I voted Option 2, this is one of those series that I wouldn't mind getting inducted. My vote won't change, but positive results will still be okay with me. |
| Option 2: It is too unremarkable to be on on either of our lists. As you guys know I'm a fan of Gundam but man I disliked this series when I originally watched it. Back in high school my brother and I decided to jump in to the Gundam franchise together and see what all the hubub was about. We started to watch and things were going smoothly until that gosh darn salt episode. The chef yelling "We need more salt!" is the bane of my existence. That episode bored me to tears which brings me to my next point, much of this show did bore me. The middle portion after Ral was a chore. I stopped watching it once it got to the newtypes because that seemed to come from way out of left field. The whole newtype trippy episode with Lalah near the end seemed very strange and the connection they have just because they are newtypes isn't elaborated on. If it wasn't for my brother I never would have finished this show. I agree with all of the points, both negative and positive, that Ducat pointed out. Amuro really isn't too interesting of a character and there is no explanation for him gaining these jedi-like powers. I may like him more in the later series but in this one, not so much. He pales in comparison to more interesting character, Char. Everything that Char did in this series had me invested, even more so when it was with Sayla. Sayla was my favorite character from this show and besides being badass she tried to reason with her vengeful brother. She also kept Amuro in check when he was being childish or unreasonable. The final fight between Amuro and Char was very good and I liked that they brought it to a smaller scale rather than having it be the Gundam vs the mobile suit. http://0-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/m/image/1290/39/1290390770888.jpg After thinking about this show I really don't think it's exemplary. I had a less than desirable viewing experience with it originally and my partial second viewing didn't elevate the way I feel about it too much. It may have been the best thing since sliced bread at the time but not anymore. |
Nagisa33Jan 21, 2014 2:08 PM
| Option 1 Gundam was a pretty huge step back in the 70s which were dominated by Super Robots. Tomino created a whole new genre of Real Robots with Mobile Suit Gundam. Of course, being the first RB title, Gundam wasn't truly a RB show yet. While the mechs had ammo and were easier to destroy, they still behaved a lot like Super Robots with their movements, which improved in the next installment. Unlike previous mecha shows, and kids shows in general, Mobile Suit Gundam introduced a new kind of threat, humans. All titles usually had some kind of monsters/robots/aliens with perhaps a human being the officer sending these creatures, but Gundam introduced human enemy factions, which became hugely popular in the 80s and most mecha titles featured humans. I didn't really have much problem with the idea of Newtype. It could have used more foreshadowing, but it's not really out of place or an asspull. I saw it as something natural, the characters being exposed to the radiation made them develop some sort of psychic powers. Mobile Suit Gundam is weaker than it's successor Zeta Gundam, but it's still a really well done show. It's got ton of likeable characters, even minor villains like Garma "Don't laugh Char, the men are watching." Zabi, which is a huge favorite of mine. Most villains were really interesting. The same could be said about the White Base crew, except for maybe Sleggar, who didn't do much. The story was a huge step up for its time. 70s mecha stuff were mostly motw with villains sending random kaiju every week. Gundam changed that by going more in-depth with the villains and their faction. The only major flaws were some awful fillers like Kukuruz Dolan island episode, and the repetitive plot lines involving bombs. But it's nothing that would lower the overall quality. It's not like it had 20 bad episodes like Double Zeta haha. |
 "Your sight, my delight. Will you marry me?" |
| Option 1 Ok, this is my first time participating in a poll so I'll get to it. As a huge mecha fan, MSG contained elements that I always look for. A Great War told from two sides that doesn't label one or the other as "good" or "bad" and unforgettable characters along with character development. It was one of the first to create a brand new genre involving mecha and influenced many anime we see today. About the characters, I'm more of an Amuro fan. Starts out naive like some Newtype and isn't charismatic as Char but at the end develops to a respectable soldier that can clash one-on-one with Char. Like Zeta mentioned, I also didn't have much of a problem with the idea of Newtype. Placing it somewhere near the middle or giving a hint about it would have been better. My only problem with the show is the rush feeling with Lalah. I feel that maybe if the execution were better and time was spent more developing their relationship, the impact between Amuro and Char could have been far greater. Overall, Mobile Suit Gundam is an anime that should not be turned down by any mecha fan or anime fans in general who want to expand to another genre they're not familiar with. |
| An extremely obvious Option 1 on my end. I'm not going out and claiming that the original Gundam is the best mecha show I've ever seen, but it most certainly is the best mecha show of its time. Characters and plot are top notch, yet appealing to a wide audience without ending up as a complete trainwreck. Discusses a "what if" scenario where the world has advanced, but without us feeling we're disconnected from the characters or even the world it portrays. Speaking of characters, this series has the timeless rivalry between Amuro and Char, the unique concept of Newtypes and the God knows how much playing homage to Star Wars other fantastic characters (from Garma to Kai to Sayla's relationship with Char. And of course, the Bright slap). So yeah. See you all at the Zeta poll. Matas said: while Gundam may not be Legend of the Galactic Heroes tier it's definitely an obligatory watch for any mecha fan. It has it's share of problems but it holds up very well. Disagreeing on this point. Gundam's storytelling was not provided through info-dumps, and I cared waaaaay more for the characters in Gundam than LOGH. I felt Gundam did a better job portraying them as normal human beings, and the villains were never forced or acted out of character. |
sushiisawesomeJan 26, 2014 1:11 PM
| "The more inexperienced you are, the more you want to show off." - Oreki, Hyouka |
| Option 1 I've been thinking that the list is lacking in mecha anime, especially the real robot genre. What better place to start than with the anime that basically started the entire sub-genre and launched a franchise that is still going strong to this day. Of course I'm voting on this not just because I'm a fan, but also because I do believe it is enlightening. And while this anime is one of the most influential ever, that fact doesn't really make it worthy by itself. I think Mobile Suit Gundam is enlightening because it is truly a classic, in that the quality of the story and depth of the characters make up for any limitations they might have had in the art and animation. Which of course allows people 40 years later to enjoy it just as much as they did back in the day. To me the story is mostly about war and the effects it can have on people and society as a whole. Mature themes like comradery, death and psychological trauma, (Amuro's father being a prime example) are explored. And much like real life things aren't always black and white, there is a lot of gray area involved with both factions fighting against each other. There isn't really a main villain, just allies and enemies. And some of them are bad people yes, but both sides have them. Of course there is the other aspect to it, the character development. It was interesting to see a bunch of young and inexperienced people come together on the White Base to do extremely difficult and dangerous things. The anime dealt with this situation very realistically, it took time for many of the characters to learn how to be soldiers and to rely upon their allies. And sometimes people make mistakes or have character flaws and that too was shown in MSG. Lastly, I think its important to note that MSG really builds on something. The Universal Century is a very interesting series of anime that build upon one another. Sometimes there are prequels and sequels that are more directly effected by each other, and some are very far apart. But its just interesting to see things like how technology, tactics and civilization develops over time. And of course none of this could be appreciated if it weren't for the stellar original that people loved so much that it allowed them to go on to build perhaps the largest franchise in anime history in terms of titles. |
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| With 5 votes for Enlightened and 2 votes for Unremarkable, I draw this poll to a close. Thank you for voting. |
| A toast to Gundam entering the enlightenment list, where it truly belongs. HELL YES. |
| "The more inexperienced you are, the more you want to show off." - Oreki, Hyouka |
| If this did so well then it looks like Zeta will get on as well. It has my vote. |
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