Story-wise, Does this have anything to do with the 1979’s “Kidou Senshi Gundam” anime?

Yes, you really need to watch the original show to get this one or I'm not sure you'd get it. This series more than a lot of the other ones is very much based around having watched the original. I think you should watch Gundam 0079, Gundam 08th MS team and Gundam War in the Pocket first (these two are OVAs so not a big time investment), and then if you like this try out Gundam IGLOO because its also a 3DCGI Zeon OVA.

Actually what @Sonwig stated is an opinion. Personally I think one can understand the dynamics of the characters even without the context...it's a futuristic warfare with somehow WWII aesthetics, And Gundam 08th MS team and Gundam War in the Pocket are even unnecessary here.
Also a faster UC Gundam introduction can be done by simply watching Gundam: The Origin (it was two version 6 episode OVA and 13 episode TV) which explains well who Zeon and EF are.

And last, but not least, I disagree on "mediocre". From this list as witting it's Requiem for Vengeance which is the most mediocre one...has some nice mechanical porn tho.

Actually what @Sonwig stated is an opinion. Personally I think one can understand the dynamics of the characters even without the context...it's a futuristic warfare with somehow WWII aesthetics, And Gundam 08th MS team and Gundam War in the Pocket are even unnecessary here.
Also a faster UC Gundam introduction can be done by simply watching Gundam: The Origin (it was two version 6 episode OVA and 13 episode TV) which explains well who Zeon and EF are.

And last, but not least, I disagree on "mediocre". From this list as witting it's Requiem for Vengeance which is the most mediocre one...has some nice mechanical porn tho.

@alshu compared to the cinematographic masterpiece that was hathaways flash and the all round amazing gundam IBO (which was what aldnoah zero should have been if they kept the same director of the first 3 episodes), they are far below. Most gundam series are average to mediocre compared to them, with silly light shows and lazy animations that cover up the screen with silly senseless explosions. All of these causing combat sequences to hold little weight.

The grinding and weight of the combat caused by the metal bending sound effects, backed up by more expensive animations of actual damaged mechs that don't blow up at the slightest tremble, is a lost art to most shows in the franchise. Not to mention the weak dynamics between the protagonist and antagonist, with the latter usually being a caricature of the concept. As such, I disagree with your disagree, they are mediocre.

Ultimately, this just seems like a show similar to Yakitori in both animation and production quality, which was amusing since you didn't need any homework to get into that show and enjoy it. If this does require any homework, it's not worth the time.

@alshu compared to the cinematographic masterpiece that was hathaways flash and the all round amazing gundam IBO (which was what aldnoah zero should have been if they kept the same director of the first 3 episodes), they are far below. Most gundam series are average to mediocre compared to them, with silly light shows and lazy animations that cover up the screen with silly senseless explosions. All of these causing combat sequences to hold little weight.

The grinding and weight of the combat caused by the metal bending sound effects, backed up by more expensive animations of actual damaged mechs that don't blow up at the slightest tremble, is a lost art to most shows in the franchise. Not to mention the weak dynamics between the protagonist and antagonist, with the latter usually being a caricature of the concept. As such, I disagree with your disagree, they are mediocre.

Ultimately, this just seems like a show similar to Yakitori in both animation and production quality, which was amusing since you didn't need any homework to get into that show and enjoy it. If this does require any homework, it's not worth the time.

@robertino129 You haven't even watched the original shows! How can you complain about something you never even watched more than an episode of. You're just talking out of your arse. Gundam 0079 is the best anime ever made. At the time it was made it was the most grounded and realistic mecha show on top of having the best designs and the best animation by far in the genre. Many of the action scenes still hold up and even in the ones that don't the narrative tension remains. And 'weak dynamics between the protagonist and antagonist'?? This is the opposite of what Gundam is known for! IDK what shitty video essay you got your opinions on, but how about you do your own homework and watch the 0079 TV series (or movies if your lazy) so you can maybe start to appreciate good anime.

@Sonwig What an inane opinion, I don't need to watch a show to know it's bad. It clearly fails minimum standards in the very first fight scene, where the mech explodes for no reason whatsoever after simply being cut in half just because they wanted to impress children with the light shows. You fail at even being reasonable, best show ever made, that actually caused me to laugh, an unreasonable statement made out of pure nostalgia. Don't waste my time when you're clearly incapable of even reading my comment and meeting my minimum standards with your recommendations. Also, anyone with an education knows it's you're, not your.



@alshu Wrong on the first one and correct on the second one (past episode 4). Both provable by their ranking on mal, with IBO being the 2nd best rated gundam show in history, while aldnoah is mediocre at best. What you're saying is also nonsensical, it's written in the style of a greek tragedy, not as a soap opera.



Gudam:the origin looks like a less political legend of the galactic heroes, with less light show vomit than what gundam zero was. It actually looks good and I've added it to my backlog.
Thunderbolt, first video found titled "best battle scenes", you've got a mech getting his head blown off then exploding for no reason other than to cater to little children. Atrocious logic, unintelligent combat choreography.
Gundam Unicorn looks like it may be good, thought it definitively doesn't win any awards when it comes to the OST. The sound effects are a bit too gamey and it lacks the heavy metal feel of IBO and what mech battles should feel like. I'll give it a try later, as long as the bad sound effects are its only flaws, it should be a decent show.


You gundam fans do seem to be severely lacking in many departments if you think someone watching a show "without context" does it mainly for its visuals. Must have been too used to mediocrity to not even realize that a good movie can stand on its own, being able to outline the characters and their relationships through theatrics rather than previous season long expositions. There is nothing in hathaway's flash that needed previous knowledge to be understood. I guess it's true that westerner media literacy is falling off.

@Snuffleskin
Yes, the best kind of gundam fan. The type that isn't one at all.

@Sonwig What an inane opinion, I don't need to watch a show to know it's bad. It clearly fails minimum standards in the very first fight scene, where the mech explodes for no reason whatsoever after simply being cut in half just because they wanted to impress children with the light shows. You fail at even being reasonable, best show ever made, that actually caused me to laugh, an unreasonable statement made out of pure nostalgia. Don't waste my time when you're clearly incapable of even reading my comment and meeting my minimum standards with your recommendations. Also, anyone with an education knows it's you're, not your.



@alshu Wrong on the first one and correct on the second one (past episode 4). Both provable by their ranking on mal, with IBO being the 2nd best rated gundam show in history, while aldnoah is mediocre at best. What you're saying is also nonsensical, it's written in the style of a greek tragedy, not as a soap opera.



Gudam:the origin looks like a less political legend of the galactic heroes, with less light show vomit than what gundam zero was. It actually looks good and I've added it to my backlog.
Thunderbolt, first video found titled "best battle scenes", you've got a mech getting his head blown off then exploding for no reason other than to cater to little children. Atrocious logic, unintelligent combat choreography.
Gundam Unicorn looks like it may be good, thought it definitively doesn't win any awards when it comes to the OST. The sound effects are a bit too gamey and it lacks the heavy metal feel of IBO and what mech battles should feel like. I'll give it a try later, as long as the bad sound effects are its only flaws, it should be a decent show.


You gundam fans do seem to be severely lacking in many departments if you think someone watching a show "without context" does it mainly for its visuals. Must have been too used to mediocrity to not even realize that a good movie can stand on its own, being able to outline the characters and their relationships through theatrics rather than previous season long expositions. There is nothing in hathaway's flash that needed previous knowledge to be understood. I guess it's true that westerner media literacy is falling off.

@Snuffleskin
Yes, the best kind of gundam fan. The type that isn't one at all.

@robertino129 I don't think you have room to talk about media literacy when said media you cape for is abysmal dogshit while dismissing the original works of Yoshiyuki Tomino, and no using MAL scores is not a good litmus for quality when the best Gundam show has a 7.77 on here.

@Snuffleskin MAL scores for gundam are very bad, I am a big fan of WFM but there is no excuse for it to be higher than moat of, if not all of Tomino's works is baffling

@alshu




Nah, it just proves how much gundam fans like you lack media literacy. The fact that you don't understand the difference between a bitter sweet tragedy and "melodrama" is further proof that the simple masses use big words without understanding them. After all, google is one step too far away from you. Code geass and Gurren Lagann are clear examples of actual melodrama, with clear emphasis on sensationalism. Putting those other shows you mentioned in the same light as these two is either vastly disingenuous or simply incompetent.


Which gets it high score due to the unique and genius depiction of the main character, which overshadows any character from any other mech series. Any deus ex machina used by the show is vastly overshadowed by the bright main character, who is extravagant and his mere presence on screen erases much of its other flaws. Even at his lowest, one cannot look away from the spectacle. A well deserved high grade. This is virtually the only example you have given where one would use melodramatic correctly. Too bad you embrace that same moniker for the overusage of the word in lieu of a broader vocabulary.



The small man is angry because 86 is higher ranked than the best gundam show as well? With almost a million members, putting the bitter and angry gundam fandom to shame? This just sounds like crying at this point.


No thank you, you have failed to provide a single reason why the combat choreography would include giant mechs exploding for losing a simple limb. Rather than answer in specifics you generalize because you know you don't have a leg to stand on. The second anyone sees the cheap flashy animation tricks to save on the animation budget of actual debris is the second one stops enjoying these shows. After all, the gundam fanbase is so small it's no wonder they resort to these cheap tricks to try and cater to children to broaden their audience.


More disingenuity. How hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsGtpbfAyxs&t=380s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLZbkLqdC_E&t=120s

The vast difference in the quality of the ost is clear for all to see. Those that are honest at least. One feels like a battle between giants whereas the other feels like I'm playing an arcade game. The OST is what differentiates wheat from the chaff. Of course, I assume you are at least informed on what an OST is comprised of in a show.



Said the person resorting to ad hominem attacks to a person who dares watch a series/movie "without context". Your hypocrisy is boundless.



Further solidifying your hypocrisy by providing more ad hominem attacks. Not everyone is lacking in the intelligence department, boy. If you do not have the observation skills and "miss a lot", capturing only the visuals and obvious "things happening on screen", that does not mean that everyone else is also lacking.
Subtlety is not lost on me and anyone of above average intelligence when paired with media literacy and a well thought out show. In other words, no, I was not so stupid as to "miss out" on happenings simply because I was not explicitly told them.


Hilarious how you fail to understand even the most simplest of my comments. I said no such thing and you're only proving my "lacking in many departments" further and further. Try again interpreting my comment, maybe you'll get it right the second time. Or show your lack of imagination by doubling down like a jester.


In the end, all your comment boils down to "I'm an angry fanboy upset with the world not recognizing how awesome my favourite show is". Sit down and reflect.


@Snuffleskin
More angry fanboy drivel. "YoUR taStE is BaD!!!11!! My taste is good!!11!". How pathetic. Do come back when the anime you consider the best in the world is at least in the top 100 of MAL.