Category: Gundam

Point of Entry: Gundam the Origin

Leave a comment

On April 7, 1979 a show debuted on the Nagoya Broadcasting Network that would that would change the mecha genre forever. 34 years later Mobile Suit Gundam would inspire a dozen TV shows, several movies and miniseries, dozens of novels and comics, and a plethora of toys and video games. So the question asked as often as there are stars in the sky is, “I am new to this whole Gundam thing so where should I start.”  Gundam fandom being hardly known for its congenial nature or unified voice argues about this question constantly.

As a person who has done several panels and posts about how to recommended series to other people I know there is no one right answer. There is no magic bullet that works on everyone. One person might be more interested in the characters or themes of one iteration while another might be turned away by the animation or robot design of another. There are distinctly some shows that have a much higher chance of success but no guarantees.  A martial arts fan that might have been bored out of his skull if his first exposure to Gundam was through Zeta might have a very different expedience if they watch G Gundam. I’m sure there is even someone who optimal first series would be Gundam oo83. I just never wish to meet this monster.

In the post we will examine the recently released Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin by whose first volume was  just released by Vertical. Who will enjoy this title and more importantly who can you show this as their first encounter with Gundam?

I’d be surprised if any anime or manga fan wasn’t at least mildly curious about the juggernaut franchise known as Gundam. But there are a ton of interactions, the fans are rabid, and no one seems to agree where the best place to start is. Plus, if you aren’t into robots you may be put off further.

But none of that matters, truly. Gundam the Origin is where it’s at!

Continue reading →

Top 5 Favorite Female Mecha Pilots

10 Comments

I worked in a second Gundam pick. I am sneaky that way.

I just finished the second season of Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne, a mecha show were the primary three pilots were all female. While Lagrange was not the best mecha show I have ever seen it was very enjoyable and did make me start thinking about female mecha pilots in general. The trio of female Aestivalis pilots in Martian Successor Nadesico have also started the gears turning in my head. So in turn instead of doing a lengthy rumination on the place of female pilots in mecha, which my thoughts are not entirely clear on, I thought I would do a simple top 5 list for now. Perhaps when my overall feelings on the subject are more settled I will do something with Narutaki on the more intricate topic.

As always for these lists I made a few rules for myself. Just as a note I went out of my way to only pick one character from any one series. While Gundam has quiet a few great female pilots it also has an equal amount of horrible ones. But I did not want Gundam to dominate the list so I narrowed it down to a single pick. Also I have not seen every mecha show ever made so don’t hate me because say Jun Hono or your favorite girl from Aquarion Evol is not on the list. And last but not least these are my favorite pilots not the best female mecha pilots of all time. You can argue who is a better pilot or character until your blue in the face. This is not a definitive ranking but a purely subjective list.

Continue reading →

Ongoing Investigations: Case #171

3 Comments

Rurouni Kenshin has been getting a strong revival recently. The manga ended in 1999, and other than the slightly infamous Reflection OVA, the series was fairly dormant until last year. Then a PSP fighting game and the Kyoto Arc movies heralded a Renaissance for the series ushering in the upcoming live action film. Even more surprisingly than any of that is the newly re-imagined manga of the original series. Seeing that the Kenshin name still has a good deal of cache with western fans Shonen Jump Alpha announced that Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration (aka Rurouni Kenshin -Cinema-ban-) would be the one of the titles they used to replace the recently finished Bakuman manga.

Like any good reboot Restoration is immediately familiar yet feels new at the same time. Clearly Nobuhiro Watsuki has changed and improved his art style since he last worked on Kenshin. But at the same time it ins unmistakably Kenshin.If you have ever seen the character redesigns for the covers of the Rurouni Kenshin Kanzenban reprints then you have a good idea of what to expect.

The first story combines the original introduction of Kenshin, Karou, and Yahiko with elements of the first Aoshi story. Like the art the story feels familiar but it is still its own beast. It starts during Bakumatsu with flashes of some iconic battles between Kenshin, Jin-e, and Saito. It then moves forward to the relative calm of the Meiji era and Kenshin once again gets mixed up with Kaoru trying keep her dojo from unsavory scoundrels. It is a quick little story that unites the main trio and shows off Kenshin’s skills. The chapter end with some cameos of villains from throughout the original series including Sanosuke, Saito, and Inui Banjin. A good introduction to the cold-hearted assassin of the revolution who becomes a pacifist who carries a revered blade sword so he can defend the weak without killing. But at the same time it reminds you that there is still a bit of the beast still in Kenshin.

It is an interesting trip back to the story of Himura Kenshin. I think it has the distinct ability to draw in new fans while reminding older fans what they liked about the original. I am curious if they are going to make Kaoru anything more that a damsel in distress most of the time. This would be a good chance for her to live up to the initial promise she had in the original series.

I myself am mostly just sitting back and waiting for Misao to be reintroduced.

I wasn’t really all the interested in the online magazine Shonen Jump Alpha. I had nothing against it, I just wasn’t keeping up to date with any of their offerings. But then they announced Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration and I folded. So here I am, reading a comic weekly monthly which I don’t think I’ve ever done before. I’m pretty excited!

From first glance I was happy with what I saw. The art is top-notch, very sharp and crisp. The action is swift and bold.

We start with bloody battles featuring Kenshin as Battosai and then jump forward to the period after the war. This set-up works, you don’t know too much about Kenshin and his abilities but you know enough to be aware of his badass status. He makes it pretty freakin’ clear to a lot of people that he is indeed Battosai from the first chapter. It feels more aggressive, instead of trying to live out a humble life, Kenshin is ready to jump in the fray for a purpose. He hasn’t lost the rejection of unnecessary violence, but he also isn’t hiding from who he was. At least, that’s how it seemed in this chapter.

I wasn’t really kidding when not too long ago I joked that if they were redoing Kenshin they should have forgotten about Karou. Blessedly, she is already not nearly as annoying. I believe this can continue!

Continue reading →