Tag: Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin

Ramba Ral: The Man, The Myth, The Mustache

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(This post contains spoilers for
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin)

narutaki_icon_4040 Truly anytime would be good to talk about Captain Ramba Ral, but we felt particularly compelled recently. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin collected vol. 3 retells his story in glorious detail. Gundam Build Fighters features Ral in parody as a Gunpla enthusiast and mentor. And to top it all off it is “Movember,” certainly Ral’s moustache is worth celebrating during this time!

hisui_icon_4040 “This is no Zaku Boy! No Zaku!”

Without a doubt that is Ramba Ral’s most famous catch phrase. But if that meme was all there was to him he would not be the iconic character he is today. While there is always a Char clone in almost every Gundam TV series after the original Ramba Ral has lesser but still rather pervasive legacy. We see characters like Andrew Waltfeld, Suberoa Zinnerman, and Sergei Smirnov in the franchise trying to capture some of that lightening in a bottle that was the original. A likeable enemy commander who forms a bond with the protagonist which makes their later confrontation all the more painful and dramatic. Characters who echo like this through the ages always come from primally powerful personalities that stay with audiences when they go on to make their own projectors.

Ramba Ral is one of those characters who ingrains himself onto your psyche.

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Melissa Tanaka Talks About Translating Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin

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As fans of the Gundam series, that Vertical has taken a chance in releasing Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin has tickled us pink. With the second book on the shelves, we figured we would do another article on the series to remind people it is out there.

We could have tried to interview Ed Chavez (as he is fairly eager to promote the title), but the Gundamn and Cockpit podcasts had already done that. Instead of going over similar ground in a new interview, we thought of someone with a different perspective: translator for the series Melissa Tanaka.

Translation is one of those jobs that you don’t often think about when it comes to manga unless something goes horribly wrong. Because of that fact though, we all know translation is vitally important to how the series is received by readers. The translator acts as a sort of tour guide for a series. A poor translator can’t completely diminish an outstanding work but a great translator can let non-native speakers take in a work as if they were able to read the original version.

Thankfully for Gundam fans, Melissa Tanaka has done just that for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin.

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Point of Entry: Gundam the Origin

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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!

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