Mobile Suit Gundam

[Nate]

If you're interested, Atria, the dub of the original MSG is legally on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/show/mobilesuitgundam?pl=D5E3C809E7EE061A&ob=showav_e

[Atria35]

Awesome. Thanks!

[MasterDias]

And so on. And I'm not even finished with it yet. And there's still SEED Destiny. fjsldgsfh

I haven't really wanted to watch SEED Destiny given how almost universally panned it generally is. You should totally watch After War Gundam X and Turn A Gundam instead.

Anyway, my biggest complaint about Gundam Seed was the constant flashbacks (and recap episodes), generally poor pacing in parts, and over-usage of stock footage in battle scenes. I mean I was really surprised they got away with all this in such a major franchise like Gundam, especially compared to other Gundam series or just Sunrise shows in general. And, yeah, Flay Allster is a completely detestable person. You won't get too much disagreement from anyone there. But, man, that stock footage and flashbacks almost killed me in those beginning episodes.

Despite its flaws (and some pretty glaring flaws they were at points), I did enjoy the series. It wasn't the worst Gundam series for me, but it is far from my favorite and I put it behind most of the others I've seen. Also, it's not really that similar to First Gundam after the desert arc. The entire final stretch in particular is completely different.

At this point, aside from SEED Destiny, the only Gundam TV series I haven't seen are Gundam Wing and G-Gundam. Well, I haven't actually watched through First Gundam TV either, but I've seen the movies which are the canon versions of that story so...

[airichan623]

As you can probably guess by my last two avatars being Lacus Clyne and Cagalli Yula Altha, I have recently watched Seed and Seed Destiny. Originally I was brought to the series by my Chinese otaku friend who is a total Athrun luver, and among the few things she brought with her from China were her models of the Justice and Freedom.
On GS and GSD:

SEED's not amazing, but it has its moments. I think it's interesting as a 2000s take on the classic story

In other words, more bishounen to bring in the female fangirls. and more angst. you cant forget angst. bishie angst creates fangirls.

But the sheer amount of parallels in SEED with the original is pretty ridiculous once you see them. Now, SEED Destiny is fairly indefensible and is a load of crap that almost retroactively ruined SEED for me.

Agreed. Destiny had even worse characters, except for maybe Lunamaria and Durandal (epic villain). The most entertaining part of Destiny for me was watching the onscreen Athrun fanclub grow to four as Cagalli, Lunamaria, Meer, and Meyrin all fall for him, much to his panic (LOL). I only liked Shinn when he was with Stella, cuz i liked Stella. I wish she had gotten more screen time. But I was **** how much [spoiler] AthrunXCagalli feel apart.[/spoiler] My couple loving side cried...a lot

First of all, I hate, loathe, and despise Kira Yamato. He's little more than a Mary Sue self-insert character. There's nothing likable about the guy. Heck, he doesn't even have a discernable personality for the first, oh, ten or so episodes. And then when he does start to show some personality, what is he like? A colossal [expletive deleted]. Also he likes to sit around crying about stuff instead of actually doing anything. I have no problem with dudes shedding tears but when this guy does it I just want to rageslam him through a wall.

have to agree with you there: he is a total wimp. I wanted to shake him a LOT. But you know what, i think its a nice change a pace from your typical 'ican do it' hero. But he starts getting over his tearyness by episode 15ish. I hated Seed uptil approx. ep 20.

Another of the many things that irritate me about this show is the fact that Kira seems to have his own personal mini-harem. First they're all like "oh Kira likes Lacus Clyne". And then it's "oh Kira is banging Flay Allster after he stole her from Sai Argyle for no apparent reason". And then Cagalli gets all blushy after comforting him like he's a little baby which was just WEIRD. I wouldn't be surprised if this happens with some other chicks I haven't seen yet. I mean, really?

:lol: Well technically flay kinda forced herself on him: he sorta had a bit of a crush on her always (there from ep 1), and she knew it. She saw his weakness and, desperate to be protected, she sought to make him "man up" :red: in order to motivate him. (She evil laughs for a while after he leaves to go fight again). [not condoning her actions, i hate flay for doing it] On Cagalli, c'mon, what tender hearted teenage girl's heart doesnt melt when a boy starts crying???

ps. wont tell you how, but somewhere in this series they pull a Star Wars with one 'couple.'

We also get scenes where Kira is standing around thinking about Athrun and I'm just like, okay, so he has all these chicks but he's thinking about a DUDE? wat.jpg

you obviously are not a fan of the power of friendship. and dont worry, both of these guys are VERY straight.

And they like to shove the things that do happen down your throat through numerous flashbacks.

On that note, skip episodes 26 and 27: all flashbacks. your welcome.

The only guys I even give half a crap about at this point are Mu La Flaga and Sai Argyle, and I really only care about Sai because I feel so freaking sorry for the poor guy after Kira stole his girlfriend and humiliated him in front of her.

Poor poor Sai....the guys life just plain sucks...and the worst part is he got totally cut from Destiny, and I really wanted to see him again!

This series is also a prime example of why you should show and not tell. Yeah, they tell us every episode that KIRA AND ATHRUN DON'T WANNA FIGHT CUZ THEY R BEST FRENDS but we never actually got to SEE that relationship established. They just expect us to believe it because they said so. Sorry but no.

Agreement there. They should used up some flashback time for this.

They couldn't even be bothered to give Athrun a freaking personality (at this point in the series).

Don't worry: he does. Trust me. More fangirls love Athrun more than Kira anyway. Plus the only good part of Destiny is that it mostly follows Athrun.

I ended up likingOn a side note, my Gundam Seed AMVs!!!
CagalliXAthrun "Pretend"
KiraXLacus "Hanging on by a thread"

btw im workin on my lacus cosplay right now actually....

[ShiroiHikari]

Gundam bishies, eh?

I see your Kira and Athrun and raise you a Banagher Links:



Also, I'm okay with FRIENDSHIP POWAH but the Kira/Athrun thing is just...weird to me.

[blkmage]

I think watching more UC Gundam has really put into perspective how awful the characters in SEED are. The vast majority of them are simply uninteresting and are about as deep as a sheet of paper. And that's not even mentioning the constantly terrible choices that they're all making, whether it's deciding where to go or who to shoot or what to do. I think the only character I still think favourably of is Andrew Waltfeld.

00 is also pretty unimpressive, but for reasons that are far more entertaining and less enraging than the general ineptitude of SEED.

[ShiroiHikari]

I think watching more UC Gundam has really put into perspective how awful the characters in SEED are. The vast majority of them are simply uninteresting and are about as deep as a sheet of paper.

This. So much this. I consider it pretty telling that characters like Kira Yamato make me feel like maybe Kamille Vidan isn't such a bad guy after all.

00 is also pretty unimpressive, but for reasons that are far more entertaining and less enraging than the general ineptitude of SEED.

Agreed. Gundam 00 at least had some good material. It just didn't handle it particularly well.

[Nate]

I'd also like to mention I've now officially finished the original Gundam and man, what a blast it was. Definitely worthy of its status as a classic, and a fantastic show all around.

Which isn't to say it wasn't without its flaws. I can see why Zeon is definitely a fan-favorite. Many of the Zeon characters are given interesting personalities and motivations. I'm thinking specifically of Char and Ramba Ral here. Many of the White Base crew were just kind of "there" without any real interesting personality, and plot stuff came out of nowhere with most of it. Like the whole Mirai being in love with Sleggar Law thing. That came completely out of nowhere and felt a bit forced even, like a desperate attempt to make the viewer care about the events that happened afterward (especially since Sleggar had only been introduced a few episodes beforehand).

Still a fantastic series though. Ryu and Ramba Ral were my favorite characters by far.

Besides, any series that inspires this is truly a modern classic. SIEG ZEON! SIEG ZEON! SIEG ZEON!

[ShiroiHikari]

Besides, any series that inspires this is truly a modern classic. SIEG ZEON! SIEG ZEON! SIEG ZEON!

That whole album is pretty freaking great:

Don't turn around, Amuroooooo

[MasterDias]

I think watching more UC Gundam has really put into perspective how awful the characters in SEED are. The vast majority of them are simply uninteresting and are about as deep as a sheet of paper. And that's not even mentioning the constantly terrible choices that they're all making, whether it's deciding where to go or who to shoot or what to do. I think the only character I still think favourably of is Andrew Waltfeld.

00 is also pretty unimpressive, but for reasons that are far more entertaining and less enraging than the general ineptitude of SEED.

To be completely fair though, UC has had its fair share of weak/bland characters. While I like UC Gundam quite a bit, I don't think its necessarily superior to the AU series overall.

Yoshiyuki Tomino has his own issues as a director as well. ZZ has really inconsistent writing, Overman King Gainer has incredibly bizarre direction, and Victory Gundam was eventually sunk by mostly forgettable characters and overdoing the pointless deaths.
Zeta, First Gundam movies, and Turn A are near the top of my list though.

Like the whole Mirai being in love with Sleggar Law thing. That came completely out of nowhere and felt a bit forced even, like a desperate attempt to make the viewer care about the events that happened afterward (especially since Sleggar had only been introduced a few episodes beforehand).

Wow, and I thought that felt a bit random in the movies. I had assumed it would be more fleshed out in the series...

[ShiroiHikari]

To be completely fair though, UC has had its fair share of weak/bland characters.

Well, not every character can be super well-rounded and fleshed out. SEED doesn't have ANY characters that are compelling. UC does. That's the difference.

[ShiroiHikari]

Well, I watched more SEED. There was an episode with Athrun and Cagalli that was probably the most interesting thing that has happened so far. At least I know a thing or two about Athrun now instead of him just standing around looking pretty.

[spoiler]But Cagalli is the princess of Orb? WAT. Also Orb in general: WAT.[/spoiler]

[blkmage]

Yoshiyuki Tomino has his own issues as a director as well. ZZ has really inconsistent writing, Overman King Gainer has incredibly bizarre direction, and Victory Gundam was eventually sunk by mostly forgettable characters and overdoing the pointless deaths.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Tomino is Law or anything. In fact, as much as I enjoyed MSG and Zeta, I found the direction pretty weird at times. I mean, my favourite Gundam before Unicorn was 08th MS Team. And I haven't had the chance yet to watch the AU series that were generally well-regarded.

[Rocketshipper]

Cool a Gundam thread!

I just recently got into Gundam big time a few months ago. I was originally not that interested in the franchise at all; the most I'd seen was Gundam Wing Endless Waltz, which made no sense out of context, and trailers. Then I ended up borrowing the whole Gundam Wing series from someone in the anime club and I enjoyed quit a bit. Then I found out Gackt's songs were being used as theme songs for the Zeta movies, and so I decided to check them out. And that got me interested in other UC Gundam stuff, so I ended up buying the Gundam 0079 trilogy, the Zeta trilogy, Char's Counterattack, F91, and the OVAs. So far I've watched everything except 0083, and I plan to watch Unicorn eventually too.

I really LOVED the 0079 movie trilogy, a lot more than I'd thought I would. I was really worried that, being a compilation movie series, that it would be choppy and hard to follow, but it really wasn't at all. The editing was excellent and all three movies felt like REAL movies, rather than episodes cut together. Unfortunetly I can;t say the same for the Zeta movies, which barely made sense at all. I had to look up summaries and character bios on the internet to help better understand what was going on there.

Char's Counterattack was good too, but what is with the Gundam writers and just throwing you write into the start of the story without much of a descent set-up? I felt like I was starting in the middle of a movie instead of the beginning. The Z movies had that problem too big time, and even the 0079 trilogy could have had a better introduction.

War in the Pocket was great. The little kid was REALLY annoying for most of the series but in the end I get the feeling that thats kind of the point. I liked the more serious less actiony character storyline, and the ultra depressing ending ^^. 8th MS was good all around too, with a lot of funny/interesting characters. HATED the 12th episode though!! episode 11 was a good enough ending, and 12 just felt like a pointless filler. Can;t wait to watch 0083 and Unicorn.

[battletech]

I felt like I was starting in the middle of a movie instead of the beginning. The Z movies had that problem too big time, and even the 0079 trilogy could have had a better introduction.

I had the same feeling about the Zeta movies and I have seen the TV series.
The Zeta movies were basically a remake. They would have had to change all the Gundam shows before and after Zeta to make it more flushed out.

[airichan623]

Gundam bishies, eh?

I see your Kira and Athrun and raise you a Banagher Links:

ok....SEED still wins bishie contest...but im perked. this is unicorn right?

Well, I watched more SEED. There was an episode with Athrun and Cagalli that was probably the most interesting thing that has happened so far.

LOVE THAT EPISODE!!! emotional and hilarity at the same time. teehee.

At least I know a thing or two about Athrun now instead of him just standing around looking pretty.

And standing around looking pretty is bad because.....? LOL jk. i agree- the character development Begins.....

[spoiler]But Cagalli is the princess of Orb? WAT.[/spoiler]

thats one thing you never saw coming. xD

--
Does anyone know if theres a site streaming Gundam 00? I wanna catch up to where it is on tv.

And is it ok to start UC from Zeta? or will it be too confusing? a friend of mine loves Zeta a ton.

[battletech]

Gundam 00 is on Crunchyroll and Youtube right now.
I do not think it will be to confusing to watch. It will be slightly confusing though.

[Agloval]

Char's Counterattack was good too, but what is with the Gundam writers and just throwing you write into the start of the story without much of a descent set-up?

There's some pleasure to be had from the activity of piecing together the backstory and facts from hints dropped as the story carries on but it's definitely offputting at first. And unlike fifty-episode television anime stories, Char's Counterattack doesn't have the chance to carry on and drop hints.

I don't know if I really think it's a great movie, but I have a lot of time for Char's Counterattack. I think it nails the sadness of irreconcilably opposed people hurting each other rather well -- this is something which is all over UC Gundam (ZZ partially excepted), of course, but I think when packed into a couple of hours of movie it has an impact it lacks when it's repeated again and again in episode after episode of a tv show. Maybe CCA has a certain extra elgiac quality because it's the end of that first generation of UC characters.

[ShiroiHikari]

I really LOVED the 0079 movie trilogy, a lot more than I'd thought I would. I was really worried that, being a compilation movie series, that it would be choppy and hard to follow, but it really wasn't at all. The editing was excellent and all three movies felt like REAL movies, rather than episodes cut together. Unfortunetly I can]

Oh dude, the Zeta movies are no way to watch Zeta. I watched them, and I've seen Zeta, and even I didn't know what the heck was going on half the time. The TV series is up on Youtube; you should watch it if you wanna see Zeta and actually be able to get something out of it. (Why did they make those movies anyway. Oh yeah, to make a quick buck.)

Char's Counterattack was good too, but what is with the Gundam writers and just throwing you write into the start of the story without much of a descent set-up? I felt like I was starting in the middle of a movie instead of the beginning. The Z movies had that problem too big time, and even the 0079 trilogy could have had a better introduction.

Throwing you into the pool and watching you flail around is just how Tomino rolls. At first it bothered me too but I sort of grew to like it. As for CCA, I personally don't care for it. Too many new characters, not enough Amuro, kinda BS ending (in my opinion). But then I like Amuro better than Char so maybe I'm the weird one.

And is it ok to start UC from Zeta? or will it be too confusing? a friend of mine loves Zeta a ton.

Don't start with Zeta. You will be very confused!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

If you're interested, Atria, the dub of the original MSG is legally on Youtube.

That. Dub. Is. Bad.

Agh. I really want to like the show a lot, but (1) I am quite picky when it comes to English voice acting, and (2) I loathe the Ocean Group's dubs.

Don't get me wrong...it is a good show (finished up through ep 25), but the dub keeps its ceiling at 3/5, for me. Thank the Lord Zeta is streaming subtitled.

[ShiroiHikari]

Dude, seriously. The MSG dub is...well, I couldn't sit through it. Can't stand Brad Swaile as Amuro. I saw the subbed version through other means, which is supposed to be released in the US sometime this year, thank goodness.

The dub of Zeta isn't much better. I didn't know it was streaming subbed though! That's a plus.

[Nate]

Ah come on, the dub isn't THAT bad.

Yeah, it can use some work. It's definitely rough around the edges and has some terrible voice work. For example, I like Char's voice a lot, but every time he's supposed to be expressing fear or surprise ("Nooooooo") it's really, really bad.

Besides the dub rules for one reason and one reason alone. WE'RE JUMPING ONTO WHITE BASE.

[ShiroiHikari]

WE'RE JUMPING ONTO WHITE BASE.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Char is fine, but when you are FREAKING CHAR AZNABLE, you have to be better than OK.

Bright sounds like an absolute robot. He says every line the same way, no matter the situation.

Amuro's voice is outright irritating. Did they tell him to sound like an extra whiny Quatre Winner?

And, let's not even touch the random schmoes that pop up with various foreign accents.

[blkmage]

>Gundam without Ikeda Shuuichi and Furuya Tohru
>myface.jpg

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Isn't Bandai going to finally release a dubbed and subbed MSG set on DVD this year (howthehelldidittakethislong)?

EDIT* Answer: yes.

[ShiroiHikari]

>Gundam without Ikeda Shuuichi and Furuya Tohru
>myface.jpg

I know right?

Also, I will be preordering that new Gundam DVD set as soon as it's available to preorder. They should have done this ten years ago.

Speaking of dubs, has anyone seen the 1998 Gundam movie dubs? Those are pretty funny, cuz they say things like "Gun-dam" and "High-eighto" instead of "Hayato", and possibly the most hilarious of all, "Sha" instead of "Char". The acting is passable after they figure out how to pronounce everything.

[MasterDias]

Yeah.
There are clips of the old Gundam movies dub on Youtube. British Bright...and the fact that no one can pronounce Gundam correctly is pretty hilarious.

Apparently, there was a holdup on the Japanese end regarding the MSG original track. Reverse importation fears I assume...or something similarly stupid.

[ShiroiHikari]

By the way guys, Zeta Gundam is streaming dubbed on Youtube, but if you want to see it subbed, go to Crunchyroll. I would recommend the subbed version. It has 100% more Ikeda Shuuichi and is therefore 100% more awesome.

[Nate]

But then I won't get to hear Kamille's ridiculous English voice acting that I've come to love/hate from Dynasty Warriors Gundam.

"THIS IS WHY EVERYONE KEEPS DYING!"