Gundam Thread

I was telling my friends that the movies were on the Gundaminfo channel, but looks like they are region locked in Spain, a country where Gundam never got a lot of traction and the original series is not available in any way afaik. Meanwhile I can watch them in the UK without a problem, and there is a recent release of the original show. One would think that they have nothing to lose (and maybe something to gain) in making it available in parts of the world where is not licensed. But that channel operates in a logic not of this world.

Speaking of regions, I was checking Gundaminfo channel to see what’s available now and the Thunderbolt OVAs are not region locked for the UK anymore. But it’s only the first two chapters because who knows.

The movies themselves were fine, more enjoyable than I remember. Being compilation movies they have a “things happens all the time” pace, which can be merciless given how long these movies are. And the Jaburo/Odessa part is confusing: it’s hard to figure out where the White Base is at each moment. But for all its flaws there is still an endearing story there. I like the approach of Gundam more than, let’s say, Star Wars “The World is Your Rollercoaster, Chosen One.” It tries to give more humanity to the world, even if it doesn’t get it right sometimes.

PD: The Gundaminfo version has a pretty bad video compression that gets really crazy during the “Amuro and Lalah meet each other too late and too soon” part


The whole scene is like this.

Its a shame they are overcompressed because the compilation movies are the best the original series ever looked. So much new animation added in that third movie.

The liner notes in the old DVD box set gave figures for how much was new in each movie; I think the third movie was at least 2/3rds new animation, and it shows

Sadly, the new animation is what look worse thanks to the compression. It adds to the mystery of Gundaminfo logic: if you are going to release the movies to promote the Gundam brand at least make them watchable.

Thunderbolt looks sharp as hell, though. Glad they finally show some of that for the UK region. I am trying to keep things 100% legal in anime nowadays, but regions are still a problem. More so if you live between two countries.

how else will they learn?

what Gundam series has the best soundtrack?

Turn A Gundam

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Rudie did this happen / Do you still have these / How much?

Started watching Gundam SEED and it is shockingly good. I wasn’t expecting much, the art immediately turned me off and I wasn’t looking forward to “Let’s do the original AGAIN”, but Mu la Flagga is in it soooo…

It’s got some really good robot design and the mobile suits and tech feel very well developed, especially compared to series like Wing and After War X. The show makes it feel like there’s a whole world behind the technologies and the Mobile Suits feel like this big cool hype thing, which hasn’t been done fully convincingly, really, since the original and a few of the OVAs. The action is really good, too! I’ve heard people complain that it’s just “beamspam” but that’s not the case at all, the problem solving is really good and done in subtle ways, like Kira changing equipment mid battle and that being significant due to his energy being tied to his equipment. It’s all very smart, while being much smoother and faster than any previous series. The Gundam’s themselves have a good balance of power too, while they’re at their most powerful since Wing they have obvious and clearly stated weaknesses. A number of the Gundam’s specialization have already been significant to the plot and I’m only on episode 11, so that bodes very well.

Kira is a crappy main character, though, and the character designs are really blllerrrrgh and they have scary cat eyes and a lot of it is more AnImE than I like but I can bear with it

Most of the issues people have with Seed come with the later half and Destiny. This is when things like beamspam happen.

The first half is overall a fair approximation of the original MSG for a new age, and yeah the setting has a lot of potential that the shows never fully capitalize on.

I might still have them? If you want them the cost if shipping is it.

Im down, give me a quote and Ill give you a money.

I wish every Gundam SEED fight looked this good and had such intense action.

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Does SEED man bust a hole in his colony and inadvertently kill his dad too?

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Nah. HIS PARENTS ARE DEAD already. His colony does get totally destroyed though, but that’s primarily the bad guys’ fault.

aw man i just started watching MSG but i realize now that if i start reading this thread i’ll be spoiled on shit i don’t even know exists yet

i’m on ep 16 and damn this show is ridiculously great

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jesus christ so

i finished all of MSG and MSZG

turns out ZG is one of, if not the best anime i’ve seen

MSG is also great but suffers from extremely poor animation and filler shots (vehicles coming back to the white base are just the launch animation in reverse o.O) - i also prefer the pacing and characters in MSZG - a bit more nuance to the newtype relationships than in MSG - ZG really builds on MSG’s characters in such a meaningful and natural way, and all the variations on themes presented in MSG…

jesus christ

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the first few eps of ZZG are… cute

my friends said tomino was pressured to make something “lighter” and by golly it’s certainly that!

I thought I liked Zeta better at first but time has been kinder to Gundam. They’re both excellent though.

It hurts my heart a little every time I hear that Gundam has poor animation. It’s cheap in spots and there’s a few really bad off model cels here and there, but goddammit it’s beautiful. Even when the animators don’t bring it all the way it’s so gorgeously, brilliantly storyboarded.

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I feel like my time with ZZ was something of a fever dream.

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