Why: Originally planned as a 50 episode TV show, then a 12 episode TV show, and finally released as a movie, the pacing is very poor. But if we ever get a Crossbone Gundam TV show in the West fingers crossed , this will ramp itself up to required viewing, as it explains the origin of that particularly piratelike suit. Victory Gundam — UC What it is: A year-old must pilot the Victory Gundam in order to face off against the formidable Zanscare Empire.
Why: One of the major criticisms is that this show doesn't appear to fit into the Universal Century. We never hear about the Zanscare Empire before or after this and it occurs so far after the One Year War it doesn't seem related to anything else in this timeline. Why: You don't want to watch this. This live-action movie with poor acting and a worse plot.
This isn't available in the West anyway even though it was filmed in Canada and that's for the best. Its position on the Cartoon Network Toonami block helped to popularize mecha anime with a new generation of westerners. What it's about: Like in the Universal Century, Earth is at war with her space colonies. However, this time it's the space colonies viewers sympathize with. Each space colony develops its own mobile suit the better to sell more Gunpla.
Combined with a masked adversary a la Char , it's a heavily altered retelling of the Universal Century with similar themes.
What to watch first: Gundam Wing , if you must. As the series progresses, the pilots become allied with one another more so than any cause, and choose their own reasons to fight. Why: Members of the Toonami generation may remember falling in love with Gundam Wing , but we didn't know any better. With poor pacing and a weak plot, the Gundam Wing older fans remember has not aged well.
Why: While certainly a better story than Gundam Wing itself, it's not a good standalone. For the first time, Gundam featured characters with a more modern moe look, complete with enormous eyes, waifish figures, and likewise elegant mobile suits. Did I mention this one also has a mysterious masked adversary? What to watch first: Gundam Seed , which comes first chronologically. What it is: One young Coordinator chooses to ally himself with Earth instead of space. Follows the formula set up in Gundam Wing in which five attractive pilots generate a female audience.
However, it suffers from wooden dialogue and a failure to surpass the original. On the other hand, it boasts some of the best music in Gundam. Gundam Seed Destiny. What it is: A dark follow-up to the events of Gundam Seed. Why: Too dark, too light, and no balance. The curtain rises on an explosion, a bloody arm lying on the ground, a crying child nearby. Later: a hot spring on the warship. What it is: Three episodes under 20 minutes all released on the Web.
What it is: This is the only group of Gundam shows said to take place in the same universe as the viewer. The characters are humans with generally normal abilities who happen to be Gundam fans. What it's about: In the near future on Earth, people of all ages build Gunpla—plastic Gundam models—and use high-tech arenas to make them battle for fun and profit. Oh, and there's a mysterious masked adversary, but you guessed that already. What to watch first: Gundam Build Fighters.
What it is: The story of two friends teaming up to become the best Gundam Build Fighters in the world. Why: It's easy to write this off as a half-hour commercial for Gundam toys, but a compelling plot and engaging characters keep it interesting. There are lots of inside jokes, cameos, and references to other Gundam shows, so it's even better if it isn't your first. Gundam Build Fighters Try. What it is: This time, three friends team up to become the best Gundam Build Fighters etc.
What are they: Some Gundam shows take place in their own timeline totally unrelated to any other Gundam show—except for the whole giant-fighting-suit-and-masked-adversary thing. It's not necessary to grasp Gundam tropes to fully understand and enjoy these Gundam shows. What to watch first: It doesn't matter. These all work alone! Check out the centuries and their one-shot series, in no particular order, below:.
After War — Gundam X. What it is: On a post-apocalyptic Earth, a young thief only looks out for his own survival. But when he meets a mysterious girl, he decides to pilot a mobile suit to save her life. The victor earns his or her colony the right to govern all of the colonies for the next four years.
One young fighter represents Japan while on a global search to find his brother. Why: In most cases it'd be irresponsible to recommend an anime full of unrealistic, exaggerated characters and over-the-top cultural stereotypes some of which border on uncomfortable.
Anno Domini — Gundam What it is: Three factions are at war over limited resources. In order to disrupt the balance of power, a fourth group called Celestial Being creates a massive superweapon—surprise, it's five Gundams. Why: This show starts off with a lot of promise, but slowly decelerates into a confusing mass of unlikeable characters and Deus Ex Machina plot points. The first season is salvageable, only to propel you into the abysmal second season.
For those not in the know, these three films are compilation movies mostly made up of footage from the original Japanese Gundam series which also aired on Cartoon Network in America with some new animation thrown in. They condense the series down from 42 episodes to three fairly lengthy films each over two hours.
With three movies being far less of a commitment, many fans old and new may wonder if the films are an easier alternative to experiencing the story of the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Which is the best way to experience the series?
The show or movies? Ad — content continues below. However, what the original Gundam series does with that extra time is what makes it such a rich and rewarding watch. Take for example episode 14 of the series, which is completely skipped in the films.
On paper, this is a filler episode. A group of Zeon soldiers hide bombs on the Gundam, and Amuro has to remove them before they go off. At this point in the series, main character Amuro is worn down.
When Amuro discovers the bombs on the Gundam, he does everything he can to remove them. He digs with all his might to try and get the bomb out. While the troubled production and low budget mean that some of the show's animation is less-than-great, the vision of director Yoshiyuki Tomino shines through assisted by some outstanding character and robot designs making this show an all-time classic. When it comes to the original Gundam fans have two viewing options: they can watch the original series in its entirety, or they can opt to watch the slightly abridged film trilogy that compiles the story's events.
The film trilogy cuts out some of the jankier animation and some wackier robot designs , but critics argue that it omits important character moments as well. Affectionately dubbed by some as "Gundam in Vietnam," this short OVA series takes a grittier and more grounded approach to mobile suit combat than some other entries in the series.
Featuring some stellar animation and extremely memorable fight scenes , 08th MS Team is great for fans who want to see a more "modern military" approach to the typically space-focused franchise. If watching giant mecha slog through the mud alongside infantry sounds inviting, then give this a watch, but be sure to have some background from the original series first. Set in the hazardous thunderbolt sector during the One Year War, Thunderbolt features a detachment of Federation and Zeon mobile suits locked in a battle to the death through the scraps of a ruined colony.
The series' jazzy soundtrack contrasts impressively with the outright brutal depiction of the battlefields of the Universal Century. Fans looking for a more hopeful edge to their Gundam stories might want to avoid Thunderbolt , but those with a streak for the grimdark will enjoy this -- the interiors of ships are grimy and damp and claustrophobic, the characters are all miserable, and people die violently and senselessly at a pretty astonishing rate.
War in the Pocket is another side story to the One Year War, but this one is much smaller in scope and character-focused than its action-oriented counterpart 08th MS Team. War in the Pocket is set towards the end of the war, and focuses on how a young boy and how his community experience the tragic effects of the ongoing conflict. Gundam is often described as an "anti-war" story, and War in the Pocket certainly fits that label. Nobody emerges from this story unscathed, and it really drives home the message that even a war that feels distant can come to impact people in surprising ways.
In Zeta , despite the end of the war, things are not good for the Federation.
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