I want to watch Gundam

[Rapier]

But the franchise is huge and I don't know where to start. I heard some are standalones and can be watched without any knowledge about previous Gundams, but I'd like to confirm that and preferably start with something that isn't a black sheep in the series that might give me the wrong impression (I've heard critics of a few Gundam series over the internet, as usual).

The OST was responsible for my interest, by the way. And that FE fanfic with the Gundam names.

[Lord Raven]

Oh, I have a pastebin that describes the universes.

pastebin.com/mTXKbveX

 

They're in release order on here. All the AUs are pretty different. In terms of quality with AUs, people dislike AGE and Wing, SEED is hit or miss (GSD way moreso) and considered sort of a remake of the original gundam. G is the black sheep though. People like IBO so far and it has quite a few flaws, and the AUs that people really like are Turn-A (which is waaaaay different from any other Gundam show), X (ending is rushed, because they got cancelled btw) and 00 (first season and second season are very different and have a mixed reception).

 

Victory is an extremely odd anime. F91 is a shitty movie that you're not missing much from not watching.

 

Universal Century, especially the early stuff (0096 and prior) is the most expansive universe. I think I have to update this pastebin, but it's recommended to watch the early universal century in release order.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Lord Raven

[Res]

It's been over a decade since I last watched it, but I do remember really liking X, and it was perfectly understandable without any prior knowledge of Gundam.

[Christianguy7]

I started with Wing, but Iron Blooded Orphans is a good place to start. Unicorn is on Toonami right now.

[Lord Raven]

That shitty recut of Unicorn is on Toonami, you're better off watching the actual OVA.

[Slumber]

Start with G Gundam.

 

For real though, Gundam Wing is a good starting point. It's a lot more accessible than a lot of Gundam shows, which are either super anime(Post-2000 Gundam), or weirdly dark and serious or super political Gundam shows(Pre-2000s Gundam). Also, you might end up hating it if you watch it last. Wing is kinda anime, has some kinda politics and is kinda dark and serious. It kind of dabbles in every area that exemplifies the series, so you can think of the elements you liked in it and go from there.

Of you could take my original suggestion, and just say "Fuck it, let's try the only time the series ever dabbled in light hearted shounen shit" and go with G Gundam, which is intentionally goofy and ridiculous, and is more of a Super Robot series.

Really, there's no wrong place to start(Except SEED). Turn A will probably make you hate life, so maybe save that for later. It's really good, though.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Slumber

[Lord Raven]

Gundam Wing is considered very poor by most standards because of recycled animation, incredibly poor pacing (seriously what happens between episode 15 and 35?), characters that aren't adequately built up, and etc. The only praise for Wing that is consistent is MS designs, Zechs, and Treize; otherwise it's common for me to hear "I saw Wing and I conclude Gundam sucks."

G is the black sheep because of that. This is specifically why he didn't want a black sheep. SEED is hit or miss and I will hold back from talking about it but I imagine someone as critical as Rapier would hate it as much as I do.

[Nanami Touko]

Unicorn

Watch Unicorn

it's fantastic, good plot, great characters, wonderful music, the original OVA animation is gorgeous

It's a great ride.

 

[Slumber]

27 minutes ago, Lord Raven said:

Gundam Wing is considered very poor by most standards because of recycled animation, incredibly poor pacing (seriously what happens between episode 15 and 35?), characters that aren't adequately built up, and etc. The only praise for Wing that is consistent is MS designs, Zechs, and Treize; otherwise it's common for me to hear "I saw Wing and I conclude Gundam sucks."

G is the black sheep because of that. This is specifically why he didn't want a black sheep. SEED is hit or miss and I will hold back from talking about it but I imagine someone as critical as Rapier would hate it as much as I do.

Wing was the series that got a lot of people(Myself included) into Gundam in the west. I'm not saying it's a good series, I'm saying it's a good entry point. Big difference. As somebody who has been a part of a bunch of big online communities, the only people I really see hating Wing are people who are super into the franchise, and saw it later. Which is why I also said he might hate it later. If he gets into the franchise, he's going to want to watch it eventually, so it's better to watch it sooner than later.

Yeah, it has recycled animation and poor pacing, but welcome to anime. Some series are good at avoiding that, most aren't. Gundam, even its good series, recycle animation, and while the pacing of the plot over the course of the 50 episodes isn't great, it's decent at pacing episode to episode, which is the inverse problem that a lot of Gundam series have. I do agree with the characters not being built up though, but it's more something that I'm unhappy about with in retrospect, not so much as I was watching the series. And if somebody's going on a Gundam binge, they probably won't have time to dwell on what the hell the point of Heero was, or why Wufei was such an asshole all the goddamn time.

Black sheep or not, G Gundam is a decent Super Robot show that doesn't take itself seriously, and it a sight to behold once you have a few Gundam shows under your belt.

If Rapier is a super critical person, maybe all of my past two posts are for naught, and he might dislike Wing off the bat, and won't have the tolerance for goofball shenanigans that go on in G Gundam, but it will all be made up if he hates SEED with a fiery passion. Because holy shit that show.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Slumber

[Azure Sen]

You're probably better off starting with the original MGS series if only because a lot of the alternate universe series use it either as a basis for their own plots (SEED and Wing come immediately to mind), and many of the UC spin-offs refer back to its events or at least have small nods to it. IBO, X and Turn-A I haven't actually gotten around to watching, Wing as Raven said has a lot of pacing issues and problems establishing characters, SEED has its fair share of problems, 00 has a weird tonal shift in between the two seasons, G Gundam is both out of place and not out of place now that Build Fighters exists, and AGE is an inconsistent mess that has maybe half an arc's worth of decent material.

8 minutes ago, Nanami Touko said:

Unicorn

Watch Unicorn

it's fantastic, good plot, great characters, wonderful music, the original OVA animation is gorgeous

It's a great ride.

While Unicorn is pretty good it also relies heavily on references to other UC series, so it's probably not a good starting point.

Edited February 1, 2017 by AzureSen

[Nanami Touko]

It doesn't really

I've had multiple friends watch it without seeing any of the "necessary" UC series (MSG, Zeta, CCA) and still understand and enjoy everything.

[Rapier]

Uh, this is becoming too much for me to chew on, so... let me try to organize this.

I've seen Lord Raven's list. I think I might start with Mobile Suit Gundam 00 because it has 2 seasons with 25 episodes each (it's hard to save some time for watching very long animes, but if the franchise is good I'll give it a try, most of the issue is just me having trouble managing my time lol). Maybe I missed something, but can I watch it without knowledge of the rest? Is it "super anime-ish" or more like the classic Gundams?

Also

Quote

which are either super anime(Post-2000 Gundam)

tolerable, kinda. I like anime but I'm not too much into super anime-esque shows.

Quote

or weirdly dark and serious or super political Gundam shows(Pre-2000s Gundam)

that's better, and it's what I imagined for the series.

Quote

Of you could take my original suggestion, and just say "Fuck it, let's try the only time the series ever dabbled in light hearted shounen shit" and go with G Gundam, which is intentionally goofy and ridiculous, and is more of a Super Robot series.

Sorry but that seems like the kind of show that I don't like that much. Thanks for the feedback, anyway.

So, filtering a bit of Lord Raven's list: I want a Gundam that is preferably a "dark and serious or super political Gundam show (Pre-2000 Gundam)", from what Slumber said, and that doesn't require prior knowledge of other Gundam shows for me to follow. Preferably with the least episodes, and less super-anime silliness.

Looks like Mobile Suit Gundam fits the bill. And it's probably the one with Char, Paptimus (I can't believe I actually remember the fan characters named after the original characters more than the real deals. Damn that fanfic, in a good sense because it was good. If they're as awesome as the fan characters, I'm on) and gets me a step closer to this song of awesomeness.

 

EDIT: No, sorry, I can't stand this animation. My bad. It looks really cool but I can't. The song is awesome, but no.

 

[media]

 

I apologize for the heresy, fellow Gundam fans.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Rapier

[Slumber]

Turn A might honestly be a place for you to look. Maybe not as a start, but as a series to look forward to. It's the one I had in mind when I said "super dark", and it's kind of the last point where I've been able to really enjoy Gundam. It also has Yoko Kanno doing the soundtrack, so that wins it extra points.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Slumber

[Rapier]

I liked what I read and saw about 00 and Turn A looks cool.

 

now how the hell do I take mobile suit gundam's opening song out of my head

Edited February 1, 2017 by Rapier

[Lord Raven]

00 is similar in tone to pre-2000s Gundam, same with IBO to an extent. And SEED to a lesser extent, since SEED is a reimagining of the original (one I can't stand).

if you watch the original mobile suit gundam then watch the movies; the animation is still outdated but its quality is much more consistent. The original anime had really inconsistent animation with proportions that are off; the movies are a great alternative. Do not watch any other compilation movie but the original one; they skip out on so many details with Zeta's cutting out a whole arc.

The issue with Wing is that it got people into Gundam because it played on Toonami when we were kids but it has aged horribly and nobody likes it. 00 is standalone and lots of people like it; I recommend it.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Lord Raven

[Rapier]

Can I watch Zeta Gundam without knowledge of the first Gundam? A friend of mine told it happens after the first show but also that it has new protagonists, so I wouldn't need to know stuff from the first Gundam. Is that true?

 

I guess I'll start with 00, then go for Turn-A.

also, what do you mean by "Gundam Wing has aged horribly"?

Edited February 1, 2017 by Rapier

[Azure Sen]

19 minutes ago, Lord Raven said:

The issue with Wing is that it got people into Gundam because it played on Toonami when we were kids but it has aged horribly and nobody likes it. 

This, pretty much. There are still elements of Wing I like (Relena, Noin, Zechs, Une and Treize, the mecha designs, some individual episodes, Endless Waltz), but overall it hasn't aged well at all. Of course, after Frozen Teardrop, I may be grading it on a curve.

@Rapier, a couple characters from the original series do show up, but only two or three of them end up being major characters, and the events of the first MSG are referenced in passing but with enough information given that I don't think you'd be confused.

Edited February 1, 2017 by AzureSen

[Lord Raven]

@Rapier Zeta is my favorite of the series - but the context of who some of the characters are and why certain things are the way they are is nice. As is the world building. I would tough through the compilation movies - have you tried that? Again, the animation is old but it's much better quality.

Wing is the show we've all rewatched as an adult after being impressed as a kid, and we come out highly disappointed. I explained my issues in admittedly extremely broad details earlier, but this is the sentiment people have and most adults who try Wing for the first time tend to really hate it.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Lord Raven

[Pixelman]

5 hours ago, Rapier said:

Can I watch Zeta Gundam without knowledge of the first Gundam? A friend of mine told it happens after the first show but also that it has new protagonists, so I wouldn't need to know stuff from the first Gundam. Is that true?

 

I guess I'll start with 00, then go for Turn-A.

also, what do you mean by "Gundam Wing has aged horribly"?

Zeta does have new protagonists but most of the old cast from 0079 (the original anime) make appearances throughout the series, some of which are more prominent than others

So yeah what AzureSen said

Also I thought SEED Destiny was the shitty one not SEED?

And yeah 00's pretty good I think you can actually find the entire series on Youtube, english subbed

[Lord Raven]

Also I thought SEED Destiny was the shitty one not SEED?

I'm one of the few who thinks GSD is quite a bit better (but I think they're both pretty bad). That's just me though.

[Shin]

I've seen various bits of a couple of series, and for someone who generally doesn't like Gundam, the 08th MS Team is surprisingly watchable.

[Irysa]

Just go with the original show, and if you don't like that then you're a pleb so further reccomendations are waste of effort on everyone's part.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Irysa

[SatsumaFSoysoy]

How about this: stick with the alternate universe Gundams (Orphans, 00, G, etc.) for now, and hold off on Universal Century for now.

Right now, the Origin movie series is still ongoing; the final episode of the Casval/prelude arc will be released in 2018, just in time for 2019, which is Gundam's 40th anniversary. From the timing, recent trend of quality UC content, and the fact that Origin will end right where the original Gundam series (0079) begins, it's very likely that 0079 will be remade. What better time to get into UC?

Edited February 1, 2017 by SatsumaFSoysoy

[Kyuzeth]

As somebody who loves the shit out of G Gundam, I'd like to tell a little more about it (don't worry, no spoilers).

First of all, G Gundam is more Super Robot than Real Robot and as such, more fantastical in terms of battles, but aside from being SR, it's also a martial arts drama; the show manages to combine Super Robot and martial arts drama to great effect, integrating MAD elements and tropes within a SR premise. While not as prevalent as some other shows, the idea of political conflict is still present and played out quite well, taking some deconstructive elements. Of course, you really need to be into over-the-top hot-blooded action (and I'm generally kind of a Super Robot fan, having watched e.g. TTGL, Getter Robo and GaoGaiGar), but I'd definitely give it a try.

[Diffuse]

I'd say SEED (the first one, not Destiny) is a fairly good starting, as it starts out as a re-imagining of sorts of the '79-original while having a lot of stylistic similarities to the flashier AU-shows from later on in the series. It thus gives fairly good overview of what to expect of the franchise as a whole (which I think is an important quality for an entry series to have), and makes for rather easy transitioning to most other series afterwards. It's generally regarded as one of the better series by professional critics (although its very controversial among older fans of the franchise, as re-imaginings usually are). It also has a HD remaster, which cuts out some unnecessary recap episodes and redraws some scenes to rely less on stock footage (this was two of the main complaints with the original).

Of course, just starting with the good old '79 show is also an option. The story of that one still holds up excellently, although the rather dated presentation might turn some people of. However, starting with that one begs the question about whether you should watch the TV-series, the compilation movie-trilogy, or read the manga adaption (called "the origin") by the show's character designer. All of these have pros and cons, and it may be difficult for a newcomer to pick one. The OST might also not be the best. An advantage of starting with this series is that it opens the door to a good chunk of sequels and sidestories.

I also feel the need to mention Iron Blooded Orphans currently airing, although it doesn't really pick up the pace until the second season, and I obviously can't be sure about how the episodes will turn out in the future.

I'd NOT recommend starting with X, 00, or Ɐ, as IMO those are all more interesting if you're already familiar with the universe, tropes and clichés common in the franchise (particularly the old UC-series). Zeta, ZZ and SEED Destiny are all sequels (technically, so is Victory, but that one is plotwise all but completely separated for it's predecessors). The OVAs and movies are also bad starting points, as they are pretty much all sequels or sidestories to something else.

Personally I'd start with SEED or '79, as these are pretty "standard" Gundam series that doesn't require previous knowledge of the franchise. Which one depends on personal preference (I sometimes feel like I'm the only person on the planet that likes both).