Hi all, I came back to anime after a long hiatus thanks to Witch from Mercury.
Since then, I’ve watched a bunch of anime - including many masterpieces - but nothing could scratch that itch like a Gundam series could.
So now I’m look for more Gundam shows to watch.
It doesn’t have to be Gundam exactly (or even anime!). As long as it shares the main features, I would consider it to be Gundam.
From what I observed, the following themes are essential to Gundam series:
War - To be specific, it shows how war is bad, and that nobody truly wins in a war.
Child soldiers - Usually forced to fight, or manipulated into fighting (by people who would usually get revealed to be the real villains later).
Politics - What started the war, or kept the war going. The politicians tend to be the ones manipulating others.
Tragedy - In war, people are obviously going to die. Personally I would prefer if the main cast gets a happy ending though.
Discrimination - It can be discrimination over race, class, etc.
“Mecha” - I am using the term mecha loosely here, because it doesn’t really have to be a robot that’s piloted. It can simply be some kind of enhancement or weapon of war, or something symbolic; usually a game-changer in the war.
Other themes that I have noticed are common but not really essential include:
romance subplot - Looks like in war, love gives people hope, as well as the drive to keep on living.
dystopian setting - It could be the lasting effect of previous wars, or the consequences of politics.
Finally, these are not really themes, but I’ve noticed these trends:
- the protagonist tends to not fit in with their society
- there’s usually an ensemble cast; would likely be the protagonist’s found family
- the protagonist’s team tend to switch sides in the later stage of the show to fight against the true villains; usually resulting in a three-way conflict
- the mechas would progressively get upgraded over the course of the show
- usage of WMD (e.g. a giant laser beam)
- there’s someone - usually a villain - whose face is hidden, usually with a mask; tend to have a grandiose plan (i.e. Char clone)
- there’s a princess character who may have some level of influence or authority over the others, or is otherwise special in some way; tend to serve as the love interest of the protagonist; hair color usually stands out from the rest of the cast
To avoid overlaps, here are the Gundam-like series that I have watched / plan to watch.
Watched:
Planning to watch (based on hearsay about their similarity to Gundam):
These are the Gundam series that I have watched:
- Witch from Mercury
- Gundam SEED
- Gundam 00
- Iron Blooded Orphans (season 1 only)
- After War Gundam X
- 08th MS Team
And these are the ones I’m planning to watch at the moment:
Thanks in advance for the recommendations.
Its less gundam mechas and more space opera masterpiece with mechas, but i recommend Mugen no Ryvius/Infinite Ryvius. Imagine lord of the flies but in space.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/593/Mugen_no_Ryvius
Edit: also eureka seven is a master piece too. Not Ao though, dont bother.
The second season of Iron Blooded Orphans is a good follow-up to the first, and certainly contains the themes you’re looking for.
Code Geass and Gurren Lagan were going to be my two recommendations. I think Code Geass is a more interesting story (although the end is hit or miss). Gurren Lagan though is juat a lot of fun (and not as serious as Gundam).
Forgot about Granbelm. I personally think it’s an absolute gem.
It’s tangential but RahXephon has always been one of my favorites.
Mobile Police Patlabor is a classic Mecha series from the late 80’s.
Sounds like you would be into Ghost in the Shell as well.
Mechs on surfboards, politics, main characters are young trying to fight the power.
No one’s mentioned Argevollen yet, so I’ll put it forward.
damn that was only 10 years ago but it feels more like 20
How no one has recommended the Macross series is beyond me. It’s not mech vs. mech, but mech vs. alien.
I like Macross: Frontier most, but I’d probably just go through them in order.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is pretty good too, although it’s less mecha and more strategy.
I am far from a connoisseur in the genre. The only mecha I have really watched is Gundam Wing, Escaflowne, Evangelion, and more recently, Bravern. Some thoughts…
- Gundam Wing is an absolute classic for me since I was in my formative years back when it was airing. It is a good mix of politics, drama, war, and some romance. It also has a compelling enough ensemble cast that you aren’t bored when the story spends some time away from certain characters. I have no idea where this show fits into the great Gundam-verse, but I think it was easy enough to follow on its own, at least it was for me as a teenager (so maybe I just didn’t care? idk).
- Escaflowne is a different feel. It feels more like a shoujo series in that the main character is female and is embroiled in a love triangle with two guys (the gentleman and the bad boy more or less). It also incorporates fantasy elements into the story, being an early example of an isekai, before it was even called that. The story gets a bit weird at the end, but it is full of good character drama and checks off a lot of your list; war, romance, politics.
- Bravern is a parody of the genre and a comedy. It is honestly probably one of the most fun series I have watched in the past year. It will swing between the grim realities of war (death, destruction, torture…) in one scene and then be cracking jokes in the next. It is hard to truly describe with words what watching Bravern is like. It is an interesting blend of the two types of mecha out there: the real mecha where these things are machines and tools used by humans, and the super robot variety in which there is one superpowered robot that is sentient and helps to save humanity.
cross ange, star driveredit: you already had one in your list.
No mecha, but for War is Bad and child soldiers I feel like you can’t do better than Vinland Saga. Its a story about war, the trauma it causes, and recovering from that trauma. Its a historical war manga by someone who abhors violence and its stunningly beautiful
Gundams
The Origin
Thunderbolt: December Sky
0083: Stardust Memory
Unicorn
08th MS Team - A Battle with the Third Dimension
Hathaway
Char’s Counterattack
SEED CE73: Stargazer
G Gundam
00 The Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer
Wing
Non-Gundams
Eureka Seven
Macross Frontier
Ghost in the Shell
Man, I don’t think I’ve seen Frontier since it aired. That was a good one.
Adding the original Macross to the recommend list as well.
obligatory
Fuck Harmony Gold
was here to add Eureka Seven.
Move Code Geass and Gurren Lagann to the Tengen Toppa the list
