How to FINALLY Get Into GUNDAM
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
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Gundam is one of the hardest anime franchises to get into. Between the universal century timeline, the non canon Gundam anime, and everything inbetween, it can be hard to know where to start your Gundam adventure. Let us help you out!
Tags: Gundam, Mobile suit gundam, Gundam watch order, gundam timeline, gundam universal century, gundam universal century timeline explained, gundam universal century watch order, gundam history, gundam explained, universal century explained, gundam guide, gundam anime, best gundam anime, Bonsai Pop, bonsaipop, anime, anime analysis, anime explained, mobile suit gundam, gundaminfo, mobile suit gundam: the witch from mercury
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How to FINALLY Get Into GUNDAM
• How to FINALLY Get Int...
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Timeline watch order:
MSG Origin: Advent of the Red Comet
Mobile Suit Gundam 0079
MSG 08th MS Team
MSG 0080 War in the Pocket
MSG Thunderbolt
MSG 0083 Stardust Memory
MSG Z
MSG ZZ
MSG Char’s Counter Attack
MSG Unicorn
MSG Narrative (movie)
MSG Hathaway (movie)
MSG Victory
Thanks so much for checking out our gundam guide! I hope you find it useful! We'll be back pretty soon with another punk rock cartoon video, this one will be even more punk rock than most!
Can you put together a UA-cam short that just lists out your recommended viewing order for Gundam?
(perhaps noting which series is/isn't skippable, too?)
I'd edit that to just go with MSG Origin instead of Advent. Both that and Unicorn are more enjoyable if you go with the original cinematic OVA release.
@Nix91 Yup, it kind of Jazzes things up a bit lol
Is Iron Blooded Orphans not even part of the main timeline?
@@TheNeoLoneWolf Pretty sure IBO is an AU
Universal Century Chronology in video:
-Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (prequel)
-Mobile Suit Gundam (mandatory)
-Mobile Suit: Igloo (skip)
-Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (One Year War side story)
-Mobile Suit Gundam: 0080 War in the Pocket (One Year War side story)
-Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt (Questionably Canon)
-Mobile Suit Gundam: 0083: Stardust Memories (Post One Year War)
-Mobile Suit Z Gundam (Back to OG characters)
-Gundam ZZ (sequel to Z but different protagonist)
-Char’s Counter Attack (Climax)
-Mobile Suit Gundam: Unicorn
-Mobile Suit Gundam: Narrative
-Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway
-Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (way after)
I just need to follow this order right??
@GREED003 If you're trying to watch the main continuity (U.C.) then pretty much
Then there's the alternate universe series so you don't really have to watch them to understand the main story but quite a few people like them so maybe check them out at some time
thank you
@user-jr1ns7ne3s I think the only work that I would recommend not watching in sequential order is Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin but even that one is debatably canon
F91 should go after Hathaway but before Victory. Also, Hathaway is the first film in a trilogy, so when the other films come out, you have to slot them in before F91.
Get in the Gundam, Amuro.
Hmmmm, this seems familiar....
@@slumpytony2941 But from where...
Amuro: Try and get me out it!
:Then proceeds to steal the Gundam when they try to take him out of it:
@@JordonVirtue reminds me of a certain twink....
War in the Pocket is absolutely insanely good. I literally can’t overstate how good it is.
Maybe my favorite even. Might be because I bought both the main mecha to build when I got my first Master Grades. The Kampfer is just an awesome design.
War in the Pocket has probably one of the most maturely depressing endings, when you realize a 10yrs old boy is the only one that knows the truth.... & all he can do is cry😢
:Also the the RX-78NT-1 Alex was meant to be shipped to Amuro before A Baoa Qu:
war in the pocket is my go to advice to people who want to get into gundam, it and thunderbolt are AMAZING starting points to the franchise.
"Don't cry, Al. Soon there'll be an even bigger war with even cooler mobile suits!"
@@broodo1 The depressing part to me is that ALL of the problems came from people trying to do the "right" thing. If any one of them had been cowards and done nothing, things would have ended great.
About to finish 'Witch From Mercury' as my first Gundam experience, and here we are getting completely obsessed from the beginning.
Sorry, but that show is not gundam. It was designed to get people outside of the gundam fan base. Try Gundam 08th MS team and try not to cry. Try G Gundam and try not to laugh. Try Gundam Wing and try not to sit there like: 😬
@@rh31n cring
It is Gundam. Don't gatekeep anime. That's weird.@@rh31n
My first full Gundam experience was Iron Bloodied Orphans! I think what made me really enjoy me were the segments not in the mechs.
@@rh31n And its gatekeepers like u that give gundam fans a bad rep. congrats.
This video converted me! It was so well paced, and laid out that I ended up watching it all and went "hmmm I could get into this show" and boom, 50 episodes later and I'm hooked. Watch order is perfect so far
I personally love Gundam ZZ. I know the immaturity in the first half of the series is frustrating for many fans. However, the shift in tone later hits harder because of the light-hearted nature of the first half of the series.
I'm glad that I stuck through Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, because a lot of those early episodes are rough, but everything in the second half more than makes up for the silliness you have to suffer through in the first. I kind of wish that we'd get some follow up to Judau Ashta.. Allegedly he's an old man that has a cameo in Victory.
I too like ZZ Gundam. I actually was okay with the first half. I think it's just a cultural and time thing.
Of course Judau's more of a kid, dude's only 14 while Kamille was 17. That's a lot of mental and emotional growing Judau has to do.
Read Crossbone Gundam. Judau wasn’t forgotten, just took the paptimus hiatus untill after CCA. Anyhow if nothing else, the ZZ Gundam is probably my favourite pre-CCA design
@@Herr_Gamerthe gump. That is all.
I love ZZ. I'm just exhausted from having to defend it against the western fandom lol
Gundam is best watched in production order I believe. It avoids some of the whiplash from different visuals and allows viewers to appreciate the Easter eggs/homages placed into later series.
yeah I do believe is the preferred order, indeed.
Going from F91 and Stardust Memory to Victory is definitely visual whiplash though haha
I think this is true for most franchises tbh, I never understood the fixation on watching things in chronological order rather than release order that some people have
@@donnywaldman4959 The release order is ok, specially to understand the legacy of the franchise, how it changed over time, also the evolution in mecha design and even how Japanese economy ups and down shaped the genre. For example Gundam 78 shows how barebones things were back then, but then you go to Stardust memory 083, where the studios were so rich, and sure of their success, they could draw so many details... and the change due to available technologies in the late 90's and early 2000's. Is a whole roller coaster.
@@donnywaldman4959 Specially when the chronological order is broken up intentionally, like Shingeki no Kyojin has OVAs that come before the first season and some who sits in the middle, these OVAs only work if you already has the context of certain characters and know you're getting little bits about their relantionships that are teased but not essential in the main show. Same thing applies to most franchises that have prequels, just watch after watching the one who is a prequel of.
Yo there's really no way for me to describe how grateful I am at the usefulness of the information that you disseminate. This show is not just Anime, it's history it talks about the world it talks about everything I really appreciate your content. You or your team all the cats out there whoever all of your patreon to help fund do you thank you for doing this. Everyone learns a little bit more and we get to nerd out on a show that we might have missed
Miau!
That’s why we love this channel baby!!
My current favorite is Gundam Wing. I absolutely love the drama, politics, philosophy, mechs and strategic warfare involved in the story. I've seen others including Seed, 00, G Gundam and the original but Wing will always be my fave.
Same here. I grew up with wing and currently buying gunpla "RG"
Yeah as much as I like all the others I've seen, nothing has matched Wing for me.
Yea, Gundam Wing really just makes the rest look like a joke.
PREACH! Wing was the 1
I have always enjoyed 08th MS Team. Short, sweet, but with a lot going on and a much more grounded take on mobile suit combat beyond the uberpowered singular robot prodigy v.s. everything else.
08ms team is one of my favorite UC shows!
i really loved it, probably because it is set on a planet, which in comparison to space battles makes evident the advantages of mobile suits, like fighting in space doesn't need a fully articulated robot, there is not much more mobility needed so much so that every time there is a fighter ship the mobile suits are having an hard time, while on the ground with covers that can be taken and the harsh terrain two legs can be more usefull than wheels
@@edgarego5813 i'm not a fan of grounded battles, to me is just having ab awesome machine being hindered by what would be Earth physics. You want your machine to keep up with you otherwise there wouldn't be a point in piloting a machine that was built to fight freely in the openness of space and amplifies human abilities.
@@raptros but it's not useful😅 our body is made to be used on earth, here our legs and arms are an advantage, we can use them to grapple, crawl, etc. In space there is no need for a machine to be "human like" a space ship is simply better
Gundam fandom is probably the sci Fi equivalent of getting into the fates series. Not a comment on it's quality but just the amount of content and different vocabulary they have. Haven't watched either series but have seen fan videos of both series.
Well getting into gundam is easier but Its closer than most anime franchises.
ive seen like 2 or 3 fate series. gundam is a lot better and a lot longer
@@aidanquinn2282 Do you agree with this video? Of where to start that is?
@@Axolotlian yeah, the origin is a good place to start and a very good show. Not too long either. All about char. He's like the red Baron of zeon. Maybe if u watch the original before origin, u wud be more hyped to see everything in origin and chars back story but it's a good introduction and good to rewatch maybe after u see the original.
I would agree but honestly fate doesn’t hold a candle to gundam… it may be prettier and easier to digest but damn gundam is too damn good!
I still have a special place in my heart for Mobile Suit 08. The ending gives me chills to this day, and iron blooded orphans is the in that top-tier as well! I would love to see your deep dives into those series
Thoroughly THOROUGHLY recommend Turn A Gundam, too. For a vast section of the Universal Century shows, the franchise creator was suffering clinical depression and a mishmash of other issues along with it. Turn A Gundam is the one he made when he was at least mostly recovered, and it's like Studio Ghibli did a mecha show. It's also linked to the UC timeline, as a very distant finale. It's basically Gundam's happy ending.
Iv been watching it! Its good!!
Totally agree! It's surprisingly well-done, and leaves a warm positive feeling about the future of this timeline.
Turn A undam is good, but feels quite detached because is end of the line Gundam, and most of the 'Gundam' story is just far far way in the past, all the colonies and and conflicts are done and done..
Turn A Gundam is so underrated and very different from all the other Gundam series.
i want HARDSHIP and SPINE CRUSHING REALITY
for modern first watch I think OO is the best .
but my personal favourite is Unicorn , it wrap up the theme of series , ask and answer question beyond that is wild . the piece of this series will always stay with me.
I initially was drawn into Gundam by Gunpla a while back, and a year and a half later I've watched a majority of the Universals Century and have my shelves full of kits and a backlog taking up a decent chunk of my room
08th MS team is probably the best UC series that I've seen, and I can't give up on my original series, Gundam Wing, thanks Toomami
well 08th is the most realistic one out of the group
Honestly I find 08th MS Team to be kinda overrated. The story isn’t as good as the mainline series, and the action isn’t as good as 0083 or 0080. It’s definitely a fun watch, but I’m not the biggest fan.
@@thomasffrench3639 like I said, it's me favorite that I've seen, there's a lot of UC I haven't gotten to yet
Agreed, 08th MS Team is one of the few I have seen in-universe, and it is fantastic! I will watch the rest some day, but if someone isn't sure if they want to get into the series as a whole I point them to that as the starting point. If they don't like it, then pass. But if you love it, start at the beginning and go!
Wing though... I love it, and most people who watched it at the time love it... but I am not sure I can suggest it to new viewers and audiences. If any show is worthy of a modern remake with a budget that can afford to not recycle the same 5 fight scenes 3x per episode, it would be Gundam Wing. It is one of the few shows that needs a remake to make it as good as we all remember it, because I tried watching it with my kids and man... it was so rough we didn't get very far lol.
What I love about 08th MS is that they are just regular soldiers. No legendary "New Type" pilots. No super OP prototypes. Just line soldiers.
Yes they have Gundams which are the newest tech, but theirs are the "mass produced" version. Just 3 Mobile suits and a support vehicle. And when they're damaged, they get fixed with whatever parts are available.
They're not going to win the war singlehandedly, and no one expects them to. They are just trying to achieve their limited objectives, in their little corner of the main conflict.
Dont stop after Char's Counterattack. Watch Gundam Unicorn right after!
Personally as a long time fan of the series I think this a great way to get newbies into Gundam. As far as videos, Char has the most complex character arc I've seen in anime in my opinion and deserves a video celebrating it. I don't think lumping him in as good or evil is even possible given the man he becomes. A true tale of redemption, revenge and red cometry
As a 30 + year old who only in the past maybe 18 months really got into Gundam I really appreciate this. I started with mobile, went to 8th ms team (which I loved), currently on zeta.
Been a gundum fan since 2000 watching wing. Minus 1 or 2 series I have seen it all. Your video is one of the better fan compilation explanations i have found. The enthusiasm as you explained everything and that you gave just the info you needed to hear to get the point across worked great. Your videos are always enjoyable to watch.
As a kid I asked for Gundam models to build for holidays and birthdays. I was obsessed from the get go. It wasn't until years later that a I realized not everyone thought they were as cool and it may be like my love of Dragons as a kid vs adult. But no, I went back and man these shows still slap. G Gundam is still the black sheep oddball but its incredible shoenen & incredible fighting. 0080, Iron Blood orphans, Char's Counterattack, any many others are still incredible and nothing beats 80s hand drawn mech action.
Gundam Origin is not standard UC, it is an adaptation of (part of) Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's manga (I don't get why you mention Okawara in this video but not YAS). The ova features major inconsistencies with the original series, and is followed up by the recent Cucuruz Doan's Island movie, wich differs significantly from the episode it is based on. The same goes for Thunderbolt, it's not considered canon by Bandai
Yeah, hardcores know it's alternate reality (Origin, Cucuruz Doan's Island movie, Thunderbolt, & Twilight Axis)
Then there's "Next 100" which is supposed to 'fix' the inconsistency between NT (Narrative), Hathaway, & F91
**Yes, I edited to include other series & clarify**
@@broodo1 Origin has nothing to do with Next 100, that project was about canon works set between CCA and F91, and it was announced 3 years after the first Origin ova was released.
i finished the main UC shows just a couple days ago and i can't tell you enough how worth it it is to stick with this series. i would love to see an in depth video on unicorn or hathaway.
I’m 47 and just bought my first gunpla this evening. I watched a quick video on which Gundam were the original Gundam and I went old school and bought an RX79-2 (at least I think that is what it’s called). This video had me at “Vulcan cannon” and I knew exactly what you were talking about. Thanks for making this video for us Gundam noobs!
My wife and I recently both got into Gundam and we were just talking about how underrated the UC is and how we were longing for a channel like this to cover it and spread the word of how freaking cool it is! Gotta love the timing of this 😂
as for favorites, I ADORE the first season of Thunderbolt/December Sky. Absolutely gorgeous with a compelling story
Second highest is probably 08th MS Team. Shiro is just such a good protag and the rest of the cast is delightful.
08 MS team and Z Gundam still remain among my top series.
Char's Counterattack is also really damn good.
AINAAA!
As a HUGE Gundam fan for over 20 years I was impressed with your video. My favorites are definitely Thunderbolt and 8th MS team. Cheers.
thunderbolt remaing my go to, whenever i have to give someone an entry point into gundam. that and war in the pocket are by far the best starters for non gundam fans. as a side note, for people who want a main series to start, but arent into mecha, i normally point to seed.
We can be friends 😤
I watched Gundam wing in high school 20 years ago and loved it. Now wanting to get back into the universe and no idea where to go. Thank you for this resource
Long time Gundam fan. I have seen just about every OVA, anime series, and film that as been released except Turn A Gundam. That being said my personal recommendation is for a brand new watcher to not watch the original anime series. Instead watch the 1980s film versions. It is more concise and gets the main points across better I think for a new fan. Mobile Suit Gundam I, Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow, and Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space. After that I'd say watch in order of 08th MS Team, War in the Pocket, Stardust Memory, Gundam Zeta, Gundam ZZ, and finish with Char's Counterattack. After that watch any other UC story or any other timeline you want.
I'm actually gonna follow your suggestion. Have a hard time commiting to the series but I can binge the movies.
I don't think you should start with Gundam Origins. Char's identity gets revealed during 0079, and it's part of the plot. If you watch Origin first, you don't get to experience the reveal as the creators intended it. Watching Origin is like watching Star Wars prequels before the original trilogy, because the prequels ruin the framing of a New Hope and then the huge reveal from the end of Empire. When someone makes a prequel, it's usually made for people that watched the original story, and know all of it's twists, reveals and plot points.
In my humble opinion you should watch MS:G, Zeta, ZZ, Char's Counterattack, and only after that go into prequel stories set in that part of UC.
Another legit way of getting sucked into Gundam is by starting with the alternative timelines. Most Gundam fans I know started with shows like Wing, 00, Ironblooded Orphans, or even SEED. That's also how I started. Wing many many years ago, then SEED, SEED Destiny, and 00. I tried 0079 before SEED, but I dropped it maybe 5 episodes in. Only after watching all those other series I was ready to give the 40 yo show the chance it actually deserved, and got hooked on the UC timeline.
I was wondering. I was promised no spoilers and then, immediately, I thought, "This feels an awful lot like a spoiler."
I haven't started watching Gundam yet, save for War in the Pocket, and wonder if I just got a major spoiler.
Exactly! Origin is a companion piece to the manga which is in a different timeline and changes story details - Amuro studying the Gundam beforehand and Casval taking his friend's identity were never in the original series
Thank you boys ❤ Im still yet to learn the language but im taking amateur lessons by building gundams! Ive built 5 now with my RG EVA 1 ready to be opened and assembled in the near future. I appreciate this video and feel like this is the final push to pursue fluency in the ancient language of sweaty virgin. I'll also do my due diligence in actualising the final steps of rounding out my nerdhood by watching gundam finally
Love and respect ❤️
How do you learn Japanese through gundam kits they dont use any language
@@Zeek0079 It's an analogy about getting around to learning more about Gundam, you learn about the different models like the RX, Zaku, heavy arms, crossbones etc and the different series they're from, the MG and RG kits also come with their pilot further building your understanding of the world of Gundam and the boxes show which series they're from. They also come with the instruction manual that also often promotes the different series of Gundam to watch.
3:19 3:20 3:20 3:21 klll
I would love to see more of the AU gundams get covered because a lot of them tend to follow the same themes as the UC but they do it in different ways. IBO is children fighting battles because they never had any real choice while TWFM is a really interesting world of megacorps and political intrigue leading to some insanity once the first season ends.
TWFM?
@@murderman8578 The Witch from Mercury
Being in Warhammer for over a year now. Several players love gundam, bought two HG kits for the first time yesterday. Thank you for this video.
My entry point was actually Iron Blooded Orphans (which I loved) but I never knew where to go next so I appreciate you for making this video 🙌🏽 I definitely plan on checking out Gundam Origin soon
trash taste needs to see this video
This title is implying I'm not already into Gundam
Bonsai Pop, my man, thank you! Thank you for representing Gundam so properly and creating an approachable, fair, honest, and FUN intro to the world that is GUNDAM.
I got my start with Gundam Wing on Toonami when it first dropped in the US. I didn't get all the sub plots and all the geo-political maneuvering at the time, but it lit a fire that couldn't be put out. When I dove head long into the UC Timeline, then I was pulled in and I never left. I really appreciate you creating this intro guide and for helping more to appreciate what an amazing Franchise that Gundam is. Can't wait to see your opinions and impressions on the individual series and OVA movies within Gundam too.
With that, I'll simply close by saying, "Mission Complete".
About halfway done with Gundam Origin and Char is so cool. I'm one of those people who could never really figure out how to jump in and now I'm hooked.
Thanks for all the hard work you put into this video, it was a great watch. Gundam Wing was the first Gundam anime I started watching of the series which led to buying model kits from Toys R Us 😅. Randomly found The 08 MS Team VHS tapes at some store, but was only able to watch half the series. Absolutely loved watching it though! Definitely want to check out the other Gundam shows!
The fight between Char and Amuro in Char's counter attack is, in my opinion the best fight in all of anime. It has action, it has strategy. It shows that fights are more than the physical act, its a battle of ideologies clashing.
If you want an extended version, theres a clip of UC Engage animated in the original style of Chars Counterattack. It makes the whole sequence even better
im gonna be honest, i was always underwhelmed by that fight, its just too over the top. and just goes too far into melodramatic nonsense for me. if i were to pick the best fight in therms of combat, i think i would have to give it to the amazing kaempfer vs gm sniper k-9. i also quite like the original kaempfer fight, as well as the duel between kira and arthrun, another amazing one would be the final duel in 00 (s2) and the most impressive thing is, i didnt even liked 00 that much. but that fight is trully amazing.
but if i had to pick a true favorite, it would have to be gundam alex vs zaku 2 kai.
Best fight scene award HAS to go to Shiro Amada in the Ez8 vs Norris in his Gouf Custom. The animation, pacing, and music are top notch for that fight.
@@chinito77 i always thought that scene was overrated.
now dont get me wrong, i dont think its a bad scene at all, but i do feel like its too overdrawn. it just overstay its welcome.
Idk why, but I loved the byarlant custom sequence in the OVA 4 of Gundam unicorn...
22:25
Kids going to war is major part of any gundam tbh
Gundam the Origin is rad and I’d love a remake of the original series using it as the reference material.
The mechs are cool, but the people piloting them is what makes the series great
Bonsai Pop: "Everyone knows what a Gundam is but very few know a single thing about them."
Me thinking of all the Gundam knowledge I've accumulated over the years: "Oh god am I a nerd?"
Well.... shit. mission accomplished. this video has single-handedly threw me headfirst into Gundam obsession. Char Aznable has quickly become one of my favorite characters of all time. thank you so much for making this video and kickstarting my hours-long binge fest / fall into madness.
Have an uncle who got into Mecha through Robotech then got into Gundam and Gunpla through bootleg VHS tapes. He was the coolest person I knew when I was a kid. Now he watches anime and goes to cons with his kids. I remember you can walk into a K-Mart and just buy Gunpla off the shelf.
Gundam was one of the most influential anime in my life, gundam wing at 9 years old
It was my anime series for years because I didn't know how good general anime can be , gundam was my introduction to anime
I didn't realize that none of the Gundam I've seen was in the Universal Century timeline, but I'm now motivated to change that and watch the main line stories! Thank you for the fantastic video!
ZZ after 3 episodes: I dunno, this is some Saturday morning cartoon nonsense.
ZZ after the last episode: This show has zero flaws and I love everything about it.
I think the first Gundam I watched was the original on Toonami back in the day, but the 08 MS Team was the GOAT! Such a great series! The thing that always blew me away with that show was how detailed the mobile suits were. There was a certain amount of "realism" in the way they were designed in the animation that made them seem believable, which subsequently made the story slap harder. PLEASE do a full video on 08 MS Team!
Stardust Memory is badass, it’s like Topgun with mechs
One thing that's quite interesting is how the New Types are these psudoscience precogs. Precognition and ESP etc were a huge deal in the 70s. People thought it was actually possible. A lot of research went into it. So, it's no wonder it became a big part of the series. But, later series sort of gloss over it a bit more.
In Gundam Seed which is a more modern show, New Types are replaced with "Coordinators." Now the conflict is between natural born humans and designer baby humans. Coordinators being genetically modified to be better than humans in many ways. A similar idea to the original series, but now with a rather sinister look. But, genetical modification of humans has been something which people have been talking about and fearing in modern times.
I watched Witch from Mercury on a whim. Loved it.
Decided to learn more about Gundam proper and decided I should watch something from the Universal Century, but not one of those old shows with lousy animation, hell no. So I watched Unicorn. I was blown away. Loved it so much that I said, "idgaf about bad animation. I gotta find out the backstory of all these characters. I love this!"
So I started from OG Gundam, did Z, ZZ, all the side stories. I finally wrapped it up with Char's Counter Attack last night. I love Gundam.
Def give the series a watch, especially if you're going to Japan, you'll appreciate the giant Gundam statues and 7-11 Gunpla all the more if you know about it, even if just a little.
On that note, pregame and Gunpla is super fun. Slap together a 7-11 exclusive entry-grade while downing a Strong Zero with friends. Great start to a night out in Shinjuku.
One thing I will say is that this is a great list. Watching chronologically is definitely a great way to go. But I would recommend that all of you watching this video: if you see something in this video that catches your eye and you think it's cool, just watch it. I don't think there's a proper watch order for Gundam. You can definitely star at the beginning, middle, or end of the UC and come back and rewatch later once you have better context. Gundam is one of those series that's short enough to watch the parts you enjoy repeatedly. Just don't start with Char's Counter Attack. That was definitely meant to be viewed along side the others.
UC is definitely best chronological, and If you just want to dip your toes into gundam, seed is excellent place to start from, and if you like that you will like all of the gundam. In order to get grabbed enough to watch these old shows spark is needed and seed is quintessential gundam show that hits similar notes while being easy to watch with modern animation.
Yeah there is kind of a reason when a gundam series drops those that know go "the king has returned".
My first experience with this series was Wing. It was on Toonami back in the day and I loved it. Saw the vast amount of material and didn't know where to begin. Thanks to you guys and the work you put in here, I got some viewing to keep me busy for a while. Thank you :)
For anyone who has been interested in Gundam but didnt have a great first impression, I highly suggest trying another series. As a long time Gundam fan, I admit there are some that just didnt click for me but the ones that did are in my list of top favourite animation of all time. Like a lot of people, I fell in love with War in the Pocket and 8th MS Team.
Also a big fan of Stardust Memory and especially the MS designs. So cool you got the HG GPO1. One of my first kits was the HG GPO1 FB. Great hobby.
My first and favourite Gundam series was/is 08th MS by far. It is what got me into Gundam and nothing has quite captured the feel of it to this day. There's a lot of Gundam series I like but 08th MS is the only one I really love.
I watched Gundam on and off over the years. It only took the pandemic for me to dive into building the kits and exploring the entire franchise. It really is something special.
I got into the UC with the movie versions of Gundam '79 (which are on Netflix but I bought the blu-ray set) and watched everything up to F91 (minus Stardust Memory and ZZ). But man, Zeta made me fan but Char's Counterattack made me a true believer, those two are so freaking good
Watch Stardust Memory. You will not regret it.
I'm sold brother! You did an excellent job drawing newcomers in. Got halfway through the video and I was so hyped I just went straight into watching origin
I just recently watched Turn A as my first series and man it was so insanely good! Then my friend told me it was known as "the weird one" and there are really no other Gundam series like it
3:13
In the merry month of June, from me home, I started
Left, the girls of Tuam were nearly broken-hearted
Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother
Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother
Then off to reap the corn, and leave where I was born
Cut a stout, black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins
A brand-new pair of brogues to rattle over the bogs
And frighten all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin
A-one, two, three, four, five
Hunt the hare, and turn her down the rocky road
And all the ways to Dublin, whack-follol-de-dah
In Mullingar that night, I rested limbs so weary
Started by daylight, next morning blithe and early
Took a drop of pure to keep me heart from shrinking
That's the Paddy's cure when'er he's on for drinking
To hear the lassies smile, laughing all the while
At me curious style, 'twould set your heart a-bubblin'
They asked me was I hired, and wages I required to lay
Was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin
One, two, three, four, five
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
And all the ways to Dublin, whack-follol-de-dah
In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity
To be so soon deprived a view of that fine city
So then I took a stroll, all among the quality
Bundle it was stolen, in a neat locality
Something crossed me mind, when I looked behind
No bundle could I find upon me stick a-wobblin'
'Quiring after the rogue, said me Connaught brogue
It wasn't much in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin
One, two, three four, five
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
And all the ways to Dublin, whack-follol-de-dah
From there I got away, me spirits never falling
Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailing
Captain at me roared, said that no room had he
When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy
Down among the pigs, did some hearty rigs
I played some hearty jigs, the water round me bubbling
When off Holy head I wished meself was dead
Or better for instead on the rocky road to Dublin
One, two, three four, five
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
And all the ways to Dublin, whack-follol-de-dah
The boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed
Called meself a fool, I could no longer stand it
Blood began to boil, temper I was losing
Poor old Erin's Isle they began abusing
"Hurrah me soul" says I, me Shillelagh I let fly
Galway's boys were by and saw I was a hobblin'
With a "lo!" and "hurray!" they joined in the affray
Quickly cleared the way for the rocky road to Dublin
One, two, three four, five
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
And all the ways to Dublin, whack-follol-de-dah
You pretty much nailed it with those side stories like 8th MS Team and Stardust Memories being some of the best the Universal Century has to offer. The non-UC series that I keep coming back to year after year, and my most fervent recommendation for people overwhelmed with the amount of Gundam available, is Iron-Blooded Orphans. You want war is hell? You want children being thrust into conflict? Political intrigue? Some of the best mech action and animation in the series? Gotta check out IBO.
First season of IBO was amazing. They lost me at season 2. So much so that I skipped several episodes just to see how it ended and that ending...it sucked.
@@chinito77 the first half of season 2 definitely drags out way too long. I have to disagree with you about the ending though, I thought it was great.
@@chinito77you skipped episodes just to get to the end, of course you're going to think it sucks. You missed crucial information that makes the ending work.
I grew up watching Mazinger Z, Goldar and Ultraman. Gundam was a natural progression for me. But I got into gundam through the kits.
I would love to see you dive deeper into 0080: War in the Pocket. You touched on how sad it is, but I think the bigger angle to explore is how is argues the pointlessness of war. Everything that happens in the series means nothing to the world of Gundam or the One-Year War. Civilians were killed, lives were destroyed, the budding relationship between Christine and Bernie ends in tragedy, and Al is traumatized for life, and it means nothing. The war ends a week later thanks to the events of the original series. The nuclear threat is already averted off-screen before the final battle, so that doesn't matter either. People were thrown to the meat grinder for nothing and that's the real cost of war.
For me this short OVA remains my go to method to make people detached from conflict understand the real human costs.
I had sort of a backward journey into Gundam because my first Gundam series was Gundam Seed, which isn’t even in the UC timeline. It was after watching Seed, Seed Destiny and 00 where I got interested in checking out the origin of Gundam.
Let’s just say I got a bit of whiplash going from the polish of 00 to MS Gundam, but I do greatly appreciate how great the early Gundam are, even with their late 70s and 80s animation. I do fall in that group of fans who was a bit taken aback by the tonal shift between Zeta and Double Zeta, but at least the show eventually got back to its roots.
Unfortunately, the only other UC anime that I watched was Unicorn and it’s mostly due to the fact at how overwhelming the UC universe is. Trying to jump down the rabbit hole of watching everything in the UC universe is about the equivalent of trying to watch EVERY piece of content from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just don’t really have the time to figure out which movies and shows to watch and in what order, but to also put it bluntly…my love for Gundam fell off hard. To be completely honest, I essentially got tired of not just Gundam, but mecha anime as a whole. The best way to put it is food theory. If you eat a particular dish that you like every once in a while, you enjoy it…you eat that dish every single day or every single meal? You get sick of it. Between 2004 and 2012, I watched so many mecha anime that I essentially just got tired of the genre. I know there have been some REALLY good series like Iron-Blooded Orphans that have come out (and I did watch Unicorn in 2016 just out of nostalgia), but I just can’t get myself motivated to watch any more.
Still, as cool as the mecha fights are, I think how Gundam handles the topic of war is absolute master class. I am actually really thinking of checking our Origin because it looks like it would be right up my alley because it seems like it deals more with the political aspect of war than the mecha fights.
I watched bits and pieces of Gundam Wing and a movie but didn't understand what was going on at the time. Just an episode here and there but never chronologically and never the first. Didn't really watch until I became an adult. Now I've watched Iron blooded orphans(did not like the ending), and Char's Counterattack. Slowly getting into it...
That isn't to say I wasn't into giant robots. I've watched Neon Genesis Evangelion, Big O, Full metal panic, Daiguard, and Patlabor.
I just finished the With from Mercury and personally I liked it a lot, this was my first exposure to the franchise and I want to watch more from Gundam, I have a clear understanding about the Fate franchise and was a bit lost with Gundam and this video is a good help.
The main reason I never went full into gundam is because the characters regularly get whiny or preachy about war and half the time they are just self righteous egotistic children that think their feelings matter more than the reality around them
As a vet in the Gundam space this was a fantastic video and a wonderful entry point imo. Great work as always and I look forward to pointing people this way when trying to get them into it
Im also a vet, but my point of view might be different from you & bonsai pop. Personally i think different age category suits different entry points. Younger audience probably are more suitable watching AGE series, build series, and WfM series. WfM is targeted for younger audience for revitalizing the series and sunrise really succeeded at that. Just look at the memes on /r/gundam & bandai namco made breaking sales figures thanks to the WfM series. While for older audiences, i think starting at UC series suits them.
Hard disagree on MS igloo. It sure isn’t looking very great, but what you said felt so overexaggerated. As for story, it gives you such a unique perspective no other gundam series gives, igloo 1 being about very special prototypes that ended up being abandoned yet still kicked ass in their last testing, to igloo 2 showing the struggle of the federation during early one year war when they only had like normal tanks to fight Zaku’s, it’s really a good show, although not a necessary one for sure.
I just want to point out that the proper way to enjoy The Origin is to read the mangas instead. Since it's a complete retelling of the og MSG show, it follows the exact same format as 0079, just with more context to the plot and overall world of the series.
I recommend the manga more than the OVAs because it brings more emphasis on Char and Amuro's importance specifically. They were written, especially Char, in such a really profound way. How each scenario lets them grow not just as characters, but as actual people, people who otherwise are strangers to each other ubtil the OYW. This in turn gives it a very satisfying, kind of of raw experience that will let you understand the themes behind Gundam a lot more.
That's just my opinion tho, of course you can enjoy the franchise whichever you want.
Thunderbolt is a personal favorite.
Edit: Thunderbolt is questionably canon to the main UC timeline because of a lot of reasons, one of which is that the FA-78 Gundam (Full Armor Gundam) looks different in the main canon and is used by a different pilot (Gundam Battlefield Record UC 0081). Another reason is the level of technology is absurdly advanced in Thunderbolt for it to be canon in the UC timeline, mainly because it took place during the 1 Year War and after the 1 Year War. But Side 4 being named as "Moore" is canon. Still, it's my personal favorite.
The soundtrack alone is beyond good.
Thunderbolt is alternate UC
And absolutely fire, truly some of the best Gundam has to offer.
I mean, the video is recommending people watch The Origin which is also not canon/is an alternate UC timeline so go nuts. Although I would thoroughly and vehemently recommend newcomers to the series not watch The Origin because it completely flanderizes the characters and removes so much of the nuance that made the original 0079 so great. But I guess asking people to watch a cartoon from 1979 is too big of an ask nowadays.
@@silverwolfe3636 yeah the one thing that really bugged me was Ramba still fighting for the Zabis. That still kind of took me for a loop especially since Origin state they tried to kill his father along with the Daikuns. In the OG series yes Ramba was a badass sacrificing himself for the fight but with the Origin you would think he would be working to get revenge on Zabis just like Char.
Some clarification because Mike only touched on the canonicity thing: Thunderbolt, while fucking awesome, is not actually part of the main Universal Century timeline. Rather it's another sort of alternate timeline that branches off from the main UC timeline at some point, but we don't know for sure when or how. At least most of the events shown in ORIGIN and the original series are assumed to have actually happened in similar, but probably not identical ways and the results of all the major conflicts and such are generally the same, but none of the series that are mentioned after Thunderbolt in this video technically share a continuity with it.
I know that this seems really confusing, but it honestly doesn't matter at all because the story is so self-contained. It being a separate timeline is mostly because the creator of the manga wanted an excuse to redesign all the MS in the show to be just generally cooler and to handwave how things like the Full Armor Gundam, Zaku II High Mobility Type and later Atlas Gundam can exist, even though in the main UC timeline the kind of MS tech in these machines would canonically not be available until at least several years later.
So although we never actually see the Thunderbolt version of the good old RX-79-2 anywhere on that show, based on everything about this series, we can pretty much infer that it's not the same as the main timeline RX-79-2 and is probably significantly more technologically advanced, as are all the MS in this timeline in general and that's why the Full Armor is like that.
I'm pretty sure that the only reason they even said that it was an alternate timeline at all was to quell the nerd rage from the most obnoxious of fans, who genuinely loose their mind over this sort of trivial shit. It's not even that Gundam is very concerned with maintaining continuity like this either, like usually Bandai and Sunrise generally just don't give a shit most of the time. Which leads to some serious head scratchers for the main timeline later down the line, but whatever…
I personally think it not being directly canon is a positive for both Thunderbolt itself, because it kind of unshackles it from a lot of the bullshit that defines the modern UC, and for the UC as a whole, because quite frankly there is already way too much crap in this continuity that does not make a lick of sense and actively takes away from the greater narrative of this franchise (looking at you, Unicorn and Narrative). Us not having to also worry about the insane anachronistic tech from Thunderbolt ever a being a factor in all that is a blessing.
Phenomenal stuff! As a long time Gundam Wing fan, this video is exactly what I needed to take the leap and start Gundam proper! Appreciate it boys!
I finally got around to resuming my Gundam watching this year, right around when this video was posted, actually. I had previously seen Wing when it was on TV back in the day(I ended up not liking it), and have seen the original TV series which I enjoyed quite a bit. 0083 Stardust Memory was my first Gundam show back in the '90s before it was ever officially released. I somehow stumbled upon subtitled tapes. Not a bad way to start. I did rewatch it earlier this year and while it had some issues with the story, I still enjoyed it mostly. Purpleton is one of my favorite anime last names now. As for 0080, I know what you mean. The story it tells is extremely well crafted and executed. It's also so unusual within Gundam that it's just not going to be what a lot of people want from Gundam. Basically, it didn't need to be Gundam to tell what is a clever, but sad story. I did watch Zeta this year and it was interesting and strange. I really liked the concept of the cyber newtypes. I still have to watch ZZ. And while I couldn't get into 08th MS Team for some reason back in the day, that ended up being such a great show when I watched it earlier this year. Really well made show.
And the main argument for thunderbolt not being canon is the second part (Bandit Flower) - mainly that a mobile suit as jacked as the Atlas can exist before even the Zeta does.
As a lifelong gundam fan (since Wing aired on toonami) , 08th MS team is my all-time favorite. It always stood out as the most humanist of the franchise in that, the protagonists aren't depicted as super humans or space jedi. They're just imperfect people with families and dreams, sucked into a conflict.
That said, I think the entire stint of OVA's from the late 80s-90s (0080, 0083, and 08th) are phenomenal, and IMO mark the period where Gundam really cemented its identity. I just can't get enough of them.
And as a bonus, the outro to 0083 is prime baby making music. SOO smooth. Legit, I'm astonished that the song wasn't playing on every radio station back then (called "Magic" by Jacob Wheeler if you want to give it a listen on youtube)
"They're just imperfect people with families and dreams, sucked into a conflict".
Just like any other Gundam protagonist?
Wow so your bias ignores the apparent "Super human" feats Shiro did which if he tried in Gundam 0083 would have killed him?
i think that the main point of the 08th is how much grounded it is in comparison to other series, almost no space combat means that they can use the advantages of a mobile suit better than in space (like legs in space are useless lmao) and the tactics are much more real giving it the feeling of a real vietnam like war
@edgarego5813 indeed, and I remember how refreshing that was to see at the time. To this day, 08th ms team is in my top 3 favorite Gundam series.
@@edgarego5813 "and the tactics are much more real" someone literally just screams, tears off the arm of his own mobile suit, uses as a weapon AND STILL WINS????? We really watched the same show????
I started loving the gundam franchise decades ago when i was a little kid. it all started with the model kits because it's easily available in any department stores. Then i was able to watch my first gundam anime, which is a bootleg 0083 stardust memory ova & char's counter attack randomly found in a small cd & cassette store, even long before the first gundam anime (wing series) aired in one of the tv stations. Back then i was so happy, it's like finding a treasure because there's no internet yet. Despite my love for gundam, to this day i haven't watched several series, or even stopped watching entirely. The target demographic of certain series is definitely not for a veteran like me(witch from mercury, build series, AGE, etc) and i can understand that. Gundam franchise is already considered something for older people (at least in japan) and it needs fan regeneration. Even the young fans who started enjoying seed series are now at their late 20s or early 30s.
Speaking of young fans, witch from mercury series did bring a lot of new, younger fans. They are probably one of the causes that makes gunplas are harder and more expensive to get these days lmao
My favorite Gundam show is After War: Gundam X. I feel like it properly shows the after effects of war better than others before it, and even later entries
Am I considered weird for liking it? Yeah, maybe. Hopefully we get a Director's Cut version of the show
X is great, too bad last part was a bit screwed
The very first Gundam I've seen is Wing when I was a kid in the late 90's and I was instantly hooked. And then my mom surprised me and my brother with HG kits from the show (Shen Long and Heavy Arms). I've been building gunplas since then up to now.
My favorite shows are:
08th MS Team
War in the Pocket
The Origin
Thunderbolt
Hathaway's Flash
Iron-Blooded Orphans
I've been on the sidelines with Gundam for 30 years. I watched a bunch of series, but never really got into it. I might actually try it now. Thanks!
Great video! Thunderbolt is definitely not cannon (alternate universe) partly because of how different and more powerful the technology is, it's kinda similar with stardust memory. The Origin is also an alternate universe thing, in the original anime Amuro has never seen a Gundam before and had to read the manual right before piloting.
Also I love MS Igloo, it shows the dark side and desperation of war pretty well with using children to fighting and making propaganda to scare the opposite faction. And having all those test units fail makes a good contrast to the "villain of the week" of the main series
Why are there so many UA-camrs who can't pronounce simple things in Gundam, like Char?
This is easily the best video I've seen on this channel. I can rarely watch +30 mins of a YT video but the script, the editing and your diction were all high quality.
I leave this comment as an offering of engagement to the algorithm
My favorite is Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny. I know it's not mainline. But it's what I watched first and initially got me hooked on the Gundam franchise.
Gunpla also followed soon after....
man for the amount of love and care put into most of the series in the UC era when you got to one of my personal favorites that's Igloo that really cuts into me...
Man 45 minutes seemed short lol. Always wondered if they had the same universe when i was younger. Makes me want to watch all your suggestions. Also that 90s animation does hit different. Thanks , Mike.
It hits different from 90s animation too. It is very rooted in older 80s style anime, and that has stuck through a lot of the new stuff too which is fantastic to see in HD!
Having seen almost all the shows and movies, an avid builder of gunpla, and having played a decent amount of the games over the past 15 years or so, I can say this was a great primer. I think going into depth with each mainline UC entry at least would be a wonderful project and a delight to watch through.
Longtime Gundam fan. Stardust Memory was what truly got me in.
My favorite entries: 0083, Zeta, CCA, and now Hathaway (pt 1).
Fantastic summary of the UC shows.
Is hathaway really worth watching? I remember hating him in CCA because he went full 'Tomino-signatured' piloting tantrum during the final phase of the movie lol
@@Bayofthe91st IMO, it's very worth it. The story (as a whole) is great and the movie itself does a great job of forcing Hathaway (who is an adult in the movie) to introspective about his motives.
If you aren't a fan of GCI... then you might not like parts of this movie. Also... parts of the movie are dark (literally).
@@chukuemekaoje1015 Intriguing, well i guess i gotta binge it this weekend, thx for the heads up
@@Bayofthe91st you're welcome!
Respect to you tackling and understanding gundam
Instructions for getting into the gundam:
Read manual first
Wear a "normal suit"
Open the hatch of the cock pit
Dont forget to put on your seat belt
Click some buttons😂
Play with the control levers & pedals
Fly away😅
This introduction video really brings justice to how good Gundam as a franchise is. Throughout this video I am constantly smiling, not just due to nostalgia of what defined my childhood, but also because of how far you've gone into presenting all of the shows introduced in the best way possible.
PS Bonsai Pop is right, 0080 is that good. It completely changed my life.
I was so surprised by the original series. I started with the intention of watching the whole thing at 1.5x speed just to get done with it. To my surprise at some point I forgot it at normal speed and I didn't even notice.
The story was engaging and the show is surprisingly down to earth. They set their rules up and adapt warfare and life around it.
The opening dub narration of the original series is iconic and I hope they honestly keep it in the Netflix live action adaptation
We bought the same first hobby kit as eachother. I’ve spent countless hours putting these things together and I LOVE IT
the origin story of char was so good I really wish they would remake the first series, I am 32 years old and that anime was already about a decade and a half old before I was even born. Not that things that are old cannot be amazing but if they want to bring in new fans I think it would be very smart of them to remake the old series in the same manner as origin story.
Skip to 9:04.
Doing the Lord's work my dude
My first Gundam series was actually iron-blooded orphans, and I thought it was pretty freaking cool so I decided to watch the universal century timeline too. I’m about halfway through zeta Gundam now and my takeaway is this: the original series is very rough around the edges, and with absolutely abysmal writing, but it keeps getting better and better as it goes on. Can’t wait for the grittier themes and high quality animation of the later 80s and 90s additions
I started with Iron Blooded Orphans and Gundam 00 but I kept wanting to get into the original series so I'd understand the origins. I bounced of MSG a couple of times trying to find avenues in but it didn't really hold my interested until I watched The Origin. Char is one of the most interesting characters from the Universal Century and understanding his place in the UC cannon (and also who all the Zabi's were and why they were important) made me want to go back and watch MSG so I can understand how these characters became their origins stories.
I started with either OO or ibo, don't remember it properly and both of them are great. OO takes place in A.D. which is a bit confusing and ibo takes place in a different timeline and on Mars. Both have good m.s. designs and a relatively easy to understand plot so if you want to understand the feel of gundams, I would recommend these two, they are part of the alternate timeline so they are in no perticular order and no prelore stuff required. If you want something more on the real end of the spectrum, I would recommend the war in the pocket, I have not seen it yet even after being a fan for quite some time but the reviews I have recieved all say the same. If you are a manga person and want to read the works, there are quite a few out there, you could try the gundam moon which is still ongoing if you have seen a bit of the uc timeline already. You could try the spinoffs of any of the animes you have seen as we have the ibo gekkou (steel moon in English). And yes, this is a great rabbit hole. Enjoy your time here.
Oh shi I wrote a lot
I've seen 008 mobile suit infantry, Gundam beginnings, unicorn, iron blood orphans, and the ovas of the original, and I'm just dipping my toe