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.
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
- 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 (i.e. Char clone)
- there’s a princess character whose hair color stands out from the rest of the cast; usually serves as the love interest of the protagonist
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.
Two thumbs up for Gurren Lagan and Code Geass. Seconding the suggestions for Rahxephon and Escaflowne. Surprised nobody has mentioned Evangelion (unless I’m blind, in which case disregard). Full Metal Panic is another favorite of mine. I haven’t watched Gasaraki in forever but I remember it keeping me on the edge of my seat.
Without knowing what other Gundam you’ve seen aside from WfM, I’m going to make my default recommendation: start at the beginning and watch in production order. The core Universal Century arc of 1st Gundam, Zeta, Double Zeta, and Char’s Counterattack laid the foundation for everything that came after. From there, you can continue on with UC if that caught your attention with a bunch of excellent OVAs and a full series that’s far future enough that it’s only barely connected. (Crossbone animation when Sunrise???) Again, I recommend keeping production order.
Or you can jump into any alternate universe that catches your eye. G is a big tonal change but stands well on its own. Wing was my entry point, and I do have the feels for it, but objectively I don’t think it’s holds up very well. X has some dedicated fans but I’ve always found it kind of middling. Turn A is absolutely beautiful. Seed is extensive and polarizing. OO was pretty good. IBO is like a gut punch but worth it. And then there’s the Build universe, which has some awesome entries and some that weren’t so good.
tl;dr Want more Gundam? Watch more Gundam. 😁
Thanks
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:
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.
Move Code Geass and Gurren Lagann to the Tengen Toppa the list
Gargantia? Although that’s kind of more Gundam meets Nausicaa. The elements you mention are present, but more background than foreground. Maybe save it until you’ve spent some time with the others and want to branch out a little further from the basic premise.
