Top 5 Shields in Gundam

I've done the top 5 "big guns", and I've done melee weapons, so naturally it's time we moved on to shields. This one was a little harder to compile a list for because there are just so many shields; pretty much every mobile suit is equipped with one. Thus, I won't be looking as much into aesthetics or "significance" as I normally would. Instead, I'll be focusing on the shield's unique capabilities. "What sets it apart from other shields, and how effective are its unique features?" Also, I won't be counting barriers that are created via other armaments, like the Nu Gundam's fin funnels. This is a list specifically for handheld or wrist-mounted shields.

There were a ton of choices and I had to do a lot of leaving out, so I've even added an honorable mentions section for the shields that just barely missed the cut. If there's still something missing, give it a shout out in the comments section below! Anyhow, onward to the list~

The End of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

**Spoilers Ahead**

I finally got around to concluding the Unicorn OVA with a viewing of Vol. 7 - "Over the Rainbow". It was almost surreal to me that the years went by so fast, considering how long we had to wait between 7 different episodes. The final episode wasn't exactly how I pictured it, but I believe it was a fitting end to one of the best animated Gundam productions ever.

I was getting intense flashes of nostalgia throughout the episode because of its numerous references to the history of UC Gundam. The most notable moment, in particular, was the appearance of Lala and Char (and Amuro as well?). It was honestly gut-wrenching, seeing the heroes of decades past in spirit form. It was like seeing old friends again, but it came with a touch of sadness since it confirmed to me that Amuro and Char had indeed passed on to another existence.

Long time, no see

The entire episode felt like a wrapping up of the decades worth of Universal Century lore. It had the look of an anniversary or a celebration, with the franchise culminating in one of the most impressive and well-produced animations in recent memory. Seriously, those flashbacks of Chars Counterattack and the One Year War? And Banagher's epic conclusion with Full Frontal's Zeong-esque mobile weapon? Gundam gold, my friends.

I don't know what the general fan consensus is, but I sincerely do not care. I had a blast watching this OVA, and I think it will go down as one of the best in the series. Now, if we could just get a full length series like it...

Yoshiyuki Tomino Directing New Anime 'Gundam: G no Reconguista'

Boom! Big announcement! Yoshiyuki Tomino, the man who created the Gundam franchise, is directing a new Gundam series! It's called Gundam: G no Reconguista, and it's set to air in the fall of 2014. Man, I'm always in for a surprise when I visit Gundam Guy every couple of months. Speaking of which, go to GG for the original article.

Now, here's the kicker though. At the 'Mobile Suit Gundam 35th Anniversary' event where Tomino announced this, he apparently stated that this new anime won't be the nectar that UC fans have been thirsty for. In fact, it'll be aimed towards children. I'm feelin' that deja vu...

I've made a fuss of this before because the last two Gundam series were also aimed at children. Looks like we'll be getting more of the same. I guess I'm kind of tired of caring anymore. Gundam Unicorn has been more than enough for me, and I'm honestly kind of excited for this since Tomino is directing it. I'm predicting that it'll be one of his light-hearted shows as opposed to his "kill em all" shows (I'd much prefer the latter).

As usual, we'll see how it goes. I skipped AGE and Build Fighters, but that's mainly because I hardly ever watch anime these days. Maybe this one will different. I dunno, what do you think?

Top 5 Opening Themes in Gundam

Here's the next in my series of music-related Gundam Top 5 posts. My first list focused on battle themes, so I thought it would be interesting to move on to actual songs. We'll be counting down the catchiest, most memorable opening themes in Gundam animated history.

Naturally, it's hard to be objective about music so think of this list as more of a fun project rather than a serious, thoughtful post. The main decider will be personal preference, but I definitely won't be picking the songs mindlessly. These are the opening themes I see as being timeless and enjoyable no matter what your taste in music is. They flow seamlessly with the shows they're presenting, and they never failed to get me in the proper Gundam mood.

Now, to start with...

Top 5 Epic Battle Themes in Gundam

For the first time, I'm going to be celebrating the music in Gundam. The idea came to me from one of the suggestions in my Suggestions for Gundam Top 5 post. Though it's not the exact suggestion, it'll definitely be the first in a series of similar lists. This time around, we'll be looking at the most epic, exciting, heart-pounding battle themes in the Gundam animated universe. It wasn't easy labeling "battle themes", so basically anything that plays during a battle scene qualifies.

This may be the least objective list I've made thus far, so as usual, feel free to comment on your favorite battle themes. I had to leave plenty of great songs out too, so there's plenty of room for honorable mentions.

Now then...

Suggestions for Gundam Top 5

I recently realized that my priority should be creating more Gundam Top 5 content, considering its the main source of traffic for my blog. But as I got around to starting a new one, I realized that I was fresh out of ideas. There are plenty of easy lists I can make, but I want something unique. Something that's not entirely objective.

So, if you don't mind me asking, I'd like some suggestions for a new Gundam Top 5 list. I'll seriously consider every suggestion (as long as they're good).

New TV Series: Gundam Build Fighters

You may have noticed all the reports in the last few days, hinting at a big new Gundam announcement. Well here's the news: a new TV series has been announced. It's called Gundam Build Fighters, and it seems to revolve around gunpla. For more information, go here.

Now, I'm going to be honest: I'm a little disappointed. I skipped AGE precisely because it seemed a bit too kid-friendly. While I do plan on giving it a chance in the future, I didn't expect the next full series to be more of the same. Gundam Build Fighters looks to be a Gundam toy commercial in its absolute purest form. That's as much as I'll say since I don't want to judge too quickly.

Anyway, Gundam Build Fighters seems to be working off of the concept introduced in Beginning G, though it's been noted that the two are unrelated in any other regard. The one thing I do appreciate is the reappearances of several classic designs. Look, the Wing and GX are back (albeit slightly modified)! Other classic mobile suits are going to be making appearances as well, so that should be interesting.

So, as the Gundam franchise continues to look after a young, new audience whilst selling massive amounts of merchandise, I'll be here waiting on the last episode of Unicorn~

Best Gundam Protagonist?

Just like I did with my Top 5 Gundam Series post, I want to poll people on what they think about the question of who the top Gundam protagonist is. I actually made a Top 5 Gundam Protagonists post in the past, but it was awful and I've since gotten rid of it. Considering how difficult and possibly meaningless this question is, I thought I'd just ask people instead of attempting to create a new list.

As usual, this question is almost impossible to answer objectively. People have their own opinions on what "best" means, and personal bias is going to play a big part in it. Still, there's got to be a general consensus for certain characters.

So, who is it? Amuro Ray? Garrod Ran (who actually seems to get a lot of love)? Kamille? Setsuna? Who is the best Gundam protagonist in the meta-series?

MG Wing Gundam Proto Zero EW Announced

This is sort of amazing news. The long awaited Master Grade Wing Zero has finally been announced. Now, to be honest, I was waiting for the TV version to get the MG treatment so this announcement disappointed me for a split second. Still, I think this is about as good as it'll get for now.

Keep in mind that this is the Endless Waltz version of the design. The Tallgeese, Epyon, and Heavyarms had similar releases in this fashion. I'm not exactly sure what "Proto Zero" is supposed to imply, so if anyone has any guesses on that, that would be great. But yeah, the design is sure to look great so I definitely can't wait!

As usual, Gundam Guy is my source. Find the original article here.

MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. 3.0 - Thoughts?

Here's an interesting bit of news: Bandai has announced that a Master Grade RX-78-2 Gundam Version 3.0 is coming out in August. As usual, you can go to Gundam Guy for a little more detail. As a lot of people have mentioned, it appears to be an upscaled version of the RG 1/144 model. We can expect an extraordinary new standard of detail from this

Normally, I don't like sharing news that's probably on a million other blogs, but I'd like to know what people think about this. Some are intrigued, while others are indifferent. Bandai has rather actively been trying to revamp its MG line, with the new MG Strike Gundam coming to mind. With this 3.0, Bandai is taking its first step into the future.

Personally, I'm a little indifferent. I love the idea of upping the quality, but I'm getting a little tired of the RX-78-2. Mind you, I loved the 2.0 model, so I'm not very excited about a new version. I'd much rather see some forgotten favorites (DX, Heavyarms Custom) get the MG treatment instead.

But what do you say? It is on the buy-list or the ignore-list?

Thoughts on Gundam 00

This is the one I've been waiting for. What are your thoughts on Gundam 00? I remember being thoroughly entertained through the first season, and though the quality of the show dipped considerably by the second season, I still would not say that 00 is a complete miss. We were treated to high-def animation and explosive battle sequences, which were definitely the highlight of this very recent series.

Of course, the U.C. community looks at 00 like they do every AU series: it's just another abortion of a Gundam series that can't possibly compare to the classics. All-bishounen casts were as prominent as usual, and the power-ups became so over the top and unbelievable that the series bordered on super robot territory. The villains were weak and forgettable, and the plot became less and less appealing with its convoluted Innovator nonsense. 

Though, that's just what some people say. There are newer fans who obviously love the series, and see it as an entertaining romp nonetheless. What do you say about Gundam 00? Was it worthy of its place in the Gundam metaseries?

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Vol.I - Activation

My copy of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Vol.1 has arrived, so I thought I'd give it a mini-review. In case you're unfamiliar, Gundam: The Origin is a manga adaptation of the original anime series. Viz attempted an American release, but their run ended due to low sales. Thus, publisher Vertical decided to release The Origin in a format similar to the "Aizoban" collector's editions in Japan. 

The first thing I'm going to say is, this book is absolutely gorgeous...

Char's Signature Mobile Suit

Every time Char Aznable comes up in Gundam-related material, I always have to stop and think: "What exactly is his signature mobile suit?" You would expect this to be simple, but I really don't think it is. Char has piloted dozens of different mobile suits throughout the Gundam universe, and I always want to associate him with a certain mobile suit, but there are a handful of them that one can reasonably associate him with.

Here's a run down of the main candidates...

Gundam Unicorn 06: Two Worlds, Two Tomorrows

If you haven't heard already: the 6th OVA of Gundam Unicorn is out and available, so go on the interwebz and watch it. I just finished watching it myself, so I thought I'd talk about it. To be honest, I was waiting for the continuation of this series so I could watch the Sinanju and Unicorn kick ass in uber-HD. I was also waiting to hear the epic Unicorn theme, but unfortunately, neither of these things happened. Episode 6, entitled "Two Worlds, Two Tomorrows", was mostly set-up for the next episode, which is scheduled to be the series finale.

So, out of the entire hour, you'll only be getting about 5 minutes of action. This was slightly disappointing, but I'm not complaining. I'm just excited about how amazing the series finale is going to be. We even get a short glimpse of the Full Armour Unicorn at the end of the episode. Anyway, most of the episode involves Full Frontal and Mineva arguing about their views and philosophies in classic Gundam fashion. It was tolerable at first, but it got a little excessive after awhile. We learn a little more about their characters, however, and we see some rather emotional scenes involving Zinnerman. He was definitely the highlight this time around.

I'm honestly not liking the sudden evil turn that Riddhe Marcenas is taking. He was a mildly likeable character at first, but he really does not make a convincing villain. He is now the pilot of the Banshee, and we see him about to engage Banagher near the conclusion. We'll see how his character development concludes; I'm not expecting much. Anyway, don't expect anything titanic when starting this episode. You'll mostly watch the characters bicker about pseudo-intelligent nonsense. It'll leave you wanting though; I can't wait for this series to conclude so I can properly view it as one of the best Gundam animations I've seen in a long, long time.

Thoughts on G Gundam

G Gundam is probably one of the most controversial entries in the Gundam franchise, and the reason is obvious: it does not follow the real-robot, war-drama scheme of most Gundam shows. Instead, it opts for a complete super-robot feel. In a sense, it is Gundam only in name. 

The series revolves around Gundam fights, where pilots use their bodies to fight each other in giant robot ring-fights. Characters yell out special moves in an over-the-top fashion, and the overall feel of the series is lighter and goofier. This is the reason a lot of fans find it hard to take G Gundam seriously. 

Though, if you can look past all of these things, G Gundam can be a rather entertaining romp. Domon and his God Finger technique are always exciting to watch, and he can really be a breath of fresh air if you are not very fond of the traditional whining teenager. In the end, opinions will be very divided. Fans will either learn to appreciate a deviation from the traditional formula, or reject it completely, considering it a blemish on the franchise. 

So, what do you think? Is it an unnecessary entry in the series, or is it an acceptable change of direction?

Top 5 Transformable Mobile Suits

In this list, we'll be counting down the top 5 transformable mobile suits in the Gundam metaverse. Let's specify the definition. A transformable mobile suit is a mobile weapon that has two modes: a mobile suit mode, and a mobile armor mode. We'll be narrowing this down to the smaller, faster mobile suits, so giant mobile weapons like the Psycho Gundam will not be included.

The criteria for this list will be the usual. I will primarily be looking at the mobile suit's lasting impact as a transformable unit, but I will also be focusing on the 'wow factor' of its design. Does this mobile suit do the category any justice, or was it just a waste of resources? How impressive is its transformation, mobile suit mode, and mobile armor mode? These are some of the questions I will be asking. Remember that this is not a list counting down power. Also, there are a handful of transformable units in Gundam so if your favorite gets snubbed, just give a shout out in the comments section.


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5. GW-9800-B Gundam Airmaster Burst
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The Airmaster Burst is the premiere transformable Gundam in Gundam X. It is a highly under-rated design because Gundam X itself is very under-rated. The Burst is an upgrade over the original Airmaster; I chose it due to its vastly improved speed and firepower. Take a look at its mobile armor mode; that's a lot of guns. From its sleek blue color scheme to its unmatched air superiority, the Airmaster Burst really impresses as a transformable mobile suit. Unfortunately, I couldn't give it a higher spot because its lasting impact was minimal compared to the rest of the entries.

Thoughts on Gundam SEED

This is pretty interesting; I got some good feedback on my last post about Gundam Wing, so I figured I would continue with another Alternate Universe series: Gundam SEED. Unlike Gundam Wing, Gundam SEED is incredibly difficult to discuss properly without a flood of arguments coming from both sides.

I'll say it here and now: Gundam SEED is a perfectly enjoyable series. Put away the bias fanboy goggles and you'll find that SEED is a decent entry in the Gundam franchise, with impressive visuals, high-quality battle scenes, and a good balance of drama and politics.

Despite all this, opinions are incredibly divided. Objectively, SEED was a great way to bring in newer fans to Gundam. Older fans of the U.C. era are incredibly against SEED, unfortunately. It has a lot to do with the fact that it was spiritual remake of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, and long-time fans couldn't help but resent the direction and style it took.

So, what do you think? Just how good was SEED, if at all?

Thoughts on Gundam Wing

Many of us in the states were converted into life-long Gundam fans through Gundam Wing, which was basically Mobile Suit Gundam's introduction in the U.S. I was among this group of people, and boy did it convert me. I completely fell in love with Gundam Wing, and proceeded to watch the subsequent airings of Mobile Suit Gundam and 8th MS Team. A trait many of us share is this unending nostalgia for Gundam Wing; we think very fondly of the series.

Now, I've become a bit of a U.C. fanboy as of late, and while I still enjoy Gundam Wing, it's hard for me to look at  it objectively and consider it a perfect series. In fact, it pales in comparison to the outline of what Gundam was intended to be: a tragic war-drama. In truth, Gundam Wing was intended to lure in the female audience by way of these guys -

Confused? Gundam Wing was a bishounen anime. It's entire cast, villains included, was packed with pretty young men. It was their way of expanding Gundam to a wider audience, like how ZZ Gundam was light-hearted and silly so it could appeal to a younger audience. Again, I still enjoy re-watching Wing occasionally, but the general consensus is often very negative amongst long-time fans. 

What do you guys think of Gundam Wing? Is your opinion different from when you first watched it?

MG Tallgeese and MG Ver.Ka Nu Gundam?!

I'm seriously behind. It's not just that I haven't bothered blogging in months. I haven't kept track of gunpla news for the same amount of time, and it turns out I've completely missed some of the most exciting news in awhile.

My dream, that I posted in my 4 Mobile Suits That Need Master Grades, has finally come true. After all these years! The Tallgeese has finally gotten the Master Grade treatment! Here is the news link from Gundam Guy: http://gundamguy.blogspot.com/2012/10/mg-1100-tallgeese-all-japan-model-hobby.html.

The Controversial "Top 5 Gundam Series" List

I've been waiting years and years, compiling as much information and experience as possible to write the most reasonable list of the best Gundam anime series' in history. This is the one list I haven't been able to do for various reasons. One: I still have a hazy memory of many shows. It will take an enormous amount of time to re-watch all of them again. Two: a list like this will probably invite the most commenting and arguing yet. Possibly even more than the Top 5 Most Powerful Gundam list. That is why I have to pay special attention and really make the most objective article possible.

I'm still in the process of re-watching each Gundam series, and that will likely take forever. I really want to get this post over with though. I know this is one of the most hotly debated topics in the Gundam fan community.

So I ask you: What do you think are the best Gundam anime's of all time?