Mobile Suit Gundam (0079) Review

I've decided to do a short, concise review of each Gundam series I watch in order to give Gundam fans and newbies a quick look at each of the entries in the extensive Gundam franchise. Of course, what better to start with than the very first Gundam anime ever? Mobile Suit Gundam first aired from 1979 to 1980. Interestingly enough, the One Year War takes place in U.C. 0079 and ends in 0080...maybe that was intentional. I don't really know. Anyway, I think it's interesting to note that Mobile Suit Gundam was not actually popular in its initial run. In fact, it was supposed to be canceled prematurely, so it's quite amazing how iconic it has become in Otaku and Japanese culture in general. But I digress. Onto the review.

I think a lot of younger fans will find it hard getting into the older shows because of just how dated the animation is. Remember that this is 1979, over 30 years ago. The animation really IS dated; sometimes it's hard to see what exactly is going on in action scenes. You're basically given a slideshow. The Gundam is also drawn so inconsistently that I'm actually questioning what it's supposed to look like. Like I said, it's dated. All I can say is, this is just something you have to deal with if you're looking to try and appreciate a classic.

We don't need to worry too much about the animation, however, since it's the plot and iconic characters that make MSG legendary. The familiar story of a young boy getting caught up in a war started right here. MSG is considered such a pioneer because of its sophisticated plot and attention to the realism in its machines. It largely succeeds in evoking an emotional response through its depiction of the horrors of war. What I really appreciated was that they weren't afraid to kill off characters. It captured the reality of its subject matter. There's plenty of war politics to go around, and while some of it is really simple, it keeps the story sophisticated and deep.

The focal point of Mobile Suit Gundam is really in its human drama. Our main character Amuro Ray starts out as a whiny, selfish child who very reluctantly pilots the Gundam. However, he eventually finds himself unable to leave the Gundam to anyone else, and takes up the responsibility of protecting the White Base as everyone comes to rely on him. His abilities also grow tremendously to the point where even Char is no match for him. Getting to watch Amuro develop is easily one of the best parts of following this series.

He does not, however, hog the spotlight. Every draftee aboard the White Base is young and immature, and all of them grow together as they fight through every decisive battle. Though insufferable at first, I found myself growing attached to characters like Bright Noa, Kai Shiden, and Sayla Mass. We share in their struggle, and we share in their grief when tragedy strikes. They manage to offer a coming-of-age story, a romance, and a war epic all in one. Surely, the characters are the highlight in Mobile Suit Gundam.

Though, in all honesty, it's the Zeon characters that steal the show. There is something about the "villains" that give them a lot more depth than a lot of the Federation. It's easy to see that they are the antagonists, but what's not so clear is that most of them aren't necessarily evil. They just happen to believe in a cause that the "good guys" oppose. We get to see this in characters like Ramba Ral, who instantly became one of my favorite characters. He is a competent leader and soldier, and is shown to care about his men and his lover Hamon more than himself. He is a good man at heart, but is driven by his will to carry out his mission.

Of course, there is also Char Aznable, who is arguably the greatest character in the U.C. timeline. Char, while manipulative and troubled, is shown to have his own reasons for fighting as well. He fights to avenge his father and eliminate the Zabi family that destroyed his life. He slowly works his way through the Zeon ranks, manipulating events so that each and every member of the Zabi family perishes. His character and personality make him one of the main reasons to watch MSG, along with the legendary rivalry he forms with Amuro.

Of course, Mobile Suit Gundam definitely is not without its flaws. There are very noticeable pacing issues throughout the series, particularly in parts where there is no major plot-point. Because of this, the show tends to drag, and some people might find it hard to feel excited about coming back for the next episode. The show is basically at its best at the beginning and the end. The last few episodes also seem a bit rushed and packed together. Characters and machines are introduced and destroyed in a single episode, despite being interesting. I believe this is because the show was supposed to be canceled, so they had to rush everything for a proper ending. Finally, there are portions of the show that still have a bit of super-robot influence in them. Things like the Gundam Hammer and the G-Armour seem a bit silly and tacked-on. It's no wonder Tomino decided to get rid of them for the movie compilation.

Overall, I had a lot of fun watching Mobile Suit Gundam. It created some unforgettable moments, from Amuro's encounter with Lalah to his first battle with Ramba Ral and his "This is no Zaku" Gouf. Despite the incredibly choppy animation, I found the battle scenes to be exciting and one of the best parts of MSG. Perhaps it is because the soundtrack is so great. Every time a classic tune started played, I couldn't help but get into the retro anime action. The series also introduced Amuro and Char, two of the most beloved characters in the Gundam franchise. While its age and execution give it many imperfections here and there, there is no doubt that Mobile Suit Gundam is a classic that cannot be ignored by any fan of the franchise.

[Overall Score - 7.9/10]

Mobile Suit Gundam, MG RX-78-2

I have just finished my re-watching of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, and I gotta say, I genuinely had fun. I first saw this anime when I was a wee lad in Korea, so I had almost no memory of it while I was re-watching, besides a few significant events and the soundtrack. Seriously though, I had a ton of fun watching it and it helped that I was flushed with nostalgia the whole time. Everything just screamed "classic", and almost every event was pretty much the beginning of a trend that would continue on for decades to come.

One thing I had to get over was just how dated the animation was. I mean, it did air in 1979, so that was just something I had to accept. It took some time at first, but I came to appreciate the retro look. I can't say this enough though: I love the music. Every theme is iconic, and I got goosebumps every time one of the tracks started playing during a heated firefight outside the White Base.

Nobody can call themselves a true Gundam fan unless they have actually seen the original Mobile Suit Gundam.  It pains me to see young kids these days that only know about Gundam 00 or Gundam Seed. This is an anime that pretty much revolutionized the real mech genre, and it is this show that eventually spawned one of the most iconic franchises in history. I'm preaching on a bit too much here, but I really just want to make it clear. I'm considering to start a new series of posts where I basically review each Gundam series, since I am in the process of watching every single one over again.

Anyway, to celebrate my watching of Mobile Suit Gundam, I also went and bought my first Gundam model kit in over a year. I felt that it was a crime to be a Gundam fanatic and not have a representation of the original RX-78-2 Gundam, so I decided on the new version 2.0 Master Grade. Already completed it too, so I may post a review up soon.

Watch All the Gundam!

Now that break has started, I have way too much time on my hands. This means I can spend time trying to re-vitalize this blog. To do so, I've decided to re-watch every single Gundam series ever. This way, I can start making even more Gundam Top 5's, and make them much more comprehensive. I've already started with the very first Mobile Suit Gundam, and I'm loving it! The soundtrack is soo nostalgic, every time classic Gundam themes started playing I just got chills. But yeah, after finishing the original, I'll probably go for Zeta Gundam, then watch Char's Counterattack. Expect great things!

Top 5 Most Powerful Gundam, Holy Crap

Holy crap is what I literally said when I decided to look around my blog, which has been neglected for months as you can see. I turned the comment moderation setting to OFF a few months ago because the activity for the Top 5 Most Powerful Gundam post was getting a bit out of hand. I think it got 100 new comments in the span of 2 months. This is surprising to me because I wrote this post back in 2009.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that my post is pretty much the most popular result on google (and the internet) for anything related to discussing the "most powerful Gundam". It was supposed to be a post that just died with the times, but I've been pressured to make it a constantly updated post that pretty much serves as the one list that determines everything. Not saying its not welcome though; I love all this activity, and I'd be happy to make it an updating list. Just thought I'd say that. Though I'd love it if all these people commented on other parts of my blog as well hint hint...

Have Games Become Too Easy?

This is apparently a much-talked about issue, but I actually just realized that. I really thought I was the only one that was feeling this, and I wasn't even sure of it until I saw that other people had the same opinions. The question is this, are modern games too easy? Has the difficulty been toned down too much? Are developers too liberal with constant auto-saves? In a way, this is true. Games have definitely been made more accessible because it appeals to a much broader audience than before.

This isn't to say that all new games are just cake-walks. It's just that most serious gamers today grew up with games from the late '80's and '90's. Back then, almost every game was freaking torture. Remember the original Ninja Gaiden? Or the Contra series? Pretty much every classic platformer had it's ridiculous frustrations. Blind turns and pit-falls, limited lives, and you had to start over from the beginning if you died. There were no auto-save points. Remember how everyone made a fuss about how hard Devil May Cry 3 was? It was mainly because there were no save points. But if you stop and think...that's how EVERY game was in the 8-bit and 16-bit era.

One important point that I have to mention is that this isn't necessarily a bad thing either. A lot of people don't like it, but it's not an obvious flaw in the industry. In fact, the "easiness" is just a result of video games improving. Making tons of progress then having to restart is frustrating, so automatic save points take all of that frustration out. "Impossible" levels from the classic era were really just levels with design flaws, riddled with things like pin-point accurate jumps and totally blind turns. The same goes for boss fights. Basically, they're not technically making games "easier". They're more...fixing game design.

But anyway, I do agree that games have definitely changed in terms of general difficulty. Back when I was playing on my Super NES, every game required you to master all the gameplay mechanics and memorize every part of a level if you wanted to beat it. There was plenty of trial and error, but by the end of it, you felt incredibly satisfied. It was a long, hard fought battle. And that's precisely what modern games are missing. That sense of satisfaction. I don't remember the last time I played a game through, and really felt satisfied at the end. Every game has just been "do this, auto-save, do that, auto-save, quick-time event, auto-save". The game holds your hand for so long that by the end of this smooth ride, you think "huh? It's over?"

To name of few great games that were really just cake-walks: Assassin's Creed series, God of War 3, Vanquish, inFamous, Uncharted series. If you've noticed, these are some of the most highly rated games of this generation. That says a lot. And again, they're not bad games. Just...maybe not so challenging by the end of the day. But there's another issue here. Normal is basically easy mode now, but when you switch it to hard, it's suddenly completed unbalanced and ridiculous. I thought God of War 3 was easy, so it switched to Hard mode. My god, I was dying in 3 hits. What's with this imbalance?

What do y'all think? Are games too easy these days? If so, is it a bad thing?

Megaupload Shut Down

This place (the United States) is supposed to be the most freedom loving place on Earth. Well, recently I feel like I'm living in a place that's secretly trying to turn into a police-state. If you haven't been living in a cave in Afghanistan, then you obviously know about SOPA and PIPA. There's no need for me to talk about that. Just know that at the moment, SOPA has been pulled back due to the internet's incredible backlash. PIPA is in a similar circumstance as well. So for now, we've won. For now.

The current buzz is the shutting down of Megaupload. It's not SOPA related, but it definitely gives me the same Nazi vibe. Basically, the FBI shut it down due to it being involved in illegal activities. That's basically what SOPA was trying to do, wasn't it? It was trying to shut down entire websites for what a few individuals were doing. Well it looks like the government can do that anyway! Megaupload is one of the biggest download sites, and my personal favorite. How the hell are they supposed to control and monitor what EVERY fucking person puts on the site? I'd normally give a more intelligent argument, but I'm just furious. No need for holding back. These people are FUCKING.NAZI'S. 

Though, you can rest easy because our revenge has already been taken care of. The internet's freedom fighters, Anonymous, took down at least a dozen government websites including justice.gov and every major website tied to the music industry. That was a moment of triumph. But still, Megaupload is no more. That means a ton of things I've hosted on that site will be gone forever. That includes some links I have on this blog. Sigh...I don't know what to say. I guess I just wanted to talk about the big current event. I have nothing else to say. Just keep aware of the events that follow, and support any protests that arise again. And don't worry, they'll NEVER win. It's a few asshole politicians against this ENTIRE generation. 

As a side note...anyone else find it funny that nobody gives a shit about starving children or raising awareness for diseases on a daily basis, yet when the internet is threatened, every fucking person alive jumps on the bandwagon. I mean, its understandable. Nobody cares about anything that doesn't directly affect them. I'll be honest; I walk past homeless people, and I really, really, really don't care about any starving people overseas. And don't be a hypocrite and tell me I'm horrible, because YOU don't care either. Be honest with yourself. Either do something, or admit that you don't care. Don't be a fake.

$1000 Gold Cake

I was watching a special on the Travel channel, it was something like "Forbes top 11 indulgent foods", where it counted down the most fancy, decadent, expensive foods in the world. Among this list was a desert in a fancy restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey.

This...is a GOLD cake. And that's not just a fancy food coloring. That's REAL gold. 24k gold to be exact. And as you would expect, that little slice is $1000. It's called the Sultan's Golden Cake, and it's pretty much something out of an ancient king's ridiculous menu.

Yeah, this pissed me off a bit. I mean, really? A cake covered in gold? Is that really necessary? Is gold tasty? Its a fucking mineral. I thought it was just decoration too, but I think they actually eat the gold. WHY?! But yeah, this is why I have no respect for the wealthy. That sort of money can feed a small third world village for years, but rich people can just mosey over to a restaurant and throw it away on a fucking cake.

So to the wealthy, 1%....