Gundam 00 Mecha, Weapons, and Technology

[Nerroth]

To be honest, god-mode powers like that are the kind of things that make me less keen on checking out a given series - well, I guess I should say less keen on checking out what might otherwise be a more 'low-fi' setting...

(Which is the most 'grounded' UC series, by the way?)

[C.A.]

Actually yes, the most incredible pilots and mechs come from the UC series, but their overpowering is presented in a very believable manner, not just a mega beam spam that disables a whole army in minutes and killing nobody.

They show that the pilot actually puts his mind to work and pushes the limits of the MS. War looks like war, fights like one. The protagonist don't have some kind of higher belief that he follows so that he can fight. The protagonist fights like he is actually in a war, not a holy war.

And on top of that, they have a good story to tell, characters actually develop in a convincing way.

I don't get 'grounded', but if its negative: ZZ Gundam and V Gundam(for massive deaths). If its positive, down-to-earth: Gundam 0079, Z Gundam, Char's Counterattack.

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

All real-life plans for orbital elevators have the tower hanging from orbit, not supported from the ground. If real-life design is applied in this series (which so far seems quite sane compared to other Gundam series), the towers would merely connect the rings to the ground rather than support them, and would be sectioned along its height to "break away" without dragging the whole structure down.

I don't see any such a catastrophe occurring this far into the series, unless a sequel is announced soon.

I can agree with that. But if they really want a big catastrophe, for the Innovators to chase Humanity out of the planet and into space. Then maybe they will need something big enough to sufficiently destroy the planet so that humans feel that they should abandon it.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Nerroth

(Which is the most 'grounded' UC series, by the way?)

Gundam 08th MS Team, 0080, and 0083 for the most 'grounded' by far (especially the first two), assuming that 'grounded' implies having as little powerups as possible. Maybe MS Igloo too if you can stand poorly animated 3D.

[C.A.]

I see, 'grounded' means real? lol

[NyxOne]

Originally Posted by brightman

Gundam 08th MS Team, 0080, and 0083 for the most 'grounded' by far (especially the first two), assuming that 'grounded' implies having as little powerups as possible. Maybe MS Igloo too if you can stand poorly animated 3D.

...MS IGLOO was 'poorly animated'?

[brightman]

Originally Posted by NyxOne

...MS IGLOO was 'poorly animated'?

Yes. Feel free to disagree, but its blatantly a low budget attempt by Sunrise at 3D computer animation.

[Nerroth]

When I say 'grounded', I guess I mean 'less dependent on god-mode addons and preternatural themes, and more about exploring a setting from the point of view of someone who has to live with what in their world is real'.


(To give an example, one of my favourite series is Planetes - which has no super powers, leaves the issue of 'what lies beyond' open-ended, and shows a viable and compelling setting. So far, Tytania would be another series I'd consider to be 'grounded' - and excellent, by the way.)


08th MS Team sounds like it might be what I am trying to refer to.


That's not to say that I dislike seeing supernatural stuff in any setting - but what works for me in, say, Fate/Stay Night, or Transformers (in a setting featuring the Primus/Unicron mythos - when properly executed) doesn't always work for me in others.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by brightman

Yes. Feel free to disagree, but its blatantly a low budget attempt by Sunrise at 3D computer animation.

Good, then I'll completely disagree becaue I think it looks absolutely fantastic. Especially MS Igloo 2. And it's also anything but low budget.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Nerroth

When I say 'grounded', I guess I mean 'less dependent on god-mode addons and preternatural themes, and more about exploring a setting from the point of view of someone who has to live with what in their world is real'.

Then the ones I mentioned are right up your alley. No superpowers involved in any of them (except for the bizarre epilogue episode for 08th MS... Though there wasn't any fighting in that ep anyway)

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Good, then I'll completely disagree becaue I think it looks absolutely fantastic. Especially MS Igloo 2. And it's also anything but low budget.

The obvious lack of any sort of motion capture and the horrendous facial expressions did it in for me. Especially MS Igloo 2 (MS Igloo: Apocalypse 0079 was actually pretty decent IMO... Couldn't say the same for 2. The characters just didn't animate well under gravity).

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by brightman

Then the ones I mentioned are right up your alley. No superpowers involved in any of them (except for the bizarre epilogue episode for 08th MS... Though there wasn't any fighting in that ep anyway)



The obvious lack of any sort of motion capture and the horrendous facial expressions did it in for me. Especially MS Igloo 2 (MS Igloo: Apocalypse 0079 was actually pretty decent IMO... Couldn't say the same for 2. The characters just didn't animate well under gravity).

Well whatever then, you think that. I have no idea what you're even talking about whatsoever though. You must have watched a completely different MS Igloo then me. If you ask me I think you're full of it.

Also 08th MS team isn't nearly as great as everyone likes to sell it as. I'm starting to get really sick of hearing people use it as an example of why are Gundam series are apparently crappy and inferior.

[Divinegundam]

Originally Posted by C.A.

That's why I said Gundam has outlived itself ever since SEED was produced. It would be perfect it it ended on Turn A, damn Fukuda.

Now everyone is just going to refer to SEED for all the worse references of Gundam it has ever presented itself with.

It would be alright if SEED actually made a good example of the references it had of the previous Gundam series, but no it failed to live up to its own references. And people are referencing back to SEED as examples of failure.

If there is going to be another Gundam next year, it would suffer similar effects like what Gundam X had.

If there's anyway to put the Gundam series back on the right track, it would be something totally unique, no references at all, which may mean it is no longer a Gundam anymore. Or just put an end to Gundam once and for all. There's still Tomino though, but he made a good choice to give up on Gundam, now that the series is corrupted by SEED.

I can't see why people say seed corrupted or messed up the Gundam series as a whole or maybe by seed you mean GS and GSD. I really liked seed, this if from someone that has seen 90% of the gundam anime. Seed was good GSD killed it for most and me too. GSD went bad when Freedom/kira and Company became main characters again. However imo GW was almost as bad for me as GSD was. I really disliked GW, EW was a bit better but only because of new model design. My top 3 Gundam anime have to be char counter attack, Zeta and 0083.

Back on topic i feel that A.S plan includes the mass spreading of GN particles to unite humanity; who else feels this way?

[Nerroth]

Thanks for the advice - I'll go for 08th first if/when I get around to exploring the UC material more.


Oh, to keep somewhat on-topic, how much has been revealed in the printed material about the kind of presence, if any, that humans have in other parts of the Sol system, such as Mars or Jupiter?


(Was the only known trip to Jupiter the one which saw the GN Drives built?)

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Well whatever then, you think that. I have no idea what you're even talking about whatsoever though. You must have watched a completely different MS Igloo then me. If you ask me I think you're full of it.

Or maybe you watched a top secret high budget of it since I'm not the only one who thinks that MS Igloo had poor animation... But who cares about animation anyway, I still watch First Gundam myself.

[Duo Maxwell]

Originally Posted by Divinegundam

I can't see why people say seed corrupted or messed up the Gundam series as a whole or maybe by seed you mean GS and GSD. I really liked seed, this if from someone that has seen 90% of the gundam anime. Seed was good GSD killed it for most and me too. GSD went bad when Freedom/kira and Company became main characters again. However imo GW was almost as bad for me as GSD was. I really disliked GW, EW was a bit better but only because of new model design. My top 3 Gundam anime have to be char counter attack, Zeta and 0083.

If you notice, the one who messed up Gundam franchise actually isn't GS or GSD, but its fans instead.

[C.A.]

Originally Posted by Divinegundam

I can't see why people say seed corrupted or messed up the Gundam series as a whole or maybe by seed you mean GS and GSD. I really liked seed, this if from someone that has seen 90% of the gundam anime. Seed was good GSD killed it for most and me too. GSD went bad when Freedom/kira and Company became main characters again. However imo GW was almost as bad for me as GSD was. I really disliked GW, EW was a bit better but only because of new model design. My top 3 Gundam anime have to be char counter attack, Zeta and 0083.

Back on topic i feel that A.S plan includes the mass spreading of GN particles to unite humanity; who else feels this way?

Yes, I put SEED and GSD together, but yes again that SEED is actually decent and that GSD is the real corruption.

SEED itself couldn't be too bad, since it literally retold Gundam 0079. GSD is the one with all sorts of fail.

For Gundam Wing, I forgot why I used to like it. After years of appearing in SRW, it got really stale. And somehow we still don't get sick of UC Gundams in SRW yet. There's something lacking in Gundam Wing that I don't really care about anymore.

For 00, if its indeed part of Aeolia's plan to have the Twin Drive system, then it quite obvious that uniting the world with 00 is one of the processes he planned.

Originally Posted by Duo Maxwell

If you notice, the one who messed up Gundam franchise actually isn't GS or GSD, but its fans instead.

Fandom is always the source of their own problems, but would be less if GSD didn't provide the fuel to the flames.

[LordStrike]

Originally Posted by brightman

Gundam 08th MS Team, 0080, and 0083 for the most 'grounded' by far (especially the first two), assuming that 'grounded' implies having as little powerups as possible. Maybe MS Igloo too if you can stand poorly animated 3D.

i sooo freaking agree whit you XD

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Nerroth

Thanks for the advice - I'll go for 08th first if/when I get around to exploring the UC material more.


Oh, to keep somewhat on-topic, how much has been revealed in the printed material about the kind of presence, if any, that humans have in other parts of the Sol system, such as Mars or Jupiter?


(Was the only known trip to Jupiter the one which saw the GN Drives built?)

Watch 0080 first, it's a lot more polished and focused. 08th has a lot of serious issues that people apparently seem uncomfortable talking about (though these same people apparently have no problem harping on about 00's issues to no end) since it's now apparently the choice "Best Gundam Series EVAR!" or something. I think I should give you fair warning though, and this is coming from somebody who actually likes the series to a certain degree, but who isn't always wearing a pair of U.C tinted glasses such that he has to hold one Gundam up over all others and then hate all the newer ones in order to get by. So here goes:

08th switches it's themes and focus a good 3 times throughout the series much like 0083 and slowly a romantic twist starts to become the key focus of the show. After that it also becomes a lot less "grounded" as well with the show turning into a destroy the mobile armor, save the girl, and save the Federation type story as opposed to the grunt warfare one it started as.

If you can deal with a rushed romance that makes the Allelujah x Marie one look like they took it slow then by all means go ahead and watch "the best Gundam series ever" as the battles in the final two episodes (I mean 10 and 11) are among the better choreagraphed in the Gundam franchise as a whole, but that middle portion.....wow that was unfortunate.

0080 however contains none of that romance and heroism stuff that creeps up on 08th from pretty out of nowhere and focuses more on the characters and getting to the heart of the OYW conflict from the beginning to the end without losing itself in a romance or lofty ideals. It's as raw as Gundam series come in how it portrays warfare. Plus the main character is a greenhorn and stays a greenhorn right through to the end and you never get anything such as the Apsalus. It's also pretty much the only Gundam series to look at things from a civilian POV.

Originally Posted by brightman

Or maybe you watched a top secret high budget of it since I'm not the only one who thinks that MS Igloo had poor animation... But who cares about animation anyway, I still watch First Gundam myself.

Okay that's a Carl Kimlinger review, who takes those seriously anyway? We're talking about somebody who often gets key facts about whatever he's reviewing wrong, completely misses the point of whatever he's watching more often than not resulting in a total misrepresentation of the product and it's content, and who very likely writes up his review of a DVD after looking at the box art and skimming through one episode.

Now if you want the real reason as to why the characters often go overkill with the facial expressions it's very simply that Japanese players are, for the most part, a union of hammy overactors that think acting means pulling a Jim Carey at all times. That's just the style there for whatever reason and when you make use of motion capture that's what you're going to end up getting. So if you really want to blame somebody for the characters facial expressions don't blame the Motion Capture Jockey's for just doing their job, blame the Japanese entertainment industry for failing to produce actors that have the sense not to overemote with their facial expressions.

P.S: Seriously, go watch a movie like Battle Royale or G.T.O and watch as half of the characters are jumping around the set like mad men while overemoting, screaming and overselling pretty much all of their lines and actions.

[Rising Dragon]

Originally Posted by Duo Maxwell

If you notice, the one who messed up Gundam franchise actually isn't GS or GSD, but its fans instead.

Yes, the only failing point for GS was its bitchy fans. The reason why GSD failed, however, was because of its writer sabotaging it, if I'm not mistaken.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Rising Dragon

Yes, the only failing point for GS was its bitchy fans. The reason why GSD failed, however, was because of its writer sabotaging it, if I'm not mistaken.

Its writer didn't sabotage it... The creative team just ran out of ideas (as the director admitted)

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by brightman

Its writer didn't sabotage it... The creative team just ran out of ideas (as the director admitted)

Fukuda....what a guy. "Gee, you know I'm really sorry there viewers, but we just couldn't think of anything else to do with the show. I hope that's okay."

Fan response: