Is the science fiction in the Gundam universe realistic?

[Matrim]

Just gonna express my opinion on the matter, sci-fi is supposed to be unrealistic.
I dislike when people say that Mwu shouldnt have survived the transface cannon from the Minerva or whatever the hell it was. But guess what it is a sci-fi and a damned animé series at that, realy stuff shouldnt, because then a animé series would be very very dull.

You might want to try watching Planetes. Maybe then you will see that sci-fi can be both realistic and very much entertaining. Suspension of disbelief is all fine but when some characters seem to be able to survive in absolutely every type of extreme situation, atomic blasts and exposion to space vacuum in broken suits included, that's not suspension of disbelief, that's just insulting to the viewers intelligence, IMO. Why should Mwu survive while so many grunts die in basically the same situation? Because he is an important characters and screw laws of physics? OK, luck is normally on the side of the good guys but that's streching it way too much.

[Tak]

^

Just for the heck of it:

So far, the most military-realistic Sci-Fi I've ever seen is Sentou Yousei: Yukikaze...

- Tak (and when the CIWS roared, it was instantly golden...)

[Renegade334]

Originally Posted by Tak

^

Just for the heck of it:

So far, the most military-realistic Sci-Fi I've ever seen is Sentou Yousei: Yukikaze...

- Tak (and when the CIWS roared, it was instantly golden...)

That's what I thought, too, until I read an interview with Ikuto Yamashita (who previously made designs for Neon Genesis Evangelion - especially the 'demonic look' for Unit 01) who stated that the technical staff drew designs knowing very well that they were using concepts contradicting aerodynamics' laws - but they expanded on those absurdities in the most interesting of ways or so they stated. But, yeah, Yukikaze rocks in terms of realism, since the staff itself (there's even a video in DVD #1) went to a JSDF air base to take a look at the F15s there and have interviews with the maintenance, pilot and tower control crews.

In other words they impregnated themselves with as much realism as one can get in this world. Since there is no precursor or study model in this world, Gundam can't exactly reach Yukikaze's level, because that series more or less copied already existing things, while Gundam and co. fill in that void with some imagination.

Note: the most WTF moment in SYK was when Yukikaze pulled Rei's Super Sylph into firing point-blank at a missile with a warhead as destructive as a nuclear bomb, yet it survived the blast unscathed...while, not even ten minutes ago, an entire squadron got offed by a similar weapon while being somewhat farther away from the point of detonation...

And a CIWS can roar...it just sounds like a giant zipper being pulled down because of the rate of fire (a GAU-2B/A Minigun can fire at 4,000/6,000 RPM (it's the fastest Gatling gun in the world, FYI) - for a M61 Vulcan, I don't really remember but it should be between 2,000 and 4,000 RPM).