How do people feel about mecha anime?
 

I was wondering how does everyone feel about mecha anime? I asked a few people and they said they hated mecha. I was wondering, none of them could or would explain why.

So I would like to know, how do you guys feel about mechas?

I guess it all depends on what kind of mecha anime? I mean I quite liked the gundam series but then something like Gurren Lagann would give off a completely different feel. Generally though I don't hate on mecha nor do I "love" it~

It depends... Watch Gundam Wing or Vision of Escaflowne... balance of mecha and romance is very appreciable.. pure mecha battle will bore you... sometimes..

I don't hate mecha anime it's just that I haven't been following on it.

Mecha is great to watch and enjoy to be honest! I love the fact of "Giant robot figures beating each other to death with a some what of military plot line" is my kind of thing and my preference. I love Mecha anime and manga, I don't like it when somebody bashes it and have no information on it, but the most famous and most common "Gundam wing."

Mechas in anime bore me. They're pretty much the only type of shows I absolutely refuse to watch, knowing that chances are high I won't (fully) enjoy them.

There are a lot of mecha anime with various genres and moods. Hell, it's possible to consider AKB0048 and Last Exile to be mecha. I don't think "mecha" is really a genre, just a specific story tool.

I don't normally have a problem with the use of mecha as long as it's either in a fantastic setting or is given a remotely plausible excuse. But I do think that Japanese writers have been over-reliant on them, because it seems that every other anime about the military or alien invasions uses mecha. I'm sure there's the "cool" factor at work, but I also get the impression that most Japanese writers don't know how to write something exciting and politically intriguing without throwing giant humanoid robots into the mix. There's plenty of room for innovation, but the concept itself is tired and overused.

It would be great to have more of a focus on tanks and planes.

UFO Grendizer, Macross and Evangelion hold a sentimental value to me. I thoroughly enjoyed Full Metal Panic series and the Muv Luv visual novels. And I can't bring myself to care about anything in the whole Gundam franchise, maybe it's the mech designs, the characters, the universe or the fans (I am especially looking at Zeon supporters) that rubs me the wrong way. Overall it's a case by case thing for me as far as the genre is concerned.

I concur, and (perhaps sadly), I do happen to be a fan of Gundam 00 and Gundam Unicorn. From my end, I think the character interaction and portrayal within the setting is the primary attribute in determining whether or not a mecha series is worthwhile, so while stuff like Break Blade and Rinne no Lagrange is excellent in my books, Gurran Lagan isn't because the characters don't seem to work with me. They seem too over-the-top and so, seem to detract from the show's concepts.

This is purely opinion, of course, although I imagine that I will get some funny stares for my mecha preferences :heh:

I really just don't get mecha. Not that I reject anything because there are mecha in it. Good science fiction is good science fiction. But the appeal of giant mecha is lost on me. I think of them as representing a ten-year-old boy's dreams of being a man. Not that there's anything wrong with that, since just about all anime is based on genres for children (I love Yumeiro Patissiere).

I don't really like mecha in animes. The only exception i would make is if the animes is really good but doesn't focus too much on the mecha. Like Code Geass, Escaflowne or Dragonaut. A full on mecha battle seems boring and too used and childish since kids love robots.

That's what I feel for these kinds of shows. It doesn't need to be full of battles but if it has a nice story, then I might watch it. I did watch Gundam Wing and Escaflowne but the others, I don't think I'll appreciate as much.

I don't give a crap about mecha. That's not my genre. There are some I've seen that I've liked, like Bokurano, Code Geass, and Evangelion. Stuff like Gurren Lagann and Gundam bore me to tears.

I don't *object* to mecha, I just don't watch a series simply because it has mecha. If there's a storyline I find interesting that happens to occur in a mecha setting, I'll happily watch that. If the primary purpose of the series is power moves, shouting, and heroic power ups... then I don't watch it for the same reason I don't watch Pokemon. Its really designed for young boys.

I enjoyed Martian Nadesico Successor, I like the majority of Gurren Lagann but more because of the characters and story. They just happened to pilot mecha. For the same reason I rather liked the Nanoha series and I'm not really a "magical girl series" fan per se. ---> storyline.

I agree with Sheba who said that “Mecha Animes” (if that really is a genre) are a case-by-case thing. There are abysmal ones, there are great ones, and there are more in between. I think how they execute the story told in the anime itself is more important than whether or not there’s mecha in it. Btw, In a lot of animes, mechas are just tools for the characters to use like swords or any other weapons. The mechas are not necessarily the focus of the story. Imo, the only mecha-animes who put great emphasis on their mechas are only from the Super-Robot sub-genre like Gaiking, Voltus, Grendizer, Go-Lion, etc which are indeed designed for children-audiences in mind.

Just like many others, I like mecha animes in which the focus is on the characters and not the mechas themselves. That’s perfectly reflected by some of my favorite titles like Gundam 0080, Patlabor, The 08th Mobile Suit Team, Broken Blade, Full Metal Panic, Gunbuster, Sakura, SDF Macross, Ghost in the Shell, Gundam Unicorn, Escaflowne, and more. And for those who believe that all mecha-animes are for children: watch the titles that I mentioned above. Surely it will change your opinion.

All in all, I’m so glad that I’m not someone who immediately/easily brush off a show because there’s a mecha element in it. If I was, I would surely miss a lot of great animes out there.

Mecha anime? I don't mind. Long before I became serious with watching anime as a hobby, back when I was still a casual anime watcher - I was a fan of mecha anime. Gundam Wing and NGE have places as among the mecha anime I liked from my later childhood days. Even now, Full Metal Panic! still retains a special, unranked place among my favorite shows (I'm also still waiting for the sequel(s) to TSR... :upset:).

Now that I've broadened my horizons on anime considerably after becoming a... more passionate anime fan, I also won't watch a show simply because it has mecha in it. Plots and characters interest me a lot more now than just good-looking mecha designs. In a way, my current position on this is quite similar to Vexx's. I don't mind mecha anime, but there has to be something interesting from the story or the characters more than just good looking mecha and flashy battles to get me to watch it.

Full Metal Panic has a benefit of being good even when there are no mechs to be seen. Fumoffu didn't even feature the regular mechs at all.

Mecha is too large of a genre to be generalized effectively. There's also too many to say something that covers all of them. Then again, there's very few genres that encourage or discourage me.

But to generalize, mechas are really cool vehicles and thus serve as vehicles of the souls of the characters that pilot them. It is through these tools that characters can enact their will. Thus, the quality of a mecha series is going to be about the quality of said pilot. Without a quality character in there, the mecha would just be an empty shell, and that really just leads on to the mecha series I've enjoyed. Those are typically ones with very strong interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts that create amazing clashes that I care about.

It's also for this reason that mecha often has a strong relation to the shounen genre, and it's no surprise that shounen haters will rip on mecha too.

Mecha is also a part of the sci-fi genre. At its best, it can explore certain societal issues in a context that is limited only by the imagination. It also takes a great deal of imagination for the viewer to be able to appreciate the best works in this area so I feel it is harder to do so. In general, I feel that anime with more fantastical settings tend to be criticized more harshly for "plot holes" because people are trying to use to judge characters and events in a modern, realistic context. But applying to conventional logic to a world where 500 feet tall robots are practical weapons just isn't going to work.

So yea, I've leaned more towards mecha series like Evangelion and UC Gundam which I consider to have such soul reaching premises and conflicts which reach far deeper than the surface. The opposite for me is Guilty Crown, which is really just nothing but a soulless shell. Pretty, but still hollow-- I have to be reminded it's a mecha series. But it did make good use of those skintight mecha suits that are popular throughout mecha. :o:p I guess that might be an appeal of the genre?

Mecha isn't really my thing because I'm more of a magic and fantasy girl than a sci-fi one. That's not to say I won't give it a try, because I am trying to become more open minded about my watching habits and exposing myself to different genres, but for the most part, mecha just hasn't been my cup of tea.

I just think if the series is so hyped up on nothing but the mecha, it's boring. Mecha can look cool and be badass, but if that's all the show has going for it, it's a bore and a chore to go through. At least for me, anyway. I know some people would probably love it. What makes the story for me, though, is if it's got a good story and characters attached. Now, the pilot behind the mecha, and their story, and the drama they have with others and within themselves - that always makes something worth watching. Flashy effects and cool things are nice, but they're only worthwhile and add more if there's a good amount of substance to begin with.

Magical girls have always been my thing. I just don't really care to see giant robots (and their pilots) fighting; I just don't see the appeal. I'd rather see pretty, flashy tricks with cute mascots, adorable outfits, and magic weapons. ...I'm such a girl.

Archon_Wing did make some good points about mecha, though. It's an element that can occur and appear in many different genres, like shounen and sci-fi, along with being a subgenre too.

And you call yourself a voice of reason? Blasphemy!

I know many friends who have no interest in mecha, yet love robot anime for OTHER reasons.
Such as Macross, Gundam, Gurren Lagann, etc.

As long as you harbor "I don't like it and I don't try it" attitude, you're not a voice of reason. :heh: