Gundam AGE General Discussion Thread

[Roloko vi Britannia]

I just hope the next new Gundam series does well.

Sure AGE is a flop, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable its just severely underrated and the timeslot isn't the best either from what I heard. -__-

I just hope they decide to stick with it to the very end cause I hate being left with incomplete stories or rushed endings cause of fears of being canceled. So hang in there AGE!

[brightman]

Got nothing to do with the timeslot... Other shows in the slot have had better ratings than AGE.

[GN0010 Nosferatu]

AGE will make it to the end. I have confidence in it.

[Roloko vi Britannia]

Originally Posted by GN0010 Nosferatu

AGE will make it to the end. I have confidence in it.

I really hope it does too regardless of ratings as long as it gets complete I'll be able to rest easy. I'm just sad it might take me forever and a day to afford the subbed BR sets if it does not get an subbed R1 DVD release from Sentai. Heck it flopped so I doubt Sunrise would worry about people reverse importing this particular Gundam title as opposed to if SEED remaster were to get an R1 release.

I was thinking the past couple nights, but what if Sunrise are using Unicorn's sales to pay off production costs of AGE? I know silly, but I just was bored and thinking random things. xD

[SonicSP]

Originally Posted by Roloko vi Britannia

I really hope it does too regardless of ratings as long as it gets complete I'll be able to rest easy. I'm just sad it might take me forever and a day to afford the subbed BR sets if it does not get an subbed R1 DVD release from Sentai. Heck it flopped so I doubt Sunrise would worry about people reverse importing this particular Gundam title as opposed to if SEED remaster were to get an R1 release.

I was thinking the past couple nights, but what if Sunrise are using Unicorn's sales to pay off production costs of AGE? I know silly, but I just was bored and thinking random things. xD

Well, its part of their earnings so I assume it and all their other earnings are being involved.

AGE is suppose to be an investment though, an investment fr the future. Even if it fails commercially, if they can get the young audience they wanted, they'd probably achieve their main objective. The problem is that its failing or at least not appearing to do well so far commercially (the BR sales aren't doing that well I guess, the ratings aren't great either) and not getting the target audience they wanted. Hopefully the gunpla is doing decently for Bandai's sake. For the moment, I'm worried about it being cut short as well.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Roloko vi Britannia

I just hope the next new Gundam series does well.

Sure AGE is a flop, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable its just severely underrated and the timeslot isn't the best either from what I heard. -__-

I just hope they decide to stick with it to the very end cause I hate being left with incomplete stories or rushed endings cause of fears of being canceled. So hang in there AGE!

I don't even think it's that it's underrated even though I would tend to agree, I think it was just literally never given much of a chance and people were just instantly hostile towards it from the get go. In an era where IMO anime fandom in Japan is at the most shallow it has ever been in terms of general tastes and open-mindedness Gundam AGE just really never had much of a chance. It really is a horrible era to try to do shows like Gundam AGE in. If it had come out in the 90's I have little doubt it would have done just fine in the categories Sunrise/Bandai were looking to capitalize on.

Though if it does get cancelled I may honestly never forgive the Japanese anime fandom for being so uniform and stubborn in it's approach to anime at this point in time. Can only hope that anime can find a more open audience than the current stable of otaku otherwise I don't think it has much of a future in terms of shows that don't all conform to a certain set of cliches and archetypes.

But yeah I seriously can't say enough how I don't think the overall quality of the writing and production of the show has anything to do with why it's not popular. I think it's pretty much just Japanese fans being big babies about it not being targetted at them for a change. My intense dislike of their limited tastes grows exponentially by the day.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

But yeah I seriously can't say enough how I don't think the overall quality of the writing and production of the show has anything to do with why it's not popular. I think it's pretty much just Japanese fans being big babies about it not being targetted at them for a change. My intense dislike of their limited tastes grows exponentially by the day.

Regardless, that still wouldn't explain why they're not getting the younger audience either (if indeed that is true), especially since AGE is made by the people who are supposed to know how to attract the younger audience.

[Westlo]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Though if it does get cancelled I may honestly never forgive the Japanese anime fandom for being so uniform and stubborn in it's approach to anime at this point in time. Can only hope that anime can find a more open audience than the current stable of otaku otherwise I don't think it has much of a future in terms of shows that don't all conform to a certain set of cliches and archetypes.

Why would you blame Japanese Anime fandom when this show was never aimed @ them in the first place? The Gundam franchise is meant to be bigger than the Otaku crap, the show was meant to draw in a new generation of younger fans, not 18-30 year old fans of Bakemonogatari and Madoka.

They have nothing to do period with this

Originally Posted by Katapan

Episode 18 of Gundam AGE has 'finally' managed to hit 0.0% in the KIDS (4-12) range (household rating: 2.3%). If anyone still doubted it, this further confirms that the series never managed to reach out to a younger audience.

Older Gundam fans were already told pretty much "Stop bitching, you have Unicorn, this isn't for you". You only had to look @ the sales figures for shows like Bleach, Naruto, Cardfight Vanguard or all the other Level 5 anime shows aimed @ kids etc to realize that this was never going to sell well in the first place.

This show was never meant to capture Japanese Otaku or the established Gundam crowd, yet you want to blame them for this shows failure? You're just looking for a scapegoat period Instead of blaming them why don't you look @ why this is doing badly compared to Cardfight Vanguard or Yugioh Zexal, why can they succeed with the 4-12 crowd while Gundam can't? Maybe being the first gundam to aim @ that crowd since ZZ could be a reason? Maybe Hino is an idiot even though he has other shows successful with that age range? Maybe by trying to make this show a jack of all trades in ended up as a master of none.

[kaito-kid]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

I don't even think it's that it's underrated even though I would tend to agree, I think it was just literally never given much of a chance and people were just instantly hostile towards it from the get go. In an era where IMO anime fandom in Japan is at the most shallow it has ever been in terms of general tastes and open-mindedness Gundam AGE just really never had much of a chance. It really is a horrible era to try to do shows like Gundam AGE in. If it had come out in the 90's I have little doubt it would have done just fine in the categories Sunrise/Bandai were looking to capitalize on.

Though if it does get cancelled I may honestly never forgive the Japanese anime fandom for being so uniform and stubborn in it's approach to anime at this point in time. Can only hope that anime can find a more open audience than the current stable of otaku otherwise I don't think it has much of a future in terms of shows that don't all conform to a certain set of cliches and archetypes.

But yeah I seriously can't say enough how I don't think the overall quality of the writing and production of the show has anything to do with why it's not popular. I think it's pretty much just Japanese fans being big babies about it not being targetted at them for a change. My intense dislike of their limited tastes grows exponentially by the day.

I think you are severely misinformed about the targeted audience of this anime and Gundam in general.

First of all, Age is (supposedly) targeted at a younger audience than ever before. And as you can read from the tv ratings, it's not working and that is entirely due to the quality and execution of this show.. Unless you want to blame the kids for this as well.

2. From what I understand, Gundam always had a much broader audience than your average successful anime show. Sometimes it's not even people who watch anime (Gundam Seed is an example).

The "anime fandom" that you are talking about I guess are the average anime otaku crowd. Who in a lot of cases appear to be incredibly shallow. But Gundam does not depend on their support for success. If they did, then Seed, Destiny or 00 would have never made it into the top 10 in tv ratings for anime.

So no.. There is no excuse for Gundam Age's lackluster performance on tv.

[Kaioshin Sama]

I see a lot of people poo pooing my theories, but I don't exactly see them offering up much of anything better in return other than to just blame the show without context or focus. I don't know what people want me to say since I obviously think the quality is there with the show and that it's finding it's groove just fine and that it's also not trying to be a jack of all trades by any stretch so yeah.....kind of have to leave it at that.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

I see a lot of people poo pooing my theories, but I don't exactly see them offering up much of anything better in return other than to just blame the show without context or focus. I don't know what people want me to say since I obviously think the quality is there with the show and that it's finding it's groove just fine and that it's also not trying to be a jack of all trades by any stretch so yeah.....kind of have to leave it at that.

No one wants to you say anything specific... They're just pointing out that your criticisms at otakus are misdirected... The show's problem isn't the anime fandom. Its the kids that they want the show to appeal to but aren't able to. That's where the biggest failure lies.

[SonicSP]

Originally Posted by monster

Regardless, that still wouldn't explain why they're not getting the younger audience either (if indeed that is true), especially since AGE is made by the people who are supposed to know how to attract the younger audience.

If the demographic ratings we've seen some time before are, they're not getting them. Gunpla sales though, we can't really measure.

Lead character designs aside, I don't think AGE is that child friendly in its writing. It's still quite complex that it might turn them off and its not just a show about robots fighting each other. I think that its too middle ground in the design that it can alienate both demographics to some extent.

Not that it matters to me since I'm enjoying it so far and is mostly okay with the design, even if I think its far from perfect. Unless of course, it gets cut short early, in which case it would matter to me.

[Roloko vi Britannia]

Originally Posted by SonicSP

Not that it matters to me since I'm enjoying it so far and is mostly okay with the design, even if I think its far from perfect. Unless of course, it gets cut short early, in which case it would matter to me.

These are my feelings too basically especially the bolded part. I think the character designs are quite good except for a handful of them.

I think the BR sales Sunrise will get from Unicorn and SEED remaster will go to help AGE's production cost to keep it going.

[justavisitor]

Originally Posted by Roloko vi Britannia

I think the BR sales Sunrise will get from Unicorn and SEED remaster will go to help AGE's production cost to keep it going.

it may be possible, but I doubt Sunrise will keep doing the "charity" if Age continues its "misery" It is business after all, and it's not like they haven't cut the show short before


(actually I don't think any of us (or at least myself) fully understands the standard of being successful in Sunrise's perspective...who knows, Sunrise may think everything is ok)

I think sometimes it's good to see audiences send a message of their interest of the show. Audiences can be wrong, of course, and if it's really a good show, eventually ppl will recognize it. (like the original gundam). At the end of the day, I see nothing wrong if ppl don't give a chance to the show. It is cruel, but that's life. We, as a audience, have the right to tell them we are not obligated in buying everything they throw at us

[Znozzy]

Originally Posted by justavisitor

I think sometimes it's good to see audiences send a message of their interest of the show. Audiences can be wrong, of course, and if it's really a good show, eventually ppl will recognize it. (like the original gundam). At the end of the day, I see nothing wrong if ppl don't give a chance to the show. It is cruel, but that's life. We, as a audience, have the right to tell them we are not obligated in buying everything they throw at us

at the same time, people gave the show a chance, in the end they didnt like it, judging from the ratings and how they are dropping, a show shouldnt take 1/3 of it to attract viewers, thats what episode 1-5 are for, to build up suspense and then have something dramatic happen that keeps the audience glued to their seats.

instead we got fardain.

[Roloko vi Britannia]

Originally Posted by Znozzy

at the same time, people gave the show a chance, in the end they didnt like it, judging from the ratings and how they are dropping, a show shouldnt take 1/3 of it to attract viewers, thats what episode 1-5 are for, to build up suspense and then have something dramatic happen that keeps the audience glued to their seats.

instead we got fardain.

Yeah the Fardain arc was the worst part of the entire series. I thought it was dumb. xD

[casval cehack]

Originally Posted by justavisitor

it may be possible, but I doubt Sunrise will keep doing the "charity" if Age continues its "misery" It is business after all, and it's not like they haven't cut the show short before


(actually I don't think any of us (or at least myself) fully understands the standard of being successful in Sunrise's perspective...who knows, Sunrise may think everything is ok)

I think sometimes it's good to see audiences send a message of their interest of the show. Audiences can be wrong, of course, and if it's really a good show, eventually ppl will recognize it. (like the original gundam). At the end of the day, I see nothing wrong if ppl don't give a chance to the show. It is cruel, but that's life. We, as a audience, have the right to tell them we are not obligated in buying everything they throw at us

This, the 20th episode and Bandai's Age gunpla line.

[GN0010 Nosferatu]

The Fardain arch gave me glorious AGE styled Zakus. Your arguments are invalid.

[SonicSP]

Originally Posted by Znozzy

at the same time, people gave the show a chance, in the end they didnt like it, judging from the ratings and how they are dropping, a show shouldnt take 1/3 of it to attract viewers, thats what episode 1-5 are for, to build up suspense and then have something dramatic happen that keeps the audience glued to their seats.

instead we got fardain.

Yeah, the starting and ending arcs of Gen I were really cool but Fardain arc was very disappointing in my opinion.

[Duo Maxwell]

Originally Posted by GN0010 Nosferatu

The Fardain arch gave me glorious AGE styled Zakus. Your arguments are invalid.

Well....that's just your opinion. I myself hate the Fardain arc, too.