Turn A Gundam

[Ottocycle]

Originally Posted by elindir

By the way, what do you think about Sochie? Did you like her? To tell the truth, I found her very annoying and didn't find her nice at all. What happened to her at the end didn't touch me at all for this reason.

Well she was bossy, unreasonable and immature at the start, but the series developed her pretty well, especially with the loss of Gavane. Thereafter she stopped her ojou-sama antics and slowly became a battle-hardened soldier.

Someone also told me that the series also tried to be symbolic with her development at the same time as well, at the start of the series she missed out on her Coming-of-Age ceremony, but at the end, one can say that she doesn't need one anymore. Being able to get over Loran is quite the proof of that.

And finally, end-of-Turn-A Sochie was the hottest IMO. So womanly. Loran-lovers please don't flame me

[elindir]

Originally Posted by C.A.

I like Sochie for a couple of reasons.

Besides her strong and reckless character, which I like to see in mecha females sometimes, I also like her hair and dress. Short hair girls are win for me lol and I've always been interested in frilly styles like the Victorian style and the modern Lolita styles. The Victorian style all over the show was great eye candy for me lol, my favourite was Lily's, Sochie's, then Kiel

Sara the female main character of King Gainer, reminds me of Sochie as well, but she's much easier to love lol

Well, I don't like girls with short hair and especially not those girls who try to act like they are strong, so we seem to be opposites.

[elindir]

Originally Posted by humbug23

Well she was bossy, unreasonable and immature at the start, but the series developed her pretty well, especially with the loss of Gavane. Thereafter she stopped her ojou-sama antics and slowly became a battle-hardened soldier.

Someone also told me that the series also tried to be symbolic with her development at the same time as well, at the start of the series she missed out on her Coming-of-Age ceremony, but at the end, one can say that she doesn't need one anymore. Being able to get over Loran is quite the proof of that.

And finally, end-of-Turn-A Sochie was the hottest IMO. So womanly. Loran-lovers please don't flame me

It might be surprising, but I don't think her character developed that much. I'm not saying that she didn't change, but essentially she stayed the bossy, hot-blooded and not really useful girl whom we met in the first episode. She became more mature, but her basic character traits didn't change.

[Ottocycle]

Well, to be honest if I want totally changed character traits I'd go for a different character at the end, like Kihel. Well she's straightforward indeed, but learning in the course of the series to be able to rein in her brashness is her charm point that appeals for me.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by brightman

Its a Gabriela Robin song. Random gibberish is all she sings.

Yes and it was Yoko Kanno who wrote the lyrics, so like i original said, another one of Yoko Kanno's made up languages.

Regarding Sochie, in my opinion she's an adorable little cup-cake.

[Hellbore]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

No they're not the same but in different languages. For one it's a different singer, and the backing track is rather different. You'll find out the two are quite difference if you listen to one after another.

& Moon is sung in one of Yoko Kanno's made up languages.

I would say that jonli is right. They both have the same tune and melody.

About Sochie, I think she balanced nicely with Loran's character. I was very disappointed at the end.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Hellbore

I would say that jonli is right. They both have the same tune and melody.

I know they are the same melody. What i was saying is that they're not the compete same.

[SD Crippler]

Hi friends! I just finished watching the final episode from Turn A. I was wondering if I could throw a few questions out there:

---Was there ever any real detailed explanation about Dianna and Kihel's similarities? Was it just a coincidence? I kept waiting for the big plot reveal, but I don't think it arrived.

---Is there a singular unified opinion for Dianna's epilogue? I've heard everything from pregnant to dying. I'm just wondering what the consensus is, and whether the creative team have let their feelings known on the matter.

I'd also like to hear some interpretations of the ending, and whether Tomino has ever offered official comments about them. I've read the thread here, and liked what I saw. Most of everything in the ending is implied, I know, but I like to hear all the different perspectives out there.

I wasn't Guin's biggest fan during the series, but I really dug how his character wound up in the last episodes, realizing his wrongs, and the shot of him during the epilogue was awesome! I would watch an OVA just about his further adventures. I didn't like Marybell, but oh well.

I also didn't like Sochie, but her send-off was probably the high water mark for the epilogue. A lot of emotional investment. A great pay-off from the writers. I don't want to sound mean-spirited, but maybe she deserved to end up that way? She treated Loran with great disrespect during the entire series, only for things to turn out that way.

Overall, a great show! It didn't crack my Top 5 for Gundam, but still 4.5 stars.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by SD Crippler

---Was there ever any real detailed explanation about Dianna and Kihel's similarities? Was it just a coincidence? I kept waiting for the big plot reveal, but I don't think it arrived.

Apparently, they just look similar and there's no deeper connection than that. It's the way most of these "The Prince and the Pauper"-esque stories play out. In my opinion, this restrained approach is superior to the big plot reveals that are the alternative.

Originally Posted by SD Crippler

---Is there a singular unified opinion for Dianna's epilogue? I've heard everything from pregnant to dying. I'm just wondering what the consensus is, and whether the creative team have let their feelings known on the matter.

The ambiguity was placed in there on purpose, and very few clues are provided as to Dianna's condition. As such, there shouldn't be any sort of unified opinion, and the creative team certainly aren't going to spill the beans in any conclusive manner.

As far as I'm concerned, if Tomino was playing fair with the audience, then Dianna shouldn't be suffering from any unusual condition unless it had been hinted at earlier. Since it's quite clear that Dianna and Loran had a great deal of affection for each other, the rest of the ending should stem from that.

Originally Posted by SD Crippler

I also didn't like Sochie, but her send-off was probably the high water mark for the epilogue. A lot of emotional investment. A great pay-off from the writers. I don't want to sound mean-spirited, but maybe she deserved to end up that way? She treated Loran with great disrespect during the entire series, only for things to turn out that way.

I really don't think that it's a matter of whether Sochie deserved anything. I prefer to look at the outcomes from the characters' points of view. Here, the decision was Loran's and no one else's; and it was clear that he had been in love with Dianna from before the show began. That love only increased over the course of the show, so it's pretty clear that Sochie never had a chance no matter what she did. It also doesn't appear as if Loran took any offense towards Sochie's attitude towards him, so this had no impact on his choice.

[kenjiharima]

Akiman from Capcom is really into Star War's as seen in a few of the designs on TurnA. Though TurnX has a really bad ass design imho.

[Ansa]

Originally Posted by elindir

It might be surprising, but I don't think her character developed that much. I'm not saying that she didn't change, but essentially she stayed the bossy, hot-blooded and not really useful girl whom we met in the first episode. She became more mature, but her basic character traits didn't change.

Replying a month after but I just finished watching it myself XD

In regards to Sochie I would agree that her character didn't change that much but I do think she was developed quite well, she may not have changed much but I still think she had more development then anyone else in the main cast...

I think the main idea of the epilogue was that while she has grown older she still hasn't completely matured but when it comes to what happened to her and Loran I think that'd be the driving force for her in the future to become a better person, I was honestly surprised how much more attractive they made her look in the final scenes as if Loran really had missed out on something XD

I liked Loran throughout the show and I enjoyed his ending but I do wish there would have been a little more backstory on him, like why he was chosen to go down to earth in the first place and what about his parents nothing is really said in regards to them.

Overall I think Turn A is by far one of the most interesting and unique mech stories I've seen and honestly it's by far the most unique Gundam show out there. I'd really like to see more of this abstract style and unique storytelling in future Gundam series.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by Ansa

In regards to Sochie I would agree that her character didn't change that much but I do think she was developed quite well, she may not have changed much but I still think she had more development then anyone else in the main cast...

I think the main idea of the epilogue was that while she has grown older she still hasn't completely matured but when it comes to what happened to her and Loran I think that'd be the driving force for her in the future to become a better person, I was honestly surprised how much more attractive they made her look in the final scenes as if Loran really had missed out on something XD

I'm not really sure how accurate your assessment is. It's pretty obvious that Sochie had been soft on Loran almost from the moment they met, and by the end of the show, they had known each other for several (three?) years. While she had probably always known that Loran's interests lay elsewhere, I don't think that it's a matter of maturity to take it hard when he formally turned her down. It's hard to imagine that anyone can take that kind of outcome very well.

Originally Posted by Ansa

I liked Loran throughout the show and I enjoyed his ending but I do wish there would have been a little more backstory on him, like why he was chosen to go down to earth in the first place and what about his parents nothing is really said in regards to them.

These would sit in the "nice to know, but not really necessary" category. Quite simply, Loran isn't shaped all that much by his background; which in turn made him ideal for his mission to Earth.

Originally Posted by Ansa

Overall I think Turn A is by far one of the most interesting and unique mech stories I've seen and honestly it's by far the most unique Gundam show out there. I'd really like to see more of this abstract style and unique storytelling in future Gundam series.

I agree here, except that I thought that the first half of the show was vastly more interesting, and that a lot of the uniqueness went away when they went up to space. Unfortunately for us, Turn A never did very well commercially, and it's pretty obvious that Sunrise has decided to take Gundam in a different direction. The likelihood that we'll see something like this again is fairly slim.

[elindir]

Originally Posted by 4Tran

I agree here, except that I thought that the first half of the show was vastly more interesting, and that a lot of the uniqueness went away when they went up to space. Unfortunately for us, Turn A never did very well commercially, and it's pretty obvious that Sunrise has decided to take Gundam in a different direction. The likelihood that we'll see something like this again is fairly slim.

Unfortunately, you're right. It is possible that we will not see a show comparable to Turn A Gundam in the near future.

About the second half of the show: although I agree with you that the atmosphere of the show changed a bit, I still think that it was still great.

[Dan the Man]

Originally Posted by 4Tran

What the heck are you doing reading this thread then? The answer is farther into the show so I won't spoil it for you.

Well, took me long enough... but I finally finished Turn A. I gotta say I really liked it. I'd have to say it ranks as my second favorite, behind Zeta.

Originally Posted by C.A.

Great to know you like White Doll, its really a beautiful design.

Syd Mead turned the over used basic design of Gundam and gave it a totally new look, its really a wonderful redesign of Gundam. Aesthetically beautiful and completely unique in all Gundams, no other Gundam was ever bold enough to carry a mustache.

Character interaction in Turn A is really the best in all Gundam. The 2 very different atmospheres of an old and a futuristic civilisation clashes but combines to form a seamless romantic atmosphere.

I agree. The Turn A design just captivates me. There's such elegance in it's simplicity that it just feels like the end result of thousands of years of Gundam evolution. They gambled with letting Mead design it, and I think it paid off.
Also, am I right in reading that the Gold Sumo was originally meant by Mead to be the Turn A?

Originally Posted by brightman

I think its entirely applicable to call him a "companion". Perhaps not as close as a lover, but I think to call it a master-servant relationship might be belittling it a bit. Knowing Tomino, the ring should have a meaning, but I doubt its related to Will Game.

The way I see it, if it were a ring from Will Game, we would've seen her wear it sooner, especially on the few episodes involving Will's descendant. I would think they're married.

Originally Posted by 4Tran

Apparently, they just look similar and there's no deeper connection than that. It's the way most of these "The Prince and the Pauper"-esque stories play out. In my opinion, this restrained approach is superior to the big plot reveals that are the alternative.

This reminds me of History of the World: Part 1.

"Your majesty! You look like the piss boy!"

"And you look like a bucket of Sh**!!"

Never would've thought I could tie Mel Brooks and Gundam into a conversation. Happy day indeed.

Originally Posted by 4Tran

I really don't think that it's a matter of whether Sochie deserved anything. I prefer to look at the outcomes from the characters' points of view. Here, the decision was Loran's and no one else's; and it was clear that he had been in love with Dianna from before the show began. That love only increased over the course of the show, so it's pretty clear that Sochie never had a chance no matter what she did. It also doesn't appear as if Loran took any offense towards Sochie's attitude towards him, so this had no impact on his choice.

I did feel sorry for Sochie. I kinda banked on the Gundam tradition that if someone's lover dies or leaves, another one fills the void eventually. (Fa, Beltorchika, Lacus, etc.) Just a shame that nobody came along after Gooney. Though I will admit I didn't care for him much initially, because he was voiced by the same guy that played Yazan, one of my most hated Gundam characters... Oh well, I'm rambling again...

[artquest7@]

Originally Posted by kenjiharima

Akiman from Capcom is really into Star War's as seen in a few of the designs on TurnA. Though TurnX has a really bad ass design imho.

I'm confused. Who is Akiman? I was under the impression that Syd Mead did 90% of the designs for turn A, including the TurnX.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by artquest7@

I'm confused. Who is Akiman? I was under the impression that Syd Mead did 90% of the designs for turn A, including the TurnX.

Akira Yasuda (the ex-Capcom employee who did designs for Street Fighter II) was the character designer. So no he didn't design the Turn X, Syd Mead did.

But Syd Mead didn't design anywhere close to 90% of the mecha designs. Most are by an assortment of other designers... The ones he designed are the Turn brothers and SUMO, and a couple of others.

[Traece]

Originally Posted by 4Tran

I agree here, except that I thought that the first half of the show was vastly more interesting, and that a lot of the uniqueness went away when they went up to space. Unfortunately for us, Turn A never did very well commercially, and it's pretty obvious that Sunrise has decided to take Gundam in a different direction. The likelihood that we'll see something like this again is fairly slim.

My watching of Turn A was essentially accidental. I just so happened to find it on the list of Gundam animes that were available here on Animesuki, and started watching it.

I've seen all but a small handful of the different Gundams, but Turn A was by far the most interesting and creative. The way they presented it and the way they set up the story was just remarkable. The whole post-apocalyptic world with buried mobile suits and technology from Universal Century bit was just so extremely intriguing. The idea was genius, and the way they presented it was equally impressive. Admittedly the later half of the show in which (in the typical fashion of Gundam) the story moves in to space was slightly lacking in comparison, but Graham and the Turn X were definitely there to keep it interesting. Not only that, but the almost carbon copy of the 08th MS Team ending with Loran and Dianna made the ending worth watching as well. Nothing I hate more than bad romance.

That's all I'll say before I get so nostalgic that I have to watch it again.

[Washu-Chan]

Currently, it's been rumored that Bandai Entertainment might have licensed Turn A Gundam for US release. It's mentioned on Bandai's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Even the Toonzone, Mecha Talk, and GameFAQs posts mention this.

Since most of the stuff is taken from TVTropes, take this with a grain of salt.

[jonli]

Originally Posted by Washu-Chan

Currently, it's been rumored that Bandai Entertainment might have licensed Turn A Gundam for US release. It's mentioned on Bandai's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Even the Toonzone, Mecha Talk, and GameFAQs posts mention this.

Since most of the stuff is taken from TVTropes, take this with a grain of salt.

I would cry out in joy if Turn A turns out to be a HUGE HIT in america.

[artquest7@]

I'm so happy that the community at large is starting to warm up to Turn-A gundam. For so long its been treated as the red headed step child of gundam. A friend of mine still refuses to watch it on account of the gundam having a mustache. Its great to see a lot of people appreciating it for how good it really is. Tomino did a wonderful job with this one imho. It's very unique in may ways, adding to the nostalgia factor, it's also the last hand animated gundam I believe. If I could watch the entire thing over in blue ray quality, I would in an instant. Hell I'm even tempted to watch it again right now.