Just Starting Gundam..Kinda

M

Melis

New member
So years ago when I was first getting into anime a friend suggested G Gundam. I bought it and loved it. Then I heard most of the other Gundam series weren't anything like it so I said screw them and didn't watch.

But I've been reading bits and pieces here and there on forums and I think I'll give them a try. I plan to watch every series in every timeline chronologically starting with Universal Century. But a couple things before I do....

1. If wikipedia is right, the following were never dubbed into English:

Gundam ZZ
F91
Victory Gundam
After War Gundam X
MS IGLOO

This correct?

2. A person suggested I actually watch the Mobie Suit movies and not the first anime as he says the movie gives a better telling of the story. What do you make of this?

3. I've heard rampant hatred for Gundam SEED: Destiny Now I won't be watching that for a long time but I'm just wondering what's the problem? If you can tell me without spoiling it I'd appreciate it. If you can't no big deal.
 
Destiny gets a bit more hate than it deserves. As it starts out the series looks as if it has a lot of potential and it pretty much feeRAB this thought until about episode 40. The thing is, the ideas are great, but you get to a point where the characters are a bit bland and the show loses focus on who the main character should really be.

I completely reccomend watching SEED though, it is a fun series that has decent characters. The first half is a bit slow but it is completely worth the wait because things really hit the ground running during the end. Destiny is worth the watch too, it just sort of loses its direction.
 
Your list is correct except for F91, which was dubbed.

As for GS: Destiny, it starts out pretty great. As it goes on though, it always felt like (to me) that the series couldn't decide who its main character is. It stays pretty good until the middle and it just kinda falls apart by the end.
 
Gundam F91 most certainly does have an English dub! One that's not too bad either.

I have to agree that the Mobile Suit Gundam movies are an ideal way to see it. The animation is old but at the time much of the footage was updated, so it's better than the series on that count. It also rearranges and condenses events rather effectively; in my view it will give you most of the best parts. The movies are sub-only, so if you absolutely must have a dub you could try renting Bandai's single DVD release (or buy them, but that could be a tough proposition these days). A nice thing about the movies is that the three of them clock in at just over 7 hours, so while it's a shorter watch I feel you're still getting the meat of the story.

A lot of people don't like GSD mostly on writing grounRAB. It paces faster than Gundam Seed but it makes some highly debatable twists and turns, and in some cases the characterization is not nearly what could have been. I personally think that the drama and messages of the first Seed were also much more interesting overall. I was obviously supposed to empathize with GSD's hero just as much as the original, but I can't say that ever really happened.
 
Another recommendation from me: don't watch the final episode of The 08th MS Team. I love the series, it's one of my favorite Gundams (others are Wing and G). However, the last episode doesn't fit in with the rest of the series in my opinion. While there are others who disagree with me, I was more satisfied with the CN run of the series, which excluded the episode and ended it with episode 11; somehow, episode 11 was actually a perfect ending and when you do see it, you'll know why.

Another thing the tv run did was integrate the footage from the Miller's Report movie. The movie, while a compilation of the first 8 episodes, was set during Episode 8. It's acceptable to watch it instead of Episode 8 or immediately after it.
 
Utterly seconded.

I always pretend now that episode 12 doesn't exsist. It's seems so badly tacked on and... contrived, I dunno, but it almost destroys the extreem awesomeness that is the 08 ms team. Almost, not quite.

Suffice to say, don't watch it.

I'll add to that, that if like me you instantly find the premise of Gundam 00 off putting by it's ridiculousness, skip the first 4 episodes and watch it from there.
 
Uh, no, Gundam 00 plot is no more ridiculous then G Gundam and more or less you'll be missing out on some key points if you miss those episodes plus the notion of skipping episodes because you find the plot ridiculous or you believe they add nothing to the story is idiotic.
 
Well, put it like this, I did watch the first ep of gundam 00, but the reason I can accept ridiculousness in G Gundam and not so much in 00 is because G Gundam makes no attempts what so ever to justify it's self in any real world sense. It's not a case of Hypothetical future that could ever happen, it's an utterly fantastical take on things.

00 however goes to great lengths to make it's self believable, which is why when, in the first episode, Aeolia Shenberg goes on his whole schpeel about how he's going to use armed interventions to bring about a lasting peace between all nations, I laugh at the idiotic idea which that so clearly is and say 'Right, this is stupid' and I turn to another channel.

So what I'm saying is that if you too are of that oppinion (one which I've stated clearly and consicely in other threaRAB which I won't rehash here) then feel free to skip ahead to episode 4. It gets much better and is totally worth the watch if you can be distracted from the fact that the central premise is insane and would never ever happen... ever.
 
Okay, that makes sense but seriously I find that to be very minor compared to what we got with previous installments and I'm talking specifically about U.C. titles, there were some moments in ZZ and Victory that made me......cringe and wonder why was watching it in the first place.

To answer the OP's request, I'll suggest that if you're not gonna indulge heavenly into the franchise, then go straight to SEED and 00 but as a suggestion on my part you may wanna at least gained some knowledge of from the U.C. era of the franchise. You're wrong about F91 it has been and as one of the better dubs in the franchise now about the debutante which was SEED Destiny, it had a great start and tons of potential but along the way things feel apart on a writing and tecnical aspect, alot of the new characters got pushed aside for the returning cast and alot of things just didn't add up sort to speak, the only way I would recommend Destiny to anyone is if they haven't seen SEED.
 
I'd suggest one tackles the film trilogy (as it's readily available in America). It helped Gundam flourish into what it became today, and there's a certain understanding one will have of other Gundam shows if they see what inspired them first.
 
Surprised no one mentioned Turn A Gundam not having a dub. As far as the original Gundam movie trilogy, it basically covers every relevant plot point you may need from the original series. If you are in a hurry to watch all of them, it would be everything you need to jump into Zeta.
 
I know Turn A wasn't dubbed. Forgot to put it on my list.

And I do plan to watch every series definitely.

I also found the episodes of the first series, though. So I gotta decide whether to watch it or the movies. Hm.

And just out of curiosity since Silver_Soul mentioned F91 had one of the better dubs, which of the series had the best?
 
All the Gundam TV series that's been licensed has been dubbed by Ocean Studio with the exception of Char's Counterattack and Endless Waltz which were movies, their dubs gets mixed reaction from fans because they tend to re-use and miscast the same VA in each new installment, however the other OVAs and movies (0080 War In A Pocket, 0083 Stardust Memory, Gundam F91, AND 08th Team) were dubbed by a different studio in LA and were generally well received and as it stanRAB Gundam 0080-War In A Pocket has the best dub out of any Gundam series. Keep in mind the dubs by Ocean Studios aren't bad they're just a few too many weak performances and alot of the actors feels like they're just phoning in.
 
The problem with all Ocean dubs that I've found is that if it's a particularilly large cast, Scott MacNeil plays everybody with a deep gravely voice.

Now, I don't blame Scott for this and I understand to a certain extent why they mix the smaller roles around the cast a bit, but they always give Scott the same kinRAB of characters, and while he's good enough to differentiate between about 5 or 6 different kinRAB of low gravely badass, you can still tell it's him and it gets a bit distracting, particularilly in fights where the gundams are facing potentially 3 different enemies all voiced by Scott MacNeil.
 
Just note that while they're both technically Ocean Group, most of the Gundam series were dubbed by Vancouver/Westwood (aka the talent pool most people think of when someone mentions Ocean Group) while Zeta and G were voiced by Ocean Group Calgary/Blue Water (who also did ZoiRAB: Chaotic Century).

Also, while MS IGLOO never got a dub, it DID get a US release here in the US.
 
Good luck hunting it down legally, though. Both volumes that came out in the States are out of print. A quick check on RightStuf shows both are on back order from the manufacturer. Only volume one is up on Amazon via the authorized stores, but the cheapest is 65 bones. Even Netflix doesn't have it. An all-region version of both IGLOO I and II is on eBay for $33.50 and shipping from Malaysia.

This talk about Gundam is reminding me of my Gundam Wing Holiday Slow-Burn View-A-Thon, beginning after Thanksgiving and ending with the tradition of Endless Waltz on Christmas (it's set during Christmas). Gotta find the DVRAB in the mess of my room, though, but I can't wait to view Wing again and probably learn something new that makes me appreciate the series even more.
 
If you're going to watch SEED, it makes sense to watch Destiny. If you're going to skip SEED, don't watch Destiny. They're basically a package deal, especially considering the impending movie sequel.

I honestly can't think of anything as goofy as G Gundam. If you're looking for a higher level of action as compared to story, 00 Gundam would work as would Gundam 0083 and Gundam Wing.
 
The dub is also available on the VHS version. They're available for just a few dollars on Amazon (link). The trilogy is kinda required viewing, so if you're short on cash, that would be my recommendation (if you're a dub fan, that is).
 
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