Whoop-dee-doo Yeah, the deep themes of Gundam like good sportsmanship. Hey, Pokemon already exists if I was looking for that kind of fluff. It's cool if you're into that. Different things appeal to different people. Personally, I don't find it interesting at all. I like Gundam models as an adjunct to the story, rather than having a story as an adjunct to the models.
Then what's your stance of G Gundam? Because at the end of it all, their dramatic weights really weren't that different. Heck, Re:Rise became so drama-focused that it essentially forgot to pimp its new toys, with many of its "midseason upgrades" debuting within the last five-ish episodes and having maybe only one scene to their name to really shine. For that matter, the first Build Fighters series even calls out the criticism of its lightness early on. Paradoxically, because the threat of death isn't on the line, competitors can go in even harder, turning every battle into an intense match-up of ideological wits, in a way typically reserved for only the most climactic battles in "main canon" Gundam stories.
Build Fighters even has the final fight basically have it spelled out for Sei that the reason he does so poorly at Gunpla Battle isn't because he isn't good, it's because he loves Gunpla so much he doesn't actually want to risk destroying his work. This is the same series where the psuedo-climax of the whole 'rival' battle between Sei and the white haired girl devolved into a literal slapfight with robots.
Eh... have you ever sat down and watch any of the Fighter/Divers stuffs, especially Re:RISE? At least with Re:RISE, the whole point and Aesop of the show is all about how even if you've experienced tragedy or done things that seem unforgivable, you still can't let those events take over your life. You can always start over, overcome, and become a better person in the end; Which is exactly what happened to most of the Re:RISE's main cast. Hiroto as a character started out as a skilled GBN player who was a hollow shell of his formerly happier self due to his traumatic past caused by the BUILD DIVER's actions from the previous series, and the anime shows him struggling emotionally and mentally by how he was so used to went on solo missions and wandering in GBN as a distraction from those bad memories, that he slowly alienate others as he comes across as an uncaring, unlikable know-it-all who thinks he needs to do everything himself. And also the reason behind his whole "Get angry when the name BUILD DIVERS has even mentioned" schtick in the 1st half is because he was angry with Riku and how unfair it was that his beloved Eve needs to die so that Sarah can live, and he saw the moment where he almost shot down Riku out of nothing but pure hatred and venomous spite to be a low point of his life. It was not until Hiroto's childhood friend and Kazami's former team leader reminded him that it's sad to be ignored and that everyone has their struggles to become better, that Hiroto slowly learns that he's not the only one who struggles in their own way and put aside the pretense that he needs to be the badass lone-wolf all the time. He slowly acknowledges that Kazami, May, and Parviz also aren't so different from him with their inner struggles after all, and as the show goes on as he slowly finds his new life purpose thanks to his new comrades and friends, returning to his former happier self, forgive both Riku and Sarah for their unintentional role in the death of someone he cared about, and eventually becomes the good man that Eve always wanted him to be. Similarly, Kazami also started out as a selfish, incompetent liar who constantly sought to become a hero; Which was revealed to be a facade to hide his inner insecurities caused by how as a kid, Kazami was a fast learner and got called a prodigy, only to grew up to be a normal guy. Kazami struggled with how he never got over not being treated as a big deal anymore and figured he can become a hero by joining GBN, but the more he tried to act cool and show off, the more it went nowhere. But as he got involved with this whole Eldora shenanigans, getting new comrades and friends who genuinely care about him, and grew to care about others in a genuine way, Kazami also slowly grows into a more selfless, heroic person who swore to defend those he grew to care about. Kazami's character growth can be easily seen with his transition from the Justice Knight Gundam (Which symbolizes his initial selfish goal of wanting to be a badass "knight in shining armor") into the Aegis Knight Gundam (Which symbolizes his changing ideology with Aegis being the name of a legendary shield, reflecting his new genuine goal of protecting others) Similarly, everything Rommel mentioned of how he sides with the administration over the EL-Diver situation in order to preserve the world of GBN where those who cannot walk and talk in the real world can do so in virtual reality in the previous season, is exactly what happened to Parviz. Parviz's lack of confidence in what he was capable of was due to a traumatic life-changing experience where he was permanently paralyzed waist-down from a glider accident, forcing him to be wheelchair-bound in real life, with accessing GBN being the only way for Parviz to revive his love for the skies again after his accident. (Which could explain why Shahryar also sided with the admins, as it's incredibly likely just like Rommel, he also just wants to preserve the only way for his beloved brother to be able to freely move in some way ever again) For a person whose greatest hobby was enjoying the beauty of the skies, this was a huge blow and he also struggled. And yet, when Parviz was forced into Eldora he never gives up, always looking for the best solution to help others, and grew into a valuable member of the BUILD DiVERS alongside his new friends. Like, how does any of these sound like the "just for kids" kind of fluff you mentioned?
I'm pretty sure Southtown is firmly in the "kiddie show = ignore" camp and is completely talking out of his ass. Comparatively, it's pretty clear that the writing team, even in its missteps, cared a lot for the product they were putting out. Because there was a lot of strong and meaningful material woven throughout all four Build seasons, that is also extremely reverent of Gundam's vast history.
That is completely beside the point. A lot of people put a lot of passion and care into things that don't interest me. Or in other cases, things that don't interest you. Same with anyone. Their legitimate passion doesn't mean the end product has to be for everyone. Stop trying to do these mental acrobatics to rationalize why someone might have different taste than you. If you enjoy it, that should be enough. Me hating it should not have any effect whatsoever on your enjoyment. I'm not even saying they're bad shows for what they're trying to be. Just that what they're trying to be has zero connection to any of the themes Gundam has concerned itself with in its various iterations since the beginning (and no, throwaway references and in-jokes don't count), or what I'm looking for when I am in the mood for something Gundam. And about the "kiddie" thing you infer and seem to take offense at, you can't deny that the Build Fighters shows skew waaaaaaaay younger than Hathaway. The post I responded to initially complained that Hathaway took too long before the robots started fighting. If that's his criteria for what he finds interesting or what his takeaway from what he thinks Gundam is, fair enough. I suggested Build Fighters might be more in line with what he was looking for.
Me thinks thou doth protest too much. Be an adult and ignore it if you really don't care about it. Stop taking every opportunity available to you to scoff and backhand it.
They were absolutely different. The tournament in G replaces the actual conflict countries would go to were in not for the agreed upon tournament. Plus the fights are still real, with pilots actually in the machines, and by the end of the show the threat is very real. G Gundam also uses its tournament staging as a deconstruction of the warrior archetype Domon and the others embody. To Domon fighting is not something one should ever be forced to do. It is, to him and Master Asia, an expression of one's self and not a simple game. As much as people like to mock Tequila Gundam, that whole episode is about exactly that, with the Mexican fighter extorted into fighting the tournament, which disgusts Domon. There is no real threat in Build Fighters, because their is no real conflict. It is quite literally make believe with toys. I'm not saying you can't like it, but it's pretty dishonest to say G is anything like it just because they're tournament fighters with Gundam. That's not really how that expression works. That would imply he secretly loves Build Fighters.
G Gundam's tournament mechanic is an excuse plot and nothing more. It's so abstracted from the actual goings-on in the show that is has little bearing on the actual characters involved in Gundam Fight. Build Divers, and Re:Rise in particular, had its characters far more invested in the state of the world than anything that had gone on in G. Indirectly, yes, that's exactly what I mean. Because the Build series speak a lot to the reasons why people are fans of Gundam in general, and the impassioned convictions of the Fighters are presented as equally valid as any mainline Gundam hero, in defense of their beliefs.
Not to mention the Ulube use the Devil Gundam and deceiving Domon winning the Tournament to take over all nation permanently made the stakes high.
Build Fighters, Divers, and Re:Rise ultimately put lives and humanity's progress on the line as well, because they were meta enough to ask smart questions about their settings instead of letting it sit at just children's games. Try not so much, but it was obviously concieved as a lower-stakes interquel, leading to complete Build Fighters trilogy that never came to pass. You don't need the threat of death to tell a compelling story. Loss of passion or way of life can be like death in a narrative. Ultimately, the Build series espouse more on the romanticism of the dreams that are the binding thread throughout all mainline Gundam series. Yes, they are series where tragedies happen, but ultimately, they are about hope for humanity's future. And the core conceit of the Build series shows people inspired and empowered by those hopes.
『機動戦士ガンダム 水星の魔女』ティザービジュアル＆PV公開！ガンプラ「HG ガンダム・エアリアル」発売決定！ | GUNDAM.INFO Video region locked Video mirror https://www.reddit.com/r/Gundam/comments/tqsqqe/mobile_suit_gundam_the_witch_from_mercury_teaser/ Gundam Aerial Gundam Lfrith (Lubris) Beguir-beu
Here's the teaser without the region lock: Finally, looks like we get a female Gundam protagonist. Do we know who's on music duty for this series? The orchestral depth here has a bit of Sawano's flare, but I'm not 100% convinced on that.
In what way? Art design, character aesthetic, and music all seem on point for just that short snippet. Just hope the story's good. If it's just because it's not a "traditional" Gundam design (even though it's at least moreso than the stripped down IBO Gundam Frame designs), ignore that, and just treat it as some other mecha. Otherwise, that sounds rather superficial.
The base line for what "traditional" Gundam design even is has been so blurred over the years I'm hard pressed to say the designs are really that out there, I mean Turn A broke the mold ages ago! I just don't like what I'm looking at, whether or not it's Gundam be damned.
If you say so. I'm not seeing anything so knee-jerky about the WfM designs, especially compared to Turn-A, IBO, or even 00 (I remember all the derogatory "Gundam B-daman" jokes, before we actually saw the designs in action). There's some pretty classic Gundam silhouettes here, but with a more modern, layered, organic look to the armour design. Or are you just pure "classic, blocky Gundam or bust"?
hmmn.... feels like a bulked up IBO style mobile suit with perhaps a bit of psycho frame in there? either way, let's see what we get in october.
