Movies - TV
Gundam Was Weird Long Before The Witch From Mercury
By ADAM WESCOTT
The “Gundam” franchise’s newest season, “The Witch From Mercury,” features some strange changes to the format, with some fans believing it’s “Gundam” in name only and simply made to appeal to casual viewers. While these fans may complain about the weird developments, this isn’t the first time the series has made bizarre changes to the format.
“Mobile Fighter G Gundam,” told the story of a solar system-spanning martial arts competition that saw truly bizarre robots, gross ethnic stereotypes, and a cliched ending where the power of love defeats the villain. Director Yasuhiro Imagawa’s take on the franchise is a wuxia story inspired by Hong Kong martial arts films.
After director Yoshiyuki Tomino took a six-year break from “Gundam,” he returned with “Turn A Gundam,” a series set in the world of steam technology where the hero must negotiate peace rather than fight a war. Apart from odd choices, like cow lifting and when Turn A becomes a washing machine, the series offers a fantastic world and character development.
Similar to how the “Yu Gi Oh” world revolves around a card game, “Gundam Build Fighters” centers on model “Gundam” toys called “gunpla” and the Gunpla Battle World Championship. Where “Gundam” typically depicts the horrors of war, “Build Fighters” is a purely joyful world that fans embraced, possibly due to the countless references to the broader series.