You look like a fan, can you explain the order to watch and what is important to get the main story? Not all the spin-off thing, tge main thing. Can you do that?
@@calebe4266 Main Universal Century Timeline Original 1979 TV (Crunchyroll) or Movie Trilogy (Netflix) Zeta Gundam (Funimation) ZZ (Crunchyroll) Counterattack Movie (Crunchyroll)
8:40 IMO attack on titan is ESSENTIALLY a mecha series. Swap out the midless titans for aliens/demons whatever and the titan shifters as mechs and you have a lot of common tropes and situations you find in most sci fi mecha series.
a lot of people doesn't seem to understand that a mecha can be made out of anything and as long as it works as a mecha, it is one, the mechas from Dunbine are 100% biological, and the ones from Eureka Seven are... Alien coral fossiles with consciousness, from 10,000 years ago that were gifted to mankind from the 9th dimension, if you compare that to "meat mechas", well the titans are more mechas than those from dunbine and E7
Attack on Titan was HEAVILY inspired by the Muv-Luv visual novel trilogy (specifically the final part, Muv-Luv Alternative), after all, which is a mecha story. Its influence goes beyond common tropes, to the point where not just the themes and atmosphere, but many specific parts of the story are the same.
The Titans in AOT aren’t mechs. Thought that was pretty obvious considering they aren’t made of metal and when they shift their bodies fuse with ORGANIC material. When someone titan shifts, it’s an extension of their body not an inanimate object that they just jump into.
For those wanting more Mecha or Mecha-like shows.. tokusatsu has you covered. Especially the ultraman franchise that's more like a super robot. An alien warrior comes to earth, either taking a human form or merge with a host and fights Kaiju of the week, usually with a 3 minute time limit. They got some Mecha writers to do the recent seasons like Ultraman Z, Ultraman trigger and Ultraman decker that has some great Mecha action. Hell, pretty sure the Mecha in decker is also referencing Gundam 00 with some of it's features
I think a lot of mecha fans who grew up in the 90's can benefit from watching a lot of the older mecha shows, especially the ones that released in the 80's. I recently discovered Votoms, and while IMO the second half isn't as good as the first, it's still a fantastically underrated real-robot mecha. It is also important to note the kinds of things mecha shows were doing especially at the time they aired. I also think it's interesting when they use mecha to explore more 'out there' themes. In my watching of older mecha, I stumbled upon Space Runaway Ideon, if you think Evangelion is a existential drama but can't understand most of what is happening with LCL or ATF, watch Ideon and the subsequent movie and try not to lose your mind in the subtle cosmic horror.
many real robot series also explore the theme of killing others being made easier because your not doing it with your own hands. the metal casket you pilot is the proxy for your violence. and a good mecha series almost always has the characters wrestle with this realization. this is what makes real robot great as a subgenre of mecha.
I have always said it, people always love mechas, but they lie to themselves with those "it's for children/ its boring" because when you look at it, they always love movies like Pacific Rim or videogames like Metal Gear Solid, and when they do watch a mecha anime like Eva, Gurren lagann or Code Geass, they instantly think that they're watching the "best mecha ever" when in fact, anyone that has watched more than a few mechas will know that those 3 animes are meant to be starting points to the genre, rather than being the "best ones" gurren lagann is literally just Getter robo mixed with the message of Gunbuster, and both of those are way better in terms of writing, worldbuilding, characters development, interactions and lore, I often see when people say " I don't like mecha, but this one was pretty good and its on my top 3" so what they really mean with that is: "I loved the only mecha I really watched, but I'll assume that everything else that I haven't watched is bad"
Got any recommendations for real robot mecha anime? I've been getting into the genre over the last few years. I've watched Robotech, Gundam, Macross Plus, Zeta Gundam, War in the Pocket, The 08th ms team, Code Geass, Iron Blooded Orphans, Patlabor, and The Witch from Mercury. I'm currently considering watching 86 and Cross Ange.
@@henryfleischer404 I would recommend the classics, like VOTOMS, Fang of the Sun dougram, SPT Blue comet Layzner, L-Gaim (or FSS which is almost the same but in manga version), as well as some "super robots" like Getter Robo armageddon, Dunbine, Gunbuster and Space Runaway Ideon, there are other good and modern mecha shows like RahXephon, Eureka Seven, Knights of Sidonia and there are some shows that I would recommend only If you don't care that much about the story or the politics, like Detonator Orgun, Captain Earth, Star Driver, Gaogaigar, Dangaioh and Gurren lagann (but only if you first knew about Getter robo and Gunbuster, as Gurren lagann is the son of those two franchises) other than those, I would say that you should check other anime made by the same staff or directors as those you've already seen, more stuff by mamoru oshii, Yoshiyuki Tomino and Ryosuke Takahashi there is a lot of history behind the genre, even when we look at the designers, there are 4 Mechanical designers that Shaped the 90% of real robots, they are Kunio Okawara, Shoji Kawamori, Mamoru Nagano and Yutaka Izubuchi, if you like and appreciate the designs, check the other mechas where they worked, and you'll start to see where designs like those of pacific rim or games like Warframe came from I'm sorry for the long text, but I hope it can help you find something to watch
@@troloinkto Thanks for the recommendations, this sort of long explanation was exactly what I was hoping for! I've vaguely heard of some of these, but the only one I've seen was Gurren Lagann, and the only other one I've researched at all was Knights of Sidonia, because I saw a nice Kotobukiya model. I'll start watching some of these soon-ish, probably once I either stop watching Dragonball Z Kai or Legend of the Galactic Heroes with my brother. EDIT: Nevermind, I just started watching Knights of Sidonia.
Great video! I’m very glad to see newer gen anime fans get into what I consider to be the most important anime genre, although I do think some of the series you recommended here are a bit obvious, as in most people have likely seen code geass and Gurren lagann. I feel like you should’ve recommended series similar to those shows like the braves series or VOTOMS, the former especially since it’s basically shonen transformers and it kicks ass (gaogaigar is the one you probably know of.) But yeah, I could talk about mecha all day so hopefully I’ll have more people to talk about to if this vid gets people interested
There is a disturbing lack of Macross in this video. Macross F to me is the easiest gateway for anyone who has a friend or family member who loves anime but "hates" mecha . Not only does it have sexy planes-that-transform-into-bipedal robots it also has musical idols, high school hijinks, hot guys and a woman who transforms from what looks to be a 12 year old into a giantess with massive knockers(who later dons a giant suit of power armor). Oh, and a massive battleship that also transforms into a robot.
Evangelion is a super robot shows, as the Eva units are godlike entities the future of humanity relies on, even though their true powered is restrained by Nerv's technology. The show is structured in a classic monster of the week structure a la Mazinger Z, with the Angels(*Apostles) basically acting like Dr Hell's mechanical monster sent to attack Tokyo. Also, talking about "political themes" in Eva sounds like a stretch to me: while it is true that the UN seems to play an important role in the first episodes, the show then basically forgets about the politics supporting Nerv and revolves almost exclusively around the Neo-Tokyo 3 in the second half of the shows. So I really don't see how the series could be considered to be a Real Robot show
Code Geass is top tier for sure in my book but so has Mazinger Z for the longest time. GUNDAM was another I got into a little after Mazinger. I appreciate the suggestions and will be taking a look at a few newer ones too!
atack on titan is a kaiju series, they don't transform in mechas just in giant monsters, the diference is the mecanical and machinery, like in evangelion they pilot biological creatures, but this creatures use mecanical armors like the iron man armor (expt this is actually fused with they skin) so they are cyborgs and are mechas, but without tecnology, the giant being is a monster not a mecha, so shingeki is actually a kaiju anime not a mecha anime (we have anime where people become kaiju before like classic dragon ball or naruto) because they become monsters with zero mechanical parts
Great video that properly divides Mecha into its two main Genres. As for Eva, it starts as a real robot anime, but further on becomes Super Robot with its apocalyptic prophecies and unknowns inspired by Ultraman. The power the Unit 01 shows grows stronger and more indescribable kinda like the Getter does when its pushed. Third impact and its ability to warp reality further makes me label it as a super robot show with real robot character writing.
One of the most frustrating experiences I had, was as a teacher. I had students who were into anime, but of course, they were only into the purest of the pure mainstream: Demons Slayer, Naruto, One Piece, Jujutsu.. One time, I heard some discussing about death note or similar stuff and got into the subject with them. And actually recommended Code Geass as a nice watch. When I explained a bit of the anime, they actually found it interesting, but once they researched on the cellphones and saw robots, the instantly reaction was: - "meh... it has mecha..." -"...And?" -"I don't like mecha" -"...Why?" -"I don't know. It's a bit childish" I wanted to say "MY BROTHER IN CHRIST, YOU ARE 12 YEARS OLD. YOU WATCH THE BLANDEST OF THE SHOUNENS AND WANNA BADMOUTH CODE GEASS?" But saddly, I had to just keep it at "huh... What a shame" It's frustrating the fact that it's literally a PURE prejudice. People don't even KNOW why they don't like it, and they never even watched it to be sure....
I love Bokurano, but I'd only suggest that to someone I hate. 😱 I don't know how I got through it, I really wanted to drop it by episode 7. I'll probably never watch it again tho.
I hear the all this stuff about AOT and all I can think is that it's flesh Getter. Heck Eren pulling the strings from behi9nd the scenes is basically what Getter Rays did. monstrous designs, same berserker aspects, same violent heroes turned cynics, same assholish smart guy. If Getter's manga ever get's an anime in full, it will probably be a hit like Devilman Crybaby. Either that or adapt Devolution.
mecha animes made me fall inlove with anime it's Evangelion and gundam in my country they both aired at the same time slot in two giant tv networks at the time I both love it
Man, you dug up one of my memories with the opening of Gundam G no Reconguista with the guitar in the middle of the video. I agree with all the points. I personally love Gundam 00 (I even have a tattoo) because it was my first Gundam series, but I think the first season is TOO political and can push some people away because of that. I would also suggest watching the movies of Rebuild of Evangelion instead of the anime.
Okay, perspective time. When I first heard of Gundam, I had my reservations from the fears of commitment to the series. It is a very long history that I have to recall, having to track it down can seem very daunting, it's especially intimidating, seeing how modern anime - like G-Witch - have only about 12 episodes, while the originals went on for 40 or 50. Nobody likes to commit to a show they don't like, especially if it's that long or old. It can be just like the modern comic book industry, when it eventually became so widespread with so many diffetent versions, that it ends up becoming harder and harder to pick a point to start. Or so it would seem. I see people recommend a timeline based viewing list, but that is its own failure in practice, since you'll be finishing on the most infamous series' in the list; Victory Gundam and G-Saviour, instead of Unicorn, Narrative, or Hathaway. Yeah, mecha anime might be "tired" or old, but there is a reason a REAL FREAKIN' GUNDAM was built in Japan.
It's a bit of an over simplification to say mecha didn't tell more mature stories or have depth prior to Gundam and the real robot genre. Stuff like the robot romance trilogy and a few other super robot shows, were doing that prior to Gundam. It's more accurate to say Gundam was the final form of that evolutionary line, if that makes any sense.
The Titans in AOT aren’t mechs. Thought that was pretty obvious considering they aren’t made of metal and when they shift their bodies fuse with ORGANIC material. When someone titan shifts, it’s an extension of their body not an inanimate object that they just jump into.
@@Sceledrus different aesthetics or different authenticates. Just because someone hates mecha but not AoT, does not really mean it makes no sense, Mecha as a genre just has a very different aesthetic or feel to it, that many people that like AoT, would just brush it off as childish nonsense.
I must say that mecha as a genre has been the target of way too much disinformation over the past 20 or so years in the West. First, there were the Evangelion-obsessed: pseudointellectuals who think obsessing and analyzing every single minute detail in a show makes their life have sense. Not long after Eva became a popular choice for ironic weebs Gundam is run aground by the debacle that was Seed Destiny. In the aftermath of this you have the one-two punch of Code Geass and Gurren Lagann and people meming that those are "THE BEST" real and super robot mecha shows, with the former attracting a lot of Shounen Jump-consuming normies because of the Death Note comparisons while the latter brings in the Eva-obsessed because Gainax. Right around the same time, moe anime is slowly becoming the new hot thing in the block with more and more studios pivoting away towards that rather than mecha, which was considered old hat by 2008. With the Geass and TTGL/Eva fandoms remaining as the last truly big/non-underground mecha fandoms (Gundam had gone underground because of Destiny and 00 was absolutely obliterated by the runaway memetic population of Gurren Lagann), the perfect maligned climate was formed. The spread of memes from the "Normie Trio" fandom almost singlehandedly destroyed the reputation mecha once had, to a degree unheard of before. The genre was literally stamped out of the mainstream, allowing moe and later on Isekai to take the sizeable part of the commercial pie mecha anime once occupied. The rise of CGI and another high-profile trainwreck in the form of Aldnoah Zero only furthered the decline, as the studios were abandoning the complex 2D animation that was necessary to make mecha tick without having a suitable 3D technique to replicate that style. Add to that the rise of scummy anime TH-camrs that cater to the lowest common denominator like Gigguk, Mother's Basement, Digibro (back then), AnimeMan etc. and you have the normie trio memes amplified by a thousand thanks to those TH-camrs having millions of impressionable anime fans subbed. And... that's where we are right now. The genre is not dead by any means but we're far past the glory days.
@@frankjaeger2565 Oh yeah, DITF was a thing because of Zero Two. Same shit as with Eva/Gurren Lagann: some element of the show got heavily memed and it became "popular" because of that. Regarding Gundam, a lot of these new fans were Tumblr/Twitter tourists who cared only about Suletta and Miorine. They're the kind of folks that get pissed off because their ship isn't made canon, or in this case it was left "up to the interpretation of the viewer" which is standard for some Yuri (or yuribait, in this case) works. I'm glad they're jumping ship to some other seasonal yuribait anime, I don't need them in my giant robot fanbase.
@@frankjaeger2565God I fucking hated that paper sack of goat shit. What a terrible show. Shit was so awful no one even remembers it anymore outside of its flagship pink haired bimbo
@@elderleon1844 If you knew where to look or had no aversion towards older stuff starting from about Gundam onwards, you'd be proven that really isn't the case.
I got into anime because I watched Robotech as a kid, so I don't think this video is for me. I try to always be watching at least one mecha anime. So if anybody has suggestions, especially real robot ones, I'd like to hear them. I'm currently considering 86 and Cross Ange, and planning on watching Gundam ZZ in about 4-6 months.
My biggest critique of this video so far is the overstated take of 70s mecha as just "old-timing commercial shows until Gundam". This take has already been debunked, numerous times. Sure, Gundam may be one of the forefronts of the genre-changing, but it is not the first to have "substances", "deep grittiness" and it most definitely was not the only impact to the genre since Mazinger when previous super robot shows definitely had a lot of impact to the genre (as well as anime in general) carrying unique substances, even if they were formatted episodically or were made to sell toys (just like Gundam, or Cowboy Bebop, which many would not like to hear). Notable examples are the Robot Romance Trilogy (Combattler V, Voltes V, and Daimos, three of which deal with greater character development, understanding where both sides of the conflicting factions are coming from, and dealing with themes such as slavery, parental loss, etc.), Zambot 3 (pre-Gundam Tomino show that dealt with the main characters being seen as the most threatening to citizens in a more realistic POV of war, and half of the cast being killed off at the end in the vilest way), hell even shows earlier in the 70s (Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Grendizer, Kotetsu Jeeg) all dealt with a lot of philosophical substances, including darker moments, each unique to their kind.
Cuz people only watch shonen fighting anime, see shonen fighting anime's focus on powers over characters (I specified fighting for a reason this is NOT the case with something like Chainsaw Man which is basically horror) and they assume it's the same thing for the power system in mecha.
In the nutshell, Super robot = oversized Iron Man armor Real robot = humanoid-shaped walking tank This is my mecha anime Hall of fame: Gundam, Six God Combination Godmars, and Getter Robo. Honorable live-action mentions: Power Rangers, Super Sentai, and Pacific Rim. In addition, I'm thinking of watching Jushin Liger while writing this comment.
I know those talks about "Mecha anime is to boring, i want something mature with some dark themes", than i mentionen Cross Ange Rondo of Angels and Dragons...NOOOO thats to racist and dark.
Decent video, but honestly it kinda... skips some evolutionary steps in mecha's history. Mazinger to Gundam is a whole period of increments and fine tuning of what Mazinger laid the groundwork for, and Gundam is the culmination. Getter Robo, the Romance Robo trilogy, Zambot 3, Daitarn 3, Raideen - all of them were major stepping stones towards Gundam finally crystalizing itself. I think it's a worthwhile topic to really dive into. It's like how people were ignorant towards Evangelion's origins in the past: Eva became what it is because of other mecha shows, not in spite of it. If there was no Ideon or Gundam there would be no Evangelion. The mecha genre should be thought of as a loosely interwoven tapestry of shows incrementally evolving and bolting something new on, all while united by the existence of mecha as a concept. It's genuinely one of the greatest things the anime industry gave birth to and it's a shame people still don't understand it. Granted, it's better than before with people like Discotek releasing all the lesser known mecha, but it still is nowhere near the level of, say, battle shounen.
I feel like mecha would be better off if it took notes from thriller, romance, and slice of life anime. I sit and binge the same kinds of love stories being told because every word in these shows are treated with due weight. It makes the dynamics and characters feel more alive than just exposition and tropes which couldn’t be said for a lot of mid-tier mecha shows that came out in the last decade.
no mecha should stay mecha and not put unnecessary garbage in it. if the genre has to die then it should stay like it is and not change for mass appeal.
Gundam is one of the most underrated and PAINFULLY misunderstood franchise that continues to be obscure and ignored in the West...
You look like a fan, can you explain the order to watch and what is important to get the main story? Not all the spin-off thing, tge main thing. Can you do that?
@@calebe4266
Main Universal Century Timeline
Original 1979 TV (Crunchyroll) or Movie Trilogy (Netflix)
Zeta Gundam (Funimation)
ZZ (Crunchyroll)
Counterattack Movie (Crunchyroll)
Because it's Gundam
@@timewarriorsaga how so?
good video but when you said “if gundam is too political then try code geass” was very funny
LOL thanks
8:40 IMO attack on titan is ESSENTIALLY a mecha series. Swap out the midless titans for aliens/demons whatever and the titan shifters as mechs and you have a lot of common tropes and situations you find in most sci fi mecha series.
a lot of people doesn't seem to understand that a mecha can be made out of anything and as long as it works as a mecha, it is one,
the mechas from Dunbine are 100% biological,
and the ones from Eureka Seven are... Alien coral fossiles with consciousness, from 10,000 years ago that were gifted to mankind from the 9th dimension,
if you compare that to "meat mechas", well the titans are more mechas than those from dunbine and E7
Attack on Titan was HEAVILY inspired by the Muv-Luv visual novel trilogy (specifically the final part, Muv-Luv Alternative), after all, which is a mecha story. Its influence goes beyond common tropes, to the point where not just the themes and atmosphere, but many specific parts of the story are the same.
The Titans in AOT aren’t mechs. Thought that was pretty obvious considering they aren’t made of metal and when they shift their bodies fuse with ORGANIC material. When someone titan shifts, it’s an extension of their body not an inanimate object that they just jump into.
@@SolidLoach So are the EVAs not mechas either? cuz those are organic creatures with armor on.
For those wanting more Mecha or Mecha-like shows.. tokusatsu has you covered. Especially the ultraman franchise that's more like a super robot.
An alien warrior comes to earth, either taking a human form or merge with a host and fights Kaiju of the week, usually with a 3 minute time limit.
They got some Mecha writers to do the recent seasons like Ultraman Z, Ultraman trigger and Ultraman decker that has some great Mecha action. Hell, pretty sure the Mecha in decker is also referencing Gundam 00 with some of it's features
Gridman is somewhat of an Ultraman spin-off, even
I think a lot of mecha fans who grew up in the 90's can benefit from watching a lot of the older mecha shows, especially the ones that released in the 80's. I recently discovered Votoms, and while IMO the second half isn't as good as the first, it's still a fantastically underrated real-robot mecha. It is also important to note the kinds of things mecha shows were doing especially at the time they aired. I also think it's interesting when they use mecha to explore more 'out there' themes. In my watching of older mecha, I stumbled upon Space Runaway Ideon, if you think Evangelion is a existential drama but can't understand most of what is happening with LCL or ATF, watch Ideon and the subsequent movie and try not to lose your mind in the subtle cosmic horror.
many real robot series also explore the theme of killing others being made easier because your not doing it with your own hands. the metal casket you pilot is the proxy for your violence. and a good mecha series almost always has the characters wrestle with this realization. this is what makes real robot great as a subgenre of mecha.
I have always said it, people always love mechas, but they lie to themselves with those "it's for children/ its boring"
because when you look at it, they always love movies like Pacific Rim or videogames like Metal Gear Solid,
and when they do watch a mecha anime like Eva, Gurren lagann or Code Geass, they instantly think that they're watching the "best mecha ever" when in fact, anyone that has watched more than a few mechas will know that those 3 animes are meant to be starting points to the genre, rather than being the "best ones"
gurren lagann is literally just Getter robo mixed with the message of Gunbuster, and both of those are way better in terms of writing, worldbuilding, characters development, interactions and lore,
I often see when people say " I don't like mecha, but this one was pretty good and its on my top 3"
so what they really mean with that is: "I loved the only mecha I really watched, but I'll assume that everything else that I haven't watched is bad"
Got any recommendations for real robot mecha anime? I've been getting into the genre over the last few years. I've watched Robotech, Gundam, Macross Plus, Zeta Gundam, War in the Pocket, The 08th ms team, Code Geass, Iron Blooded Orphans, Patlabor, and The Witch from Mercury. I'm currently considering watching 86 and Cross Ange.
@@henryfleischer404 I would recommend the classics, like VOTOMS, Fang of the Sun dougram, SPT Blue comet Layzner, L-Gaim (or FSS which is almost the same but in manga version), as well as some "super robots" like Getter Robo armageddon, Dunbine, Gunbuster and Space Runaway Ideon,
there are other good and modern mecha shows like RahXephon, Eureka Seven, Knights of Sidonia and there are some shows that I would recommend only If you don't care that much about the story or the politics, like Detonator Orgun, Captain Earth, Star Driver, Gaogaigar, Dangaioh and Gurren lagann (but only if you first knew about Getter robo and Gunbuster, as Gurren lagann is the son of those two franchises)
other than those, I would say that you should check other anime made by the same staff or directors as those you've already seen, more stuff by mamoru oshii, Yoshiyuki Tomino and Ryosuke Takahashi
there is a lot of history behind the genre, even when we look at the designers, there are 4 Mechanical designers that Shaped the 90% of real robots, they are Kunio Okawara, Shoji Kawamori, Mamoru Nagano and Yutaka Izubuchi, if you like and appreciate the designs, check the other mechas where they worked, and you'll start to see where designs like those of pacific rim or games like Warframe came from
I'm sorry for the long text, but I hope it can help you find something to watch
@@troloinkto Thanks for the recommendations, this sort of long explanation was exactly what I was hoping for! I've vaguely heard of some of these, but the only one I've seen was Gurren Lagann, and the only other one I've researched at all was Knights of Sidonia, because I saw a nice Kotobukiya model.
I'll start watching some of these soon-ish, probably once I either stop watching Dragonball Z Kai or Legend of the Galactic Heroes with my brother.
EDIT: Nevermind, I just started watching Knights of Sidonia.
Great video! I’m very glad to see newer gen anime fans get into what I consider to be the most important anime genre, although I do think some of the series you recommended here are a bit obvious, as in most people have likely seen code geass and Gurren lagann.
I feel like you should’ve recommended series similar to those shows like the braves series or VOTOMS, the former especially since it’s basically shonen transformers and it kicks ass (gaogaigar is the one you probably know of.)
But yeah, I could talk about mecha all day so hopefully I’ll have more people to talk about to if this vid gets people interested
There is a disturbing lack of Macross in this video. Macross F to me is the easiest gateway for anyone who has a friend or family member who loves anime but "hates" mecha . Not only does it have sexy planes-that-transform-into-bipedal robots it also has musical idols, high school hijinks, hot guys and a woman who transforms from what looks to be a 12 year old into a giantess with massive knockers(who later dons a giant suit of power armor). Oh, and a massive battleship that also transforms into a robot.
Macross Plus lives in my heart forever.
@@OmegaEnvych Me too bro
Nice vid! Mecha shows like Gundam and Macross are so underrated in the west.
Well, for Macross we can thank Harmony Gold and their attempts to keep Robotech and rights to it without producing anything that would matter.
Evangelion is a super robot shows, as the Eva units are godlike entities the future of humanity relies on, even though their true powered is restrained by Nerv's technology. The show is structured in a classic monster of the week structure a la Mazinger Z, with the Angels(*Apostles) basically acting like Dr Hell's mechanical monster sent to attack Tokyo.
Also, talking about "political themes" in Eva sounds like a stretch to me: while it is true that the UN seems to play an important role in the first episodes, the show then basically forgets about the politics supporting Nerv and revolves almost exclusively around the Neo-Tokyo 3 in the second half of the shows. So I really don't see how the series could be considered to be a Real Robot show
Code Geass is top tier for sure in my book but so has Mazinger Z for the longest time. GUNDAM was another I got into a little after Mazinger. I appreciate the suggestions and will be taking a look at a few newer ones too!
atack on titan is a kaiju series, they don't transform in mechas just in giant monsters, the diference is the mecanical and machinery, like in evangelion they pilot biological creatures, but this creatures use mecanical armors like the iron man armor (expt this is actually fused with they skin) so they are cyborgs and are mechas, but without tecnology, the giant being is a monster not a mecha, so shingeki is actually a kaiju anime not a mecha anime (we have anime where people become kaiju before like classic dragon ball or naruto) because they become monsters with zero mechanical parts
It's literally a mecha anime but with giants instead of suits. It definitely has some kaiju influence too though.
Great video that properly divides Mecha into its two main Genres.
As for Eva, it starts as a real robot anime, but further on becomes Super Robot with its apocalyptic prophecies and unknowns inspired by Ultraman. The power the Unit 01 shows grows stronger and more indescribable kinda like the Getter does when its pushed. Third impact and its ability to warp reality further makes me label it as a super robot show with real robot character writing.
One of the most frustrating experiences I had, was as a teacher.
I had students who were into anime, but of course, they were only into the purest of the pure mainstream: Demons Slayer, Naruto, One Piece, Jujutsu..
One time, I heard some discussing about death note or similar stuff and got into the subject with them. And actually recommended Code Geass as a nice watch.
When I explained a bit of the anime, they actually found it interesting, but once they researched on the cellphones and saw robots, the instantly reaction was:
- "meh... it has mecha..."
-"...And?"
-"I don't like mecha"
-"...Why?"
-"I don't know. It's a bit childish"
I wanted to say "MY BROTHER IN CHRIST, YOU ARE 12 YEARS OLD. YOU WATCH THE BLANDEST OF THE SHOUNENS AND WANNA BADMOUTH CODE GEASS?"
But saddly, I had to just keep it at "huh... What a shame"
It's frustrating the fact that it's literally a PURE prejudice. People don't even KNOW why they don't like it, and they never even watched it to be sure....
jeez you're more restrained than me, i would have went OFF
And seriously, if people think Mecha is too childish, then they should watch Bokurano.
I love Bokurano, but I'd only suggest that to someone I hate. 😱 I don't know how I got through it, I really wanted to drop it by episode 7. I'll probably never watch it again tho.
or Zambot 3 as well
I hear the all this stuff about AOT and all I can think is that it's flesh Getter. Heck Eren pulling the strings from behi9nd the scenes is basically what Getter Rays did. monstrous designs, same berserker aspects, same violent heroes turned cynics, same assholish smart guy. If Getter's manga ever get's an anime in full, it will probably be a hit like Devilman Crybaby. Either that or adapt Devolution.
mecha animes made me fall inlove with anime it's Evangelion and gundam
in my country they both aired at the same time slot in two giant tv networks at the time I both love it
Man, you dug up one of my memories with the opening of Gundam G no Reconguista with the guitar in the middle of the video. I agree with all the points. I personally love Gundam 00 (I even have a tattoo) because it was my first Gundam series, but I think the first season is TOO political and can push some people away because of that. I would also suggest watching the movies of Rebuild of Evangelion instead of the anime.
Attack on Titan is a shounen not a seinen. Plus the author admitted that he was inspired by a mecha visual novel called Muv Luv.
Shin getter Armageddon looks still amazing tho👀
no fr it really does
thank you so much you actually talked about series like the mazinger franchise and getter robo and not just eva and darling and the franx
Okay, perspective time.
When I first heard of Gundam, I had my reservations from the fears of commitment to the series. It is a very long history that I have to recall, having to track it down can seem very daunting, it's especially intimidating, seeing how modern anime - like G-Witch - have only about 12 episodes, while the originals went on for 40 or 50.
Nobody likes to commit to a show they don't like, especially if it's that long or old. It can be just like the modern comic book industry, when it eventually became so widespread with so many diffetent versions, that it ends up becoming harder and harder to pick a point to start.
Or so it would seem.
I see people recommend a timeline based viewing list, but that is its own failure in practice, since you'll be finishing on the most infamous series' in the list; Victory Gundam and G-Saviour, instead of Unicorn, Narrative, or Hathaway.
Yeah, mecha anime might be "tired" or old, but there is a reason a REAL FREAKIN' GUNDAM was built in Japan.
expertly said 😌
Mecha is my favorite.
4:22 ichiro mizuki RIP 1948-2022 🪦🥀😭💔❤️🔥💐🌹🕊
mazinger z infinity mazinkaiser great mazinger getter robo grendizer mazinger z combattlerv voltesv daimos steel jeeg daitarn3 Zambot3 ultraman super robot wars
😔😣😖😫🥺😢😭🤧💔💔💔💔💔💔😣😖😫🥺😢😭🤧❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥😖😫🥺😢😭🤧💐💐💐💐💐💐💐😫🥺😢😭🤧🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥺😢😭🤧🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹😢😭🤧🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊😭😭😭🤧🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Reddit brought me here. Excellent video; I hope we get more. Subscribed. 🙂
thank you!
It's a bit of an over simplification to say mecha didn't tell more mature stories or have depth prior to Gundam and the real robot genre. Stuff like the robot romance trilogy and a few other super robot shows, were doing that prior to Gundam. It's more accurate to say Gundam was the final form of that evolutionary line, if that makes any sense.
The Titans in AOT aren’t mechs. Thought that was pretty obvious considering they aren’t made of metal and when they shift their bodies fuse with ORGANIC material. When someone titan shifts, it’s an extension of their body not an inanimate object that they just jump into.
well obviously but its extremely similar. my point with mentioning AOT is that if someone hates mecha but not AOT it makes no sense
@@Sceledrus different aesthetics or different authenticates. Just because someone hates mecha but not AoT, does not really mean it makes no sense, Mecha as a genre just has a very different aesthetic or feel to it, that many people that like AoT, would just brush it off as childish nonsense.
For me Mecha got me into anime with G gundam and zoids
I must say that mecha as a genre has been the target of way too much disinformation over the past 20 or so years in the West.
First, there were the Evangelion-obsessed: pseudointellectuals who think obsessing and analyzing every single minute detail in a show makes their life have sense.
Not long after Eva became a popular choice for ironic weebs Gundam is run aground by the debacle that was Seed Destiny.
In the aftermath of this you have the one-two punch of Code Geass and Gurren Lagann and people meming that those are "THE BEST" real and super robot mecha shows, with the former attracting a lot of Shounen Jump-consuming normies because of the Death Note comparisons while the latter brings in the Eva-obsessed because Gainax.
Right around the same time, moe anime is slowly becoming the new hot thing in the block with more and more studios pivoting away towards that rather than mecha, which was considered old hat by 2008.
With the Geass and TTGL/Eva fandoms remaining as the last truly big/non-underground mecha fandoms (Gundam had gone underground because of Destiny and 00 was absolutely obliterated by the runaway memetic population of Gurren Lagann), the perfect maligned climate was formed. The spread of memes from the "Normie Trio" fandom almost singlehandedly destroyed the reputation mecha once had, to a degree unheard of before. The genre was literally stamped out of the mainstream, allowing moe and later on Isekai to take the sizeable part of the commercial pie mecha anime once occupied. The rise of CGI and another high-profile trainwreck in the form of Aldnoah Zero only furthered the decline, as the studios were abandoning the complex 2D animation that was necessary to make mecha tick without having a suitable 3D technique to replicate that style. Add to that the rise of scummy anime TH-camrs that cater to the lowest common denominator like Gigguk, Mother's Basement, Digibro (back then), AnimeMan etc. and you have the normie trio memes amplified by a thousand thanks to those TH-camrs having millions of impressionable anime fans subbed.
And... that's where we are right now. The genre is not dead by any means but we're far past the glory days.
You forgot Darling in the Franxx... Anyway, I would say Gundam is getting more popular these days, even though for the wrong reasons
@@frankjaeger2565 Oh yeah, DITF was a thing because of Zero Two. Same shit as with Eva/Gurren Lagann: some element of the show got heavily memed and it became "popular" because of that. Regarding Gundam, a lot of these new fans were Tumblr/Twitter tourists who cared only about Suletta and Miorine. They're the kind of folks that get pissed off because their ship isn't made canon, or in this case it was left "up to the interpretation of the viewer" which is standard for some Yuri (or yuribait, in this case) works. I'm glad they're jumping ship to some other seasonal yuribait anime, I don't need them in my giant robot fanbase.
@@frankjaeger2565God I fucking hated that paper sack of goat shit. What a terrible show. Shit was so awful no one even remembers it anymore outside of its flagship pink haired bimbo
I don't gonna lie I also have this image of mecha animes being more ''style over substance'' lol!
@@elderleon1844 If you knew where to look or had no aversion towards older stuff starting from about Gundam onwards, you'd be proven that really isn't the case.
I got into anime because I watched Robotech as a kid, so I don't think this video is for me. I try to always be watching at least one mecha anime. So if anybody has suggestions, especially real robot ones, I'd like to hear them. I'm currently considering 86 and Cross Ange, and planning on watching Gundam ZZ in about 4-6 months.
My biggest critique of this video so far is the overstated take of 70s mecha as just "old-timing commercial shows until Gundam". This take has already been debunked, numerous times. Sure, Gundam may be one of the forefronts of the genre-changing, but it is not the first to have "substances", "deep grittiness" and it most definitely was not the only impact to the genre since Mazinger when previous super robot shows definitely had a lot of impact to the genre (as well as anime in general) carrying unique substances, even if they were formatted episodically or were made to sell toys (just like Gundam, or Cowboy Bebop, which many would not like to hear). Notable examples are the Robot Romance Trilogy (Combattler V, Voltes V, and Daimos, three of which deal with greater character development, understanding where both sides of the conflicting factions are coming from, and dealing with themes such as slavery, parental loss, etc.), Zambot 3 (pre-Gundam Tomino show that dealt with the main characters being seen as the most threatening to citizens in a more realistic POV of war, and half of the cast being killed off at the end in the vilest way), hell even shows earlier in the 70s (Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Grendizer, Kotetsu Jeeg) all dealt with a lot of philosophical substances, including darker moments, each unique to their kind.
Cuz people only watch shonen fighting anime, see shonen fighting anime's focus on powers over characters (I specified fighting for a reason this is NOT the case with something like Chainsaw Man which is basically horror) and they assume it's the same thing for the power system in mecha.
Awesome video essay totally made my day 😊😅😮😢🎉😂❤ and could you make a video essay on why Manga and manwha is beating out Western comics 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
What's the song playing at 10:27? I feel like I've heard it before.
Heats from Shin Getter Robo but its from one of the Super Robo Wars games
@@Sceledrus Thank you!
In the nutshell,
Super robot = oversized Iron Man armor
Real robot = humanoid-shaped walking tank
This is my mecha anime Hall of fame: Gundam, Six God Combination Godmars, and Getter Robo.
Honorable live-action mentions: Power Rangers, Super Sentai, and Pacific Rim.
In addition, I'm thinking of watching Jushin Liger while writing this comment.
No love for Macross? :(
@@grss1982 Already watched.
I'm also heard another stupid argument "Mecha is shit, only one is good, Transformers better" in a Polish anime server, GDM
I know those talks about "Mecha anime is to boring, i want something mature with some dark themes", than i mentionen Cross Ange Rondo of Angels and Dragons...NOOOO thats to racist and dark.
Decent video, but honestly it kinda... skips some evolutionary steps in mecha's history. Mazinger to Gundam is a whole period of increments and fine tuning of what Mazinger laid the groundwork for, and Gundam is the culmination. Getter Robo, the Romance Robo trilogy, Zambot 3, Daitarn 3, Raideen - all of them were major stepping stones towards Gundam finally crystalizing itself. I think it's a worthwhile topic to really dive into. It's like how people were ignorant towards Evangelion's origins in the past: Eva became what it is because of other mecha shows, not in spite of it. If there was no Ideon or Gundam there would be no Evangelion.
The mecha genre should be thought of as a loosely interwoven tapestry of shows incrementally evolving and bolting something new on, all while united by the existence of mecha as a concept. It's genuinely one of the greatest things the anime industry gave birth to and it's a shame people still don't understand it. Granted, it's better than before with people like Discotek releasing all the lesser known mecha, but it still is nowhere near the level of, say, battle shounen.
I feel like mecha would be better off if it took notes from thriller, romance, and slice of life anime.
I sit and binge the same kinds of love stories being told because every word in these shows are treated with due weight. It makes the dynamics and characters feel more alive than just exposition and tropes which couldn’t be said for a lot of mid-tier mecha shows that came out in the last decade.
no mecha should stay mecha and not put unnecessary garbage in it. if the genre has to die then it should stay like it is and not change for mass appeal.
I love super robots and real robots
w vid
Aot was partially inspired by mecha visual novel muv luv
if you watch gundam animes and say it's for children that means you didn't understand the story and plot
do you count 86 as mecha?
oh ofc! I haven't seen it but it's a mecha!
Most people hate mecha?
No wonder I'm antisocial.
AOT is mecha. :D
is actually kaiju