Gundam Build Fighters | The Gundam Retrospective
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.พ. 2024
- Gundam Build Fighters may be the most nakedly obvious commercial for plastic toys since G.I. Joe and Transformers... but is it still good? Join me as I follow the journey of Sei and Reiji as they set out to become the best Gunpla battlers in the entire world.
-- THIS VIDEO CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BUILD FIGHTERS --
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Also the fact that we’re getting Gundam Breakers 4 this year is pure ironic timing for this to come out.
irony? I see this as an absolute win
@@hathucquan5350 lets tread carefully apparently its made by the New Breaker team
@@KeonVioletWilkins it's the same core team throughout all releases last time I checked.
@@KeonVioletWilkins the higher-ups might have influence in the core aspects of NGB since that game had quite some hands in its development
@@KeonVioletWilkins not sure about GB Mobile though
GBF is absolutely one of my favorites because it knows *exactly* what it's doing.
This series is why I love seeing people kit-bash a gunpla.
Re:Rise is suprisingly deep(-ish) for a Build series, and a genuinely good time if you can get over some of the stranger bits. Also the Core Gundam is just one of the coolest things from any Build show IMO
Ramba Ral, age 35, appearing on screen 35 years after his first appearance in the first gundam series. He's definitely 35. Definitely. Even when he appears in build divers try. 35 years old. Definitely.
Definitely.
Gundam Build Fighters is indeed Bandai's attempt at a Saturday morning Toy Commercial Cartoon that carries the same ridiculous spirit that is along the lines of Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Beyblade, and etc. However, underneath all of that blatant advertising for the kits is a show that is a straight up love letter to any Gundam fan with countless references, clear fanservice, multiple series representation, and an MC that is a clear gundam fanboy. It's a show that is more of a celebration of the Gundam franchise as a whole, with a little bit of an easily digestible tournament arc to rile up fans. Reiji was a great foil for Sei Iori, as Reiji can be seen as a newcomer to the gundam franchise that some fans may vicariously jive with. As a person who is more a fan of the model kits rather than the shows, this series is straight up built for people like myself. There's no complicated politics to keep track of, there's no heavy war crimes to sit with, and there's not really a sentiment of bitterness that is usually a staple of other Gundam series. This is just a fun show that fulfills the purpose of seeing multiple gundam designs clash with each other in spectacular fashion. Not to mention, the fights in this show are some of the best in any gundam series as a whole. Ricardo Felini, Tatsuya Yuuki, Mr. Ralph, and even Sei's Dad were all just amazing characters that really drove a positive message forward that "Gunpla is freedom." Gunpla, and by extension Gundam as a whole, is not some country club where only a certain set of individuals should partake in. Gunpla, and the Gundam Franchise, can be enjoyed and appreciated by people of all different ages and cultures.
Sadly, the follow up season of Gundam Build Fighters Try and Gundam Build Divers kinda loses some of the heart that was put in the initial series. It turned what was otherwise a Gundam Celebration into a truly commercial gunpla advertisement with fairly flat characters, predictable plot beats, and harem shenanigans (Mostly in Try), to sell more kits of questionable quality. If all your looking for is good, mecha bashing fun, then there's nothing blatantly offensive about the following seasons. However, I will say that Gundam Build Divers Re: Rise was an absolute surprise coming off the hot heals of Gundam Build Divers. The characters get awesome development, the fights are meaningful, and the overall final clash is one of my absolute favorites in any gundam series. While Re: Rise is a slow burn at first, it really picks up in a meaningful way. The only unfortunate thing is that to get the full context of what is happening, it's kinda recommended that you slog through Build DIvers to get there. Either way, I'm at least glad that you enjoyed Build Fighters as I think it's definitively one of the best series for Gundam that I can really recommend for anyone who is, or isn't, a Gundam fanboy. I do hope Bandai continues the build series in some way, when they're not fumbling on making the metaverse flop, and hopefully we can get more representation from the Witch From Mercury kits.
Precisely because the mobile suits in this series are almost disposable (in comparison to actual mobile suits) the plot can get away with savage fight after savage fight where as any other series, such fights are reserved to introduce the mid-season upgrade after the previous suit gets blown up.
When Build Fighters was announced I admit I was one of those guys that was against it because I wanted "a more traditional gundam series" but when the first episode was released I absolutely loved it and was completely on board for the rest of its run and became one my favorite entries in the franchise. With such amazing fights, music and a cast of such memorable and lovable characters made build fighters an experience I will never forget.
Personally, as a gunpla builder, I hated all the Build series. It was very overt product advertising, and sometimes has very bad writing/story & character development.
The only positive (for me) is the release of the gunpla kits.
@@First-Name_Last-Name Fair, personally I don't mind if its a product placement as long as its done in good taste and is enjoyable, both the original build fighters and build divers re:rise hit the rights notes for me.
@@First-Name_Last-NameI thought it was fun & wish we could battle with gunpla we could build irl. Because at the core that is a really cool concept.
@@disast1ckup when they did that montage with all the gunpla battling each other I wanted to join in on the fun, thats how much I got into it.
Same I hated the idea at first but ended up liking it because it reminded me of yugioh which I love.
"F'ng Ramba Ral is just here." Made me spit out my drink!! 😂😂😂
26:44 mfw Kakarot197 cameo
Hey guys, kakarot197 here
GM love for life!
But the question is do I want to buy it.
I was way too hyped when I noticed that
Here is is right next to the always bulky zaku III
This is honestly one of my favorite Gundam series. Right up there with 8th MS Team. It's just so delightfully stupid and campy that I can't help but adore it.
TBH my favorite thing about the build series is seeing gundams that never get the spolight anymore from old series like the God/Burning, Tequila, Wing, Kamfer, Gouf Custom ect. They may even get new models from this series as these custom varients.
Hell, even the G-Savior gets a brief cameo.
Honestly I looked at the Build series of Gundam shows as more like a sports anime. It has almost all of the tropes and playing “guess what Mobile Suit this is” as well as the sneaky cameos from Gundam characters is a treat. Build Fighters Try is ok but not as good as Build Fighters IMHO. Build Divers was pretty good especially the big final battle. Build Divers Re:Rise is just plain bonkers and yes it is a sequel to Build Divers so it is required to get the full impact. So yeah, honestly just a fun, harmless sports anime but with Gundams.
There's an amazing bit on the final A Baoa Qu battle about the bootleg gunpla being inferior product that cracked me up laughing.
The first episode of GBF is shattering it's spine selling you on the premise. There are so many little moments in that that set the tone and the shows sense of self awareness about what it is. It's honestly one of my favorite first episodes. Moments like Sei babbling about the Wing Gundams entire backstory when the dad can't remember the name, almost every gundam fan as done that exact thing, and anyone who knows a gundam fan has absolutely had one of them babble like that at them at some point. It's a really meta gag, but it's directed in a way that's not poking fun at the hardcore fans, more that it's playfully aware of who this show is for. There's also somewhat deeper cuts, like having the first battle in the show be between a Gyan and the Wing. The Wing is easily one of the most iconic suits in the entire franchise, spearheading the global Gundam explosion in the early 00's and has this reputation as being one of the most overpowered machines in the meta franchise, then we see it job to one of the weirder suits from the original MSG. It lets you know immediately that they don't plan on playing favorites with fan favorite designs.
The amount of love Gundam X got in this show is just so appreciated. It's probably the sole reason we even got a refresh of the MG X and DX. Not to mention the Bluray release with the bonus manga.
Build Fighters is my guaranteed go to if I ever start to lose steam on building my own models.
It inspired me to build my first kitbash and has a special place in my heart for it.
The flamenco theme is so good , i use while I'm training when i try to break my on record
And for the build saga:
- fighters
- a space is needed for quality reason
- re: rise
- again a space
- try
- divers
-
- meta.
Builders ought to be in there as well which isn't quite the same, but leads to the setup
My favorite part of this series is all the random character cameos. Loved seeing Christina, Bernie, and Al happy together, to say nothing of the Ramba ral love.
Fun fact: they are trying to build fully immersive build fighters system irl. If it happens just leave the food trays at the door.
REAL. forget the tray, stick an IV in me and just leave me.
This series made me fall in love with the Gundam franchise again- I’m so happy to see a retrospective on it :3
lmao the wizards pinkerton reference was clutch. good stuff retcon
26:59 The Blue Destiny game and its three associated manga have a pretty huge impact on Gundam fan communities as a whole.
oh, what a pleasant Suprise. This video was, I was not expecting a build fighter retrospective today
I want to say I really love Build Fighter and that it is wholeheartedly my favorite Gundam show. i was born in 2000, and my older brother got me into Gundam basically from the moment i gained object permanence. I was 13 when Build Fighter was released, and I will admit that i have an extreme amount of nostalgia for this show, but i believe with good reason.
story wise, I definitely agree. Build fighters has a silly plot overall, but i believe that's part of the charm of it. as Ral said in one of the earlier episodes, they can take Gunpla serious because it's not a life-or-death situation for those who live in that world.
I believe they also develop the main characters very well. Sei and Reiji are probably some of my favorite characters in anime in general because of their chemistry. I feel really drawn to sei as a character because I saw a lot of myself in him, a young kid who grew up appreciating Gundam and its Stories and i daydreamed all the time about piloting mecha and being in the Gundam universe.
Within this last year, I have been dealing with a lot of depression and i have rewatched Build Fighter's about 4 times. it helps me remember the times as a kid where everything was joyful and it was fun and easy to express yourself, and your biggest worries were catching the newest episode of your favorite cartoon on Sunday morning and playing at the playground with all your friends.
I feel like there is a lot more I could say about build fighters but I'm having a hard time articulating my thoughts and I'm trying not to ramble, so I'll leave it on this, i feel build fighters and the team behind it had and extreme passion for Gundam and its universe and it encapsulates what it means to be a Gundam fan.
(P.S.) I usually watch sub, but I also decide to give the dub a shot. Fellini's Accent is hilariously Bad. Stereotypical fake Italian accent
As for the other build shows, I'll keep it short.
Try - i felt that it wasn't as interesting as the original and maybe a little uninspired. even more of a cash grab than Fighters ( I've only watched it once, and i don't remember it well)
Divers - i felt that this one was the most childish out of all the Build Series, definitely your sunday morning cartoon like bakugan or chaotics. although it tried to have high stakes, i don't feel it did it well (also only watched once)
Re:rise- Alot better compared to the other two, i really enjoyed Re:rise and the chemistry of the characters are better, and although the premise is still whacky, this show had stakes and you could get invested in the characters (watched twice)
Metaverse- literally 3 fast-paced episodes to and the only good part are the cameos XD (seen Twice)
10:42 unironically good advice
Oh man I'm so happy you're at this point. This came out about the same time that I got back into Gunpla building myself so this series felt like it was designed for me and I've loved your entire Gundam retrospective so far so I'm eager for your takes on it.
There are, as noted, a lot of these proxy battle anime trying to sell you on their respective toy lines and while the Gundam aspect was always going to peak my interest I think the core message of "it's not cringe to treat your hobby's seriously if you genuinely tove them" is what I found refreshing about it. A lot of these series go into battles with life-or-death consequences and escalate from there, it really overshadows the "this is all meant to be fun" aspect of the hobby it's selling you. GBF however, looks straight into the camera and earnestly tells you that Gunpla is objectively just a hobby and it's meaning is what you bring to it and your experiences with others.
Despite the the wackiness of Isekai royalty and Gunpla mafias, it all kind of circles around to "you're supposed to enjoy this".
Build Fighters Try is actually really good! They even did a dub like they did for Build Fighters. It's very much even more like G Gundam, and all it's nutball moments!
The Build sub-series as a whole is simple fun through and through. Everyone should give it a try and feed their inner child.
38:25 at the end of every youtube premiere of each episode, they showed ads for each new gunpla being released.
They throw an Ad at the beginning AND end. But honestly that's a great way to do it because its very unobtrusive. Those interested in the Ads get great ways to continue into buying some sick models. Those uninterested can skip them. every episode had nearly identical intro Ads so you could basically skip a couple minutes in and be at the OP theme almost every time, or at least land close.
I first started watching this cause I love Rinko's design, I quickly learned to love the entire show and that and was very happy I watched.
Best MILF
Build Fighter ➡️ Build Fighter Try ➡️ Gunpla Breaker ➡️ Build Divers ➡️ Build Divers Re:Rise ➡️ Build Metaverse
Is this a timeline, or a ranking?
@@wavewingman5993it's the timeline
@@arlequim235 I was wondering why you put Breaker between Try and Divers, but upon thinking about it, it makes sense. The Gunpla Battle system shown off in Breaker Battlogue is something like a cross between the battle system in Try, and an early version of the GBN interface. Not to mention, the way AI pilots are used could easily be seen as a dry run for eventually implementing NPDs in GBN.
You missed beginning g
@@itzjustmerichb Beginning G likely doesn't take place in the Build universe, since the Beginning Gundam exists as a store-bought kit, and the battle system is completely different.
The fact they show the EXAM system in this is proof it's just as much as a fan service tribute, as it is a toy commercial
I love all of the Build series, but RE:RISE is easily my favorite. It’s one of my favorite shows ever. Hiroto is one of the most relatable and real anime protagonists I’ve ever seen. For me he’s like looking in a mirror. Super excited for you to cover it. But the original Build Fighters is such a treat. It’s so much fun, it’s silly, the characters are so lovable, and the music and fights are S tier.
This series was my first introduction to Gundam and I've been hooked since. I'm 21 now and if I never saw this show, I have no clue what my passion would be. Needless to say the advertising worked because I have too many MGs now and as I write this comment, I somehow forgot the MG Build Strike existed.
The Gunpla series have been really fun, great sound tracks and did exactly what it meant to and made me get into Gunpla. Which wasn't difficult because I already do other model hobbies.
Oh my god ive been waiting for this one! I love Gundam Build Fighters. It is my favorite gundam series, the music alone is the best soundtrack in the whole series.
Not going to lie, when I first watched this the dialogue had me rolling at how ridiculous it was. But the characters and the world built up are absolutely fantastic. Sei and Reiji's friendship through the series and the support characters all meld really well. Also in regards to the Build Fighters universe, I enjoy how each new series build on the next and there are little tid bits here and there that expand the fantasy aspects.
Thank you for this series of Retrospectives it has been a joy.
This series is the reason why I made my first kitbashed gundam
the first GBF was what got me into gunpla. I love it so much.
Funny enough this series got me back into gunpla building after years away from the hobby.
GBF is the reason why I have the bravery to customise my gunpla....Gunpla is such a canvas for you to express your love & passion to this hobby...
Build Fighters is like a light hearted version of G Gundam and I'm all for it.
I always viewed Build Fighters as a love letter to fans that wants to sell you something.
The episode near the end where fans cosplay as characters across the series and we see groups like Christina, Bernard, and Al together.
Not to mention getting to see the Kasshu family together and happy.
Those aren't fans in cosplay. That's _Gundam Valhalla._
As always, happy to see you drop a new video. I’ve never seen Build Fighters and haven’t had time to watch it, so I appreciate you doing an episode on it.
Also, please do that Budokai video you mentioned at the end - I’d love to see you revisit any of those games!
Gundam build fighters/divers are my favorite gundam shows. Yes they are ads, but a show about people sharing a love of something I have, talking about it like me and my friends, and going on little adventures and rejoicing and celebrating each other…. Is just so wholesome. It’s the best. I like how it was described as the Gundam world with no war. Where the characters we know and love can live a wonderful life and the machines of war that in one world were their traumas and their killers, are just toys one can enjoy
IMO the original build fighters and build divers re:rise are the best of the bunch, try is enjoyable build didn't quite live up to the original and the original diver was mostly just ok.
Woo hoo awesome video man really enjoyed it! Getting into Gunpla and I'm really enjoying this hobby!
I adored this show. It was so hype back then. Still is.
Eyy, a fun retrospective as always! Really refreshes my memory on these shows, much appreciated :)
As for my thoughts on the other build series:
- Gunpla Builders Beginning G: a halfhearted proof of concept that could work but ends up feeling kinda hollow. Doesn't help that the main character wins by nepotism lol
- Build Fighters Battlogue: some fun shorts pitting certain characters or mobile suits against each other
- Build Fighters GM's Counterattack: a short ova against the Gunpla Maffia, it's okay but it brings back Reiji just because
- Build Fighters Try: it doesn't have the dynamic duo of Sei and Reiji, but it's still a good time. More of the same with fun gundam fanservice
- Build Fighters Try Island Wars: also a short fun ova with some references
- Build Divers: boring. There's literally no plot and stakes until the very last few episodes. The show had me feeling empathetic towards the halfway villain it wanted me to root against lol
- Build Divers Re:Rise: legitimately awesome and makes the original Divers better in hindsight. It's basically a gundam isekai through an mmo and has actual good character arcs.
- Build Divers Battlogue: another bunch of shorts of several fights. Fun because it involves ReRise characters
- Breaker Battlogue: a short ova based on the mobile game that is not very memorable and kinda confusing if you haven't played it
- Build Metaverse: a shameless commercial for Bandai's dumb, doomed-to-fail Metaverse project. It's too short to set up anything decent and it ruins any canonicity the previous show had by lumping them all together in an mmo setting
Out of these, Re:Rise is the absolute best and Try is just casual fun, so those would be my recommendations
Thank-you for these, I need every one of these that comes out.
I feel like the build series exists because it’s super fun and that’s great and I wish we lived in that world
Really great review thanks for showing off one of my favorite gundam show I still cry whenever I get to the last episode. It always remind of how much I love the characters and the concept of the show. I just hope one day we could see another full season with all the build characters from the franchise in a big tournament but not the way Gundam metaverse handle it. Thanks have a great day.
this series has a unique aspect to the gundam series compared to the common ones since most gundam plays out as war between 2 faction etc this one is like a combat sports / hobby theme to it and plastic models able to duke it out is something new to the gundam genre
Great video! I love all of mecha review videos and I'm looking forward to the next one.
Can't wait for you to get to Reconguista in G that'll be a wild ride.
Yo! Sei and Reiji getting some love!
Its funny that you mention watching the Kampfer Amazing v. GM Sniper K9 fight out of context. I did exactly that.....then fell in love with the show once i gave it a proper chance
Cant forget the F91imagine and amazing Exia fight, that one was fantastic.
knocking it out the park with these retrospectives!
10:50 there's also the famous "He showed me his gunpla" marriage.
Wow, nearing 25k subscribers. Congrats, well deserved :)
Let's go!!!!!! I have been hoping you would do build fighter and divers!!!!!! Oh baby!!!!!!!
The only Gundam series I've watched a substantial amount of. It grabbed me by the neck with it's concept and kept my interest with it's characters and story
I seriously enjoyed this series, I was like "finally!, a Gundam series that has humor and comedy in it!", so I'm hoping you'll cover it's sequels in the future.
I can't wait for gundam build fighters Try. Its also fantastic!
no its not.
@@lonewolf646 ok why? its a silly kids show. I love it.
@@commanderpower79 its buildfighters with worse characters, that utterly fails at the team boning, with generic harem elements sprinkled on top.
Always a good day when you upload!
I absolutely adore Build Fighters.
It knows exactly what it is and just has fun with it. It's very tongue in cheek sometimes, and doesn't take itself too seriously. It just has fun with a concept as simple as "what if gunpla could fight each other?"
The easter eggs also rock. Seeing Bernie, Chris and Al hanging out as a little family will never not make me smile and tear up a tiny bit.
Plus we got some awesome new designs. Mao may be an obnoxious character, but the Gundam X Mao is one of the sexiest designs ever. The Kampfer Amazing is also just peak.
I've only seen episode 1 of Try, and it seemed like a fun time (it was off GundamInfo by the time I could really get around to it).
Overall, the Build series is just a great love letter to all things Gundam, while also having a good time with it.
This was my first gundam series as a kid, still one of my favorite animes for just how fun it was. It was only until I became an adult I was motivated to watch the gundam franchise. Thanks for the nostalgia trip!
Build Fighters is absolutely what got me into gupla back i 2015 or so. Great series.
Gundam Age was the first Gundam IP that I consumed, shortly followed by build fighters. Been obsessed ever since and the two hold a special place in my heart.
Gundam Build Fighters was my introduction to Gundam and Gunpla as a whole. While I really liked the series, I think it succeeded more when it focused on the character interactions/dynamics and the competitive aspects of the sport rather than the more fantastical elements (the Embody System, the Gunpla Mafia, the secret of the plavsky particles, the Arian plotline). I felt a lot of the fantasy elements were added to create more tension in the plot where I thought it wasn't necessary and that time could have been better allocated for something else.
While I remember it getting a lot of hate at the time, I ended up liking Build Fighter Try more than Build Fighters. They not only really curbed back on the fantasy stuff but I liked how they started giving characters their own unique models rather than modifying old ones. Also, I liked how each main character got their own model rather than having to share one.
Diver Re:Rise is among my favorite Gundam series. Up there with 00, Zeta, and IBO. Re:Rise is like that man
I really hope you cover build divers next. I'll admit I agree that it's writing isn't good, but I love it for a similar reason as fighters. The various takes on classic suits and how they're customized to be different for build divers is great.
So while it wasn't a tv show, the first ever Gunpla battle related material was Plamo-Kyoshiro manga in 1982, which is where the Perfect Gundam and Perfect Zeong came from, then they just never tired to make a anime for the idea for nearly 30 years.
I actually loved the build fighter and diver series! Introduce me to the whole thing, I loved it. Sadly they aren’t on TH-cam anymore.
This anime is one of my all time favorites. Its not the deepest of most complex, but it feels like such pure fun and its so enjoyable to see all the cool and unique mechs.
I saw this video dropped right when I was looking for something to listen to while building my latest Gunpla, what a huge coincidence.
Even if it's a commercial, this sh*t goes hard
Goes way harder than it has ANY right to. We respect the F*ck outa that
GBF was my introduction to the franchise and remains one of my favourites to this day. It’s so fun to watch, filled with references, with great characters and some of the best fights in the franchise (SBS vs Fenice is the best fight in Gundam. Change my mind)
Try was a bit of a step down, but still pretty fun. Divers was a bit disappointing, that one felt much more childish and predictable but still had its moments.
Re:Rise on the other hand is freaking amazing. Taking the build concept and making it much more mature. Characters are likeable and go through serious development, mech designs are great, and there’s a mid season twist that completely changes the tone. Shame it’s overlooked a lot since the first Divers was disappointing.
It’s also worth noting GBF and GBD are unconnected timelines. The timeline and technology don’t line up if you try to think about them sharing a world.
Personal Ranking: GBF>GBDR>GBFT>GBD.
Build Fighters was just pure and simple dumb fun with a healthy tasting of references to past series to make most of us go "hey I know where that's from". The series isn't perfect but it just works.
Really enjoyed this episode this was the show that pushed me over the edge to start building gun plug models really enjoyed it and yes it gets expensive
I've always been interested in watching this!
By the way, it'd be super rad if you did a retrospective on Big O. "Ye not guilty"
I swear i hear SMT music in every video you make. 10/10
Theres an old saying that says “build fighters succeeds where Age failed” GBF’s plot and design is basically Age in reverse
It's Gundam Medabots and I cannot inject enough of it directly into my veins.
I was already watching Gundam (Wing, 00, Seed) before this came out, but wasn't really into gunpla, but when this came out in 2013... seeing all the MS I used to watch getting customized and brawling it out all in the same universe. That made me want to build and customize my own thus starting a hobby I can't ever get out of.
if you ever build a gunpla, this is a fun time because your ideas when building gunpla actually feels like it can be canon and just cool looking
Try is PEAK of the Build series, "GUNPLA IS FREEDOM"!!!!
Gundam Build Fighters it's just the perfect Gundam show for those who have enjoyed old family-friendly Robo-Battle anime like Plawress Sanshiro, Medabots, Angelic Layer, or even Megaman NT Warrior!
I don't care about the fact that's it's obvious fan service and a toy commercial. I grew up on the 80s so every cartoon from my childhood was just a 30 minute commercial for toys. I loved that fact that it's just a fun series that doesn't have or necessarily need the elevated drama of a space war. It was entertaining for me through and through no matter how silly it got it knows exactly what it was and gave you exactly that
I love Build Fighters, and love Build Fighters Try even more! Thanks for the great video!
I'm only 5mins in but I tried watching Build Fighters and was plesantly surprised by how much i loved it. It did its job in even making me buy my first gunpla of Gundam Exia (from my favorite gundam show of all time Gundam 00)
Build Fighters was also the starting point of gundam becoming more relevant in the west again, a lot of people watched them on youtube on the official channel and the kits were readily available at various big online shops. But maybe that's just me, its what got me back into gundam after i kinda faded from it after seed.
There was a manga that had to do with gunpla back in the 80s but im with you, it sure took then long enough to make an anime based on gunpla
Apparently Build fighters is bound to the SRW rules. That a mecha or franchise could not appear until three years have passed at minimum. Which is why the Dark matter had problems appearing. And they had to sneak in the repair. Since it would be three years since 00 Gundam's second season ended a week before the final episode broadcasted. It's also why no AGE mecha appeared until Build divers.
The whole build series is basically "what if kitbash was a sport" and i love how it indulges every fan who went "what if i had my own ideal gundam"
Oh boy, I heard that question about the other build series and that you at least seemed to have not seen them yet and I just had to go to my PC open this video and type out a mini essay. So about the respective build follow ups:
Try is a very good follow up to build fighters. It is my personal favorite of the build series. Try leans very heavily into the "legend" of Reiji, Sei, and the events at the end of build fighters at the beginning of the season. The plot is focused around 3 man teams of fighters now instead of individuals or pilot and builder pairs. The main protagonist of the new cast, Sekai, is seen as a second coming of Reiji by several veterans of the first season which drives events on a couple occasions. He feels like he stepped out of G Gundam which really is a reflection on where Reiji drew inspirations. The other two protagonists are also fantastic characters with Fumina being the team leader who can make her partners work together and Yuuma (China's little brother who appears as a brunette in the first season) serving as the master builder and foil to Sekai's brashness. Try focuses far more on original designs instead of customs of suits from the other universes though that does not prevent familiarity from making itself known with the Gunpla in the show. Story wise it sticks to similar beats as build fighters, using its larger cast to better fill out the story and make several different and interesting rival dynamics. Easily the peak of build in my opinion.
Divers, oh poor divers. Divers had a lot of potential that was snubbed by a rushed story. It boasts a large cast of characters and wanted to explore some much more fantastic concepts than previous build series but all those efforts are really shallow. It turns away from the gunpla battle dynamic in favor of an MMO where the characters build gunpla then upload them with a large selling point for this transition being that the gunpla battles of the past were really toxic and demoralizing to people that had their hard work destroyed after one battle. An interesting plot point that is again drowned out by the pace. Its not really a direct sequel to the Fighters and Try series and shouldn't be looked at as such, there is no references to the previous series to speak of. Falls back on the kits mostly being variants of existing MS early on before getting creative to some extent later on. I would love to say something about the characters but frankly there are to many and they are so shallow baring maybe one character and the fact they have any depth makes spoiling their character feel kinda wrong. Inoffensive enough outside its pacing problems I suppose. Kinda mandatory to watch for concepts introduced in ReRise.
ReRise is an honest step back in the right direction after the errors of divers and it is a big step at that. Up front, the series leans hard into a fantastical tone where the gunpla of the main cast aren't just toys anymore but actual giant robots sent to an alien world to protect its inhabitants from a hostile invading force. The character still frequently interface with the MMO world and it serves as the medium for them to access the alien world the series focuses on. This new direction is definitely a bit of a moment of jumping the shark you have to get past to enjoy the show. If you can make it past the shark at the beginning, ReRise for the first 13 episodes shows the teething troubles of a series trying to earn the budget for the other half of its season. Quality drops and a few odd pacing decisions really. It does a worlds better job with its characters, shrinking the cast as a whole and making the protagonist frankly horrible teammates and slightly insufferable at first, forced together by circumstance before growing each of them into deeper characters. Hiroto easily has the greatest development from a very skilled Heero esq introvert into a real team player with a lot of baggage but I personally love Kazami's development far more. Without saying much, early on he is extremely self-important and aggrandizing until he hits a breaking point early in the first season and become a far better person. The second half of the season has a serious quality jump to reflect a better budget from the first half going over so well. I am going to say nothing to spoil this series, watch it.
Battlogue is a series of 10-15 minute videos of random fights with a bit of context to them happening. The first episode implies it to focus on what if battles between out of universe characters before quickly dropping that idea after the first episode. These minisodes are alright if hard to find. Actually takes places after builder fighters but before Try technically.
Breaker Battlelogue takes place in the gundam breaker universe and sports a style change in line with that mobile game. The episodes are very short but are such quality they will actually make you wish they were a proper series.
Build Metaverse is.... Just don't. If you thought fighters felt like a commercial for models, Metaverse takes it to a sickening next level. The series is way to short to care about and the effort to grab on to the fans of every previous build series is just yucky in how it is handled. Character feel like facsimiles of themselves (which is kinda ironic because build metaverse literally says that people dress up as the characters from the other build series to obscure the fact the characters are actually supposed to be the famous character from the other series) and are mostly just present in name alone. Very "Oh wow is Sei Iori!" and that's about it. It kinda sucks because the only redeeming quality of the series is the main character who has this very isolated islander trope to reflect him actually growing up on an island. Due to the series short length and cash grabby nature this potentially interesting protagonist is pushed from weakling beginner into repeated meeting with famous people and culminates in him beating a character who holds the title of meijin in what is implied to be just a few short days. Skip it! For the sake of all of gundam skip build metaverse.
In my opinion the Build series, quality wise, goes like this:
1. Fighters
2. Divers Re:Rise
3. Fighters Try
4. Divers
5. Metaverse
It's honestly a very neck and neck battle between Fighters and Re:Rise for first place. For now I put Fighters as #1, but I gotta watch Re:Rise again to really make a proper decision.
For me they the OG build fighters and Divers RE:Rise are the best of the bunch.
I've watched a few of the other Gundam series but man, I finished GBF not too long ago and it was absolutely excellent. People say it's for kids but really it's for the life long fans of Gundam.
All the UC and AU Gundam anime has a contract with their TV broadcast company that it cannot be shown in other TV media for 5 years. That's why there is no AGE gunpla and in the latter part of the show the Exia makes its debut. That's a recurring trend in the other Build and Diver series.
The Flana Institute is a reference to the Flanagan Institute that studied Newtypes in Mobile Suit Gundam.
Love this series so much and I actually enjoyed Try, as someone whos studying animation they did not need to go hard on some of these fight scenes for something that equates to a 25 min commercial LMAO
Besides even more Gunpla cameos, I'd say the highlight of Build Fighter Try is the character of Minato Sakai as well as his creations.
Lets Try On!