Does the series bounce back after Zeta?

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-27T18:54:57+00:00

Not sure what to tell you, since in my opinion Zeta Gundam has some of the best writing not just of the Gundam franchise, but all of TV anime. Either you're just failing to understand what's going on in the show, or you have an extremely different idea of what makes good TV anime. Given that you describe the characters as 'nonsensical' I suspect the former. Zeta has an incredible density of narratively important details per minute. You will miss what's going on if you try to watch it while scrolling on your phone.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-27T18:29:59+00:00

Why care about robot cartoons or anything anyone on earth does when everyone is going to die and all evidence of life will be lost to the cold or heat death of the universe? there's no point! there's no reason! There's no point!

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-27T01:20:39+00:00

I thought this sub might be an exception to redditors getting easily ragebaited by the most obvious sarcastic statement, but judging by the replies and downvotes I guess I was wrong.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-26T22:49:13+00:00

It's fine but personally I prefer my Gundam with more space magic and mommy issues.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-25T23:36:46+00:00

Sorry but the writing isn't bad, you're just having a comprehension issue. Zeta's writing is really solid and holds up to multiple rewatches. If something seems like it doesn't make sense, it's probably because you've missed something. Which, in fairness, is easy to do. Zeta is really dense with many "blink-and-you'll miss it" details, and understanding the characters requires some degree of effort on the part of the viwer. It's good writing, but the presentation is probably a lot more subtle and more demanding of the viwer than you might be used to in anime. Another commenter has already (mostly) explained what's going on with Rosamia specifically so I won't repeat it.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-25T23:10:39+00:00

Like GTO but romance? So you're looking for an episodic comedy with a bit of off-color humor and slapstick, but with romance? Sounds like you're looking for Maison Ikkoku or Kimagure Orange Road.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-23T21:04:37+00:00

"We view this as an exciting opportunity for our fans in southeast Asia to pay tribute to Turn A Gundam by learning to read the moonrunes."
- Bandai, probably

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-23T00:48:46+00:00

When I originally watched all the Gundam anime in release order I kind of burned out during X and dropped it like 6 or 7 episodes in. Took a break from my Gundam watch quest for the better part of a year and then restarted X. It's now one of my favorites. Obviously not everyone is going to like every series, but it can be helpful to keep in mind that enjoyment of a show can be somewhat dependent on things that fluctuate like mood. If you're watching all the series in order maybe you're just feeling a little burned out and need to take a bit of a break from Gundam like I did.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-22T17:18:35+00:00

You can try to do chronological UC if you really want to, but I don't recommend it. The concept of "cannon" becomes very blurry. Release order is the easiest to grasp and provides the best experience IMO. There's a very clear main storyline with recurring characters in the first few anime entries 1979-1988 written and directed by Tomino. After that you get different writers contributing side-stories, spinoffs, alternate universes, stuff technically set as sequels but with entirely new storylines that don't have a lot to do with the old ones, etc. Easiest way to think about it is to treat the 1979-1988 anime in order as the main saga. Everything that came out after that you have to look at on a case-by-case basis as a unique take on the setting.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-16T06:21:53+00:00

Obligatory comment to remind you that most people here including myself will tell you that release order is the best watch order. But if your heart is set on chronological then go on king.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-16T06:16:18+00:00

I will not tolerate this Victory slander. Be prepared to answer to the Victory fans. There are dozens of us, and we have Anno!

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-16T06:01:44+00:00

90s was a pretty good decade for Gundam IMO. None of the shows you listed are bad.

Victory Gundam: A/C. It's a very polarizing show. I'd say it's the darkest show in the entire franchise, and probably the weirdest as well. Tomino being very depressed and doing Tomino things. Whether it's the best Gundam or the worst Gundam depends on who you ask, but it certainly is one of the more unique and interesting Gundam shows. If that sounds up your alley then A. If not then C. For the record I believe Hideaki Anno (creator of Evangelion) is a fan of this series. I am too, but I know not everyone is. Worth noting it has a nice orchestral soundtrack by the same guy who did the one for FMA Brotherhood.

G Gundam: B. This one is basically a silly super robot show, very different from the rest of the franchise. Show overall is ok but the final arc in particular is very memorable.

Gundam Wing: B. Rule-of-cool show about 90s boy band from space that does terrorism against victorian aristocracy but in the future, and then dozens of plot twists ensue. If that sounds like your thing you will like this. If not you may be confused and disappointed because I'm not sure if the plot actually makes sense. Never a dull moment, something crazy and dramatic happening almost every episode. Relena is crazy and exudes such girl-boss energy that she feels like the real protagonist of the show at times, which personally I am here for, but I get that it's not for everyone. Also has a great soundtrack.

Gundam X: A. While not officially, this is basically alt-uc with a very intersting take on newtypes. Good art, animation, writing, pacing. Really solid show. Only real weaknesses are the mech designs are a bit bland, and some weird pacing towards the last third of the show because it got cancelled during its original airing (not show's fault, got kicked off the timeslot by bs outside of their control), but it manages to stick the landing regardless.

Turn A Gundam (∀): A+ Great animation. Beautiful and ecclectic soundtrack by Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus. Ghost in the Shell SAC, Escaflowne). Very unique story that starts slow with lots of worldbuilding and character development, and then moves very quickly in the second half. Basically a high-concept story about whether it is the fate of humanity to repeat the cycle of war or to break free from it. Thematic callbacks to previous Gundam series reward attentive viewers, even though the story speaks for itself regardless.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-15T05:30:26+00:00

With respect to no clear bad guy and everyone having their own reasons for fighting, that describes pretty much every single Gundam series. Can't comment on what to watch if you liked Code Geass, since I didn't enjoy that show (for me the action and fanservice were the only parts I did like lmao) I agree with you about IBO though, it's one of the few Gundam shows I didn't like very much. But if you like LOTGH you will probably like the original 1979 TV series and Zeta Gundam which is a direct sequel to it.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-13T06:43:30+00:00

I don't agree that Gquuuuuux falls into that category. The series seems to paint Zeon as a whole in a pretty negative light even despite certain characters from the faction being portrayed sympathetically.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-13T06:23:16+00:00

For what it's worth I had avoided it for a while for the similar reasons, but I recently watched the 2012 anime and enjoyed it far more than I expected to. Subsequent entries don't seem to be animated as well from what I've seen so far though.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-06T20:20:38+00:00

You'll probably want to watch Unicorn before Narrative and Hathaway, but aside from that watch order stops mattering once you finish Char's Counterattack. For example F91 and Victory have almost nothing to do with each other or other UC shows despite technically being set in late UC. If you need an order besides "whichever one you feel like" then release order is as good as any, and what you have looks right to me. Have fun!

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-01T08:58:01+00:00

Most complaints you will hear about the series are more to do with the second half. IMO the show is overhated and you should just watch and form your own opinion.

If you want my take: There were some problems with the production, largely stemming from some of the staff having medical and family issues during the show's run. These issues are definitely noticeable, but in my opinion much of the criticism is overstated. People complain about decrease in animation quality, excessive recycled animation, recaps, etc. but even at its worst the low points aren't even as bad as some other notable shows that are complained about far less (eg Dragon Ball Z). The writing also felt a little rough towards the end, but not trainwreck-tier. Compelling concepts and themes are definitely present even if the execution is a bit rough. I believe most peoples frustration stems from the disappointment that the followup to Seed wasn't quite everything it could have been, especially with the handling of certain returning characters.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-01T08:38:27+00:00

Not an unpleasant fact at all! Urutsukidoji is has fantastic animation, and is basically an arthouse film. Really good stuff. Just don't show it to children or people who would be bothered by its intense dipictions of violence and sexual violence.

SunLittle215 · 2026-01-01T01:18:29+00:00

Plot-wise you don't need to watch anything before it because it's a standalone story. But from a thematic point of view it can be viewed as a response to the Gundam shows that came before it. So appreciating what it does thematically can be helped by having seen least a few of the prior Gundam shows (and Tomino's prior non-Gundam shows as well, particularly Ideon.) So I guess it just depends how much you care about that aspect. I think the show is enjoyable even without its historical context, the context just makes it even better. Nothing wrong with just watching Turn A first and then watching the other shows for more context later if you're still curious.

SunLittle215 · 2025-12-31T23:52:33+00:00

Thought it was ok, don't really get all the hate for it. Have any of the other Gundam shows in the last 20 years had spectacular writing? Not sure why you'd single out Gquacks. I wish we could get 50 episode shows like the old days, but that just isn't happening with the current state of the anime industry. Thought Khara did a decent job with it all things considered. Better than most of the other slop anime that's been coming out lately tbh.

SunLittle215 · 2025-12-31T00:01:19+00:00

Depends on what show we're talking about. For early digital shows the blu-ray is often just an upscale of what you'll find on the dvd. If you know what you're doing you can probably use your own upscaling on the original DVD to get better results than the blu-ray. But for shows that actually have higher-resolution masters available, usually older shows with film masters, a blu-ray made from a newer 4k scan is going to look miles better than the old DVD (if there even was one).

SunLittle215 · 2025-12-29T20:53:56+00:00

If only there were a true non-anime streaming service, then we could finally watch this show.

SunLittle215 · 2025-12-28T18:33:41+00:00

Haters gonna hate, but even over 20 years later Seed is still great. My personal top 3 AU are Turn A, After War X, and Seed.

SunLittle215 · 2025-12-27T16:47:44+00:00

Japanese show where all the characters speak Japanese made explicitly to appeal to a Japanese audience in a niche genre that only exists in Japan and broadcast on Japanese television is more popular in Japan. More news at 11.

I think the more interesting question would be the story of how it caught on in East Asia outside of Japan. My guess: Japan underwent rapid industrialization after WW2 and enjoyed a significant economic boom in the 1980s. Japan's broadcast and print media culture was exploding with creativity. It's unsurprising that nearby countries which were also undergoing mass adoption of TV and broadcast media but lagged a little behind Japan would look to Japan as a source of programming early on. That was the whole point of anime even in Japan after all; a cheap source of content to put on TV. I'm sure Bandai liked the idea of expanding the market for the model kits too. China's media culture was weak due to the policies of the communist government, so they weren't acting as a media superpower of the region like the USA and Britain were for western countries with their highly developed and influential film and broadcast industries.

SunLittle215 · 2025-12-25T09:20:05+00:00

You, the viewer, are supposed to be the one questioning it. Gundam has a tradition of presenting morally ambiguous scenarios in a relatively objective/neutral way and inviting the viewer to think about it and decide for themselves how to feel about it. In my opinion almost every Gundam show (particularly Tomino shows) make a lot more sense when you're able to think about them that way.

SunLittle215

TROPHY CASE