Gundam: Do Not Do This Cool Thing (Essay)

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[@bobdmz6437]

Remember, Char has never betrayed anyone!

[@kingsaul754]

But Red Man Commiting Warcrimes on the Federation is something I wanna Do! Anyway this is an amazing video, subbed

[@legocyd1999]

aw, thank you! I'm glad to see people really like it

[@austinreed7343]

“Please don’t try this at home” would make a great tagline for the series.

[@DarthAlphaTheGreat]

I don’t know. I never liked Char as a person. I liked him as a character. I always identified with Amuro more. I like Amuro. Kid’s gone through a lot but still in the end decides to fight for the betterment of everyone at cost of his own well-being. I guess I must be the odd one out XD

[@sandgunslinger2739]

Yeah Char is a cool character but he is very focused on his own goals and doesn’t really care who he has to kill to achieve them. Amuro starts out as a somewhat annoying character (in my opinion) but becomes more selfless as the show progresses, focusing on helping others over doing what he wants. Kai has somewhat similar character development to Amuro but he is more deliberately meant to be annoying at first, which makes his shift in behavior more obvious.

[@DarthAlphaTheGreat]

@@sandgunslinger2739 Amuro is Luke Skywalker with PTSD XD

[@REALMARCHINADER]

2:39 What's funny is that Gundam X actually had a way more destructive colony drop scene than the original, basically wiping out the majority of Earth. Although ironically enough this also means the world of the After War is a lot more detached from our own as a result, that along with the lighter tone of Gundam X meant it would probably stay airing even after 9/11 if Bandai made the smart choice of airing it instead of the frankly outdated looking original. It's sad to see X get shafted so many times. It's pretty much unanimously agreed upon the community that X would've continued Gundam's momentum in the West after Wing aired, Bandai just decided to be fussy about it because they didn't earn as much money from it in its initial airing, which was not a fault of the show itself.

[@DarthAlphaTheGreat]

Ok one thing. Char doesn’t like kids. Quess least of all. His love interest was clearly Nanai. Note that this doesn’t excuse him taking advantage of Quess’s obession to use her as a pilot, and creepy grooming language despite have zero intent on follow up on it. But he doesn’t like kids the way you suggested it. He likes to use them as tools just like everyone else and don’t see them as equally human.

[@lllXanderlll]

He's right they mention it in CCA and then the very next scene Char tells the guy that he's not interested in her for anything more than her ability as a pilot. And the guy accusing him is only doing it to try and get Quess to hate Char and get with him instead because he wants her to like him back

[@DarthAlphaTheGreat]

@@lllXanderlll i am not saying Char is good. Char is worse than that. To Char, anyone who is not him is just a doll. A “robot” like his mobile suit for him to control and pilot to achieve his goals. He grooms EVERYONE.

[@Magus12000BC]

I'd like to preface this by saying that I consider AEUG Char and Rebellion Char to be two different characters. CCA basically assassinated all the development they gave Char in Zeta just for that movie to happen. And I have not and likely will not ever get over it. That being said, it's clear that Rebellion Char is a narcissist that only sees people as a means to an end. And I highly doubt he had any real feelings for Nanai. He wanted action, she wanted a husband. He let her believe what she wanted to believe in order to get what he wanted from her. You saw a small hint of this in Zeta when he had his fun with Reccoa. But at least with her, he wasn't trying to manipulate her into something long term. She took the short term fun too seriously and got pissed when he wasn't interested in anything beyond that to the point where he flat out says, "What do you want from me?" In CCA, he breaks down and admits that he wanted Lalah as a mother figure. Which is the most pathetic and backhanded thing that movie could have made him say. He sees people as a means to an end. But then again, the movie doesn't elaborate on these two since Nanai ultimately isn't important. We don't even know how long they were together. So my assumptions could be very wrong.

[@lllXanderlll]

@@DarthAlphaTheGreat Yeah I think one of the only people Char had a more genuine connection with (besides Lala and Amuro) was Kamille. He still tries to use him of course but there's moments here and there that gave me the feeling that he actually cared about him, and in my personal cannon I think that Kamille being sent into a new type coma is part of the reason why Char is the way he is in CCA. A promising young pilot essentially gave his life to end the Gryps war and instead of learning from it people went right on along business as usual and things like that would just solidify the idea that humanity is flawed beyond repair and too weighed down by gravity and can't see beyond themselves.

[@lllXanderlll]

@@Magus12000BC I think one of the biggest mistakes they made with CCA was the line about Lala being a mother for Char. Tomino had to eventually come out and say something to the effect that the line was supposed to mean "she could've been a guiding figure" or something along that line. And it seems to me in retrospect that there had to be a better way to phrase that in CCA because it comes across so weird, weirder than it had to be at least.

[@tomblacklock7939]

Excellent work. You did a great job breaking down the issue without pointing fingers. Great video

[@legocyd1999]

thank you so much!

[@joaoneto2702]

great video my man, good luck

[@chunkygumby443]

Man, if I had a penny for everytime a Gundam essay forgets to mention the fujoshis that heavily funded the first Gundam fandoms and made a large majority of the audience when the first movie released. I would have too many pennies Edit: also btw I fucking love this essay, very well written

[@legocyd1999]

it's tough, right - the franchise is eternally in a cycle of art and merch, always has been tis why I choose to embrace the series, and spend the money I don't have 😅

[@androyus]

Except, not all of them are fujoshis. Back in 1979, many of the female Gundam fans ranged from normal highschoolers, college students to well-adjusted housewives. They mostly liked the drama & Char's side of the story.

[@chunkygumby443]

@@androyus yeah, Char is a very fun character to watch ngl

[@mpo48]

if i had a penny for every american who complains about capitalism while simultaneously not realizing that they can spout random garbage on the internet only when they are not living in a communist dystopia.

[@HYDEinallcaps]

@@mpo48 What?

[@arx3516]

I loved how in Super Robot 30 Char really came close to being beaten to death by Ryoma Nagare.

[@WatcherPrime]

GETTER JUSTICE!

[@itsahostiletakeover]

Funny enough, my favorite UC media (and honestly of all the Gundam timelines) is all of the stuff without Char: 08th MS Team, War in the Pocket, Stardust Memory. And as a result, I think it's easier to focus on the themes, and boy do they show up for the good of the series, especially War in the Pocket.

[@mpo48]

if i had a penny for every American who complains about capitalism while simultaneously not realizing that they can spout random garbage on the internet only when they are not living in a communist dystopia id be rich.

[@tacobellrestroom6752]

great vid man i just finished a presentation for a class on the same topic so i was surprised to find this lol

[@legocyd1999]

no way, that's awesome! glad I wasn't going way out on my own branch for this topic lol

[@soulx511]

Char isn't a fascist btw, his cell of Zeon is specificlly written to be more like Japan's red army; Zeon Deikun is supposed to be Lenin and Char is supposed to be Guevara, they're "bad people" that try to liberate their own people from fascist and imperial powers.

[@soulx511]

and the federation doesn't just use child soldiers, they put the space "colony" as in colony as in colonizers into pain and suffering with sub human rights and having multiple police forces to kick them down like the titans or the man hunters to keep mining resources, even in jupiter. but that probably hits too close home white man...

[@legocyd1999]

ya know, fair - when I think about it most of my facist read on Char comes from CCA, the "space supremacy" schtick. I'm also deeply unfamiliar with Japan's red army so there's that too 😅 somehow, despite it being "space colonies" I never put that together. I read the titans as a post-war retaliatory police force occupying colonies, without the broader context of colonialism. gotta do a rewatch of the main UC again to see what I can pick up off that. defo appreciate the extra knowledge and context!

[@soulx511]

@@legocyd1999 I'm glad I could help but the titans has always been a police force in the same sense people say ACAB, even the Manhunters from Char's counterattack and Hathaway play in the bad riot cops thing. but when it comes to fascism the Zabis and the F91 to Victory UC gundam villains are more of feudal and aristocratic bunch rather then right wingers of today. but the series is extremely layered with real life japanese left events like how Zeon and some federation soldiers have arabic or farsi names since Japan's red army operated in the middle east in the 1970s

[@parisulki729]

It is so funny that you used the image of money to portray capitalism, but those are all low nomination bills, like 5 and 10 bucks lol. As if gundam made a total 200 bucks or something.

[@Sir.Felix1590]

I remeber seeing this when it is was 2 days old

[@henryfleischer404]

1:42 It's really funny how much the staff hates episode 15, it's really not that bad. The movie is a lot better though.

[@legocyd1999]

@@henryfleischer404 I gotta check that movie out

[@Sorain1]

Okay, kudos to you for using the theme song of the Banshee from Unicorn for the profit problem.

[@Herr_Gamer]

Just a brief note on the char pdf accusations. Not once has he ever showed any sexual interest - or romantic for that matter - in a younger character after Lalah, who was again only three years younger. While Char was 20 and she was 17, which I get might seem strange in the US, it’s really not uncommon elsewhere. As for Haman, the lore is pretty loose there but the only actual source we have on their relationship is the non-tomino manga CDA, in which he outright rejects her. As for Quess, that’s clearly just a case of manipulation. By all means, she groomed herself into her position. The pdf Char shtick is funny as a meme now and then, but it does get kinda tiring when so many fans keep echoing it as fact And yes I realize my pfp doesn’t help my point, I am slightly biased

[@legocyd1999]

fwiw, I had a Quattro PFP on discord for a while lol It definitely gets played up as a meme, but I don't think the subtext goes away just because the cultural context outside the US changes - considering I'm from the US, I carry the baggage of what's considered "weird" here. I need to go back and rewatch CCA at some point soon, it's been a couple years, but I don't think Char manipulating Quess makes that dynamic any better - if anything, it might actually make it worse imo

[@skeeter5076]

​@@legocyd1999 my take has always been that Char was creepy and manipulative towards her, but not romantically/sexually interested, but still used her interest in him to his advantage which is still very bad because the normal and moral thing to do when a teenager is into you as a 30 year old is to reject that and cut contact because you're 30 and should not be encouraging that.

[@yeetkunedo]

beautiful

[@koboldengineering7687]

BASED G GUNDAM FAN

[@legocyd1999]

HELL YEAH I AM

[@Sorain1]

Most fun Gundam, and weirdly has the best romance story I've seen in fiction. (Domon and Rain are that well written.)

[@henry605]

“Toys”

[@NotMyRealName6]

Ah yes. My favorite Gundam of them all, GaoGaiGar.

[@Nineball459]

Considering how one sided the relationship between Quess and Char is I think a better example would be the only actual person Char has any actual real romantic inclination towards, Lalah. Char was 20 at the end of the OYW. Lalah was 17. Not quite as yikes but it does kinda make it funny that one of Char's later character motivations aside hanging out with his boyfriend Amuro is how he wants a mother-figure which Lalah apparently filled despite being 3 years younger than him.

[@angellara7040]

11:04 for the love of god actually watch gundam. Jojo fans like you need to actually watch a series to understand it instead of random shorts

[@pizzamechman8380]

Based on the amount of armaments and Plot Armor for the Unicorn gundam as the mobile suit for a "pacifist" .I agree with this video essay

[@KatieAngelWitch]

Estrogen could have saved Char Aznable during Zeta, the longer the hair the more mentally stable Char is. Every Gundam Protagonist is powered by their own flavor of Autism and Transness, and unfortunately Char got the 4channer types. I'm loving my time with Gundam, loving the ride, and thinking about it rocks. I have to be one of the few people that genuinely enjoy Victory Gundam, and for me it's because Tomino just flavored that series with allusions to modern Czech history as well as making the protagonist Czech-by-Technicality. Good video.

[@legocyd1999]

this is the most unique comment I've gotten on this video yet and I love it, it's so true Still haven't seen Victory, I'll get around to it eventually, and thank you 🙏

[@titoalexander3464]

Lol😂

[@NotMyRealName6]

I mean, my favorite character in the franchise is one of the best pacifists we've ever gotten across the various continuities. Basically, someone easily as cunning as Char, far as I can tell, but without any of the malicious intentions.

[@AJGundam]

If you're gonna make claims on char being a AHEM then elaborate. Gundam fans doing the bare minimum research on a thing like a high-school essay is wild

[@legocyd1999]

IDK I've seen the movie more than like 5 times and one of those was the theatrical rerun, I feel like I got the memo

[@angellara7040]

Hi aj

[@lunareclipse1882]

Char is definitely like one of the best vilain and rival in anime history but i do see that char is a dispicable man to reach his goal no matter the cost but i will definitely need to sit down and watch the universal century saga^^;

[@Mythteller]

Sound of the gun shot ... Tomino has gone to committing coup de grâce to his creation😬 and maybe a nobody individual among the animation staff🥺

[@ssyn6626]

So like about every game anime made by Japan they are saying "war is bad" but what it really says is capitalism the true evil of humanity. Also red paint is very handy for speed.

[@daniel8181]

>G gundam Careful, I almost ended the video there.

[@legocyd1999]

It's fun and I stand by that

[@daniel8181]

@@legocyd1999 HAMMER!!!!!

[@cabnbeeschurgr6440]

This is my gripe with pretty much any anti-war stuff, I usually end up being like "wow that's so horrible but also the most badass thing I've ever seen, triple the defense budget." Gundam is ridiculously guilty of this

[@angellara7040]

10:10 what? How does the guy who works to remove zeon the poster boy for zeonism?

[@henryfleischer404]

Did you watch Char's Counterattack?

[@angellara7040]

@@henryfleischer404 yes. Its basically a suicide letter as char's true intentions is to fight amuro

[@xManzi]

Don't know man... I first saw Seed while looking for Transformers G1, after that watched Seed Destiny. After that torture I watched original and realized why I didn't like Seed... It was garbage, thats why 🤣 After that got into model kits, and along the way (watched every show except requogista and Age, or whatever they are called) I have learned "war=bad". What most people don't get is that Original trilogy+CCA are story about Char and what revenge brings if not used right.

[@ArchChrono]

seig zeon

[@jaxsgamesiguess9731]

6:53 whats the song at the capitalism point?

[@legocyd1999]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/foLKYoWim955qqssi=7LU3m3hnD-EC9gm_

[@nekhronica]

video farts on its own message at the end for saying its "ok to like this cool thing". felt like you were afraid to double down on what you were trying to say

[@legocyd1999]

considering I wrote the thing I disagree, my goal was never to double down, but to each their own

[@justincholos.balisang6884]

This channel ain't exactly an Essay channel so I understand where you're coming from.

[@NZP208]

It's still OK to like the cool thing but acknowledge and like it's message. That's what build fighters is for

[@DubiousShell]

Are the "Cryptofascist gundam fans" in the room with us now?

[@kyokasanagi]

There's a few out there.

[@PeterJosephRivera]

Amuro is just not as appealing to marketing... personally i dislike him.. Banagher is a better protagonist