The Ratings Failure That Launched an Empire: The Story of Mobile Suit Gundam

[@kappazo2268]

True story: the Gundam show and original movies were so important to my Japanese wife, our daughter’s middle name is Sayla, as in Sayla Mass, her favorite character.

[@ramdom_assortment]

Your wife sounds awesome, lucky man.

[@bunnyfreakz]

" Dad, why my name is Kamile ?"

[@LuoSon312_G8]

@@bunnyfreakz because Camille is not just a girl's name

[@jasonbieber6431]

When she grows up, she should change her name to Artesia ;)

[@jasonbieber6431]

@Shin Shaman Why is that sad? Sayla's birth name is Artesia zum Daikun.

[@zero195]

I always found it interesting how Gundam and Star Trek shared a similar production history (cancellation, got big in syndication, fans essentially brought the show back to life, leading to many spin offs), all within a decade of each other.

[@PowerPandaMods]

Whenever I try to explain the ubiquity of Gundam in Japan, I say that it is "The Japanese equivalent of Star Trek". Even if you don't know it, you know OF it.

[@carlosrios8837]

The same thing happened with Space Battleship Yamato and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

[@EinDose]

@@PowerPandaMods My favorite description isn't too far off, although perhaps more tonally accurate than literally: 'it started out trying to be the Japanese Star Wars, and failed so hard it came out the other end and succeeded as the Japanese Star Trek'.

[@Bowblaxian_Tricknology]

Great point!

[@deathsyth8888]

"War. War is hell. But giant fighting robots are cool!" - Gundam in a nutshell

[@nicodalusong149]

When you want to tell a serious story but your sponsors are toy companies.

[@lordcavalier9688]

@@nicodalusong149 I’d say yes but the rated r original terminator movie had children’s toys so idk anymore.

[@YukitoOnline]

@@lordcavalier9688 One was from the 70's Japan. The other was from 80's US. Tell me how different the local market was with those countries during those times..

[@mpo48]

Hillarious that despite the push for toys it made tomino the director of the series make it more and more violent the more toys were pushed culminating in victory gundam thats just a complete bloodbath, you cant find a director more based than tomino anywhere else.

[@TheYoungVulnerableAnimeGirls]

Also, all adults are evil.

[@afelias]

Just mentioning Minovsky Particle effects and how they justify the setting's need for Mobile Suits is really appreciated; when other people try to do a UC Gundam explainer they miss on important details like that. Nice work.

[@McHaro0079]

Actually, Minovsky Particles, compact Fusion reactor and NewType are the 3 main pillars of the original Gundam.

[@angellara7040]

​@@McHaro0079 you're missing the point. the reason why ms even exist in u.c is because minovsky particles

[@SkaerKrow]

One of the truly great franchises out there. Not every story lands for me, but it’s awesome to see it thriving even today.

[@firetop-cn8vb]

It has been compared to Star Wars

[@raklibra]

I feel if you’re studying entertainment, they play you the story of the Gundam franchise and then ask “Any questions?”

[@ascensionindustries9631]

@Lord Sidious Same happened with me. I've only built a few, but bought more than I ever thought I would. Now I'm learning how to airbrush and install SMDs for custom builds.

[@veyolaski4324]

@Lord Sidious Gundam are the best anime franchise imo, it became onw of the my childhood anime franchise that got me into anime and i used to play with gunpla as toy when I was a kid (and i didnt know what they were at the time). And I gotta say, Gundam beats todays anime, even AoT

[@Saber808]

@@firetop-cn8vb NOPE Macross is

[@inthesegoingsdown]

Gundam is essentially WW2 in space, with honorable enemies, mass death of civilians and traumatized youth pressed into being soldiers, having to kill or be killed. One of the best scifi narratives ever made. It made sense older teens making ww2 panzer and allied tank models would be into and drive the whole model aspect of the series! Great vid man!

[@badfoody]

that's just WW2, in space. No WW2 in Space With etc.

[@paulheap1982]

​@@badfoodyhe's not wrong, just adding detail, genius.

[@MakotoKamui]

One of the .. maybe lesser known series?.. 08th MS Team had some great moments to show the 'real robot' aspects which I loved. Digging into the gears of the ankles to clear out clogging due to sand. Altering the beam saber power so that it could melt ice rather than cut through metal. Stuff like that made it one of the more interesting flavors for me

[@Kaimax61]

Then the Apsalas exists. XD

[@Menaceblue3]

Remember "Bernie's burger" shop????

[@FunSize4Audibles]

08th MS Team is definitely one of my favorite UC stories.

[@adammirza660]

Its potrait the real mechanics into the earth gravity and earth enviroment plus the military story of wars in the forest

[@trungthanh8586]

Too bad the plot and characters are paper-thin and forgettable. Sure, you could say the action scenes and music are good but all that merits can be experienced with clips on KZbin. There is a reason why Char Aznable, Amuro, Sayla or Lalah still remembered and loved to this day but only a few fans really care that much about Shiro and his "shounen main female character" Zeon waifu

[@ORLY911]

Remember when Peter Cullen narrated the first commercial for Gundam Wing on Toonami? "Suit up." That commercial launched me into the gundam fan I am today.

[@leo11lim]

Wing is boring and Mediocre.

[@XCAltoona]

@@leo11lim Maybe when you've watched a lot more Gundam, but when you're 12 and you realized that cartoons can be about war and politics while also still being exciting cartoons, it was fucking mindblowing. I doubt I could rewatch Wing without tearing it apart today, but it was an enormous influence and a big part of a lot of peoples' childhoods.

[@leo11lim]

@@XCAltoona funny I the first time I wing watch wing I got bored because some of the episodes lack some mecha bashing.

[@XCAltoona]

@@leo11lim It's a weird start. You definitely have to be someone who sticks to the character drama (and to all the characters being fucking bizarre)

[@leo11lim]

@@XCAltoona they are too one dimensional no character development.

[@davepowers3194]

Me, a diehard Gundam fan: *heavy breathing* “Finally!!!”

[@FavineMoore]

yes

[@frigginresulrum]

I knew Syd Mead was the designer on Turn A Gundam. I had no idea that he was tapped for a western Gundam movie well before that. It kinda makes sense now and seems less arbitrary that Tomino would all the sudden turn the reigns over to him.

[@OtakuboyT]

Tomino came to Chicago a while back when the novel was rereleased and I got a my copy signed.

[@Moonbeam143]

Big robots are so cool. Everyone should have one.

[@MrColuber]

I hear that chicks dig giant robots.

[@ZZtheDark]

I agree.

[@Joshua_N-A]

Don't worry, Anaheim Electronics will cover that for you.

[@philipcampbell4096]

Gundam Wing was the entry point of this series for me and it will never leave. Great job on condensing all that history into 25 mins video.

[@whitewing2]

When you already know the Entire History of Gundam but still watched the whole video Because Gundam

[@nicodalusong149]

Sounds about right but also to see if they did their research right and understood it.

[@duane_313]

I know NOTHING about it so that’s why I’m here 😅lol

[@knghtbrd]

@@nicodalusong149 Dan didn't have to research this, he LIVED IT! 😃

[@nicodalusong149]

@@knghtbrd Sure, but he didn't live all of it. He had to go back so he would have naturally missed stuff.

[@knghtbrd]

@@nicodalusong149 Oh probably, Gundam's massive after all. I'm just glad Dan's out of the anime closet and can talk about this stuff now without feeling like he has to pretend he doesn't know anything about it. 😀

[@babyghost5454]

The scripts for every single video and the delivery by Dan are just... Flawless. Sublime. Holy craptatiousness

[@acereporter73]

There is a movie poster for "Char's Counterattack" hanging in my bedroom. This episode really warms my heart. "Char's Counterattack" was my entry into Gundam; first saw it in 1990. Back then, a lot of anime stateside was bootleg, often lacked subtitled translations, never mind dubbing in English. The movie got me interested in exploring the rest of the Gundam universe. Decades later, I got "Char's Counterattack" on Blu-ray and other official releases of some other Gundam series and movies. It's been quite a journey to see Gundam be made available in the US through official channels.

[@Decept1onCheck]

Gundam has been my all time favorite franchise since watching the original 0079 Gundam movies on those subtitled vhs with my uncle. Now I'm 30 and have over 100 gunpla and build them with my son. It is truly the greatest franchise I have ever experienced. I am honestly glad it's finally getting the recognition it deserves here in the US.

[@senbrisbane5352]

Toonami put this on the radar for me as a teenager. So glad to have you cover it.

[@DRC644]

It doesn't matter that I already knew all of what was presented, that was a great video. Gundam is probably my all time favorite franchise. I've seen most of the shows and movies, I've started to dig into some of the manga, and I really enjoy building gunpla.

[@jesseperry9602]

I would be all for a Toy Galaxy multi-part retrospective of all things Gundam if you're up for doing it Dan! I would love to hear about your unique experience as an American transplant who was exposed to Gundam earlier than most of the rest of us in the West. For my money it doesn't get any better than 08th MS Squad. I LOVE the gritty realism of that particular show.

[@FurbleNurbles]

Hell yeah! Give use multiple Gundam eps, like transformers!

[@cunott280]

oooo yes please

[@azurecomet86]

"and still have enough material for the next two years easily" 🥺 please make a third, Gundam-centric channel 🙏

[@martinhennigan1113]

Thank you for bringing up the Minovsky particle physics of the franchise.

[@MikeKaess]

I knew "Is it Gun Canon?" was coming. I saw it coming a mile away. But i still giggled like at idiot when it came.

[@SecretGalaxyTV]

That's why we love you.

[@orinanime]

"I don't even have time to finish the list of things I don't have time to cover!" One of THE MOST accurate things you've ever said on this channel. LMAO

[@katiepersons6575]

Coming off of Gundam Wing, I watched the original on Toonami and ended up liking it even more. It had head into it's final arc, getting REALLY good, when Amuro had to go against Char's Gelgoog custom, when 9/11 happened and we got an episode of dragon ball in it's place. Then, on 9/12 we got gundam back in that time slot one more time, having skipped the episode that would have aired before it. But that would be the last time it would ever air on toonami. It was double dragon ball reruns after that. I was so saddened...

[@jamesreagon6800]

Try Netflix. They have the original and several other versions. The only drawback is they don't have Wing or the follow up endless night.

[@katiepersons6575]

@@jamesreagon6800 oh I saw it long ago. Though I had to wait a few years at the time, which was torture. I only had dial up in 2001 and internet streaming wasn't what it is today.

[@johno.5800]

It's on gundaminfo KZbin channel sub in English.

[@WesMordine]

Because war really sucks.

[@vamthedestroyer]

I was actually painting a Zaku model kit as this auto-played. Great job guys!

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

I was REALLY hoping for an "Is it Guncannon" joke, and I wasn't disappointed. Can't wait to see what your next video will be. And can't wait for the inevitable Zoids video. :)

[@Ragetiger1]

Same, I have the DVD series and a couple of the models. The xbox game though SUCKED HARD.

[@McHaro0079]

Well the rating of the initial TV boardcast in Japan was GunTanked.

[@baloowailey6278]

@@McHaro0079 Well that's a GunDamn shame.

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

@@McHaro0079 Thank you for that one, I will keep it in my back pocket for later.

[@TheRealMrRoboto]

Did I miss G-Gundam thingie

[@namelessandsouless1]

Sergeant Keroro appreciates your reminding the people of just how awesome and influential Gundam was to not only anime, but to the giant robot brand.

[@marcomcdowell8861]

Weird. I'm 47 and definitely remember watching Gundam as a kid. maybe it was a local broadcast in the 80s. It was on along with StarBlazers, G-Force, Tranzor Z, Ultraman and so on. Maybe whoever ran Saturday cartoons at the local network was a fan and had gotten tapes or reels.

[@andrejg4136]

If you were on the the West Coast, there might have been an anime fan or, even better, an in-the-know Japanese immigrant or child of an immigrant, who could have swung something for the station. As someone on the Gulf Coast, i really didn't know Gundam until Toonami started airing Gundam Wing. But boy was I fucking hooked. Although I say I'm more of a Extended UC kinda person, really like Origin and I need to make time to really watch and mull over Unicorn.

[@fr33bird7891]

Are you thinking of Robotech?

[@marginalmeaning]

One of my absolute favorite franchises. Almost always dealing with darker and complex topics and themes despite its early trappings as a "kids" show. I love it enough that I got a Gundam Unicorn tattoo. So many great suit designs - The Ez8, Kampfer, Sinanju, Sazabi... not to mention the fantastic grunt suits! My absolute fav is the ECOAS Jegan.

[@Theonewhoisinfinite]

This franchise means so much to me, I say as I look at my 90+ Gundam models on my shelf. I absolutely loved this video, and want to share it with my friends who may finally get a little taste of my personal passion for Gundam. Thank you Dan, this was wonderful!

[@badtemper88]

I’m in the age range that started with Gundam Wing in 2000 and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. U.C. Is my favorite timeline and I’m not a huge fan of Wing anymore but man I’m grateful that it came to the states 21 years ago.

[@freeculture]

The day i decided to get into Gundam, i decided to watch from the beginning. Actually i haven't watched wing yet, lol. But did watch the earlier ones starting with the original. I'll get there... But from pictures I'm amazed that ball robot (made by Amuro) keeps appearing. Is it like the theme of Star Wars? (if you know who made C-3PO). Of course the beam lasers are an obvious reference as well.

[@DicePunk]

As a gunpla builder, I've waited so long for this. Thanks so much.

[@whiteraven1992]

The final two minutes of this video reminded me... There's an actual 1:1-scale model kit of Cup Noodles. :3

[@Hongxiquan]

I would watch a miniseries covering Gundam

[@funghazi]

SAME!

[@brianclifton8423]

Thank you for making this video about my favorite franchise. I know you're a big Gundam fan as well. Always love to see Americans give some love for this property

[@LouisTheBassman]

I have been waiting for you to make a Gundam video 😁 super stoked!

[@grennbalze]

8th MS Team was one of my favorite series. Showing a more “on the ground” setting with minimal overpowered gundam protagonist

[@Cahos_Rahne_Veloza]

Same here, Shiro Amada's love Story with Aina was awesome. Kind of like a more grounded to Science fact, or rather Real Robot to name the actual terminology, reinterpretation of the Super Robot series Toushó Daimos's Romeo and Juliet-esque plot. Plus if I recall correctly there were no NewTypes in 08th Mobile Suit too, which makes the series even more grounded.

[@Belgand]

Definitely the best of the series. Although it would have been even better without the romance plot or the inevitable super-weapon.

[@_MARC0_40]

There is also igloo, specifically the s2, it focused on ground battles such as the battle of odessa

[@trungthanh8586]

Only including the most shounen plot armor in Gundam and the most feel good story in there. Amuro got house arrested after the OYW and spend the rest of his life dealing with PTSD while slowly being absorbed into the system of the Fed's military. Kamille got brain damaged from the end of Zeta with maybe some hope of recover. Judau failed in his journey got fed up with Earth and fucked off to Jupiter. Char is Char. What's the consequences for Shiro for eloping with the enemy CO in the middle of a war and pretty much commited treason?

[@lordcavalier9688]

Yeah was my favourite too

[@dinomonzon7493]

Didn’t know Gundam was an early fail. Had the original series Gun Tank toy as a kid. Guess Gundam’s the Star Trek of anime, an initial failure that proved its critics dead wrong in the long run.

[@gustavohernandeza.890]

Toy Galaxy finally covering Gundam: The question "It. Is. CANON?" will never be the same...

[@MrlspPrt]

War is bad, but it's worse when people talk about Gundam and its canon...

[@McHaro0079]

@@MrlspPrt ... And it Tanked.

[@_GeneralMechanics_]

He done Gouf'd.

[@McHaro0079]

And got a decent amount of Fan Dom.

[@_GeneralMechanics_]

@@McHaro0079 We're having a Ball with these puns.

[@awakz100]

I'm old (like old enough to remember the original Gundam launch in grade school), Gundam is an obsession for me these days, l freaking love everything about the franchise and its various iterations

[@GundamExplained]

It hasn't even been 25 minutes but this is a great episode.

[@babytoshiro7014]

Hell yeah it is!

[@slipshodaverage844]

My father was a big model builder, so we spent a lot of time in the Hungates hobby shop at our local mall. They had a selection of SD Gundam models that drew my 7 years old attention like nothing else. It took a lot of work on my part, but I eventually convinced my parents to let me get a Gundam Nise, and I've loved Gundam since.

[@Gay_Priest]

I'd never heard of Nise before and i want a gunpla of it so bad now

[@charlesfarley28]

I was working at Right Stuf in 2003-4. I have so many fond memories of that time and even forged a couple dear, still strong friendships. Its founder Shawne Kleckner is kind of a toolshed but he established a legit anime company right in the heart of my beloved Shire (you big folk call it Iowa), so I can't throw too much shade.

[@mandisaw]

Can't speak to the folks who ran it, but Right Stuf catalogs still have a spot on my old shelves. And I'll always be grateful to them for bringing over Capt Tylor

[@dalethelander3781]

I worked for Carl Macek in the summer of 96. He wasn't just a toolshed, he was the entire DeWalt aisle at Lowe's. Wanted us to stay until 9-10pm pouring resin model kits. Sorry, Carl, I have a life beyond work.

[@cybersteampunk]

25 minutes passed by unnoticed. That's how interesting and informative the video was. Been a fan of the Gundam franchise for over 25 years.

[@Gappasaurus]

Outstanding job crunching 40+ years of Gundam history down into a 25-minute episode guys! 😎👍🏼 Give yourselves a pat on the back… but watch out for your beam saber hilts back there 😉

[@Ferenczys]

First of all, love the channel. Second of all, thank you for this video. In a moment of stupendous serendipity this got posted on my birthday and covers some of my absolute favorite toy franchises. Props for the excellent callback to the super robot shows of the 70s, and the admirable effort pronouncing all those titles (the only goof: it's Voltes Five, not Voltes Vee). Keep it up.

[@TheAbsoluteJay]

Okay but for real can we get more Gundam content, especially with your personal experiences? A few of my favorite episodes have been ones where we learn more about your personal experience with the topic!

[@singaporesammy]

"For all the people who might say "I don't know where to start with Gundam", I want to create this film and give them an access point where you can say "This is where you start. This is your entry point"." To me, that sounds like he's going to try to mash bits of all the Gundams together into one thing that can be for fans of all the other things, which is exactly where they went so very, very wrong with the first G.I. Joe movie.

[@MrlspPrt]

It will be worse because one single word: Netflix.

[@Niemand]

@@MrlspPrt Gladly they only will be publishing/streaming it. It's not going to be influenced or produced by them.

[@SaulGMV]

@@MrlspPrt they are the distributors, not producers

[@anthonycollado2447]

Practically all Gundam Alternate Universes approach it the same way though. That's why you have Char clones, Amuro clones, and later even Heero Yui clones, I mean the 00 cast is full of blatant swaps for the Wing cast. For IBO, writer Mari Okada watched all of Gundam and took bits of pieces from everything . Don't get me wrong, there's still a huge chance that a live action version will fail (and it probably will) but the approach doesn't seem foreign to Gundam to me. Most Alternate Universes are ultimately trying to bring new fans into the franchise while a lot of Universal Century productions do not hold your hand and expect you to know everything that came before.

[@nicodalusong149]

@@anthonycollado2447 Yup, AUs were exactly made for that reason. UC was getting stale so they threw G Gundam in to spice things up. It worked and AUs have been around ever since.

[@drjcup3228]

Finally, my favorite toy channel discussing my favorite Japanese robot franchise.🙂

[@joeolivo8847]

I've been waiting to see if you'd tackle this, I wish I could have been a part of it. Gundam has been a part of my life for 21 years.

[@NotThatGuy_YepThatGuy]

Little bit of a nitpick @4:44 The creators of Gundam have specifically stated that Newtypes are not simply ESPers (a catch all term for which japanese people use to reference those whom posses what we in the west call Extra Sensory Perception [which is where the term originated]) so while saying their senses are hightend and their means to percieve things are altered and superior to that of Old Types, saying Newtypes poses "extra sensory perception" walks a thin line. Generally speaking it is obviously true, but as being the next stage in a continually growing human evolution a conscious effort was made to separate them from the concept we Old Types are so familiar with. Also, hearing you say "history of Gundam " gave me chills. I have been waiting for this for a while.

[@NotThatGuy_YepThatGuy]

I guess it is somewhat similar to how Transformers dont "transform" anymore, they "convert"

[@mandisaw]

Newtype is a whole philosophical concept that could get its own video (maybe on Wisecrack LOL). It's like a cross between plain-old ESPers, "children of the stars", X-Men style mutants as the future of humanity, and a broader concept of "children of war" - something we see IRL with folks who have lived their entire lives amid a country at war, or in a post-war recovery, as Tomino et al. One of the great strengths of Gundam is that you can come for the cool robots as a kid, and return for the philosophical sci-fi as an adult.

[@dalethelander3781]

"Espers" has been used by U.S. science fiction authors for decades.

[@dalethelander3781]

@@mandisaw If Homo Superior ever rises, we Homo Sapiens Sapiens have had it. We'll be dead meat.

[@mandisaw]

@@dalethelander3781 Yup. Same as if aliens arrived. I want to believe it would be Vulcans/First Contact, but Minbari/Babylon 5 or Independence Day is more likely :p Thankfully we won't have to worry about the next phase taking us out, we're doing a bang-up job on our own

[@brandonandcharlene9527]

I'm proud to say I knew about Gundam a full decade before Wing premiered on Toonami. I had seen 0080, 0083, Chars Counterattack, and F91 all with no subs thanks to a college friend in the early 90s. I had no idea what was going on , but it was awesome. nearly 30 years later I have pretty much every series dubbed or subbed thanks to Bandai America, and later Sunrise for picking up the slack after the former stopped making DVDs.

[@dalethelander3781]

Counterattack is good, something went sideways with F91.

[@mandisaw]

Back in the 90s, I wore out VHS subs of 0083 and 0079 - looking right now at the Bandai VHS release of the movies, and the deluxe DVD box of Zeta 😎 Wish I had time to catch up on all the new UC series though

[@kappazo2268]

Check out MS IGLOO Hidden One Year War and Gravity Front. Fills in some of Char”s story. I have found a version with sub titles online in the US.

[@mandisaw]

@@kappazo2268 I remember a panel nearly 20yrs ago where Bandai said they were committed to seeing all of Gundam get a Western release *eventually*. The licensors & formats have changed, but they do still seem to be trying to make good on that promise. Also, I haven't had time to sit down and properly watch it, but The Origin is probably the definitive show to watch/read for folks seeking Char-before-Red-Comet.

[@ORLY911]

@@dalethelander3781 F91 is a beautifully animated mess, while a horrible movie, it's still fun to watch thanks to the animation. Hopefully after the Hathaway trilogy is finished they'll reboot F91 (and after, Crossbone) into a full series.

[@dustbuster9768]

"Is it Guncannon?" You warm my heart, good sir!

[@jrmorales86]

About time Gundam gets the recognition it deserves

[@wafagdplqs4421]

Maybe one day !

[@mandisaw]

I had no idea Netflix / Hollywood was having a go at it. I feel like PacRim scratched the Real-Robot itch as far as mainstream audiences go. Although I still hold out some hope that a US-made Akira could be decent, so much of Gundam is built on anti-military/"war is hell" themes that I don't think any Hollywood studio has the guts to do it justice. Certainly in our modern box office I don't see China or the US Midwest really being keen on a properly tragic/dramatic Gundam movie.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@@mandisaw I'd still take a Gundam movie over them trying to adapt evangelion any day. I know there's a lot of hate for evangelion and it's over the top emotional BS but I just feel like it wouldn't be given as do whereas Gundam kind of has a flavor that works better even with its more war is hell attitude. They'd still try to fit it all on a PG-13 movie though that much I am sure of.

[@mandisaw]

@@JohnDoe-wq5eu I don't even know what a PG-13 Hollywood Eva movie would look like - no sexual/incest themes, no awkwardly long stretches of painful, pregnant silence, and no Q'abbalah for Dummies crossed with OT Christian imagery?? What would they show, Shinji on a train, the kids in an elevator at NERV, the penguin, and then credits roll? 😂😂

[@baloowailey6278]

It always did, Gundam is the most popular mecha series in Japan. There are plenty of other great mecha series that barely get any recognition.

[@ReaverPrime]

Gundam is the obvious basis for ExoSquad, one of my favorite shows ever and one that was never done the justice of having its story finished. While I loved the Gundam franchise once it did finally make it over here years later, ExoSquad was first in my life and had a profound impact on my early teen mind. Also, the theme from Iron Blooded Orphans is such an earworm.

[@wmnoe]

Exo-Squad is more related to the power armor from StarShip Troopers, the book. Coincidentally Mobile Suit Gundam began life as an adaptation of...wait for it...Starship Troopers

[@shaider1982]

Toy galaxy did a video on it some time ago.

[@ReaverPrime]

@@shaider1982 I know. And I commented on it years ago.

[@Stoicswimfish]

RAISE YOUR FLAG!!!!!!

[@adrian_veidt]

Universal Century is the best gundam timeline. War in the pocket is my favorite as it embodies Tomino's message the most.

[@dalethelander3781]

After he spent Double Zeta parodying the franchise.

[@ViccVegaa023]

Given how hard Tomino seems to have taken the toy company's changes to the original series, I guess parodying that show's excesses might have been fun for him.

[@baloowailey6278]

Ironic cause it was also the first Gundam show not directed by him.

[@adrian_veidt]

@@baloowailey6278 Tomino shines more as a writer for me. I love the novel/manga version of Char's counterattack. It showed amuro as the perfect anagram to char.

[@SparkRattle]

Thank you for honoring a franchise I spent 20+ years of my life studying. I am very moved by the show's research and you really brought out what people needed to know. Again, my most sincere thanks, Dan.

[@mandisaw]

Been waiting/hoping for this ep for years! I'm an original UC Gundam fan from like '95. Got the chance to see Char's Counterattack theatrical with a live Q&A from Tomino, and introduced my kid brother & his friends to Gunpla back in the day. Y'all did a great job touching on everything important - it was a monumental series, a perfect blend of meaningful storytelling and the backers/market to support it. For so many of us, Gundam is right up there with the likes of Transformers & Voltron, and this knocked it out of the park.

[@mrf19741]

I still remember the boom period for The Gundam series in early 2000s after it debuted on Toonami on the Cartoon Network. I also worked at Toys R Us around the same time, and we couldn't keep the Gundam toys on the shelves. From action figures, to models, video games, DVDs, etc. It was Insane!

[@beng6149]

This is the only series I’ve actually watched 😅 love my bootleg dvd set lol

[@shadowsofdawn3871]

Sir, you get a thumbs up on this just for the Ad. I have never laughed so hard during an advertisement. Thank you, you have restored my faith that marketing can be enjoyable as well as informative and still convince me to purchase a product.

[@Mr49r1681]

Grew up on seeing Mobile Suit Gundam with the super robots and Macross before Toonami picked it up. The original is always my favorite next to F-91, the most powerful and one of the most popular variants of Gundam. Have to catch up to see Zeta. Thank you for this episode Dan 😊 .

[@maxcooper6554]

Thank you! I have been watching TG for quite a while and was patiently waiting for Grandpa's time to shine! Well done, boys! Started with 08th MS years ago and have been building Gunpla for years. This gave me the fire to start working on my RX-78-2 Perfect Unleashed!

[@brettwood1351]

So does this have anything to do with Unicorn's Olympic cameos, and the BBC not knowing what it is? The timing just matches up so well.

[@nicodalusong149]

I mean, the show was a real 'transformer' of the genre.

[@kiryuunaga1olivians100]

Normies *Every Giant robot* - Transformers *Every Tokusatsu* - Power Ranger

[@yamadawaver9317]

@@kiryuunaga1olivians100 true

[@tomthespaceknerd5396]

Around 5 years ago I was stood infront of the original statue before it was replaced in Odaiba. And a guy in my tour group was taking photos saying "I'm just gonna tell my friends it's a Transformer." I ended up nerd ranting at him. I think his eyes glazed over within the first 3 seconds.

[@Oniphire]

@@tomthespaceknerd5396 I hope that rant was 30 minutes long!

[@vanerek]

"but Is it guncannon?" I was expecting this one and you my boys, did not disappoint

[@sudahi51]

The original MSG on toonami was the first show I can remember watching that wasn't blue's clues or sesame street that shit grew me up FAST 😭

[@dalethelander3781]

I remember it was pulled on the afternoon of 9/11, returned the next day, then was pulled for good the next.

[@sudahi51]

@@dalethelander3781 I got really mad about that! I was like 7 so I literally just thought it was over until I found the DVD set in middle school and bought the whole series

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

Talk about crappy timing. It's a shame the original series got so edited down compared to Wing which was given a midnight run instead.

[@dalethelander3781]

@@sudahi51 Episode 15, "Curuku Doan's Island," is still missing; Tomino hated that episode and had it pulled following its' one and only airing. It was a stand-alone and didn't impact the overall story arc.

[@nicodalusong149]

@@dalethelander3781 And yet it is still referenced in video games.

[@CurtElliott]

Well done. I had some random Gundam 0079 and 0083 laser discs back in the day. Couldn't understand a word of it, but man it sure looked cool!

[@Slayerthecrow]

Gundam basically changed Japan forever, in a good way of course, I wish I could ever create something as timeless as this, great episode.

[@roddricktillman2996]

This is hands down one of my all time favorite episodes!!! Thank you guys for covering the Gundam legacy!!!! 💯👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@heckyd]

I shared an elevator with Tomino in New York 2002. I was shook and wanted to say something to him but couldn't. He was there for the one shot Anime Expo New York.

[@kyoko703]

What a FANTASTIC episode!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I literally could not tell it was only 25 minutes. It went by so quick!!!!!

[@CoinOpTV]

Great recap - grew up a big Gundam head!

[@guaposneeze]

In the big Gundam timelines, there is both "Hathaway" and "Stargazer." Coincidentally, those are both names of Constellation class starships in Star Trek.

[@kantusprime1119]

I feel like Toy Galaxy is stalking my internet history. Scary right? I’m starting to get into Gundam and have been watching historical videos for the different timelines and now you drop this?

[@rigoric]

Gundam showed me the consequences of war through War in the Pocket. That shit hit me right into my heart, and made me not eat hamburger for a week.

[@geardog24]

Any chance you could look at the other giant robots, especially Getter Robo?

[@Cre8Lounge]

He did Shogun Warriors

[@MaxHDAvenger]

I kinda doubt Shogun Warriors explained each individual series at least back then. Honestly revisting the old super robot series requires own dedicated video especially Getter Robo. Most folks probably remember Getter Robo Dragon more then the Original Getter Robo or Shin Getter Robo.

[@viper20999]

What a fantastic episode! I got started with Gundam Wing but knowing more about where it all began is amazing. I hope you do cover some of the other Gundam series *cough* Gundam Wing *cough* but if not I am really happy to have this one!

[@MementoMorituri]

OG Gundam is still great, even watching it now.

[@dalethelander3781]

MSG and Zeta are good, Gundam ZZ not so much. Tomino started parodying his own creation.

[@andrejg4136]

@@dalethelander3781 ZZ Gundam I would argue is a series where the heart is in the right place but it's so tonally off-putting in the first 20-or-so episodes. Honestly Tomino needed a longer break and Sunrise needed to make an earlier commitment to what'd ultimately become Char's Counterattack.

[@VikingPatar]

Thank you for finally doing a Gundam episode! Do a part 2 now lol.

[@aurorandv8516]

Let’s all hope that the live-action Netflix Gundam movie goes perfectly and doesn’t ruin anything.

[@TheSsbcandidates]

...

[@StoneyHoliday]

I got into Gundam this summer. One of the best genre franchises of all time. Love Unicorn, Thunderbolt and the 8th MS Team.

[@WMxSmith]

I haven’t seen all the series, but currently my favorite is 08thMS Team.

[@Joshua_N-A]

Karen Joshua working on one RX-79(G) unit makes me wonder about average maintenance hours for maintaining a mobile suit.

[@BRisecomics]

Wing was all I knew of Gundam I remember staying up late at night to record on vhs lol

[@TheHangedMan]

Cautiously excited for the Netflix Gundam adaptation they're working on... while obviously Netflix has a _ahem_ less than stellar track record in this area, the director is legitimately a huge Gundam fan - possible it could be good, and I would love me some live-action, Americanized Gundam.

[@Slug99]

this is by far the best episode you have made 10/10

[@o8thmsmunchieman]

Thank you all for an awesome video on one of my favorite fandoms!

[@MaximumWarp2099]

This may have just become my favorite Toy Galaxy video. Thank you for doing this tremendous franchise justice.

[@MJRLHobbyStuff]

Sadly, because of the pandemic, travel to japan is extremely limited. Basically only people that live there can travel away and come back in. Normal tourism is not allowed:,( I pray I can see the Yokohama Gundam before it gets taken down.

[@mikelennon1243]

Gotta say this dude is extremely engaging, has a great voice for it and gives details without taking it into boredom. Would watch this dude make videos like this for literally any anime. Would love to see you cover the other Zeon/EF conflicts like 0083, War In The Pocket and 08th MS Team.

[@RichRetr0]

I just starting really getting into Gundam earlier this year. Watched a little bit when I was younger but I drifted away from it. There's just so much I don't know if I should stay with a certain watch order or what. So far I've seen MSG, 08th MS Team, Thunderbolt, 0080, and Chars Counterattack Great episode guys!

[@TheGolux]

A lot of it doesn't matter order, especially the standalone things. the UC stuff, which you have seen so far, benefits slightly from production order viewing so you know what's referencing what. Zeta and ZZ are probably worth seeing to fill out between the original and char's counterattack, and 0083 is also okay. Later UC stuff like F91 and Victory are practically standalone.

[@RichRetr0]

@@TheGolux thanks man, appreciate the info :)

[@nicodalusong149]

Here's what to watch together or alone: AUs are all unrelated to one another so don't worry about it (references are present in some but you can worry about those in a rewatch). UC you watch by time period. There are three periods: Early UC, Middle UC and Late UC. Early UC is First, Zeta, ZZ and Char's Counterattack (the side stories can be watched afterwards or by themselves). Middle UC is Unicorn (requires ZZ at least) and Hathaway's Flash (requires First and CCA at least; probably also Zeta for Char's mindset). Late UC is F91 and Victory (you can watch these as standalone since there is enough time between them that they don't have that much connection). Then there is G-Reco and Turn A. G-Reco is immediately after UC so you can watch it then. Turn A is the end of all Gundam so watch this last or after G-Reco or after watching Zeta, ZZ, G and Wing. Hopefully this helps and isn't too confusing.

[@alphanum001]

thanks for reminding me about the Gundam movie compilations on Netflix!

[@damien86YT]

Bright slap to BBC: “ Watch this video and learn”

[@mandisaw]

I will eventually watch the new Hathaway series, but is it wrong that I wanted a spin-off about Bright Noah?

[@nicodalusong149]

@@mandisaw I want a spin-off for Sayla. She's so out of the story and yet she comes back in ZZ for all of 5 seconds.

[@nicodalusong149]

To be fair, as the video correctly stated, it was a real 'transformer' of the genre.

[@spagredo]

love the mention of syd mead's early involvement with gundam before he went on to do the gundam designs for Turn A Gundam!

[@KingCasual1986]

I just got done watching one of Mobile Suit Gundam movies(I’m actually not done with it, I’m gonna finish the rest later tonight) and then I see this. Coincidence?! Probably.

[@badassmotha2k]

I’ve always appreciated the gundam stuff in the background. I remember seeing a Char’s Counterattack logo on a box

[@Wis_Dom]

Thanks for the breakdown, Dan. Watching Gundam seemed to much of a task for me, growing up. I could never find out where to began and/or what to watch next. But those models were cooler than a mug! 🤩

[@dalethelander3781]

In the early 90s, Bandai modified System Injection to mold colors within colors. They stopped that a while ago; guess it was too costly. It went back to sprues with different colors on the same sprue.

[@mandisaw]

All depends on your tastes - Wing is fast-paced, and kind of condenses a lot of the themes & plotlines (Earth vs colonies, command vs ground troops, betrayal) with a rocking soundtrack (by Two-Mix - brother-sister techno group 🎶). 0083 Stardust Memory and 0080 War in the Pocket are good, short, side stories, with the former being more of a classic robot suits in space setup, while the latter is an exploration of civilians on the ground. I haven't seen Seed or Unicorn, but those both seem to appeal more to newer audiences/aesthetic. Or you could just go stream Char's Counterattack - my mom's only ever seen that one (sequel to the original series, essentially), and she picked up everything right away. If you're familiar with sci-fi tropes in general, they bring you up-to-speed quickly, and get right to the meat of things.

[@razgrizdefias]

It can be very daunting it find a place to start but most of the gundam franchise is now split up into separate universes. You don't need to have seen the original to watch Wing, Seed, 00 or iron blooded orphans just to name a few

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@@razgrizdefias Which is easily the smartest thing they ever did. Having different continuities and different timelines/characters is very smart. It means you can watch one series start to finish and not have to worry about any of the surrounding ones.

[@mandisaw]

@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Yes, smart - totally not about selling different variants of Gunpla designs heh

[@dennisonlanon8102]

Wow.....Toy Galaxy would do a Deep brief history of the Gundam franchise. All Gundam fans around the WORLD should be proud. Great Job from 🇵🇭 ✌🏻

[@goufr3540]

So glad to see Gundam make it here, been watching it since the 90's and enjoyed most every series and game. SEIG ZEON!!!

[@JacobsenBros]

Literally LOVE this channel because it always informs me of where to start with something like this. "3 movies are on Netflix that condense the series...," video ends, go straight to Netflix, add three movies immediately to watch list. I do wish they had dubbed versions on Netflix just because it's easier to eat cereal on the couch and watch because then I don't have to constantly be reading.