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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Gundam

Gundam (ガンダム Gandamu?) is one of the longest running series of anime featuring giant robots or mecha, created by Sunrise. Gundam is the collective term for the Universal Century (UC) series like Mobile Suit Gundam and series in alternative timelines, such as Gundam Wing, Gundam X or Gundam SEED. The name "Gundam" itself stems from a variety of theoretical sources, most commonly attributed to a need to conform with common giant robot naming conventions during the 1970s.
RX-78-2 Gundam (Art by Katoki Hajime)
ガンダム
(Gundam)
Demographic Shonen, Seinen
Genre Action, Drama, Mecha, Political Thriller, Real Robot, Science Fiction



Overview

[edit] Concept

The original design of the three primary mobile suits in Mobile Suit Gundam, from left to right: "Gundam", "Guncannon" and "Guntank"
The original design of the three primary mobile suits in Mobile Suit Gundam, from left to right: "Gundam", "Guncannon" and "Guntank"

Mobile Suit Gundam was developed principally by Yoshiyuki Tomino, along with a changing group of Sunrise creators who went under the collective pseudonym "Hajime Yatate".

During its conceptual phase, the series was originally titled Freedom Fighter Gunboy or simply Gunboy, because the title robot was armed with a gun and the target demographic was young boys. In the early stages of production, there were numerous references to the word freedom, such as the White Base being originally named Freedom's Fortress, the Core Fighter as the Freedom Wing, and the Gunperry named the Freedom Cruiser. The collective Yatate team combined the English word Gun with last syllable of the word Freedom, Dom, to form the word Gundom. Tomino then changed the name to the current title Gundam, suggesting that the name Gundam signifies a power wielding a gun that is strong enough to hold back enemies like a dam holds back floods.

Gundams are usually not sentient robots, but rather large, bipedal vehicles controlled by their human pilots in cockpits. Like many of the "mobile suits" appearing in the series, a Mobile Suit (the name for these vehicles, including the Gundam) is usually piloted from the torso area with a camera built into the head, transmitting the image to viewscreens in the cockpit, allowing the pilot to perceive the outside world. Some exceptions have been known to mount cockpits on other areas (Like the mobile suit's head, which is the case in the Guntank model).[1] There are sentient ones, however. In the plot of Gundam Sentinel, the computer called A.L.I.C.E. was specified to have developed its own emotion, wanting to become human at its destruction in the very end of the story. In the Story Blue Destiny, four suits (in which one of them is not a Gundam and one got a GM head but have an RX-79[G] body) mounted with the EXAM system all shared a Newtype human soul inside them and can act on their own and will go berserk when meeting each other since it will be like asking a human to attack him/herself.[2] These are, however, the only canon and specified plot that contains sentient Gundams.

Innovation

Gundam is a turning point in the history of anime and manga, as it is credited for inspiring more mature presentation of characters with development and feelings that cannot be easily separated into black or white. It also pioneered the Real Robot genre. The Real Robot genre differs from its Super Robot forebearers on a few stylistic and thematic points such as attempts at realism in robot design and weaponry, as well as the thematic and ethical roles of the robots themselves (popularly known in English as mecha, a re-borrowing of the Japanese abbreviation for the English word "mechanical"). Zambot 3 was an earlier program by Tomino in which he began developing the ideas that in Gundam, along with The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, would form the basis of the genre.

The main theme of all the various Gundam series is always the harsh depiction of the atrocities of war. All the machines, including the Gundams, are always depicted realistically; that is, they run out of energy and ammunition, they break and malfunction like all machines eventually do. The technology, at least that of the Universal Century, is practical and is either derived from true science, including Lagrange points in space, the O'Neill cylinder as a living environment, or at least well-explained technology that is potentially feasible, and/or requiring only a few fictional elements inserted into real science to function. (Minovsky Physics, as a means of energy production from helium-3).

The narrative revolves around the emotions of the characters, who are usually thrown into conflict without much choice and faced with the death, destruction and dehumanization inherent to war. With few exceptions (mostly in side stories), there are no absolute heroes and villains; all have their motives, failings, and virtues. Political battles are as likely to determine the outcome of battles as the heroes, as it often is in real wars. Gundam also features debate on various important philosophical issues and political ideals - both historical ones, and some of those likely to crop up in the future. Of particular note are the frequent explorations of the nature and meaning of war, the ideal of pacifism, and the continuing evolution - natural or engineered - of humanity and its consequences. These are often framed in the series as a debate between the protagonist and antagonist over the course of a duel, as they try to convince each other of the rightness of their causes.

Finally, most of the stories are basically structured as coming-of-age dramas, where the main protagonist (and sometimes his main antagonist) and most of the cast personalities, points of view, and actions may (or may not) change dramatically as the events on the series unfold. This makes the plot seem more realistic. In early Super Robot series, the hero and cast usually act in the same predictable manner in most episodes, occasionally seeming to have no connection between the episodes. In the various Gundam series the characters' personalities and actions are transformed/developed by the turn of events surrounding them; some achieve their goals, others are hardened by war, and some even switch sides (whether for their own agendas, or even following their consciences after a change of philosophy). The best example of this is how the personalities of longtime rivals Amuro Ray and Char Aznable are influenced by their experiences in the Gundam saga.

Distinctive characteristics

Gundam is the name or nickname of several mobile suits or mobile fighters, although some works such as G-Saviour and Mobile Suit Gundam: MS IGLOO do not have units named Gundams.

In the Universal Century timeline, Gundam is the name of the Earth Federation's first experimental general-purpose mobile suit, which is incredibly powerful compared to most of the mass-produced models eventually used by either side. Afterwards, many powerful mobile suits based on the Gundam's design also carry the name, such as the Gundam Mk. II, Zeta Gundam, Victory Gundam, etc.. All Mobile Weapons have serial numbers, usually additions to previous Mobile Weapons in its lineage. For example, the Earth Federation (Chikyū Renpō, 地球連邦) in the Universal Century universe used "R" (from renpō) to designate their mobile suits, with "X" for experimental units, "GM" (Gundam Mass-produced\General Machine) or "GC"(Guncannon, another V-project mobile suit) for production mobile suits derived from the original V-Project suits and "MS" for mass-produced mobile suits derived from One Year War-era Zeon mobile suits.

In the Future Century timeline, the word Gundam refers to a colony's entry in the Gundam Fight, a competition that determined which colony would rule the Earth for the next 4 years. The pilots who use these Gundams are known as "Gundam Fighters." However, some suits that are called Gundams are not entries in the Gundam Fight at all, the most operative examples being the Devil Gundam and the Rising Gundam.

In the After Colony timeline, the word Gundam refers to most mobile suits constructed out of a special alloy, called Gundanium, which can only be mined and produced in space. This alloy gives the Gundams high resistance to conventional weaponry and renders them stealth under radars due to its nature of absorbing electromagnetic waves. Every Gundam has a unique name that befits the nature of the suit and/or its origins, such as Wing Gundam, Gundam Heavyarms, Sandrock Gundam, Gundam Deathscythe, or Shenlong Gundam.

The After War timeline is a loose continuation of the Universal Century continuity. It represents a 'What-If' scenario and many of the mecha designs are loosely based on UC suits.

In the CC (Seireki) timeline, the name Gundam is given to the White Doll/Turn A mobile suit by Corin Nander. Corin Nander was an ace pilot who was placed under suspended animation as punishment and the color scheme of the Turn A mobile suit reminds him of the Gundam mobile suits from previous eras.

In the Cosmic Era works, the word Gundam is never used in an official sense, apart from in the Chinese language translations of the manga. However, there are numerous mobile suits which share the properties of Gundams from other series. In an informal homage to other Gundam series, all of these unique mobile suits use operating systems with complicated acronyms, and these are always backronyms of the word Gundam. Most characters simply refer to these units by their names, such as Duel, Buster, Blitz, Strike, or Aegis, but a select few characters refer to them as Gundams, a trend which started with Kira Yamato and spread to a few close friends, as well as the subordinates of Neo Roanoke, who subconsciously remembers the term despite a form of amnesia. The name is used widely outside the animation in the merchandising of Cosmic Era toys and models.

The different series have had different ways of maintaining the tradition, and the only unique feature that all Gundams have in common is the name. The following characteristics are distinctive (but not unique) to many Gundams:

The first Gundam "RX-78 Gundam"
The first Gundam "RX-78 Gundam"
  • Humanoid form.
Exceptions: MSA-0011[Bst] S Gundam Booster Unit Type, JDG-009X Devil Gundam and certain other mobile fighters
  • Face with two human-like eyes, which flash when the unit is activated
Exceptions: MSZ-006-X1 Prototype Zeta Gundam X1, F70 Cannon Gundam
  • V-fin (V-shaped) communication array on the head, more often than not, painted gold (gold plated), sometimes units possess two V-fins
Exceptions: LM312V06 Victory Gundam Hexa, Rx-79 (G) Gundam Ez8, Turn A Gundam (its fin is placed on the chin) Rx-0 Unicorn (The fin is mounted on the head like a Unicorn's horn, and later folds out into a V-Fin when the NT-D is activated.)
  • Mohawk-like crest on the head.
  • A prominent red, blue or yellow "chin" or goatee, initially thought to be a mere stylistic touch, but may actually be a cover for a port to transfer data between the Gundam and an outside computer (some fans also speculate that it is a heat vent for the Gundam's on-board computer). Alternatively the blueprints for Gundam Deathscythe Hell in episode 25 of the Gundam Wing series labeled it a "(Gyro) Balancer."
Exceptions: MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam and its mass-production version MSZ-006 Zeta Plus, MSA-0011 S Gundam and its variants including MSA-0011(Ext) Ex-S Gundam, ORX-013 Gundam Mk-V, various others.
  • In any given series, at least one Gundam, usually the one piloted by the hero of the story, will have a blue torso and white limbs and head - the so called parade colours. Yellow and/or red highlights are often added.
Exceptions: In Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, the RGZ-91 Re-GZ had bluish limbs, and the RX-93 Nu Gundam had a black torso (later retconned to dark navy blue). And in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, the RX-79(G) Gundams have grey limbs, and the Gundam Ez8 has yellowish limbs and a mostly green torso, In Gundam Seed Kira Yamato's gundam ZGMF-X10A Freedom has a black torso with blue and red highlights and in Gundam Seed Destiny the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom has gold hightlights added to it along with the black,red and blue highlights.
  • Usually have two vents in the head on the 'mouthplate' area.
Exceptions: MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, RX-93 Nu Gundam (it has three), RX-78GP02A Gundam Physalis and various others in the FC and CE timelines. Also the Gundam Exia has no vents on the mouthplate.
  • Last but not least, general superior overall performance in comparison to other mobile suits of its own era. Mass production Mobile Suits from later times may equal or surpass an outdated Gundam's performance. (in following with the Real Robot theme)

The Huckebein mecha of the Super Robot Wars series also share many of the characteristics of Gundams.

Calendar systems

The majority of Gundam works, including the earliest ones, take place in the Universal Century calendar system. Later series are also set in alternate calendars or timelines that are mostly unrelated to the UC system. There is a basic premise or back-story common to all Gundam calendar systems: in each timeline, Earth has at some point established space colonies within the Solar System but eventually engages in an armed conflict against them. On a side note, at least two calendar systems are initially numbered after the year that the series premiered, for example: Mobile Suit Gundam takes place UC 0079, it premiered in 1979, New Mobile Report Gundam Wing takes place AC 195, it premiered in 1995. In addition, the initials for the Cosmic Era calendar system, C.E., are the same for Common Era, another way of saying AD.

  • Mobile Fighter G Gundam takes place in the Future Century. In this timeline, the space colonies have gained the upper hand over Earth and consequentially attempt to put an end to the internal power struggles now plaguing the home planet.
  • Mobile Suit Gundam Wing takes place in the After Colony calendar system, referring to the years after the foundation of the first space colony. Unlike in the Universal and Future Centuries, Earth firmly maintains repressive control over its colonies in this timeline.
  • After War Gundam X takes place in the After War calendar system, referring to the years after the conclusion of the 7th Space War, in which the Earth was devastated by massive colony drops. As a result, the story features distinct post-apocalyptic undertones in addition to the common space war themes.
  • ∀ Gundam takes place in the CC (正歴 Seireki?) calendar system, which the director Yoshiyuki Tomino intended as the distant future of all previous timelines. The CC sees the colonies becoming much stronger than their home planet but, unlike in the FC, taking more aggressive stance towards it.
  • Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, its sequels, and spinoffs take place in the Cosmic Era, with "C.E." referring to the years after the foundation of the first space colonies. This timeline mostly mirrors the UC's balance of power between Earth and the colonies, and "G.U.N.D.A.M." acts here as an acronym for a variety of things (see also Mobile Suit Operation System).
  • The latest entry of the franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, will be the first to occur in the Anno Domini (西暦 Seireki?) timeline.

English-speaking fans have interpreted "Seireki" (a wordplay homonym of the Japanese term for the A.D. Western calendar) to mean "Correct Century" or "Correct Calendar," but Sunrise itself has not established an English translation for "Seireki" or the English abbreviation expansion for "CC". Bandai and Japanese-speaking fans unofficially refer to projects not directly related to the first Gundam series or its staffers (such as Gundam Sentinel and G Gundam) as "Another Gundam" stories, and to projects made after 1989 as "Heisei Gundam" stories. On the survey for the game that would become Gundam: True Odyssey, the Cosmic Era series (including Astray) were collectively referred to as "21st Century First Gundam" (a reference to Mobile Suit Gundam, also known as First Gundam). English-speaking fans have used "Alternate Universe" or "AU" as a nickname for the stories that do not take place within the Universal Century timeline, but this unofficial nickname is not used in Japan.

The Gundam franchise

Animated/live-action series and movies

In order of release:

For the listing of the series on chronological order of the depicted events, see the individual timelines' pages.

Original design series/variations

Due to the sheer popularity of the Gundam franchise, especially the Mobile Suit design, several Original Design series were published. These series are drawings and precise specifications for additional Mobile suit units not found in the original animated material.

  • Mobile Suit Variations (1983) - also known as MSV, the variations from the One-Year War, considered to be official and canonical
  • Mobile Suit X (1984) - also known as MSX, new models for a proposed but never produced new animation series, considered to be official and canonical
  • Z-MSV - variations from the Zeta Gundam series
  • ZZ-MSV - variations from the Double Zeta Gundam series
  • CCA-MSV - variations from the Char's Counterattack movie
  • Kunio Okawara's MS Collection (M-MSV) - Kunio Okawara's personal reinterpretations
  • F91-MSV - variations from the F-91 movie
  • V-MSV - variations from the Victory series
  • SEED-MSV - variations from the SEED series
  • SEED Destiny MSV - variations from the SEED Destiny series

Manga and novels

Main article: Gundam Manga and Novels

The manga narration of the original series is published in English in North America by a variety of companies, such as Viz Media, Del Rey Manga, and TOKYOPOP, among others. Gundam manga is also published in English in Singapore by Chuang Yi.

Video games

Main article: List of Gundam video games

Following the popularity of Gundam, various video games feature original characters previously not found in other media. Some video games have been converted into comics or novels.

Games Book Title Book Type
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story Gundam Blue Destiny Comic
Gundam Side Story: Rise from the Ashes 機動戦士ガンダム外伝―コロニーの落ちた地で…〈上〉角川スニーカー文庫
機動戦士ガンダム外伝―コロニーの落ちた地で…〈下〉角川スニーカー文庫		 Novel
Mobile Suit Gundam Lost War Chronicles 機動戦士ガンダム戦記―Lost War Chronicles〈1〉角川スニーカー文庫
機動戦士ガンダム戦記―Lost War Chronicles〈2〉角川スニーカー文庫		 Novel
Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front ZEONIC FRONT―機動戦士ガンダム0079〈1〉角川スニーカー文庫
ZEONIC FRONT―機動戦士ガンダム0079〈2〉角川スニーカー文庫		 Novel

There is also a Unreal mod called Mech Assault Genesis, based on Gundams.

A mod for StarCraft originally named GundamCraft, but later changed due to Blizzard's request of name change to Gundam Century, featured all buildings, units, images and sounds to that off the UC Timeline. The Developer, Stuart Ng of Genesoul.net has stopped the project.

Super Robot Wars

The Gundam metaverse makes regular appearances in the Super Robot Wars series by Banpresto. In fact, there hasn't been a single non-Original Generation game which hasn't featured at least one Gundam series and characters. Some series come and go however, but Amuro Ray, often in the RX-93 Nu Gundam, is a regular character and has actually never missed a single game. This changed in Super Robot Wars J for the Game Boy Advance and Super Robot Wars W for the Nintendo DS. So far, almost every single major Gundam series and then some has made at least one appearance in the series.

The Mobile Suit units are considered the representing unit in the "Real Robot" type of mecha. The games units are often separated by being "Super Robots" (powerful mecha that often have near-limitless powers and technology, but have a shorter range of movement), and "Real Robots" (mecha that are physically weak, but have a wide range of movement for the most part). There have been so many Mobile Suit units that it's impossible to tell a distinct style, however generally Mobile Suits are extremely agile and have an enormous variety of different weapons.

Series based on Gundam models

Although not directly related to Gundam, these series incorporate Gundam models as part of the stories. It is also noted that Genshiken and Sgt. Frog was created by subdivision of Bandai, Media Factory and Sunrise respectively:

Merchandise

Bandai, the primary licensee of the Gundam trademark, makes a variety of products for the Gundam fan. Other companies produce unofficial toys, models, t-shirts, etc..

Categories of products include the Mobile Suit In Action or MSiA action figures, and Gundam Model Kits in several scales and complexity levels. Generally, each series listed above will have its own set of products, although the MSiA and Gundam Models lines, such as High Grade Universal Century may extend across series.

Internet

Bandai maintains a number of sites to promote various Gundam projects. Most prominent amongst these is Gundam Perfect Web, the main official Japanese site. Its English language counterpart is the US maintained Gundam Official. For a brief trial period in 2005, the site hosted the Gundam Official User Forum. These forums were based on the existing fan forum Gundam Watch and made use of many of its staff. When the project was retired, Gundam Watch was reborn before passing the torch onto Gundam Evolution, which maintains many of the same traditions and staff.

A number of series specific websites have been produced. These are often available for a limited time, usually to promote a DVD release. Common content includes character and mecha listings, lists of related merchandise and pay-for-download content. 'Special' pages are also frequent, often presenting downloadable wallpaper or a small game. The Superior Defender Gundam Force site for example offers a game where players take the role of villain Commander Sazabi, attempting to blast Zapper Zaku with his funnels. After completion users are rewarded with a papercraft of the Ark fans featured frequently in the show's second half.

Japanese agriculture ministry

On October 5, 2007, an employee in Japan's agriculture ministry was reprimanded for allegedly contributing 260 times to the Japanese-language Wikipedia article about Gundam. Ministry official Tsutomu Shimomura noted, “The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam.” [3]

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ Gundam Sentinel
  2. ^ Mobile Suit Gundam Blue Destiny
  3. ^ http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gGIkWvSmGccHluJXt5qKP3bVdFKQD8S2T2L80

External links

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