My Gundam Watching Recommendations

I’m not sure how biased my entertainment life has been, but I always feel like mecha animes are the absolute hardest genre to recommend to any fellow medium lover. 

And there is one particular type of mecha anime - Gundam - that has enthralled my heart since that fateful day I caught Toonami at the exact right time. Sure, they’re about teenage (primarily) boys and young men facing the trials and tribulations of galactic wars between two usually distinct factions. You betcha they have big bots bashing, shooting, exploding, and beam-sabering each other into oblivion. But what if I told you that was only part of the appeal? 

Fantastical, futuristic landscapes that are not completely out of the realm of possibility, incredible political commentary, critical ethical questions, morality-skewing protagonists, redeemable antagonists, and let’s not forget the astonishing lore centered around the pinnacle technology piloting this franchise. 

I mean, for heaven’s sake, there are even multiple different universes just WITHIN the Gundam franchise just to accommodate all the different types of stories, mechanics, and characters creators have wanted to feature. (See the Crunchyroll 40th Anniversary Celebration video and overview series explanation). I can also recommend r/Gundam Reddit posts like this one.

Image excerpt from Crunchyroll’s blog post by Joseph Luster linked above.

And you can even get way more detailed of a timeline if you want to really see what 40+ years of content can bring about. This includes EVERYTHING - not just the basic run-through of movies, TV shows, and OVAs. 

Unlike Voltron, Power Rangers, or Transformers (all of which I had seen at this point) - the realism of a space war with giant robots was breathtakingly refreshing. Sure, the series’ ultimate goal like the three mentioned above was to sell toys and model kits, Gunpla - yet the themes felt less like childhood wonder and more like Star Wars saga-level adventures. A coming of age in a tumultuous time that wasn’t as farfetched as invading aliens, monsters, or morphing protagonists. The bad guys were just as human as the good guys. 

Some of my favorite political dramas and empire-smashing storylines have been mecha centered. Gundams can be the symbol of resistance, dominance, hope, and indiscriminate fear. And the stories of each pilot exemplify the varying degrees and variety within telling the same story over and over again. 

While the foundational series (UC Timeline) has all those familiar elements of good guys vs bad, the type of world it created gave way to some of the coolest story variations. There are some stories that have twists that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud. The incredible overtly 70s, 80s, 90s, or 00s style used throughout these past 40 years is absolutely mesmerizing and part of the charm for each show. It’s also fun knowing that something you're watching was the FIRST-EVER anime design of its kind. There are so many compelling elements that go into mecha and Gundam animes that truly have everyone who appreciates them knowing exactly what to expect - and appreciating any additional nuance, growth, expansion, or divergence from the blueprint of the Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 series. 

• Do you like themes around patterns in numbers and colors, nationality-based pride, or power gimmicks in your storylines - much akin to magical girl animes but you want more explosions? G Gundam is made for you. 

• Do you love stories with incredibly angsty characters that would make teenage you swoon - both in Gundam designs and the pilots?  Gundam Wing is for you. (Thanks, Toonami!)

• Older animation isn’t your thing but do you want some more modern futuristic action with less knowledge needed of the other series? Iron-blooded Orphans is for you. (And here are your complimentary tissues)

• Want all of the good stuff from Gundam AND catch a show while it’s only in its second season? The Witch from Mercury is for you.

Basically, this is a long-winded way to say - I have my recommendation lists below for what I think are some of the standouts from the Universal Century (Main Gundam storyline) and also various standalone series if you want to delve into those. 

Universal Century Recommendations: TikTok video I made about it

• Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 

  • or you can watch the MSG Compilation Movies I, II, & III made in 1981-1982

• Origin: Advent of the Red Comet (2019)

  • While this is a prequel set in 0068, I suggest watching it after 0079

• 8th MS Team

• War in the Pocket

• 0083 Stardust Memories

• Z (Zeta)

• ZZ (Double Zeta)

• Char’s Counter Attack (Movie)

• Unicorn

• Turn A Gundam 

Other Century Recommendations: 

• Gundam Wing

• Gundam 00

• Iron-Blooded Orphans 

• Mobile Fighters G Gundam

• Gundam Build Divers

If you want to see the reviews that I have or reactions for any of the series above (all not included), here's the list. Be warned if they have SPOILER next to them, please know that they definitely have plot-centered spoilers. Tread cautiously!

• Part 31 - Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin - Advent of the Red Comet

• Part 32 - Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

  • Foreshadowing SPOILERS

  • Biscuit SPOILERS

  • Season 2 - What an Idiot

  • Uncontrollable Heartache SPOILERS

• Part 33 - Gundam Build Divers

If you have ANY questions - you are likely not going to find much resistance to getting advice on how to start the Gundam Universe. If we can use anything like Star Wars as an example - explore and like what you like. There is no wrong way to consume fiction and be in fandom. (Other than being a dick, don’t be a dick.) Watch something, try it, meme about it, and most importantly - save up lots of money for your inevitable obsession with Gunpla HAVE FUN!