Gundam Sousei

(The following is fiction, no mecha or anime directors were harmed during the making of this manga or this review)

In 1979, a little mecha anime series came along that was years ahead of it's time. Of course, what people didn't know at the time was that it would change anime forever. This series was Mobile Suit Gundam. And this series, fictional as some of it may be, is the story behind it.

It's sort of weird that someone like me, who pretty much has felt out of it regarding manga as of late, would end up drawn to a manga series like this...or of any kind for that matter. But somehow when I pulled it up, I just saw something that interested me: not only was it a manga series about Gundam but about...well, the making of an anime legend and the trials, trauma (and a bit of business ethic) tied to it. The story for the most part depicts Yoshiyuki Tomino (well a fictional facsimile) as he created, broke down and ultimately succeeded in making a franchise that would come to redefine mecha and anime in many ways. In some ways while some of the story is known to us, it isn't completely due to how little American anime fans know of the "bad old days", when toys and ratings were just as important in defining a series as story and character. (they still sort of do but the fanbase is so fragmented that it's really hard to say now) While it really doesn't get into every bit of the nitty gritty (somehow I sort of wished it just showed Tomino having a complete breakdown and creating "Space Runaway Ideon" as a result just to mess with everyone), it does a good job in depicting the little and important things that would seem to be lost or even just ignored if not pointed out. (like how the Zaku was approved as the "defining mech" of the show...or even the weird fact that Icelina and Lalah share a voice actress)

I guess for the most part this series is for massive Gundam enthusiasts, but I also recommend it to those who want to know a bit more about the business side of anime. Yeah it's a tad silly and doesn't get into everything about the rise and fall of the franchise, but it is a nice starting point in understanding it and the harsher (and sometimes similarly interesting) side of the anime world. Permalink " "