The Official Gundam AGE Anime Thread Mk 1

[yazi88]

About Level-5; what do you guys think about them? I enjoyed their games like Layton or Dark Cloud, but I haven't heard their anime record. One thing for sure though, Level-5 managed to gain Ghibli trust to working on Ni no Kuni, that could be something.

If its Level 5 then I'm expecting a lot of item collection and customization. Also a lot of synthesizing.

[DuelGundam2099]

I take it I'm the only person here that actually looks forward to seeing this series. I thought Unicorn Gundam was gonna be horribly over rated with fanboy goo all over it like Turn A Gundam, but as it turns out I was.... Kind of right. But this is a series, not an OVA, and it's Gundam so at it's worst it will probably still be entertaining.

[vindKtiv]

I'd love to see how this turns out. Personally, I don't like the art style, but it has been mentioned before that Bandai and Sunrise need to capture larger audiences, and I 100% agree with that. If Gundam can be successful in luring kids, then I have no doubt they would have more success in the United States where cartoons are more acceptable to watch as kids (whether "more" is "enough" could be arguable when channels like Cartoon Network show live-action shows).

That being said, there is nothing really indicating to us that the show cannot appeal to older people, as all we have is the art and the general plot outline.

[TetraVaal]

Fun fact, just about every Gundam production has cards and comics and "useless jazz" involved. Even your beloved Unicorn! Which totally wound up on NickToons, you're right, nobody takes it seriously and even stupid dumb children reject it.

Is that all you can run on, is using Unicorn as a frame of reference for what I enjoy? Despite the fact I admitted about a month ago that my initial praise was premature and after digesting the three volumes a bit more, I refined my thoughts on the show. Hell, I even wonder how many posts I've even made about Unicorn over the last couple of months in general. Get some new material. But hey, even if Unicorn has its fair bit of merchandise, at the the series itself isn't aimed at a bunch of teeny-boppers.

I think you've broken the record here for slamming a new show immediately after its announcement. So this is for you and all other current/future complainers. Gundam is NOT MADE FOR YOU. Get it? You are not the primary audience, so stop bitching about things coming along that aren't your cup of tea. Tetra, you don't know a thing about this series, yet from one blurry scan you already concluded that it's garbage for the Naruto crowd. Drop the holy war rage about what you think this show is when it hasn't even aired.

Oh yeah? Well, I still think this show is inevitably going to suck. I guess admins can demand people to be more "open-minded" and not prematurely judge a show, even though in this scenario, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that this series is going to be a joke. So, I'm not allowed to tell it like it is, eh?

Given that this show is more than likely to rake in a boatload of merchandise money, I'd say the use of the word "fail" here might be just a little off base.

I'm speaking in terms of the quality of the product, or in this case, lack thereof. I could care less how much money the show itself will make.

[Chris]

Oh yeah? Well, I still think this show is inevitably going to suck. I guess admins can demand people to be more "open-minded" and not prematurely judge a show, even though in this scenario, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that this series is going to be a joke. So, I'm not allowed to tell it like it is, eh?

Tell what like it is? The show hasn't even been officially announced yet with all the details released, and you're just reflexively saying it sucks because it doesn't fit the aesthetic of what you like. That's not criticism, that's just whining and complaining.

For the record, I have no opinion about this show one way or the other. I'll actually have the patience to wait until I see it before pronouncing judgment on it.

[Amadi Akintunde]

So... DigiGundamon? It might be interesting since it seems that they're not trying to pander to Gundam's longtime fans, so in this case they'll be able to do anything they want without having to conform to Gundam's traditional tropes. I'll look out for this. Full scale alien invasion. Alright, let's see how this goes.

The "Sparrow" and "Titus" seem to borrow directly from Gundam Spiegel and Bolt Gundam.

Generation Leaps? Prepare for three times the Char.

[Mekton GM]

I'm like chris and takeing a wait and see stance. On the subject of the art style; the style can lie. Look at Madoko Magika (sp?) looks totaly like a kiddy magical girl show but is realy dark and serius.

[Dark Duel]

The "Sparrow" and "Titus" seem to borrow directly from Gundam Spiegel and Bolt Gundam.

You know, now that I look at it again, you're right! There is a faint resemblance in general shape to the Spiegel for the Sparrow and the Bolt for the Titus.
Interesting.

Generation Leaps? Prepare for three times the Char.

That's hilarious on so many levels...

[kayone73]

I'm going to copy & paste what I wrote on another forum instead of reinventing the wheel. My thoughts and speculations:

With this show they are (probably) trying to cater to the bottom of the market agewise, and while I do not like it from a personal point of view it does make sense.

We have received 00 and Unicorn, and disregarding personal preference they are both at the very least decent; if that means that we now get a product not aimed at our demographic we should just give it a honest chance and in the worst case it at least allows bandai to release a high quality OVA once in a while (again, like GundamUC)

Maybe my degree in marketing allows me to be more rational though.

Good insights. I'm actually not surprised because 00 was actually a fairly mature, sophisticated and adult oriented show, it doesn't surprise me they plan to bounce to the other end of the gundam fan age spectrum, basically to reel in a new crop of kids/fans/zombies as part of the Gundam marketing machine. Basically those who were way too young to have gotten into UC Gundam or even the earlier AU series. And since they are doing a big marketing push on Unicorn to milk the wallets of the older UC/Gundam fans, this sowing the seeds of a younger new generation of fans is probably Bandai's overall plan.

Pretty smart from a business perspective since they're working the market from both ends. I speculate if this new series makes decent $$$ then I can see them either continuing this 'kiddie' theme for at least one more series to ride the momentum, and by then older Gunpla fans will get really restless for a more adult series and THEN Bandai releases the more mature series that they've been clamoring for....and the all the younger kiddie fans who they reeled in with this current new series will already be firmly established gundam fans and a little older now.

Now everything I say maybe wrong, but from a business standpoint, it makes some sense.

When I was younger I used to get bent really out of shape when the next series was something I didn't want, but now that cartoons don't rule my life and I just see gundam animes for what they are....high production toy commercials, it doesn't bother me so much. After all I have far too much tv/movies, anime and otherwise, to rule my free time.

Let the kids enjoy the franchise for a while, and then eventually it'll come back to the adults. It's not always about us.

They've been threatening to do this for years now. And now they have...SUPER ROBOT GUNDAMMMM!!!!

*cries in a corner*

You do remember that was the same reaction with G Gundam....and now looking back 15 years, fans here who would be considered hardcore Real Robot fans LOVE that show? Relax, not the end of the world

[TetraVaal]

Oh yeah? Well, I still think this show is inevitably going to suck. I guess admins can demand people to be more "open-minded" and not prematurely judge a show, even though in this scenario, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that this series is going to be a joke. So, I'm not allowed to tell it like it is, eh?

Tell what like it is? The show hasn't even been officially announced yet with all the details released, and you're just reflexively saying it sucks because it doesn't fit the aesthetic of what you like. That's not criticism, that's just whining and complaining.

For the record, I have no opinion about this show one way or the other. I'll actually have the patience to wait until I see it before pronouncing judgment on it.

Whining and complaining is a bit of a stretch, considering I'm making predictions, or rather, guarantees. I don't see the problem with that. Like I said, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to predetermine what type of show this will be. Honestly, what groundbreaking information are they going to release that will make people like myself think differently? If Bandai or Sunrise, whatever... if they want to appeal to a younger generation for more financial success, more power to em'. But I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I need more information before I judge how this show will be. I already know the answer to that, it's going to be the Naruto equivalent for Gundam, bet.

[azrael]

Look's like /m/'s and /a/'s interweb fanboy rage is spreading here. Good grief.

Couple of things that should be touched on...

but it has been mentioned before that Bandai and Sunrise need to capture larger audiences, and I 100% agree with that.

It's not just getting a larger audience, it's also continuing the audience. Kids don't stay young forever. They grow up and move on. So what works for yesterday's kids doesn't work for today's kids.

The show hasn't even been officially announced yet with all the details released, and you're just reflexively saying it sucks because it doesn't fit the aesthetic of what you like. That's not criticism, that's just whining and complaining.

Interweb rage this is. Fix, we cannot.

[Chris]

Tetra, you're acting like more and more of a fool with each post in this thread. You have no information to make any judgment, so stop pretending that you do. And stop pretending that your opinion is a fact. Your attitude is exactly what is wrong with Gundam fandom. Every time a new show gets announced, a bunch of Chicken Littles run around saying how it's the end of the franchise. When 00 was announced, people said it would be the gayest Gundam ever just because of the character designer. As much as you hate the show, it certainly wasn't the gay lovefest with men having sex every 5 seconds like the complainers imagined.

People initially rejected Gunpla Builders as a toy commercial, but the final product was a silly and amusing ride with tons of mobile suit cameos. If Mecha Talk was around in 1994, I'm sure people like you would've bitched that G Gundam was the end of Gundam, and we know that wasn't the case. Long story short, you're full of crap, Tetra, and whining like a spoiled brat. Grow up and get over yourself.

[kayone73]

I'm not raging over this new series since I predicted it way back it mentioned on CoroCoro Comics. And Bandai can do what they want, plus it's not the 1st time they did it. With SD Gundam Force, Plamo Kyoshiro, Gunpla Builders...this one is just one of those. This could be interesting and who knows, it may surprise us. I heard some good things on Akihiro Hino as game director, don't know about his anime writing skill. I'm tired with people who claimed "I'm a mature guy and I can't stand this 12-years-old crap. I want something hardcore and gritty for my mature self, not unlike you bunch of 12-years-old,"

I'm totally with you, if this is indeed a kid's oriented show when it comes out, then fine. I won't get into it and probably won't really watch it, but thats fine, let the kids who it's aimed for enjoy it, i'm fine with waiting for the next adult oriented Gundam TV series to come out down the pipeline. It's not like I have terminal cancer and have a few more years to live (and apologies to any forum members here who do live on borrowed time, then you kinda have my sympathies). Besides I have plenty of other TV/film based entertainment to take up my spare time. I like Gundam, but it's not my friggin life. I wasn't watching stuff at all for a 5-6 year period and I survived just fine. Some fans really need to get a sense of perspective.

I think many Gundam fans who've been following the franchise since the early 80s have seen this cycle already and because of that, are a lot less distressed and panicked, and oh yeah...they're kind of adults by now and don't get bent out of shape over this, while the younger fans who may have known nothing except starting with Wing, or Seed for examples, don't know this natural history and are thus really pissed.

[pd771]

Maybe it's because I have the little kid part of me still wanting to watch original power rangers, but I'm kind of happy to see them take a break off the serious Gundam for awhile. We have Unicorn, which is serious as can be, and 00 took itself very serious too. I'd be happy with a lighter Gundam. (As long as they continue producing serious Gundams after this.) The storyline sounds intriguing though. Could be a little more mature than the character design implies.

Edit: Also, wiith Level 5 presumably working on the game too, we might finally get a quality AA Gundam game, even one released over here.

[Imperial]

I can't say AGE looks like it will be my cup of tea, but you never know. G Gundam is far and away my favorite part of the franchise, and it horribly breaks the "grim and gritty war" aesthetic that first drew me to Gundam. By the same token, the first season of Gundam 00 rates as my second even though it breaks from a lot of Gundam traditions, too.

Experimentation needn't be a bad thing.

Of course, I do find the whining genuinely amusing in a morbid sort of way. There's a marvelous hypocrisy in throwing a massive temper tantrum about how much of a mature, reasonable fan you are of the franchise spawned for the purpose of selling plastic toys.

The rampant homophobia is a touch unsettling, though. Gundams fans are aggressively shallow and whiny, but this is a rare instance of seeing them so proudly bigoted. Sure, Wing and 00 have a big yaoi fan base. How is this at all a problem? Does it really strike at your heteronormative masculinity so deeply that you feel compelled to heap scorn on a corner of the fan base whose opinion matters just as much as your own (read: not at all)? Do you have any idea just how hard you've nullified your own argument to say something like that?

[Mu La Flaga]

I'm not raging over this new series since I predicted it way back it mentioned on CoroCoro Comics. And Bandai can do what they want, plus it's not the 1st time they did it. With SD Gundam Force, Plamo Kyoshiro, Gunpla Builders...this one is just one of those. This could be interesting and who knows, it may surprise us. I heard some good things on Akihiro Hino as game director, don't know about his anime writing skill. I'm tired with people who claimed "I'm a mature guy and I can't stand this 12-years-old crap. I want something hardcore and gritty for my mature self, not unlike you bunch of 12-years-old,"

I'm totally with you, if this is indeed a kid's oriented show when it comes out, then fine. I won't get into it and probably won't really watch it, but thats fine, let the kids who it's aimed for enjoy it, i'm fine with waiting for the next adult oriented Gundam TV series to come out down the pipeline. It's not like I have terminal cancer and have a few more years to live (and apologies to any forum members here who do live on borrowed time, then you kinda have my sympathies). Besides I have plenty of other TV/film based entertainment to take up my spare time. I like Gundam, but it's not my friggin life. I wasn't watching stuff at all for a 5-6 year period and I survived just fine. Some fans really need to get a sense of perspective.

I think many Gundam fans who've been following the franchise since the early 80s have seen this cycle already and because of that, are a lot less distressed and panicked, and oh yeah...they're kind of adults by now and don't get bent out of shape over this, while the younger fans who may have known nothing except starting with Wing, or Seed for examples, don't know this natural history and are thus really pissed.

My thoughts are simillar.

I mean was it wrong to hope for something more mature for content?
I can understand the kid appeal though.

Anyway, methinks they have Unicorn in to fill the dark and edgy thing, for the fans of UC of the older age bracket.

[kayone73]

My thoughts are simillar.

I mean was it wrong to hope for something more mature for content?
I can understand the kid appeal though.

Anyway, methinks they have Unicorn in to fill the dark and edgy thing, for the fans of UC of the older age bracket.

Absolutely nothing wrong with hoping for that at all, I too was following the news hoping for a show aimed more my speed, but honestly I was kind of expecting this, and now that it seems to be the case, I feel strangely unbothered by it and I'm just moving on. I'm actually quite amused by the acute troll/nerd rage this has spawned.

[pd771]

I think many Gundam fans who've been following the franchise since the early 80s have seen this cycle already and because of that, are a lot less distressed and panicked, and oh yeah...they're kind of adults by now and don't get bent out of shape over this, while the younger fans who may have known nothing except starting with Wing, or Seed for examples, don't know this natural history and are thus really pissed.

Exactly. These things happen. It happens with all long ruing toy series. Look at how many time Transformers has had a series for the kids, done another for the older fans and wet back to doing kiddie series. It's part of the cycle. The good thing about it is they're not singularly focusing on one age group since we get this and Unicorn.

[Chris]

When I was younger I used to get bent really out of shape when the next series was something I didn't want, but now that cartoons don't rule my life and I just see gundam animes for what they are....high production toy commercials, it doesn't bother me so much. After all I have far too much tv/movies, anime and otherwise, to rule my free time.

Let the kids enjoy the franchise for a while, and then eventually it'll come back to the adults. It's not always about us.

Quoting this so hard for truth because it's something not enough people understand.

[kayone73]

Exactly. These things happen. It happens with all long ruing toy series. Look at how many time Transformers has had a series for the kids, done another for the older fans and wet back to doing kiddie series. It's part of the cycle. The good thing about it is they're not singularly focusing on one age group since we get this and Unicorn.

I love your avatar btw, korean knockoff Char clones FTW!

Yeah, and I said in another forum I think it's beautiful that Bandai made a return to the UC era with Unicorn as a really high budget, gorgeous, boutique product to older UC fans just to show them that UC was NOT dead in the animated world, just allowed to rest and recharge until fresh new creative eyes could take their crack at it ( I won't mention Igloo for Neo's sake ).

Quoting this so hard for truth because it's something not enough people understand.

Thanks, appreciate that.