Mecha Talk

Alternatively, maybe he just wanted to change the story. He'd hardly be the first writer to look at his own work and decide to change it if that was the case.

It just bugs me. I mean, the MSG novels are VERY different, but the other novels are more or less adaptations? Wouldn't that strike you as odd? Okay, maybe my idea as to why was a bit much, but that's something I would believe to have happened because it makes sense.

There is something else: have you heard of Gundam Sousei? Sure, it's a comedic take on the story of the behind the scenes of Gundam, but there are some things that is correct. But one of them to point out is the then-POV of anime at the time in the late '70s; i.e. not important. Maybe that's the reason? The novels were meant to bring non-anime caring viewers a chance to experience what the series was suppose to be in an accessible way (novel-format) that would hopefully bring them to see the anime. P.S. unless you haven't, check out Gundam Sousei.

Also, what I meant from what I suggested that you shot down was that: the novels was probably what Tomino wanted to do, before the meddling, and the novels were a way to show what could've been. Even Gundamn pointed out that regardless of MSG creating the real robot genre, it couldn't escape the super robot genre it was tied in to such as a teen pilot, three mecha, etc. What's what I saying.

BTW, Mark's post over Gunvoy, and not Gunboy: add Tomino's concepts of the military coming of age feel, and you quickly see the influence for Gundam: Starship Troopers.

I guess one big reason is Yatate Hajime. All of Sunrise's stories are not the work of one person, but a creative team, usually under the pen name Yatate Hajime. Besides that, one look at the episode credits and you'll see various people writing the screenplays for each episode. Tomino may have had last say, but he didn't have full creative control. Even in the last volume of Crossbone, he mentions that if he had full control, the story would have ended very differently.

Also, there are major differences in the other novels besides MSG too. Zeta had lots of changes, and Beltochika's Children was rather different from movie Char's Counterattack. I wouldn't call them simple adaptations. I've heard Turn A novels are very different too.

Think of the novels as Tomino unleashed.

Back to Gonboy/Voy, Tomino mentions in his family values book released earlier this year that they were originally aiming to make another Space Battleship Yamato. The robots were only added because they could not find a sponsor otherwise. I wouldn't imagine that they had a full story planned out at that point. In the same book, Tomino notes that the sponsors themselves did not give a crap what the story was about, as long as it sold toys. More than likely nothing was set in stone until the very day the script was due. (Coincidentally, Tomino had a reputation for being able to storyboard entire episodes in just a single day. They'd rely on him whenever they needed something really urgently)

I know about Beltochika's Children, though I may not know anything else about it other than what's on the internet, but what are the differences in Zeta and Turn-A? I know Zeta begins with Char on Earth (am'I wrong on that?) and Turn-A has the Black Doll which happens to be the Psyco Gundam, but what else? And yes, I have considered the novels to be the following: MSG is unique because the other novels to the other animes are adapations with varying differences. But if you say they aren't simple adaptations....

Does someone have a list of differences in every novel based on each Gundam anime?