"Kidô senshi Gandamu" (1979) TV series 1979-1980

Director:

Yoshiyuki Tomino

Writers:

Hiroyuki Hoshiyama (writer)
Yoshiyuki Tomino (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

16 July 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

It is the year 0079 of the Universal Century. A war has broken out between the Duchy of Zeon, a space colony that wants independence...

Plot Keywords:

Space Colony | Space | Teenage Boy | Robot | Piloted Giant Robot

Cast

Shûichi Ikeda	...	Casval Rem Daikun / ... (1 episode, 2002)
Michael Dobson	...	General Reville (1 episode, 2002)
Brian Drummond	...	Flanagan Boone / ... (1 episode, 2002)
Ward Perry	...	Ryu Jose (1 episode, 2002)

Also Known As:

First Gundam (International: English title) (informal title)
Mobile Soldier Gundam (Japan: English title) (literal title)
Mobile Suit Gundam
Space Fighter Team Gunboy (working title)
Uchû sentôdan Ganbôi (Japan) (working title)

Runtime:

Japan:30 min (43 episodes) | USA:30 min (43 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) (VHS/DVD rating) | USA:TV-Y7 (edited tv version)

Company:

Nippon Sunrise

Trivia:

Originally, the design for the Gundam by Tomino and Kunio Okawara had the Gundam colored a uniform low-visibility gray. The show's sponsors, looking for a marketable toy line, prevailed upon the two to give the Gundam its arresting (if illogical) white, red, blue and gold scheme. A later retcon explained the colors by making them a demonstration/test scheme that was never repainted. In the novels, Amuro's first Gundam was completely white with some red, supposedly reminiscent of an X-Wing color scheme, and instead of the Gundam being upgraded with magnetic coated joints, Amuro was simply given a new one - the G3, which was colored a uniform low-visibility gray.

Quotes:

Amuro Ray: Sorry, Lalah, I... I still have a place I can come home to. And I could never be happier. I'm sure you understand. We can be together anytime we want, Lalah.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Kidô senshi Gandamu II: Ai senshihen (1981)

Soundtrack:

Tobe! Gandamu

Always imitated, but never duplicated

Macross, Evangellion, and Patlabor. All of these series pale in comparison to the original mecha piloted by a young man with a competitive spirit.

Young protagonist Amuro Ray is pulled out of his everyday monotonous life and is thrown headfirst into adventure and war just by pushing a button or two. Amuro must pilot the Gundam to save his friends. Rivals are made, obstacles are presented, and battles are fought, and Amuro through it all becomes a man and a great pilot, but that's only half of this war story. The other half is about the man in red, Char Aznable, the mysterious masked man who is an ace pilot for the fascist Zeon army, who always pilots red mechs, his signature color, hence his nickname "the Red Comet". No one knows where he came from or what his true objectives are, and this is what draws you in to him. His rivalry with Amuro takes center stage in much of the series, and it keeps you on your toes. Just when you think you got it figured out the battle situation changes.

If you are thinking this show is the campy "good guy always prevails over bad guy" cliché, you're in for a rude awakening. The plot and character's features are a staple for future Gundam series, such as Gundam Wing and more recently Gundam Seed. The formula is the same, the main character is a young man thrown into war and finds a bitter enemy in an enigmatic blond masked man. The formula is interpreted differently in both these shows, but Amuro and Char set the standard for an enjoyable plot that can be imitated in many different ways. Always imitated but never duplicated.

Old men tell me War and Peace is something everyone should read, and I tell them Mobile Suit Gundam is something everyone should see. Sure it has giant robots killing each other but behind the machines there are elements of war that are all around the world today. The pitfalls and the possibilities, the consequences of battle and the reason to fight. I rank Mobile Suit Gundam up there with Platoon and Full Metal Jacket since it shows how violent and horrid war can really be.

The definitive anime for 20+ years, Mobile Suit Gundam. Who will survive?