Troperville
Editing Help
Tools
Toys
|
|
|
SoYouWantTo: Write A Humongous Mecha Anime |
Necessary Tropes
- Humongous Mecha - This one is pretty obvious.
- Applied Phlebotinum - You need some form of explanation for why they're using giant humanoid robots/golems/biomechs instead of tanks and planes. It can range from "Getter Rays need a human form!" to "They're maaaaagical" and even more 'realistic' explanations such as Gundam's "Humanoid robots can turn around in space without wasting fuel"
- Rule Of Cool - Even the most Real Robot show operates on this, because if it were any more real, it'd just be using tanks instead.
Choices, Choices
- Real Robot or Super Robot? - Do remember that Real and Super are adjectives, and not strict dilentiations of genre; nor are they Power Levels. Super robots can have numerous weaknesses and drawbacks to usage, and real robots can be extremely powerful (ever hear of nuclear weapons?). They are best defined as settings.
- Super Robot: Though Mazinger Z is the trope maker, Getter Robo is an example of pure Super Robot, it has a mysterious machine made by a Mad Scientist that is brightly colored and does very impractical things. Super robots are defined by the Rule Of Cool, typically. And Crazy Awesome.
- Real Robot: Armored Trooper Votoms is perhaps the archetypical example of a very Real Robot setting. Real Robots settings typically have the mecha as mass-produced weapons of war, and oftentimes they're ignominiously blown away, much like soldiers in war films. See also Patlabor, an even more realistic series given that it's in a non-military setting.
- Mix N' Match: Who said you had to stick to just Super Robot or just Real Robot? Dorks, that's who. Eureka Seven leaned more towards the Real side, but that didn't stop it from having Imported Alien Phlebotinum, The Power Of Love and some awesome designs. Neon Genesis Evangelion was arguably more Super, but the mecha had power time limits and other drawbacks to them. Even Gao Gai Gar, a popular Reconstruction Super Robot show had many Real Robot elements.
Pitfalls
- Falling Into The Cockpit can be done correctly, but sometimes it'll just come off as totally lame. It's a borderline Dead Horse Trope. Super Robot shows tend to do this better, since they're absurd to begin with.
- As successful as Evangelion, Gundam, Macross, Getter Robo, etc. were, don't make the mistake of aping elements from them left and right. Originality is a nice thing to have.
- Lensman Arms Race - If you're doing a staunchly Real Robot setting, don't pull this. This will probably just confuse your fans. In Super Robot, go right ahead... just do it right.
- Gainax Ending - Goes without saying.
Potential Subversions
Writers' Lounge
Suggested Themes and Aesops
Potential Motifs
Suggested Plots
Departments
Set Designer / Location Scout
Props Department
Costume Designer
Casting Director
Stunt Department
Extra Credit
The Greats
- Mazinger Z - The grandaddy of them all. If the original series is too dated, perhaps check out the 2000 remake Mazinkaiser.
- Getter Robo - The first Combining Mecha, and a very Troperiffic series that is the exemplar of the more psychotic variety of Hot Blooded. Try the Manga or the OVAs.
- Gigantor/Tetsujin28
- Voltron - "And I'll form the head!"
- Mobile Suit Gundam - An innovator in its time, it helped codify what Real Robot was.
- Space Runaway Ideon - Directed by "Kill Em All" Tomino, who lives up to his nickname here, it is about the Ideon, a Super Robot with a rather scary power source, the Ide. Was one of the inspirations for Evangelion.
- Macross - While it wasn't the first Transforming Mecha show, its slick designs, catchy music, The Power Of Love and other elements helped turn it into successful franchise.
- Zeta Gundam - Took Gundam to the next level.
- Armored Trooper Votoms - Votoms is the leader of what defines 'Real Robot'. The mecha are basically glorified humanoid tanks, and their main propulsion most of the time are wheels built into their feet. Instead of a kid, the main character, Chirico, is a hardened elite soldier who knows what he's doing.
- Transformers - More than meets the eye.
- Patlabor - A rare example of mecha used in a civilian rather than a combat setting, if you want to see how that works. Like Votoms, it is on the "very real" end of the spectrum.
- Exosquad - An early example of original Western Real Robot series, inspired by Gundams and set firmly in the Military Science Fiction zone.
- G Gundam - a great example of how Humongous Mecha can be combined with any genre. A Chinese martial arts adventure with giant robots? Awesome!
- Giant Robo - Both an old liveaction series (with Giant Robo being a guy in a suit) and later an OVA series, which was directed by the same director who did G Gundam.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion - Love it or hate it, Evangelion changed the genre forever. It created a whole new school of more organic mecha design, and subverted so many Super Robot tropes. It is the Watchmen of mecha anime.
- Gundam Wing - The first Gundam series to gain a major fanbase in America, and in both countries, it introduced a new viewer demographic: Girls.
- Zone Of The Enders
- RahXephon - At first glance, it seems to be an Evangelion imitator, but it's actually a Spiritual Successor to Brave Raideen. It combines a musical motif with mesoamerican mythology to create a rich, alien atmosphere.
- Megas XLR - Perhaps the only true American example of the Super Robot genre, as it was made from whole cloth and not created by Macekreing an anime. Defined by Rule Of Cool, Rule Of Funny and Crazy Awesome.
- The Big O - Batman with Mecha? Alright!
- Gao Gai Gar - Helped make Super Robot cool again.
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - in case you don't want your Super Robot to fight one Monster Of The Week after another, you can turn to these for good examples of lighthearted Super Robot adventure series.
- Xabungle - Who says a Real Robot series can't be a lighthearted adventure? Certainly not this series.
- Bokurano - Good example for Deconstruction of Super Robot. Also mixture with Cosmic Horror Story.
The Epic Fails
|
|
