TTGL Syndrome?

Tried watching Macross the other day. I ran into a problem and turned it off. I've tried a few other mecha anime lately... ran into the same problem and turned it off...

Except for a few exceptions (Eva, Gun X Sword, FLCL) every time I watch a mecha show these days, I wish I were watching Gurren Lagann.

Does anyone else have that problem?

I actually put my pants on TWO legs at a time. Sorry.

No, mostly cause the only mecha shows I watch are aformentioned TTGL and FLCL.

CAUSE EVERY GIRL IS CRAZY 'BOUT A SHARP DRESSED MAN

Maybe you should watch more mecha shows that are very different in style to Gurren Lagann, then. Try RahXephon or one of the better Gundams. Sure, there's less AWSUM, but they bring things to the table that Gurren Lagann doesn't have.

Alternatively, have you given Star Driver a try? It's just about the only mecha show I've seen that I find as fun to watch as Gurren Lagann, if not for quite the same reasons.

edited 8th Feb '11 4:26:27 PM by Nyktos

I guess it is.

I was about to ask what Star Driver was about and I remembered RIGHT I'm on TV Tropes.

Thanks! I will WAY check them out.

But yeah, it's like TTGL is the epitome of all things awesome and even its absolutely classic, NOT overrated in the slightest predecessors begin to pale.

Can anyone sympathize?

I actually put my pants on TWO legs at a time. Sorry.

It's one of my favourite anime, but I haven't really had that effect.

I guess it is.

Never been a fan of Humongous Mecha, so I wouldn't know. I love TTGL, but otherwise I've always been more of a Real Robot guy. Even then, I never really watched Gundam at all, I've just sorta been in the periphery.

edited 8th Feb '11 4:42:23 PM by Sporkaganza

Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember them, you are not alone.

When it comes to mecha, my experience can pretty much be boiled down to Code Geass, Eva, FLCL and maybe a dash of TTGL (I still haven't watched more than bits and pieces).

I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serial

What KSPAM said, only I've also seen Eureka Seven and Martian Successor Nadesico. That pretty much covers my experience.

Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember them, you are not alone.

I really don't feel this way. TTGL goes for a very specific style which it excels at, but there is absolutely no reason why this should affect my enjoyment of a show that goes for another style. While TTGL is a fun and very entertaining show for what it is, it isn't something I consider to be the epitome of the mecha nor super mecha genre. While it is certifiably awesome/cool, it lacks some of the other elements that make certain other mecha shows great. I definitely prefer stuff like Super Dimension Macross, some of the Gundam shows, Escaflowne, Rahxephon etc. to TTGL. Not to say that TTGL is bad, it is very entertaining as I said, but I don't really understand the "OMG, this is the greatest show ever made/a religious experience!" opinions people have on it. Not to say that anyone here expressed such an opinion, it's simply a hyperbolic statement of how much some people seem to love this show.

edited 8th Feb '11 5:26:16 PM by Mathias

This. I've seen WAY too much mecha anime to think that TTGL is the best. My favorites include Gundam SEED (but NOT Destiny), Rah Xephon, and Macross Frontier.

Never been a fan of mecha anime. Out of them all, I only really like Martian Successor Nadesico, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gun X Sword.

I guess being able to watch older mecha series as a kid makes me TTGL as something... nothing big?

Yeah I'm one of those rare people. :P

Death is a companion. We should cherish Death as we cherish Life.

I haven't finished TTGL, but then again I don't watch many Humongous Mecha series. Right now I'm slowly going through Sands Of Destruction a few episodes at a time.

That is the face of a man who just ate a kitten. Raw.

You might try Full Metal Panic or Code Geass where the mecha are there but.. it's just different from mecha anime.

edited 8th Feb '11 9:49:58 PM by Sackett

The way it's structured TTGL might as well have no mecha at all. It's a celebration of all traditional Shonen tropes that just happens to have mecha in place of exotic weapons or crazy martial arts.

...

...

...

That second sentence would describe most Super Robot series.

But some Super Robot have shonen tropes.

With that said, I can see why people "glorify" the show, especially if they never really watch plenty of Super Robot of the old.

Death is a companion. We should cherish Death as we cherish Life.

Because the old ones are not that over the top, and almost always not that well animated either (Maybe Gao Gai Gar or Gunbuster, I don't know). I've seen a few mecha shows  ^*

, and I've found each to have their own style, and while TTGL was certainly the most "Awesome" (to put it that way), Giant Robo had the most Emotional Torque, and Rah Xephon was the best crafted experience... while I'm sure there are series that attempt the same thing as others and are just not good at it, in general I'd try to judge the unique aspects of each show.

edited 9th Feb '11 4:30:46 AM by Noimporta

Only if you're really shallow.

...honestly, TTGL has some sort of Hype Backlash going against it nowadays. People are tired of a bunch of newbies harping that TTGL is the end-all, be-all mecha anime out there that they'd troll it the instant it would get mention.

Besides, Heroic Age is superior anyway.

That's the beauty of the old shows though - they are drawn in a specific era. Then there's that "wrinkled, dirty" look not found in modern shows. The mechas aren't "overpowered" or "over-equipped", giving them much more dramatic due to the lack of "ever-empowering engine".

Death is a companion. We should cherish Death as we cherish Life.

Heroic Age is awesome, but it's kaiju, not mecha.

This was the whole appeal of Gao Gai Gar to me. Yeah, the G-Stone was as outlandish as you could get. a literal case of Green Rocks from outer space powered by courage, however, it was shown many times in the show to have limits. which was kind of a message that courage and bravery itself, was finite.

That's certainly a valid perspective, as long as you remember there are plenty other ones as well. Some people prefer the grainier, more detailed look of old shows, while others prefer the simpler but more fluid modern style, it's really just a matter of taste. And I think it's a bit unfair to claim that the fights are not dramatic because of their "ever-empowering engine", given that the two main antagonists have access to the same power, but I digress.

In any case, while it's true that TTGL has been hyped to hell and back, the fact remains that it is, to most people, a genuinely entertaining piece of fiction. Does its fandom gush about it eagerly? Yes, of course it does, it's what fandoms do, particularly that of such an over the top show, it is up to us to ignore them when it gets annoying (they're in the internet, it's not that hard)... besides, it's 2011 now, the massive hype it had has mostly died down.

TTGL is really good, but when watching other mecha shows, it doesn't invade in my enjoyment. As long as they don't hint at it in anyway the thoughts don't come creeping in.

For some reason the mechas in TTGL didn't even FEEL like Mechas once the second part start kicking in, they felt more like spaceships with fists.

Troper Page

By that time they already WERE spaceships with fists.

You still see it from time to time. Like, "OMG Starmon's shades look like Kamina's!" even though Squirtle did it first (and was the go-to sign to make your character look like a delinquent). Or "Victorize Boomerang is so TTGL!" even though Great Mazinger did Breast Boomerang.

It's a matter of which mecha series was your first... and which one you grew up with. I personally am proud to be able to watch the Nagahama trilogy when growing up... but then again that's South East Asia for you.

Death is a companion. We should cherish Death as we cherish Life.