Why are mecha so cool? And why do girls not care for action scenes?

And I don't care much for mechs. I'd prefer more vaguely realistic machines, and I focus on the characters and their interaction anyway. So when I watch mecha series, I'm usually in it for reasons other than the mechs.

It's just that mecha series are some of the better-known and more easily distinguishable "this is animé stuff" series, from the perspective of westerners. Combine that with the stereotype idea that little boys are interested in action and combat and machines while little girls are interested in magic and princesses and ponies and romance...there you go.

edited 30th Mar '11 12:12:58 PM by GlennMagusHarvey

I like action scenes! ESPECIALLY ONES WITH GIANT ROBOTS. Oh G Gundam...Ohhhhhhhhh...I COULD JUST GET UP RIGHT NOW AND RECITE ATTACK SPEECHES.

I prefer martial arts fights, skilled gunfights (i.e. minimal dakka + skillful aiming), and dogfights.

That's dogfights as in aircraft/spacecraft/(presumably) oceancraft fights. Displays of skill and acrobatic maneuvers and such. Not dogs fighting in a cage, mind you.

I think a more interesting topic would be your myopia in thinking that your definition of cool is an objective qualifier. Sure there's some social conditioning at work here, but I'd lay off making sweeping generalizations based on how a few girls reacted to a couple of shows geared towards elementary schoolers.

@Tongpu Have you seen Escaflowne? That ties in both elements you like pretty well, in my personal opinion.

Yeah I don't like giant mecha at all. I'm more of a tank man myself.

I halfway agree with this sentiment. Vehicle fights in general don't appeal to me because it isn't the characters themselves in the action so much. But I make an exception to mecha because often times all they are doing is scaling up the personal fight. Especially in Super Robot scenarios, the mech is less a vehicle and more an extension of the pilot's body.

I personally love mecha, and not just of the anime variety. I enjoy several of the Universal Century Gundam series, particularly Stardust Memory and the 8th MS Team. The frames in Zone Of The Enders were interesting to see and use despite (or perhaps because of) the Hand Wave about Metatron being the majority of their composition.

However, I can understand the lack of practicality in making a humanoid robot. In terms of realistic application of a humanoid armored weapon system, I favor powered armor suits like the ones typically used in works by Shirow Masamune. Smaller, 8-10 foot tall units would make more sense in a battlespace scenario because they're small enough to adequately act as ground support without tripping around due to the presence of legs. Even then, ground forces could just use man-sized powered suits with treads, but that's a different argument.

As for the "why don't girls like action scenes" bit, ditto on what kashchei said.

But they're frequently bulky and inelegant.

What is bulky and inelegant?

Giant Mecha.

Oh, yeah, right. Agreed. In kind with what I said earlier, I prefer the smaller, more personalized mecha. Although there are some obvious exceptions, I get a little put-off with anything that stands taller than a T-Rex. But again, this isn't a strict rule for me. For example, I thought Bokurano was an excellent mecha series, given its context.

edited 30th Mar '11 1:39:48 PM by Aprilla

@Newfable: Thanks for trying, but I have so many anime pet peeve tropes that fall outside the scope of this thread that trying to come up with recommendations based only on what I've said here is a crapshoot. Besides, Escaflowne has mecha. Granted, the main mecha apparently isn't humongous, but then, I'm not even that fond of Iron Man.

edited 30th Mar '11 1:40:37 PM by Tongpu

The mini-mechs in Sky Girls are actually quite nice. All they have to do is to do away with the stupid costume designs and "nanoskin" stuff.

Like many other genres and themes, mecha are a matter of immediate aesthetic appeal. They're not for everyone, which is perfectly understandable. Personally, I can't stand that bizarre, over-the-top slapstick style used in many popular anime, especially stories set in a high school. I watched one episode of Full Metal Panic, and it's going to take some warming up for me to get back into it. The mecha aren't bad, but I'm a little tired of the super-soldier badass who happens to be socially awkward. Most military types aren't THAT rigid, but I can appreciate how it's played for laughs just in case anyone thinks I'm Completely Missing The Point.

edited 30th Mar '11 1:46:59 PM by Aprilla

Well, in Full Metal Panic even his military buddies make fun of him. The guy's had a very weird life, and it's not just because of the military.

There's also the Child Soldier elements in Sousuke's background, at least from what I can remember.

The Child Soldier aspect of him is part of what bugs me about him, but I haven't dismissed the merits of his character. I'll get back into the series and see where he goes in terms of development. Apparently, I need to watch Gurren Lagan as well. I hear about it pretty frequently. Again, it looks to be way too garish for my taste, but given its underpinnings as a reconstruction of the giant mecha genre, I'm willing to check it out and give it a chance.

This is why I despise most mecha. I'm a huge fan of tanks though.

And seconded with Aprilla as to why he couldn't really get into Full Metal Panic that much. I mean don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but I hate it when they go off and make 19 year olds super badass sergeants or officers who have people that have been in the occupation of arms longer than they have been alive ranking lower than them. That's bullshit.

There's some anime that I like, but that's why a good deal of anime in general is off-limits to me. I have a massive boner for Ghost In The Shell though, since I love Cyberpunk and all the characters are old enough to have the skills and personalities that they do. No 20 year old Sergeant Majors or any of that bullshit. I don't hate kids being in anime, I hate kids being better than all the adults in an anime for no good reason.

"As for the "why don't girls like action scenes" bit, ditto on what kashchei said."

Cheers. Glad to see you around, I haven't bumped into your posts for a while.

Yes, it has been a while. We tend to be drawn to different topics at different times, so it's understandable.

Ghost in The Shell is my absolute favorite series (movie, TV series, manga, etc.). The Tachikomas are actually more plausible as spider tanks than a 50 meter robot, and the show developers most certainly did their homework on how a spider tank would work from a technological and tactical standpoint. Very impressive.

I'm a guy, and I've never really found mecha cool (though they don't show up very much in the sort of works I go for) and have never really taken an interest in many "boyish" things. I can't say much about girls not caring for action scenes given my lack of experience in that area, though my mother loves action-adventure movies/series.

edited 30th Mar '11 10:43:43 PM by AnonymousUser

Eh, I'm more of a Real Robot man. That and Power Armour. 'Cause Power Armour is cool.

We don't get enough Powered Armor in any fiction.

That, my friend, is why I love Halo and Half Life.

Okay, so the second one only half-counts, but still.