Gundam AGE

http://www.goodanime.net/mobile-suit-gundam-age-episode-1/2

If anyone even Dare starts complaining about the character designs on this thread, I will Face Palm.

Looking good so far.

My only hope is that they don't make this too much of a super robot show.

Looking good so far.

Also looks like we could have the opening for the entire show, but will get two more endings as the pilot changes.

I haven't been paying much (read: any) attention to the preview material, so I went into it with a more or less clean slate.

Pretty typical Gundam first episode, really; more or less the same as Mobile Suit Gundam or Gundam Seed, with all the stock character roles introduced: the protagonist, his friend/love interest, the old man engineer, the Ace Pilot, the grizzled commander, and the wise old man. (Oh, and a Bridge Bunny.) I'm not sold on the character designs yet, but none of the characters made me want to stab them in the face yet, so that's all to the good.

The antagonists, the "UE" (Unknown Enemies) appear to be mecha space dragons. With wings. In space. Uh, okay. I'm really hoping that their origin turns out to be something more interesting than "yeah, they're just aliens" or "they're humans pretending to be aliens to scare people Scooby Doo style", but no real hints on that yet. We'll have to wait and see.

Mecha design I liked. It's refreshingly simple, unlike Gundam 00's random-pointy-bits-everywhere design philosophy. The Gundam itself is basically an exact copy of the RX-78, with an LCD monitor bolted to its forehead and another over its cockpit so that it can light up dramatically when it's activated. (Well, from the front, anyway — the backpack design is significantly different.) The Genoace was reminiscent of the GM, but different enough to make it distinct. I just hope its performance in the first episode wasn't indicative of the rest of the series — I'd rather not see another Mecha-Mook on par with the Leo.

All in all, I'm adopting a wait-and-see attitude about this one.

Is it really worth making a new thread over?

Yeah, and I seriously wonder why they're only streaming in southeast Asia. I'm not whining about it, but what influenced this decision? Fair play?

I wonder why that one UE mobile suit destroyed the one that fought the AGE? Mobile suit cannibalism, maybe?

^Destroying evidence, presumably.

Oh, that whole seen made perfect sense to me. You just have to look at it from a military/information-warfare perspective. Here is what happened from the UE's/robot's point of view:

• Killing everything. All according to plan.
• New enemy unit identified. Proceeding with normal killing technique.
• New enemy unit survived. Unprecedented. Request backup to be safe. Try other techniques.
• Unit defeated. Scan new enemy unit to collect information for future use. Destroy defeated unit to prevent enemy from gaining information.
• New enemy unit has unknown capabilities. Retreat and switch to plan B: destroy colony from distance.

My personal theory for who/what the UE are is that they are rogue AIs/robots. That would explain why the main character would be able to predict where they would attack next.

I'm more curious as to what the energy/light/whatever-it-was that seemed to be pouring out of the damaged unit was.

edited 9th Oct '11 2:45:11 PM by NativeJovian

So, usually I prefer to watch dubs, and tend to wait for the official English release.

However, I caved and watched AGE subbed, even though I know that, when I inevitably buy the DV Ds, the dub will sound odd and wrong to my ears now that I've connected the characters to their Japanese voices. Oh well.

I liked this episode. I like that Flit isn't constantly angsting and being antisocial and angry like other Gundam protagonists I could name. I like that the UE is so mysterious (also Dragon mobile suits!). I LOVE the art style.

I don't like that the AGE is yet another RX-78 clone.

I'll keep watching. I'm probably going to end up getting the model kit for those dragon suits (seriously, those things are awesome). The genoace is kinda boring looking.

Very promising first episode. Looking forward to more.

This is my personal theory as well. That or they're a Celestial Being expy.

EDIT: Actually, come to think of it, the movements of the UE's machines (do they have an official name?) were two human for A.I.s. Like when the lead machine held its hand out to block the other's attack. I'm guessing they're human.

edited 9th Oct '11 2:55:27 PM by LizardBite

Mecha using human body language instead of just having the pilots chat over the radio or something is endemic to the genre, despite the fact that it makes no damn sense. I wouldn't say that it necessarily means they're piloted units, just that they're Ridiculously Human Robots instead of... er, "robotic" A.I.s.

On an unrelated note, does Gundam AGE have a gimmick a la Minovsky Physics to justify the use of mecha in the first place? Apparently mobile suits aren't a new technology in AGE, but they didn't mention anything like Minovsky particles or N-Jammers to explain their existence.

Maybe it was combat data about the Gundam, because I think one of the other units was absorbing it.

They're called Gafrans.

Please, they're obviously humans who went into space many millenia ago and are now back, but their culture has changed so much that their actions seem completely incomprehensible.

You know it's true.

So they're Space Seanchan?

I know its early but who do you think is going to be Flit's wife? Looking at the hair color of his son its easy to say Emily, but that's way too obvious. How about that purple haired girl next episode or that red haired girl in the opening?

I was thinking Jovians, or Moonrace.

In other news, I just ordered the last Gafran model kit they had on Amazon.

All in all, it has potential but I foresee it being another cliche-ridden piece that derives ultimately from Tomino. Though I do see Turn A Gundam-like hijinks what with the Asunos being Mobile Suit manufacturers of the distant past, who also made Gundams.

I fear from the looks of the omake that they'll aim this for the younger crowd.

The same younger crowd that all the other gundams were aimed at? Admit it, what grade were you when you saw your first gundam? I was around Grades 5-6. If that's what its aimed at, I have full confidence in its performance.

I was, like, 7.

And this was Gundam SEED. I thought it was the edgiest thing ever.

Its just I'm afraid they might try to make it too softer.

I really wouldn't mind Turn A Gundam level of softness in a Gundam series, it is one of my fav gundam series... less than that however nah.

And Turn A Gundam was lighter, not very many deaths, Running Gags of Loran crossdressing and getting kicked in the balls etc.

edited 9th Oct '11 5:57:46 PM by Raso

I was a Junior in High School when I got hooked on 00's Sy Fy run.

Of course, most people I know know Gundam from watching Wing on Toonami in like 2nd or 3rd grade, so...

Screw you guys, I'm sill holding out hope for Human Alien s that use the dragon robots as AI drones.

edited 9th Oct '11 10:11:15 PM by Clawshrimpy