Dr. Core wrote:
Do you want an answer in context or out of context? In context, I buy
every model for 0079 because I love the show. And recent HGUC and MG
engineering, boxart and promo are practically fan service for people
like me. Best example is the 3 brats for MG Acguy.
Out of context, meaning judging purely on mecha design criteria, and
ignore all emotional attachment to the story, character and memorable
fight scenes: ALL Gundam mecha designs are anachronistic at best. I
liked Mk.II and Alex for some minor updates on the original. I liked
V Gundam because it's a transformer/combiner that doesn't suck and
somewhat similar to the original Gundam (but emotional attachment
again :P) I liked a lot of the weirdo bad guys, but mostly because of
their "shock" value (best example is Baund Doc).
Anachronistic based on what criteria? You're speaking of a
fictionalized future here, until we see actual mecha in action (should
there ever be any) no one can say what does or doesn't fit.
Out of context, Gundam designs belongs in late 70s to early 80s.
Macross designs (both Valks and bad guys) were a true step forward,
but their time is passed also.
I see them as about equal. Sure, the Valkyrie is basically a
transforming F-14 so it's easier to accept, mentally, as something
plausible since it's based on some bit of reality but the Destroids,
much as I love them, are *less* useful than your average mobile suit (no
hands for all but one of them). And the enemy suit designs are no more
pushing the envelope than any random Federation or Zeon mobile suit. On
top of that, the main hand held weapon is kinetic, like most Gundam
weapons, along with a load of missles. That's a step forward? No
energy weapons of any kind except as spinal mounts on capital ships (SDF-1)?
Now I believe not only form and function is connected, but scale and
form is also connected. I mean if a mecha is human scale, than there
is some advantage to have a human form. But if a mecha is much larger
or smaller than human scale, taking human form makes no sense. Giant
humanoids belong in fairy tales and Ultraman not in serious sci-fi.
Says who? Making them humanoid (faces/heads) is a bit much, I'll grant
you, but something that walks has an advantage over rough terrain vs.
wheeled or tracked vehicles. Flying is flying, of course, but we
already have jets, helicopters and hovering jets so having a mech skate
over the ground as it hovers just above isn't unreasonable, either.
One school of anime that understand this point is BGC and
GITS/Appleseed. Especially in GITS, you have mechas of a wide scale
range, both the very small and very large are non-human in form. And
as you get closer to human scale, you get more human-like form. But
at say 2.5m, you already get some very non-human features: neckless
(actually headless) and extra arms.
Out of context, all the latest Gundam designs, from V, 0083, W, Turn-A
to Seed give me the same self-loathing indulgence as Power Ranger and
Pokemon.
I hate (HATE!) Power Rangers and I don't see any similarity (beyond the
most obvious basic Japanese show with large robots) between that and Gundam.
Alfred.
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"Success is not no violence."
- President Bush, on trying to find a way to be able to claim future
progress and success in Iraq without having to achieve the
complete victory he used to state as the only acceptable goal.
Alfred Urrutia - Digital Domain - 310.314.2800 x2267 - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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