Fight! Mobile Fighter G Gundam

This is the latest in a series of reviews about every Gundam series that I’ve seen (which, at this point, is almost all of them).

My last review focused on Gundam Wing, but let’s back up for a minute. Before that, and after Victory Gundam, Sunrise decided to expand into new, “alternate universe” Gundam shows, which would preserve the core themes of Gundam but tell stories in different worlds and timelines.

The first attempt was Mobile Fighter G Gundamm, which returned to the roots of the mecha genre with an over-the-top, high-spirited show of Manly Men.

Which brings us to the Dragonball Z comparisons. Indeed, G is close in spirit to Dragonball Z. This strikes Gundam purists as heresy, and I understand. I tried to watch G several times, but suffered from prejudice. I was so used to the more serious—or at least convoluted—style of other Gundam shows that I just couldn’t stomach a show that looked so much like a cheesy shonen series or a 1970’s Go Nagai mech show.

Which turns out to be the key to appreciating G Gundam. This is a throwback to early giant robot shows, to Getter Robo and Mazinger and Voltron. The characters are mostly two-dimensional, but they’re supposed to be. They’re archetypes. They’re characters in a morality play. They exist to show us clear viewpoints and opinions.

And they do so in the context of the Gundam Fight, the cheesiest mecha idea ever — giant robots descend from space colonies to Earth and bust each other up, the winner’s colony winning control of Earth for the following four years. I mean, really, what?

It works. It works because the Gundam Fight is not the point. This is a story of characters and morality. Of people pushing themselves and striving to accomplish lofty goals.

It’s a cartoon about giant robots beating the crap out of each other.

Relax and enjoy.