Last Thursday, I was sitting in my Geography class, taught by Professor Jean-Paul Rodrigue. He caught my interest when he took a minute to delve into the Japanese culture and their inclination towards robotics. At the time, I wasn't sure why it all seemed so familiar, but giving it another thought, I've seen it all before! The Japanese have even embedded it in their television media.For those who know what I'm talking about, I've no doubts that you've heard of Mobile Suit Gundam. Now one of the most famous Japanese animated series and a popular franchise, Gundam started out relatively unknown until action figures were produced and people began to take notice of the series. What Star Wars is to America, Mobile Suit Gundam is to Japan.
Gundam is most known for its large prevailing themes, space warfare, giant robots, and political intrigue. (Giant robots have been taking center stage in the recent decade) Given what Dr. Rodrigue said, we can explain why giant robots would jump start a series like Gundam to the limelight; but I was thinking, why space?
Being 1979 when the series was created, Gundam took place in the middle of the Space Age. But hey, wait a second; I'm pretty sure Japan did not participate in the Space Race, so why the fixation upon an intergalactic epic? Whether Japan was in the Space Race or not doesn't matter, Space was an entirely grand concept at the time.
The opening for the original Gundam
I mean, haven't you ever wished at some point to escape the confines of your daily life and just go explore uncharted territory? Maybe the same mindset that made Star Wars so wildy popular may have worked its magic upon Gundam as well. Like piloting an X-wing, wouldn't you find it thrilling to sit alongside Amuro Ray in the cockpit of the RX-78?
There's just something really entrancing about sitting in front of a media and being taken to an entirely different world; some people use books as their way, others television and movies. But whatever it is, we can't deny enjoying a new change of pace from time to time. (Which is probably why some people display so much hate against Reality TV) What's your medium?
- Jesse P.
1 comment:
Hmm...I scrolled down and didn't expect to see a post on Gundam. I can't say SEED is the best example of a good Gundam series (*checks out the pic*), even though it's one of the more recent ones (Destiny was HORRIBLE). I liked Zeta, though.
If you haven't already, check out Gundam 00.
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