Along with the plot synopses, I also decided to add a recommendation section at the end of each post in case some of you have watched the series I write about (as is the case with this series), or if people want to watch similar series after finishing whatever. Good stuff, eh? Eh?!
The year is Future Century 60. Earth is preparing for the 13th Gundam Fight, a battle among representatives of space colonies to determine which country shall rule the universe. Domon Kasshu represents Neo Japan, but securing power for his home colony is the last thing on his mind -- Domon uses the Gundam Fight as an excuse to hunt for his estranged brother, Kyoji, who has killed their mother, left their father in disgrace and made off with a super powerful machine: The Devil Gundam (or Dark Gundam in the English dub).
Together with his partner and mechanic, Rain Mikamura, Domon scours Earth for clues to the whereabouts of Kyoji, and along the way battles and forms alliances with Gundam Fighters from various nations, and stumbles into a plot more complex than he can imagine.
G Gundam has a reputation as the black sheep of the Gundam franchise, mainly because it is the only unashamedly shounen, super robot-style entry in a series of shows known for exploring the consequences of war, often with devastating results. Know this: G Gundam is not a heavy series. There are moments of drama; there are moments of sadness. But G Gundam doesn't say anything in particular about war, although its scenario -- that the colonies are so bloodthirsty that a tournament in which vast areas of the Earth are reduced to ruin is the only way to stave off galactic war -- probably says all that needs to be said there.
However, what G Gundam DOES offer is a good, old-fashioned thrill ride of a story. It's often goofy, shamelessly simple (well, the way the heroes win out are, anyway) and repetitive, but the show has two main strengths: First, ramps up its character's personalities to the hilt, making just about anyone important into a larger-than-life figure who is instantly memorable. None of them are particularly deep characters, but they're a bunch of fun. The best of all is Domon's martial arts teacher, Master Asia, whose motives and relationship with Domon are complex; he simplifies this by often choosing to communicate with his fists. And he is an eloquent speaker.
A close second is Schwarz Bruder, a masked fighter who represents Neo Germany and spends half the series beating the shit out of Domon to teach him moral lessons. As my avatar shows, I am also a fan of Allenby Beardsley, who is easily the coolest woman in all of Gundam; too bad she appears for the first time more than halfway through the series. Bah.
G Gundam's second main strength is the way the story is constantly shifting and evolving. It never stands still for very long -- Domon's objective, motive and overall feelings are vastly different by the end compared to the beginning of the story. Those who begin as Domon's enemies end up his friends, though this does not stop anyone from wanting to partake in a good fight. The plot shifts at the halfway point once it appears as if Domon has accomplished his mission ... of course, in fiction, as in life, it is never good to assume.
Director Yasuhiro Imagawa has made a career of updating classic mecha series into more modern stories. G Gundam receives a reimagining similar to other series Imagawa has directed, a fusion of the goofy, free-flowing style of classic stories and the more adult focus of the 1990s and beyond. For some, it may come off as grating and bizarre; for me, it works, at least most of the time. It helps to expect something more like Gurren Lagann (though G Gundam is not up to that level) and less like the original Mobile Suit Gundam. I love me some big ol' robot fights and hot-blooded action, so it wasn't difficult for me to submit myself to G Gundam's unique brand of crazy.
The English dub is OK, but I watched the show in Japanese because I'm a dirty elitist there is just no substitute for Tomokazu Seki as a hot-blooded pilot. I may not like Van from Escaflowne much, but it sure as hell isn't because of his voice. Also, there is a TON of absolutely hilarious Engrish peppered throughout G Gundam, most of it courtesy of Neo America's pilot, Chibodee Crocket. (Side note: I was actually disappointed that the names in G Gundam aren't more ridiculous. I mean, Gundam always throws out these absurd names and asks the viewer to take those characters seriously, but the names in G Gundam are relatively normal compared to your usual Gundam characters. I guess most of the ridiculous is used elsewhere.) At random times, Chibodee will toss out a, "Shit!", "God damn!" or "Jeeeesus!" and it never, EVER gets old. I love Chibodee.
(Amusingly enough, though, Domon actually has the funniest bit of Engrish. In ep2, he musters all his wit to bust out this succinct, thoughtful judgment of Chibodee's moral character: "Chibodee Crockett ... NICE GUY." This is hilariously translated as, "You're one of the good guys, Chibodee Crocket." You just can't make up stuff like that.)
Despite its goofiness, G Gundam would probably be remembered as one of the top Gundam series if it weren't for an almost irredeemably awful run of episodes after the climax to the first half of the story. I have a high tolerance for goofy ass crap, because I watched most of G Gundam's first half without complaint (even greatly enjoyed it). Man, is there ever some awful, awful shit to begin the second half, though. The worst of the bunch is an episode where it is revealed that a childhood trauma left Chibodee afraid of clowns. And of course he has to battle a Gundam Fighter who masquerades as a clown.
This is even worse than it sounds. It's not even bad enough to be funny -- it's just plain BAD, which is of course the worst kind of bad. And there are more episodes that are almost as bad, each one making me want to slam my head in a nearby wall. Even the introduction of Allenby cannot complete stave off the shit (in fact, the clown episode is right after Allenby's first episode ... and to make matters worse, the clown comes back in the VERY NEXT EPISODE despite getting his ass kicked. GOD DAMN YOU, CLOWN).
But whatever. It has plenty of bad parts, plenty of repetition and it's about as deep as a puddle after a Southern California rain shower, but G Gundam is nonetheless a fun, entertaining serious worthy of the Gundam stamp. Frankly, I like it more than every Gundam I've seen aside from 00.
If you like this, then try ... : Much as I enjoy G Gundam, it is the worst of the Imagawa-helmed series. The seven-episode OVA Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still is a classic mecha series, not just one of the best mecha of the 1990s but one of the best series of the '90s, period. Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen is Imagawa's most recent TV series, similar in many ways to G Gundam, except more concentrated and with a plot that is twice as epic, with one of the most memorable villains in recent memory (Baron Ashura) and one of the best endings of any series I've watched in a good while. I haven't watched 2004's Tetsujin 28-go, but it is another Imagawa reimagining of a classic mecha series (known as Gigantor stateside), and one that is apparently more serious than his other works. The whole series is available for $18 at Right Stuf, so I might just buy it. (And Giant Robo is available for $15, which is an absolute steal. I picked that up while pre-ordering Toradora!)
