Remember when you first discovered Gundam?

[prince_of_zeon]

This may seem kinda silly, but my first experience with Gundam was walking into a Walgreens when I was about 7 years old and seeing an action figure of the Guncannon in the toy aisle. When I saw that firetruck red and flasy packaging, I was hooked.

[Kavik Ryx]

Why not, everyone loves talking about themselves.

Like most others, at least in America, my first exposure to Gundam was Wing, or more like bunch of third graders, possibly fourth at lunch raving about Wing. At the time, the idea of five teenagers blowing **** up in giant robots didn't really impress me, so I didn't really care. I saw an episode on vacation, or was it at my grandparents, a little while later, and just couldn't follow it or see what was so special, still don't to be honest.

From there I became that guy who was so naturally adverse to Gundam just to be that guy. About five years later, a friend of mine got my brother into Gundam SEED. From there, my brother borrowed some Gundam video games, most notably Encounters in Space. He would play, I would be on the computer, and I would hear the dialog in the game. I was intrigued, and eventually looked over when started playing the 0083 campaign. It looked really cool, I got compelled to play, and the rest is history.

[abaoaqu]

It was back in 2001, when they aired 0079 on Cartoon Network.

I didn't pay any attention to it back then, seemed too slow and boring for me, when I was this kid bred on Pokemon and stuff like that (Which has fortunately for me died out). I watched (or kinda watched episodes 1, 2, 13, 16 (17 REMOVED.), 21 (22 REMOVED.), and that was it for me.

Then Sept. 11 tore America apart and they cancelled 0079. I didn't care less. I did make a small collection of action figures, they sold shortly after cancellation, and I kinda saw it in a wrong light (as a newer, badass GI Joe... go figure!).

Finally, about 2003 or 2004, I had come to love 0079 for what it is, not discarding it as an old, early, SPEED RACER-esq anime.

Finally, I got some of the episodes on DVD (Vols. 3, 4, 5, 7, and 10), as well as the sub-par English dub of Movie I on VHS and Movie III on DVD.
It takes on more depth as I look back on it

[wonton bob]

It was back in the late 80's when I first saw it. My cousin bought a tape from a convention and we watch it. My first reaction was to laugh at how hokey it was especially the opening theme and I went upstairs to watch some Sigmund and the Sea Monsters/Land of the Lost reruns which at the time I thought was more entertaining than Gundam. I was more of a Robotech fan and well the animation was way better. It wasn't till 15 years later that I bought a disk out of boredom and was immediately entranced by the story. I bought all Gundam related vids that were released in the US the next day. Later my head exploded when I found out there was a Zeta Gundam story.

[EVHfan_1986]

I first got into gundam was when Gundam Wing was being aired on cartoon network

[Xvlai]

I can remember my first glimpse of gundam quite well was back in 98' I was visiting my cousins in California and they had some of the gundam Wing action figures. And being a child in this time period I loved transformers and the like so I immediatly fell in love with them and went out and bought two, the Aries and Leo simply because I liked their face plate.

I never really understood what I was playing with or what the seperate timelines were as I purchased a few more, until I turned on CN one day at my Grandparents house. On was the 08th MS team the episode where the team first encounters the Apsalus I at night and they ambush it. At the time I didn't even know it was Anime, or what Anime was for that matter, but I watched it enthralled with the action. The rest is history.

[reeoyuy]

I love giant robots since I was a kid. I always wanted robots as toys, unlike my brother who loves miniature cars.
Anyway, my first contact with gundam was when my bro borrowed "Gundam W Endless Duel" SuperNes game from his friend. I'm totally hooked on its mecha design.
And then, years later, it's aired on my local TV networks.
So now everyone called me "gundam freak" and before I realized it, I have many gunplas silently collecting dust in my room

[Antares]

Lessee now... I'd seen my first mecha anime when I was a kiddie, back when our cable-provider had all sorts of weird channels. Those were dubbed though, as I recall. Saber Rider and the like. And then slowly the channels dropped from the list of channels provided and so went the anime (of course I didn't know it was something different at the time beyond the fact that I sure as heck liked it more than Ducktales, no disrespect to fans ).

So then I had, oh, a ten year break, give or take a few. Then in around 2001 I saw Hellsing and Evangelion and after that I was a goner. Other mecha series followed, but no Gundam (I expect the prospect of 50-something episodes was a bit off-putting). I think I saw SEED in 2004 or around that time, and that was my first Gundam series through which I nipped into U.C. and the other timelines. However, CE being my first point of contact, I maintained a perverted affection towards it even when GSD turned south (I wouldn't write a fanfic in it if I didn't). And I'd still like to see the movie do that timeline some good. I'm hoping that it might leave a less bitter aftertaste before they turn off the lights.

[Skippy438]

Of course like many the first time I actually saw any Gundam was when Wing aired on Cartoon Network, but my first exposure to it was a couple of years before that. I had become obsessed with Robotech (and subsequently Macross) when it started airing on Toonami. Being a child of the internet age I began researching it online. On many websites and in many forums the word "Gundam" kept popping up. I of course looked into that as well, eventually discovering the Gundam Project as well as some other sites. I experienced a bit of information overload, and though I looked at pictures of some mobile suits nothing as far as any storylines or summaries stuck with me until after Wing, and especially after 0079 and its sequel series started airing in the states. It had nothing to do with not being interesting, just that there was SO MUCH out there to take in without actually being able to watch the show. Thankfully that's changed!

[Charismatic Enigma]

My first encounter was also when Wing was airing on CN, but I watched it during the late night timeslot. If I recall, my first episode was actually one of the clipshows that had explained what had happened in the first 15-20 episodes.

[DougCos]

My first encounter was with Wing on CN. I was not hooked yet though. I also watched MSG when that aired. I watched some of 8th MS team when that aired and then the beginning of SEED None of this got me addicted to Gundam, mainly because i did not watch every episode. I only got hooked when my friend gave me all of SEED on some DVDs. Being able to chronologically watch the show really got me. After that I watched every animated series.

[MechaGear]

Was already introduced to anime from Princess Mononoke and Macross Plus, and was looking for more. Had heard the name "Gundam" tossed around, and on a whim I picked up volume 2 of Gundam: 0080 on VHS from a local comic shop.

I'm really glad I saw this show first instead of Wing, which invariably came next due to all the hype. Wing lost my interest after a few volumes, but 0080's ending moved me so much it kept me coming back to the franchise. I've since become quite the oldschool-mecha enthusiast.

[gaspmaster]

my first gundam experience was when they ran gundam wing on toonami.. showed it all what sucked was it was right after dragon ball z which made GW look godly....all i saw of DBZ was screaming at each other with flashy lights. then after that i went and bought Stardust memory and 0080 that was even better cause it had thought put behind it.

[Gadget]

It was the model shop. It was some old picture of RX78-2 with the cut-away picture of the interior. BTY, I was actually looking out for Macross models in 1987. I did not really pay that much attention as MSG was banned in Singapore. (Kill'em all is not good for little boys and girls). And MS were possible, while Macross/Robotech/Mospeda was transformable, along with Transformers.

I started get more serious back in 2000. It was the newer (at that time) MG and PG range. Mark Simmons old website did help by having a lively forum. Than came Wing Gundam. By that time, I was hooked.

[Kishiria]

In 1983 I was at the Worldcon in Baltimore. There was an anime room, but this was in the days before fansubs so everything was raw. I walked into the room as it was showing the first Gundam movie. Garma Zabi grabbed me by the throat, proclaimed that I was his little puppy now, and I've been a fan ever since. I got my Zeon tattoo in 2003 to celebrate 20 years of Zeon fanaticism.

[Oruma]

Back in the 1980s I watched Zeta Gundam, then ZZ, but mostly I was into SD Musha Gundam kits. I've also watched Wing/EW, but it wasn't until I got my first MG kit (a Gundam 1.5) and playing through MS Gundam EFF vs Zeon that finished my "conversion".

It is only the beginning...

[speedstriker]

Remember when you first discovered Gundam?

When I first discovered Gundam, all I thought was "This is like GaoGaiGar, but with less fists and more guns! COOL!" Yes, this is from watching Gundam Wing.

Back then I was still 7, with my favourite shows as GaoGaiGar and Cyber Formula GPX.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PietTxYQpDg (OP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn423-x1y90 (One of the best races)

Good memories... [/url][/code]

[Draco Starcloud]

It was, like many others, the Cartoon Network Gundam Wing run that introduced me to Gundam. It would've been just another neat show to me had I also not recently been introduced to the internet.

I'd already looked up all the funny cartoons I could think of and was getting bored with this newfangled "Yahoo" thing. The next day I watched Gundam Wing and noticed at the end of the credits there was a website address. I went onto the old dialup to see if I could find this site, but since I couldn't remember the URL I just looked up Gundam.

That's when I found something that made Gundam all of a sudden something more interesting and unique than I'd seen in Robotech, Voltron, and Transformers (which were the only robot shows I'd seen up to that point): Gelgoog. Mark Simmons' drawing made me a Gundam fan on the spot. I then saw the less-impressive Ball, but took a great look around at every picture I could find. I even found the first two volumes of Gundam 0083 on VHS at the new rental store; seeing Gato's Gelgoog dice up a GM in the first two minutes didn't hurt the Universal Century's case.

[Battosai28]

I actually vaguely remember seeing a tv promo for 0083 when they first released those VHS tapes back in the day. Like most people on this forum, however,Wing was the first show I watched. After the first episode premeiered, I remember that show flying right over my little 12 year old head. I originally thought it was because the show was really intelligent, but the reality is that they didn't actually explain too much at all in the first episode However, despite my future complaints with the show, I have to admit that it really did stray from the norm in that it did not hand out information on a silver platter. I also remember being amazed how Treiz, one of the main antagonists, was really likable, while Hero, the main protagonist, comes off at first as villainous (at least compared to the other mecha stars I had seen up to that point ie. Rick Hunter).

When MSG roled out, I was 13. I feel like an idiot right now saying this, but I did not even realize how bad the animation was (my friends thought I was on drugs). Instead, I was mesmerized by the characters,story, and even the action. I think what amazed me at first was how the grunt suits could stand much firmer ground to the gundam in this series compared to the ones in Wing. After the series got cancelled, I borrowed the third movie from my friend so that I could finish the story.

Since then, I have seen every gundam series, movie, and ova ever made. Whats my favorite you might ask? Well its actually a two way tie between Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and After War Gundam X. While I think Zeta did more things better, it also had a lot more things that I didn't like (cough Kats cough). X, on the other hand, took just about all of the best aspects of the series that came before it, while leaving 90% of the bad stuff behind. If you haven't seen either of them, I highly recomend that you do

...and thats all for now

[G-Slayer]

Talking about your first time, eh? All right, I'll let you in on all the intimate details.

My very first exposure to Gundam was when I saw that 0083 promo on TV. In 2000, when I was still in high school, I finally had cable. Watching the Toonami block, I thought DBZ was the best. Then Gundam Wing came along, and the show satisfied me in ways I never thought possible. When I had more access to the net, I explored Gundam Official and then discovered MAHQ, and I've been in on the orgy ever since. But watching Wing now, I'm not getting off on it like I used to, you know?