Remember when you first discovered Gundam?

[wraith1701]

I was just watching a clip from Stardust Memory, and it reminded me of when I first got turned on to the Gundam Universe.

Back in the old days, before internet fansubs, my roommate gave me a Gundam-X model kit for my birthday. It looked so cool, I decided to look for the anime. My local comic shop had nothing but some Bandai VHS tapes of Stardust Memory, so I picked up the earliest volume available- Volume 2. I remember thinking how great the animation looked, but I was completely lost... None of the suits looked like my model kit, and I had no idea what the crap was going on. I almost threw in the towel then.

It wasn't until the airing of Wing on Cartoon Network, and my eventual discovery of 0079 and the UC, that it finally all made sense. Looking back, I can't believe how close I came to missing out on such a wonderfully complex and intelligent anime property.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

[Albireo_818]

I first discovered GUNDAM in 2005 with the release of SEED here in Australia. Already enjoying Anime such as .hack, Zoids, etc., I entered a competition in a magazine to win a Gundam Wing boxset and SEED volume 1. (Wing had a very limited run on cartoon network over here, i never paid much attantion.)
In anticipation, i went out and bought Endless Waltz OVA version. And so began my Gundam obsession. I didn't win the comp, but i proceeded to purchazse every Gundam DVD released in Australia (okay, don't laugh...SEED, Destiny and Wing are the only Gundam released over here.) About a year ago i received a Gundam Fix figuration Guncannon from Japan, and i discovered UC. Sadly, i cannot actually buy and UC where i am at the moment, but i will look into purchasing it over the internet when i get the chance. Destiny hasn't even finished it's release over here yet...

[ZGMF-X28A Nu-Liberty]

I first saw Gundam at nine years old, when Wing was on Toonami. Since then, I've watched pretty much every Gundam show that's been shown on Cartoon Network or On-Demand. I would say that almost every show, OVA or movie based around Gundam was pretty good...

Except for G-Saviour, obviously.

[mcred23]

My first contact with Gundam was way back in late 2000. I was 10 at the time, in 5th Grade, and one of my friends in school kept drawing pictures of what he told me was the Wing Zero. Now, I had yet to see the show, but it still looked pretty cool, so the name "Gundam" kinda stuck in my head. Then, I caught an episode on TV (Yes, that was the first episode I saw) while at another friends house and it seemed very interesting, and so unlike any of the other animated works I had seen (I.e., something other than Disney or Bugs Bunny and stuff like that), and I had heard good things about the show, so I started to follow the show (Even though I really didn't understand everything that was going on).

And, to cut things short, the rest is history.

[Newtype87]

My first exposure to Gundam was the original MSiA figure that a friend brought me from Japan. I still have it (obviously) but it wasn't until G Gundam rolled around that I finally learned more about this thing called Gundam. I'd heard of Wing and Endless Waltz, but I'd kind of missed them at the same time. It actually sounds kind of stupid now that I write it out.

[Brave Fencer Kirby]

I remember catching Gundam Wing a few times when it was airing on Cartoon Network, but not being particularly interested by it. What got me into Gundam was when they played the UC OVAs on Toonami Midnight Run in 2000. Specifically, 08th MS Team. That's what got me into the franchise as a whole, and I ended up watching the rest of the UC stuff they were playing on CN as well. When they canned Mobile Suit Gundam part-way through is when I decided to start collecting DVDs...

Eight years and entirely too much money later, the rest is history.

[nb007MkII]

My first exposure was Wing on Toonami in 2000 or so I think. 8 years and hundreds and hundreds of dollars late I'm still going strong. I'm almost done watching all the the UC animes; I went 'chronologically' from MSG, 8th MS team, War in the pocket, etc etc through F91 that I'm watching now. MAHQ has really fed my addiction I have to say Now I'm mostly into Master Grade models and watching the various animes. Eventually I want to get a translation of AoZ and CDA too.
Once I'm done with all the UC I can find I might go back and watch Wing again. Then all the CE series after that.
Maybe I'll watch G-Gundam, but I cannot bring myself to watch or build SD.
Anyway I'm getting off topic here, but Gundam in all it's incarnations have really give me a lot of entertainment and interest over the years, something that American mecha (is there such a thing?) does not do.

[quasadra]

back in 2000/2001 when i was 13/14 years old(cant remember exactly), i borrow a Gundam X VCD box set from a friend of mine. when i looked at the cover with the DX on it, i was going like "what is this? another robot show?" i wasnt expecting anything out of the ordinary(having watch show like GateKeepers and Dual Parallel Trouble). boy i was so wrong. then Seed gets here. still i saw the Wing boxset in one of the manga/anime store, and i was like "oh another Gundam, i gotta have this". and i bought it. it wasnt after i saw Endless Waltz that i finally figure out that the angelic looking plastic model on the shelf is Wing Gundam. then Seed turns out alright with me and i have been in a state of Gundam craze ever since. to the point that this a well known fact among my friends and family.

[SNT1]

As far as gunpla, my mom bought me my first SD Gundam kit instead of a Dragonzord SD action figure, cuz she thinks it was a better buy...

At the same mall, 1996, I was watching Gundam Wing tapes on my local mall that they play beside the shelf of kits (sometimes picking up an SD kit). Of course it was unsubbed and not in order, but I understood it enough that by the time Cartoon Network comes along some 4 years later I watched GW and can go "Hey I know what happens here!"

[Rudy A Winchester]

I caught an episode or two every now and then on Toonami back in the Gundam W days. I had seen it, and everyone at school knew what it was; but I didn't pay too much attention to it. Watched an episode from time to time, but didn't ever grasp what was happening (as I never watched episodes chronologically, or watched many at all). Then I bought an MSIA figure (can't recall which was my first, as I had about every one within the year; probably the Wing Zero), and I was hooked. This is back when, of course, I thought Gundam W was the only Gundam series. Then stumbling onto Gundam.com and some other websites, I started to verse myself in the different series. Now that I just finished V Gundam, I have seen every released Gundam production...and I have a few too many Master Grades.

I will likely start collecting Blu-ray releases of Gundam in the States when they are (hopefully) released. It would be nice to see Gundam W and some others re-released.

[RedShirt0909]

I was randomly channel surfing way back in 11th grade and happened to flip to the US debut of SEED on CN. I saw guns, blood, and a number of other things that didn't strike me as terribly normal for a cartoon, so I stayed with it out of sheer curiosity. From the 1st episode on I was hooked. 5 years later, I've seen a good bit of this stuff, and I'm glad I decided to stay with the 'cartoon' I saw that night.

[Wingnut]

For me it was back when Wing first aired on Toonami and I was watching the block already for other shows.

I just started watching and was hooked after the first week (5 episodes) I distinctly remember not being able to tell exactly who the good guys were in the show, but I could tell that it definitely wasn't OZ.

I later watched whatever else that was Gundam that CN aired after that and in spite of the bad ratings it got, even Seed late at night.

[chainsandguns]

I first encountered the amazing awesomeness, series, and black hole that takes all my cash away to a better place , known as gundam in the form of Gundam Wing. I was 11 then, and I had a bad cold. I was in bed all day channel surfing till I found Gundam Wing Endless Walts playing on CN. Gundam Heavyarms was unleashing it's full arsenal and I dropped my soup because I had never seen anything so awesome.

7 years later: my room is covered with gunpla, I have boxes, boxes, and more boxes of Cards from the Gundam War Collectible Card Game, (Best Card Game Ever) I've started building my DVD collection with Char's counterattack, and Heavyarms Custom is still my favorite Gundam.

Thanks for letting me share my story

[quasadra]

i just remember something. before i even watch Gundam X, my mother bought me a gunpla. the MS in question is Mobile Flat, i didnt even know its in a gundam show until recently i have seen the V Gundam manga. and yeah, i have too many gunpla and still no sign of stopping.

[Genese Gundam]

I was first introduced to it back when they first introduced Toonami in the UK (2000? 2001?), and I saw the trailer showing Gundam Wing, Tenchi etc. I thought it looked quite good (and i thought Wufei was a girl! ) and so i started watching it and was hooked, not only Gundam and it's models, but also Anime itself, previously only knowing of Dragonball Z and Pokemon.

Unfortunately Gundam was to die a death after only one series over here and Gunpla became impossible to obtain until one day in 2004 I encountered a preowned Federation vs Zeon DX, and was thus drawn into the world of UC Gundam (and got the first film)... which only really lasted until 2005 when i got into Doctor Who...

Then in 2006 i discovered some NG Seed model kits, and started re-investigating Gundam and started buying the Seed DVDs (after deciding there would never be another Gundam in the UK- so of course 6 DVDs later, typically it gets shown in 2008 on Anime Central) and it has been a steady fall 2 years later into Gundam fandom.

[Looksirdroids]

Only about 3 years ago, when my DBZ-fanboy friend recommended I watch some of his Wing DVDs since I was so into sci-fi, Star Wars, Star Trek etc. At that time I was pretty dismissive of anime, having only really been exposed to DBZ and been pretty unimpressed by it. I think the first episode I saw was 34: And its Name is Epyon. I had literally no idea what was happening (its the future, they have giant robots... so why are they wearing weird old fashioned suits with ruffles and napoleonic army uniforms?? in Luxembourg???), but on a stylistic level at least, I was hooked.

[Randall Miyashiro]

For me it is getting close to 30 years ago when I got my first Gundam book. In the following years I would get all of those candy w/ toy, stickers and puzzles, various other merchandise aimed towards kids in the early Gundam days. I actually didn't even see the show until a few years later in the early 80s when I got my first VCR and rented the film trilogy.

By the early 80s Bandai was going full speed with their MSV line. I remember eagerly awaiting the newest episode of Zeta a few years later in 1985 since there was a television at Mikado (in SF Japan Town) which would play the latest episode.

[Hyakushiki]

I got into Gundam when CN aired Gundam Wing, back then I was looking for some robot anime something like Robotech which I vaguely remember watching as a kid. Wing satisfied my fix, but I wasn't truly hooked til I bought my first Gundam figure the Gundam Deathscythe. Then I found Mark Simmons' Gundam Project and the Mecha Domain and studied those sites intensely which eventually led me here.

[Dark Duel]

When I was a kid, I was a pretty big fan of a show airing on Toonami called Ronin Warriors.
Then, when the show stopped airing, they announced a new show called "Gundam Wing", which I decided to check out 'cuz it looked pretty cool.
And the rest, as they say, is history.

[Yuusha Tokkyu Might Gaine]

like most people, Wing was what really got me into Gundam. I've been a mecha fan ever since I was a kid, growing up around shows like Voltron, Transformers, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at the time I was starting to get into the mecha genre.

Then camre SEED, SEED was what made me wanna wanna watch anything and everything Gundam...