Something to think about

[DAG101]

okay this is something everyone should know, especially those who think that MSG is original, and later series like SEED are just clones. Basically, several Mecha from MSG seem to be "Inspired" by other vehicles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EVA_Pod
that looks alot like a Ball, but is the original design...from Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, made in 1961-1969.

[EZero8]

I dunno... to me, the EVA Pod looks alot more like the Mistral from SEED than a Ball.

[Fritz Ashlyn]

Plus, are we supposed to ignore that MSG basically created the real robot genre and changed the way giant robot anime was done because the Ball looks like the EVA Pod?

[Mwulf]

I really don't see what the two have to do with each other....

okay this is something everyone should know, especially those who think that MSG is original, and later series like SEED are just clones. Basically, several Mecha from MSG seem to be "Inspired" by other vehicles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EVA_Pod
that looks alot like a Ball, but is the original design...from Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, made in 1961-1969.

Gundam utilised a lot of real-life scientific concepts, even if mobile suits are unrealistic and the animation completely denied inertia, there's a lot of realism to be found. It's not like Tomino came up with the O'Neil Cylinder, either.

[Draco Starcloud]

It's not like Tomino came up with the O'Neil Cylinder, either.

Or the Beam Saber.

[wing zero alpha]

Or telepathically gifted humans being the "future race".

[Aegis]

Why not go further and say that mobile suits were inspired by giant robots while we're at it. Honestly, nothing is truly original in the absolute sense as there will always be these inspirations here and there, be it from real science, or from other science fiction. Doesn't mean that said show that utilises these inspirations can't be called original when they're actually used in a different twist.

[wing zero alpha]

Why not go further and say that mobile suits were inspired by giant robots while we're at it. Honestly, nothing is truly original in the absolute sense as there will always be these inspirations here and there, be it from real science, or from other science fiction. Doesn't mean that said show that utilises these inspirations can't be called original when they're actually used in a different twist.

Not so much about how good or bad the show is depending upon its originality, it's more about how much people credit it with. Yes, Gundam itself pretty much invented the real robot sub-genre, but it's by no means the first mecha series to have things like rayguns, energy swords, angsty teenagers with special "gifts" (that latter many people believe was invented here) or hell, Nazis from Outer Space for that matter. Basically, yes it was revolutionary for its time, but don't give it more credit than it deserves, any more than one would claim Star Wars invented the word "Jedi".

But I digress, that's not the discussion at hand here. In the case of this topic, I can see similarities between both the Ball and the EVA Pod, but I think it's entirely coincidental. Otherwise by that logic, Evangelion was "inspired" by 2001: Space Odyssey for the name of the pod and the whole monolith thing.

[Aegis]

Hence being 'original' for utilising something that's been done before with a different twist. It's still considered 'original' given the context its in, though whether it's enjoyable is an entirely different thing altogether.

[razgriz]

most of anime and sci-fi is inspired by whichever work came before it, flash gordon begat star trek which begat 2001 which begat star wars which branches off and begets just about any other sci-fi you can think of and of course anime is just chock full of homages to previous works as their directors show respect to those that came before. if its originality you are looking for you will be hard pressed to find that in sci-fi, the ground has been broken many times, im sure something will come along to shake things up but coming from someone who is as nuts for details as me i say let them be inspired, there are lines between inspiration, homage, knockoff, and downright plagiarism

[mutantshark]

Personally I think 2001 must have been a HUGE influence on Tomino when he created Gundam - we're talking about one of the most influential works of Sci-Fi here. I don't want to fall into the whole 'oh they stole this from that, this from that' etc, thats just the nature of genres. But clearly the (semi) realistic approach to space habitation, along with the themes of human evolution could be at least partially traced back to ASO. I mean - the ending sequence with all the trippy lights and colours - remind you of anything?

[His Divine Shadow]

Try Heinlein, not Clarke, if you're grasping for literary influences.

[DAG101]

the ending sequence with all the trippy lights and colours - remind you of anything?

Yeah...LSD, LOL

[Skippy438]

Postmodern theory argues that there is no such thing as an original idea. Every idea is derivative of something else produced through discourse with the rest of humanity.

[Wingnut]

Postmodern theory argues that there is no such thing as an original idea. Every idea is derivative of something else produced through discourse with the rest of humanity.

Well, we're not here to discuss that theory, at least not outside of mecha anime anyway.

[razgriz]

um well i dunno if this thread can go any further beyond that tomino and his underlings were inspired by heinlen, clarke, and lucas. *bows* thank u gods of sci-fi

[mcred23]

um well i dunno if this thread can go any further

It probably can't, unless someone goes insane and starts trying to point out what influenced Amuro's hair color or Bright's uniform or other wacky/pointless thing. And we're not going to let that happen.

Anyway, summing up the entire point of this thread: Gundam was probably influenced by many many things.

Closed.