Rematch! Rewatching G Gundam

[Chris]

I am not trying to make this thread about myself, I simply wondered why someone would rewatch something and so people questioned why I said it and I simply replied.

Now HellCat when do you intend this rewatchathon exactly?

Stop playing stupid. You constantly come into threads and derail them, thus making people talk about you and your points. This is supposed to be the "rewatching G Gundam thread" not the "let's explain to Duel a simple concept that he pretends he doesn't understand."

[JulieYBM]

I started a re-watch (or an actual watch, I guess) a few months back. Yesterday I watched episode #3. I have to say, for a formulatic first set of episodes the opening arc is very fast-paced. Not a scene in episode #3 felt wasted and I absolutely enjoyed the voice performances. Yamaguchi Kappei's Sai-saishi is very nuanced, which is to be expected of an actor so well versed in shifting his inflictions and energy levels. It really helps give me something to grab onto with the character. Most of all, though, is Seki Tomokazu. That guy is a beast and is so damned good at his pigeon-holed roles it doesn't matter that all he ever plays is troubled young men (Van, Domon, Miyata, the list goes on). Then again, he's also the voice of the Gokai Mobirates, so I guess there's that.

I'm also not finding myself too upset by the lack of animation. Whenever Sunrise does use a cheat to get around having to animate much they at least follow it up with actual animation, which is nice. I finished a rewatch of Shin Kidou Senki Gundam Wing recently and it seemed to me that it had higher quality animation, though. Hmm...

[DuelGundam2099]

In my defense I was not pretending. With that I say sorry to HellCat for unintentional derailment.

I don't quite think so. Based on evidence, Imagawa and his staff are to thank for how it turned out. Bandai Sunrise basically just wanted a tournament show with tons of Gundams. It was the actual show team that realised that was a terrible concept and created the Devil Gundam plot and pushed for more varied mecha designs.

It shows, up until Pharaoh Gundam shows up and leads to the destruction of Tokyo arc there really wasn't much to the series itself and the early finals episodes pale in comparison to the final nine eps.

[schwarz ritter]

OFF-TOPIC: Hey, Duel, remember you got banned from EvaGeeks for this?

ON-TOPIC: If I were to rank G-Gundam in my list, it'd be #5, at least. I love how goofy it is, how it breaks the "real robot" schtick and the romance...Oh God, one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, love stories I've ever seen in a mecha anime. And I love Domon's development as a character: from hot headed douche to hotheaded pure hero.

And DAT finale.

I'm seriously going to copycat HellCat and give it a rewatch myself, once I finish rewatching Zeta, that is.

[DuelGundam2099]

OFF-TOPIC: Hey, Duel, remember you got banned from EvaGeeks for this?

*squints eyes* Fireball, is that you? Also no.

Edit: Nope, wrong person since FB never saw Galactic Heroes, you could be TankRed though.

[LightningCount]

G-Gundam is definitely one of my favorites. Sometimes the more outlandish concepts are hard to jump into when you come from another Gundam series, but I do think it retains something of a Gundam flavor. Domon is a great lead as far as I'm concerned, and the family drama that ensues is some of the most emotional outside of 0080.

Honestly, some series are worth revisiting over and over again--whether it be for art, story, characters, fights, clarity, or mechanical designs. G-Gundam is definitely one of those, particularly with all the globetrotting. It's also one of those series that you don't have to invest in rewatching all of it, either; you can watch an episode here or there and get added value, because a lot of the individual tales are so interesting. And as was said, rewatching, you pick up new things. (Rewatching Gundam 00 Season 1 three times has made me quite a fan of it; though, I can't say the same for Season 2). With G-Gundam, one of the things I've noticed from rewatching it is its use of artistically framing its scenes. The use of camera to show scale and set a mood is stirring, much more so than many Gundam series. (Some of these dynamic cinematic techniques of angles, light, and shadow carry over to Wing).

You said Victory transitions well into G, and I can see that on some levels from what little I've seen of V. But I think that G, Wing, and X really transition into one another very well. Each one carries strong traces of one another in terms of camera techniques, mechanical design, and art design. It's a pretty distinct period of Gundam history (perhaps my favorite period of Gundam TV series, as they attempt to capture the essence of UC Gundam's strengths while modernizing them and innovating them with twists). Anyway, enjoy!

[YazanGable]

It really helps give me something to grab onto with the character. Most of all, though, is Seki Tomokazu. That guy is a beast and is so damned good at his pigeon-holed roles it doesn't matter that all he ever plays is troubled young men (Van, Domon, Miyata, the list goes on).

To his credit, Tomache Massarik was pretty on the ball...but then, that was one of his earlier roles and a side character, so there ya go.

...and speaking of, got G lined up next for when I finish rewatching Victory. Been a long time since I last sat down with the show, so it should be interesting to see how it holds up now.

[HellCat]

The thank that he played Tomache is actually a weird factor for this rewatch. How must it have felt to be a secondary character in one show and the lead in the very next?
The dubs get alot of criticism for actor reuse but there's clearly alot of it on the Japanese side. Which leads to fun gags like Bernie being taught Tohofuhai style to combat ALEX :p Of course G may well have been the start of 'Bring an idealistic former lead's VA back to play the villain'.

[JulieYBM]

The thank that he played Tomache is actually a weird factor for this rewatch. How must it have felt to be a secondary character in one show and the lead in the very next?
The dubs get alot of criticism for actor reuse but there's clearly alot of it on the Japanese side. Which leads to fun gags like Bernie being taught Tohofuhai style to combat ALEX :p Of course G may well have been the start of 'Bring an idealistic former lead's VA back to play the villain'.

Oh yeah, I just hit episode #6 today. Having Tobita Nobuo voice Ulube was a nice addition. The man has some great acting range, considering his main Bleach role is the complete opposite of Kamille and Ulube.

Speaking of episode #6, it's a great turning point in the series. Having Commander Ginyuu...I mean, Hori Hideyuki voice Kyouji was a nice casting choice, considering his experience as Momotarou from Otokojuku. I can't wait to see how he handles the difference between Kyouji and Schwartz.

Also, they got Aono Takeshi for Birdman! I'm not sure if he ever returns, but I loved seeing Aono get to DeForest Kelly it up for an episode. I'm glad that this series was in production back when the veterans were all still being cast regularly.

[G-Slayer]

I also want to rewatch the show for the Japanese voice acting. I've heard Wing's original audio track for the first time on DVD and it was a completely different experience from watching the dubbed version of the show.

I'd also like for somebody to identify the civilian mechs that try messing with Domon Episode 29, the same mechs that botch the Jet Stream Attack? Even MAHQ and Wikia has nothing on 'em.

[JulieYBM]

I also want to rewatch the show for the Japanese voice acting. I've heard Wing's original audio track for the first time on DVD and it was a completely different experience from watching the dubbed version of the show.

I finished Wing recently, too. Relena was actually a likable character...for about thirty episodes.

I also love how Fujiwara Keiji voiced at least one background character in every episode.

[Newtype87]

I'd also like for somebody to identify the civilian mechs that try messing with Domon Episode 29, the same mechs that botch the Jet Stream Attack? Even MAHQ and Wikia has nothing on 'em.

While it's not the BEST form of information (typos and mistranslations and misplacements abound, they even mix up the Shuffle members), according to my copy of the G Gundam technical manual, it's called the Konshi.

[JulieYBM]

Man, Seki Tomokazu is a genius in this series. One minute he's the hotblooded, stubborn manly-man Domon, and the next he's giving Oscar worthy performances as a a vulnerable young man. Domon's plea to Argo to safe Rain in episode #8 is un-restrained passion like I wouldn't have expected so early on in the series. Similarly, Domon's reaction to meeting the Touhoufuhai again is simply touching. I'm halfway into episode #12 as I write this and I can only imagine how painful the eventual revelation of the Touhoufuhai's betrayal is for a man like Domon.

[HellCat]

I like how after episode 6 we get a group of episodes that reunites Domon with his future allies. It gives the show a chance to explore these characters some more and also show Domon's smarts off. These episodes are part of the reason I can't understand why people see Domon as a dumb thug. He's brash but we get to see here he's actually pretty cunning with schemes like freeing Chico and how he beats Graham. I get the feeling this is something he picked up from his master and an attitude I can relate to. It's great when you can just be honest with someone and they hear you out but sometimes the only route is to let someone think less of you to get things moving. With a character like Domon, this perhaps foreshadows that he's always thinking like a fighter, a fact he'll lament in the finale.

I also like the attitude to other cultures. Sure there's stereotyping but we barely get to see Neo-Japan and when we do it's not cast in a positive light. Compare to other 'world tournament' anime where Japan is treated as normal and every other country is bland stereotypes. This is arguably a factor with the AU shows that would come after too; Bandai/Sunrise seem to insist on the main character being at least partly Japanese, a factor that wasn't really ever in play in UC.

[JulieYBM]

Yeah, I like the second arc, too. It's a nice formula of having episode #1 being the introductory episode, #2-5 introducing the rivals, #6 advancing the plot, #7-10 advancing the rivals, episode #11 advancing Domon/Rain (huh, her name really was the English word), and then #12 returning to advancing the main plot. I haven't gotten past episode #12 yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing how this formula continues and if they continued to give each rival an episode to play advance. Hmm...

[teslashark]

I like how after episode 6 we get a group of episodes that reunites Domon with his future allies. It gives the show a chance to explore these characters some more and also show Domon's smarts off. These episodes are part of the reason I can't understand why people see Domon as a dumb thug. He's brash but we get to see here he's actually pretty cunning with schemes like freeing Chico and how he beats Graham. I get the feeling this is something he picked up from his master and an attitude I can relate to. It's great when you can just be honest with someone and they hear you out but sometimes the only route is to let someone think less of you to get things moving. With a character like Domon, this perhaps foreshadows that he's always thinking like a fighter, a fact he'll lament in the finale.

I also like the attitude to other cultures. Sure there's stereotyping but we barely get to see Neo-Japan and when we do it's not cast in a positive light. Compare to other 'world tournament' anime where Japan is treated as normal and every other country is bland stereotypes. This is arguably a factor with the AU shows that would come after too; Bandai/Sunrise seem to insist on the main character being at least partly Japanese, a factor that wasn't really ever in play in UC.

This is what they call "equal oppurtunity caricature"s.

[Toxicity]

G Gundam was awesome. Too bad we'll never see Gundam Fight 14.

[Kuruni]

There is manga call The Next Generation, but I think it end with Domon's pupil win his place as Neo Japan's Gundam Fighter.

[InjuredPelican]

I recently began rewatching as well, and I am surprised by Domon's cunning. He is much smarter then people give him credit for. But then he also knows how to fly off the handle too. He's kind of chaotic, but in a way you can predict, if that makes any sense. Very fun protagonist. And Chibodee is awesome. I thought it was sad though that he did the worst against Domon in their initial fight. Hopefully I get back to it soon.

[JulieYBM]

Wow. I was in the middle of watching episode #13 and the stream stopped. When I refreshed the video was set on private. I guess it makes sense, seeing as how Bandai shuts down this month.