A Beginner's Guide to Mecha (2019)
nypl.org
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2015/12/10/shoji-ka...
HG seems to operate like they own "Mecha" outside of Japan.
https://cfw.sarna.net/wiki/images/thumb/7/7e/TRO_3050r.JPG/2...
Current holders of FASA's IP are getting sued by HG for designs completely unrelated to those, not just the fixed, non-violating versions of the Unseen mechs but completely unrelated original designs.
FASA had a license that they misinterpreted to the point of abuse and they settled that lawsuit ages ago.
Harmony Gold tries to sue tons of companies trying to claim infringement on Macross IP for things that are unrelated. For example, Hasbro is the US licensee of the Transformers IP and HG has tried suing them for violating their Macross rights with _Transformers characters_.
Harmony Gold and its founder act like criminals. That's not hyperbole either, look up their multi-million dollar tax fraud cases.
It's weird to claim that a studio which flagrantly plagiarizes "also has some redeeming original work." It's not like there's this clear line in the creative process that can partition theft, derivative-but-still-infringing, and "merely inspired" homages. Once you commit the original sin of failing to cite your sources, it's all suspect. I don't think HG should take them to court, but I _do_ wish Big West could.
Nobody's stopping Harebrained Schemes or Piranha Games from making that credit. Call me when they do. What's wild is that FASA _used to_ (Studio Nue _produced the Japanese BattleTech handbook_: http://www.gearsonline.net/series/battletech/), and then changed their tune when it became clear that it was a legal liability to, you know, admit to being plagiarists.
BTW Hasbro _did_ market the Macross Strike Valkyrie as a Transformer, "Jetfire."
To discount the whole of other original work that has been done in the decades indicates more fanaticism than just a strong bias on your part and honestly I find despicable. I won't discuss this with you further.
I enjoyed MWO a bit. But after sooo long it didn't go anywhere other than team deathmatch.
Really?!? A whole universe of lore. Of heroic stories and legendary characters. Many novels (some better than others admittedly) in the same universe. A whole aerotech and space warfare angle never properly explored.
So. Friggin'. Much. They. Could. Do.
And they stopped at team deathmatch.
The owners strangled the IP with zero ambition and maximum "for the dollar" care...
HBS - who seem to be good at the story telling side - seem to be convincing them otherwise but it is well past due.
Played Battletech game for many hours. Much of it with mods made by the people who care.
I am still waiting to buy the latest Mechwarrior, after it comes out on Steam. And after the modders fix it. Maybe September.
The HBS game is great in a lot of ways and it's a shame that they didn't build it a little bit more flexibly to be a tabletop-replacement. MegaMek is really long in the tooth.
The lore is damn near unapproachable at this point if you didn't come up with it alongside the game, especially with today's cultural sensibilities. Much of it boils down to "space racists". I think it's best to treat with broad brush strokes.
I agree that the "nation per house" theme has dated poorly but you may note I was talking more about the characters and stories. Most of which are not house royalty.
The story telling potential is there and could allow for such a variety of gameplay experiences the sky is the limit.
I have hopes that HBS peoples will gain control of the IP and leave the original owners to do "Stan Lee"-like cameos...
https://myanimelist.net/anime/949/Top_wo_Nerae_Gunbuster
PS: Pay no attention to its sequel Gunbuster 2
It's probably one of the best PC games I've ever played, and at the time was magical. The game was very well done; stylistic and atmospheric excellence. Monolith knocked it out of the park.
To my knowledge there's been nothing like it since. It's a shame, because the market would eat it right up.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogo:_Mobile_Armor_Division
[1] https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/videogame-helped-...
(I want to reiterate that these are not in any way recommendations or endorsements. I watched and enjoyed many of these shows, but also dropped or never began several because of the questionable nature of one or more of their aspects.)
Edit: Bubuki Buranki. Everyone always forgets Bubuki Buranki.
You kinda piqued my interest here: Which one has what objectionable content?
I jest. But, to be specific: Valvrave and Cross Ange were criticized for their depictions of rape; several series feature racy imagery, sometimes of underage characters (including the otherwise fantastic Gargantia - skip the dance scene); AoT, IBO, and a few others skirt some politically-sensitive material. And, frankly, a good number of the shows mentioned end up being offensively mediocre, squandering some quite strong openings (Rideback and Aldnoah.Zero especially). Probably the most objectionable thing of all.
I dunno where we go after TTGL as far as Super Robot goes. It finally defined and crystallized the essence of that genre - the GAR - and in its thorough reconstruction didn't leave much room. You basically have to introduce real elements to not be a retread. I am glad we got Pacific Rim, that was close. If Super Robot gets its character from emotional directness and intensity, you might have to follow TTGL with something more Ideon or Bokurano-like, turned up to 11.
I think leaning into super robot tropes might be the thing, rather than some mix of real robot shows. It's not like those are doing any better in the market right now.
My take on it as well. The titans are not robots, but they're mecha-size creatures, and their pilots have a designated cockpit, which they open occasionally to interact with others. The other classic mecha scene is the take from inside the cockpit, so you can see the pilot's reactions.
It's a weird mix of mecha and gore.
Factions include the "Tagers," a group of warriors who work for the mysterious Eldritch Society and bond with alien symbionts that produce alien-like suits of flesh over their bodies, giving them enhanced strength and other abilities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CthulhuTech
These are basically flesh mecha, though it's been a while since I read the rulebook and I don't remember if they're large or small. Anycase I wonder if they could have been an inspiration for the titans.
[SPOILER SPOILER] There is a hint of alien provenance of the titans on the AoT world. That thing that looks like a slug?
Edit: Oops. It's really been a while since I read the Cthulutech manual. The bio-mecha are the New Earth Government's Engels, which are Evangelion-big, with pilots always on the cusp of insanity:
Engels are giant monstrous creatures fused with human and Nazzadi DNA, encased in locking mecha armour, and controlled by a pilot sitting inside a uterine-like control chamber within the Engel. They are essentially organic mecha. The pilot controls the Engel via the Engel Synthesis Interface, or ESI, and often bonds emotionally with it during their service lifetime. Engels have been known to go on rampages provoked by bloodlust or strong emotions, and consequently are considered very dangerous battlefield weapons.
Sadly Mecha is indeed mostly dead. I'm not sure where you can take the Super Robot genre after TTGL, GaoGaiGar and Getter Robo: Armageddon.
The most popular Gundam shows as of late have been the Build shows and honestly I don't mind in the slightest. They're so fun.
The suggestions in the link are really weird though. It's like a real surface understanding targeted at people who only have been watching Anime for a decade or less. There's tons more good stuff worth watching and mostly from the 80s.
What about the real robot genre? Gundam shows are great because they seem to be grounded in reality despite all the futuristic technology. It's so fun just observing the immense attention to detail the creators put into their work.
The Build shows buck this trend and are a huge success. And model kits are selling more than ever.
The apetite for those stories just isn't there anymore.
It certainly includes big robots as a plot point, but that's really just a backdrop for the character drama and deeper (and pretty heavy at times) emotional themes of the story. Things get very avant-garde towards the end, and the studio producing the series basically ran out of money to animate the last few episodes so you'll have to jump between the movie adaptations if you want a complete experience. I'd still probably recommend at least giving it a try sometime, as it's personally one of my favorite anime series and a landmark work in the medium as a whole.
Also, it’s very confusing at the end, for the reasons mentioned above.
I saw the series when I was a teenager it first aired on Australian television (SBS) in late 90's it had a profound impact on me growing up. I'd never seen anything like it before then and it absolutely blew me away.
I personally think the whole series in an absolute masterwork. I do agree with the original commenter though it is kind of an outlier amongst mecha genre.
In an odd way, it's the same lightning-in-a-bottle formula that made the Golden Era of The Simpsons so endearing: a deconstruction of a worn-out formula coupled with shameless-yet-tasteful references to other media.
The remake is sorely deficient in both cicadas and power line hum.
Like "B movies" this was "B television". Easy to dismiss — but having seen the series again (with horrible dubbing) as an adult, I can see now why young me was attracted to it: there was an attempt at a story arc across the series with the robot becoming more human and less machine-like by the end (in fact, disobeying a direct order in the final episode).
There was something kind of weird and wild about the times when small, independent television stations across the midwest would try to go toe to toe with the "Big Three" by importing "Speed Racer", "Ultraman", and other bargain television from overseas for the after-school time slot.
I too love Giant Robo and Ultraman. Kamen Rider is still worth getting into, in my opinion.
Also, you may enjoy watching this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Robo:_The_Day_the_Earth_...
While I don't think mecha will ever be on its way out, it is concerning that many of the recent works keeping the genre afloat are from established properties like Gundam and Evangelion. I can't think of any original series after TTGL (and, by extension, Pacific Rim) that really piqued my interest. It's a shame considering how dominant it used to be; Astro Boy was a prototype not just for the mecha genre, but for anime as a medium.
Gundam Unicorn is beautifully animated and very detailed. I notice something new every time I watch it. Very fun and a great introduction to the genre.
Netflix sometimes(?) carries "Knights of Sidonia". I only ever saw season 1, but I was really surprised by how bad (IMO, obviously) the animation was [0].
It reinforced my perception that "Netflix Original" was a mark of poor quality.
[0] And my standards are probably lower than most of this crowd. I barely noticed the animation quality of Arifureta, because of how much I liked that series' other aspects.
I bought a very tiny one (SD) with a friend when we were in Taiwan based off of his knowledge and I love how they look. I want to convince myself (and my wife) that I should be getting a bigger MG piece.
I don't think you need cultural significance as a supporting argument: the better Gunpla kits are good toys, with more accessories and better poseability than most dolls, a fun introduction to model kits, and a nice presence to stand guard on a shelf.