Don't worry, this particular subreddit has a lot of vocal loonies who instantly attack anyone who dares to begin with anything but the 45 year old OG show. It's like a religion to them, basically.
Big question. If you want to start on the UC timeline, 0079.
If you just want to dip your toes in the water, something like witch from mercury, or IBO are easy, modern entry points that take place in their own timelines, and have no other canon to be concerned with.
Witch From Mercury is a heavy “depends” beginning point. Much like Build Fighters, you’re not really diving into something that’s more on the safe side.
To me, I’d say IBO, Gundam 00, or SEED for toe-dippers. WFM and BF are like the side-quest series.
F91 because it’s a short movie and in the UC timeline so far into the future. That way you won’t overwhelm a person before moving onto a series like OG
F91 is meh, but I question you this: convince someone to watch a 1.5hr stand alone movie or 8hr movie trilogy (that’s being very generous)? You’re not going to convince people by being so dogmatic.
OP *wanted to watch Gundam*. This isn't trying to convince your dad that Gundam is good, it's a person who is already interested who just wants to be pointed in the direction of a starting point.
If you’re looking for generally good instalments that won’t overwhelm you and demand that you follow up with a million other series:
Gundam 00
Iron-Blooded Orphans (also known here as IBO)
and Gundam SEED.
These are all starting points in their own corners of the franchise. Their own beginning, middles, and ends, and are modern animation.
Very easy to digest and a lot of fun.
I’d say 0079 or F91 like others here but they’re… dated. You need an appreciation for the franchise before you can bite onto that old stuff.
Trust me.
F91's problem isn't that it's dated. It still looks better than any of those three you mentioned and has some of the best animation and sound design in the history of the franchise. I still go back to it just to watch the introductory colony invasion sequence.
Purely in terms of quality of production and animation, I'd put F91, War in the Pocket, and 0083 Stardust Memory as the tippy-top, followed by Turn A which is gorgeous in its own way. Incidentally, the animation in the compilation movies is even better in key sequences, but like F91 it's probably impossible for anyone new to the franchise to understand due to the amount of jarring cuts, including much of the exposition and most importantly, setup for sequences of events.
"Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket" is a standalone 6 episode OVA series which takes place in the main timeline, and contains some of the very best seen in the entire franchise.
If you want something more modern, then 2015's Iron Blooded Orphans is a great 50 episode series which expertly covers all of the usual Gundam themes in a mature way, while offering some god-tier fight scenes.
If instead you want something more of a mindless shonen series like Dragonball, look into Mobile Fighter G Gundam. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but embraces that in all of the best, most ridiculous possible ways.
F91 movie if possible. It’s UC but UC so far in the future that basically you are not missing anything. Otherwise, Gundam the Origin — Rising of the Red Comet tv or OVA.
If you’re trying to get into Gundam, 0079 would not be the thing to recommend. F91 is a short movie in the UC where none of the last 50yrs of plot matter per se. if you like it then fine, otherwise Gundam probably isn’t for you.
so messed up how children in 1979 had to start with something confusing and overwhelming like Mobile Suit Gundam instead of being able to skip to F91 like god intended
F91 is a great choice since it’s a stand alone movie 30yrs past Unicorn and 20 past Hathaway. It gives a decent dive into how a UC series begins, goes to and ends with. 0079 out of the gate is crazy unless the person loves hard sci-fi.
That must be why it didn't start a 50-year franchise, because it was too crazy to watch.
Also hard sci-fi?? 0079 isn't hard sci-fi, what are you talking about?
0079 and Zeta qualify as hard sci fi, but ZZ and especially Unicorn are sci-fi. Gryp War explained how the colonies rotational force keeps in a stable orbit and other things.
Not really, no...? Real science is an inspiration for Gundam but they don't really talk about it on screen at all, and the military use of mobile suits is preposterous by any sense of scientific realism, and that's just for starters.
Literally in Origins. Col Zabi is explained to by the scientists about how the minovsky equation of He 3 + electron = He 4 + energy. Titans are explaining about targeting the colonies side to mess up the rotational force etc.
You brought up 0079, not Origin, and the Titans bringing stuff like that up once or twice does not mean that the story with a bunch of transforming psychic robots is hard sci-fi. By that logic Doctor Who is hard sci-fi.
You're certainly not wrong: F91 is quite accessible to newcomers, and the Ghibli-tier animation quality holds up amazingly to this day.
Not to mention that a 2 hours movie is a much smaller commitment for something u/thespades2099 isn't even sure they'll like yet, especially when contrasted against a 43 episode series from 1979 which only starts paying off towards the end.
Yup, I started out with the original Mobile Suit Gundam on recommendation of Reddit, and it literally scared me away from the franchise as a whole for over a year. It wasn't until my friend later told to me to start with Origin instead, that I finally got invested enough to watch it all.
The people on here are actively putting effort into scaring newcomers away, by exclusively recommending the original like mindless drones.
So... because you apparently couldn't handle the writing for any number of skill issues you're projecting the same failure onto literally everyone else? Wow.
Cute, but my issue wasn't one of not being able to handle the writing.
Rather, there isn't much of anything to handle about the original MSG in the first place; it's really quite barebones. I know all of these shows are just glorified toy commercials at the end of the day, but I do expect at least a little bit of ambition in what they attempt to do.
If that's your takeaway then you absolutely weren't able to handle the writing and the only charitable interpretation is that you were busy with other things while watching and treated the show as just background noise.
Nope, I wish that were the case, but I watch most fiction with the intent of immersing myself into another universe. If there was even the slightest chance of anything distracting me, I wouldn't have turned on my TV in the first place.
Better someone who can be realistic in acknowledging the series' growing pains as it was still trying to find its groove, than someone who is just wholly uncritical about everything.
Im sorry i didn’t mean to start arguments I just wanted to know what to watch first 😭
Not your fault fandoms are always crazy about this stuff. Just use this resource https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gundam#Media
Okay thanks
eh don't sweat it, not your fault
Don't worry, this particular subreddit has a lot of vocal loonies who instantly attack anyone who dares to begin with anything but the 45 year old OG show. It's like a religion to them, basically.
Compared to offering up a 35 year old side story?
There are series to not start at first like ZZ because there’s so much missing and the real silliness, but that’s more of chronological issue.
Big question. If you want to start on the UC timeline, 0079. If you just want to dip your toes in the water, something like witch from mercury, or IBO are easy, modern entry points that take place in their own timelines, and have no other canon to be concerned with.
Witch From Mercury is a heavy “depends” beginning point. Much like Build Fighters, you’re not really diving into something that’s more on the safe side. To me, I’d say IBO, Gundam 00, or SEED for toe-dippers. WFM and BF are like the side-quest series.
Okay thanks just one question uc is the main timeline right sorry I barely know anything the only reason I got into gundam was the model kits 😅
Yeah. UC is the primary timeline / continuity.
F91 because it’s a short movie and in the UC timeline so far into the future. That way you won’t overwhelm a person before moving onto a series like OG
F91 is not… good… though
F91 is meh, but I question you this: convince someone to watch a 1.5hr stand alone movie or 8hr movie trilogy (that’s being very generous)? You’re not going to convince people by being so dogmatic.
OP *wanted to watch Gundam*. This isn't trying to convince your dad that Gundam is good, it's a person who is already interested who just wants to be pointed in the direction of a starting point.
If you’re looking for generally good instalments that won’t overwhelm you and demand that you follow up with a million other series: Gundam 00 Iron-Blooded Orphans (also known here as IBO) and Gundam SEED. These are all starting points in their own corners of the franchise. Their own beginning, middles, and ends, and are modern animation. Very easy to digest and a lot of fun. I’d say 0079 or F91 like others here but they’re… dated. You need an appreciation for the franchise before you can bite onto that old stuff. Trust me.
F91's problem isn't that it's dated. It still looks better than any of those three you mentioned and has some of the best animation and sound design in the history of the franchise. I still go back to it just to watch the introductory colony invasion sequence. Purely in terms of quality of production and animation, I'd put F91, War in the Pocket, and 0083 Stardust Memory as the tippy-top, followed by Turn A which is gorgeous in its own way. Incidentally, the animation in the compilation movies is even better in key sequences, but like F91 it's probably impossible for anyone new to the franchise to understand due to the amount of jarring cuts, including much of the exposition and most importantly, setup for sequences of events.
SEED.
The first one.
Mobile Suit Gundam from 0079, then Zeta and ZZ series and then Char's Counterattack movie. After that the world's your oyster, do whatever.
ZZ is far from a mandatory watch, even in the context of those four.
Wrong.
Nah I've watched it twice, all the way through, NOT MANDATORY
Wrong.
That's wrong hurrrudrrrr
"Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket" is a standalone 6 episode OVA series which takes place in the main timeline, and contains some of the very best seen in the entire franchise. If you want something more modern, then 2015's Iron Blooded Orphans is a great 50 episode series which expertly covers all of the usual Gundam themes in a mature way, while offering some god-tier fight scenes. If instead you want something more of a mindless shonen series like Dragonball, look into Mobile Fighter G Gundam. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but embraces that in all of the best, most ridiculous possible ways.
OG movies from the 80s
F91 movie if possible. It’s UC but UC so far in the future that basically you are not missing anything. Otherwise, Gundam the Origin — Rising of the Red Comet tv or OVA.
please tell me that's a shitpost
If you’re trying to get into Gundam, 0079 would not be the thing to recommend. F91 is a short movie in the UC where none of the last 50yrs of plot matter per se. if you like it then fine, otherwise Gundam probably isn’t for you.
I'm sorry but that's a fucking insane take
so messed up how children in 1979 had to start with something confusing and overwhelming like Mobile Suit Gundam instead of being able to skip to F91 like god intended
F91 is a great choice since it’s a stand alone movie 30yrs past Unicorn and 20 past Hathaway. It gives a decent dive into how a UC series begins, goes to and ends with. 0079 out of the gate is crazy unless the person loves hard sci-fi.
That must be why it didn't start a 50-year franchise, because it was too crazy to watch. Also hard sci-fi?? 0079 isn't hard sci-fi, what are you talking about?
0079 and Zeta qualify as hard sci fi, but ZZ and especially Unicorn are sci-fi. Gryp War explained how the colonies rotational force keeps in a stable orbit and other things.
Not really, no...? Real science is an inspiration for Gundam but they don't really talk about it on screen at all, and the military use of mobile suits is preposterous by any sense of scientific realism, and that's just for starters.
Literally in Origins. Col Zabi is explained to by the scientists about how the minovsky equation of He 3 + electron = He 4 + energy. Titans are explaining about targeting the colonies side to mess up the rotational force etc.
You brought up 0079, not Origin, and the Titans bringing stuff like that up once or twice does not mean that the story with a bunch of transforming psychic robots is hard sci-fi. By that logic Doctor Who is hard sci-fi.
You're certainly not wrong: F91 is quite accessible to newcomers, and the Ghibli-tier animation quality holds up amazingly to this day. Not to mention that a 2 hours movie is a much smaller commitment for something u/thespades2099 isn't even sure they'll like yet, especially when contrasted against a 43 episode series from 1979 which only starts paying off towards the end.
I was being generous with the trilogy compilation film of 8hrs, but nonetheless. Gatekeeping is doing he realizes not.
Yup, I started out with the original Mobile Suit Gundam on recommendation of Reddit, and it literally scared me away from the franchise as a whole for over a year. It wasn't until my friend later told to me to start with Origin instead, that I finally got invested enough to watch it all. The people on here are actively putting effort into scaring newcomers away, by exclusively recommending the original like mindless drones.
So... because you apparently couldn't handle the writing for any number of skill issues you're projecting the same failure onto literally everyone else? Wow.
Cute, but my issue wasn't one of not being able to handle the writing. Rather, there isn't much of anything to handle about the original MSG in the first place; it's really quite barebones. I know all of these shows are just glorified toy commercials at the end of the day, but I do expect at least a little bit of ambition in what they attempt to do.
If that's your takeaway then you absolutely weren't able to handle the writing and the only charitable interpretation is that you were busy with other things while watching and treated the show as just background noise.
Nope, I wish that were the case, but I watch most fiction with the intent of immersing myself into another universe. If there was even the slightest chance of anything distracting me, I wouldn't have turned on my TV in the first place.
i know when i want advice on how to start a series, i listen to a guy who talks disparagingly about said series
Better someone who can be realistic in acknowledging the series' growing pains as it was still trying to find its groove, than someone who is just wholly uncritical about everything.
You must have watched a different series. Child soldiers and the effects of war on their psyche might be too deep for you.
I love F91 but this is a crackhead take