By Chris Snellgrove
| Printed
Generally, an anime has launched so many various exhibits and films through the years that it’s troublesome for a brand new fan to know the place to begin. There could also be no higher offender than the Gundam franchise: it began approach again in 1979, and there are actually a staggering 51 completely different sequence to look at.
If you happen to’d like to leap into this iconic mecha sequence and don’t know the place to begin, then we’d advocate that you just begin with 1995’s Cell Go well with Gundam Wing, probably the most widespread sequence within the franchise. Right here’s what you must know to turn out to be a Gundam fan.
Cell Go well with Gundam Wing As A Beginning Level
Relying in your age, one purpose to begin with Cell Go well with Gundam Wing is that you just may have already got some familiarity with the characters and setting. Again within the ‘90s, Toonami introduced this cartoon to followers, and it surprisingly grew to become a a lot larger hit within the West than it ever was again in Japan.
Briefly, even having half-hazy reminiscences of watching this present after college or in its many Cartoon Community reruns will make it simpler to dive into from the start fairly than beginning a distinct present altogether.
One of many different causes Cell Go well with Gundam Wing is ideal for newbies is identical purpose that older followers generally scoff on the sequence: it takes place in a separate universe that’s a lot less complicated and simpler to grasp than the Common Century (U.C.) timeline.
That timeline is a fan favourite, however to grasp it, it’s important to watch about 17 completely different sequence (that’s virtually as unhealthy as catching up on One Piece). In contrast, Cell Go well with Gundam Wing is a self-contained universe that also introduces you to many ideas within the U.C. timeline, so you may both take pleasure in it by itself or deal with it as a form of appetizer to your major Gundam entree.
Beginning with Gundam Wing provides you an opportunity to relive anime historical past in a really highly effective approach.
Moreover, we advocate beginning the franchise with Cell Go well with Gundam Wing as a result of its characters and story are extra simply grasped by common audiences. For instance, this was the primary franchise entry that primarily targeted on younger characters, giving us teenage protagonists that the present’s creators meant to attraction to a brand new era of followers.
Whereas that attraction was restricted again in Japan, Western audiences who had grown up watching Voltron and Energy Rangers immediately related with this story of youngsters utilizing big robots to battle for a greater future.
Whereas hardcore anime followers will yell at us for watching dubbed exhibits, one more reason to begin with Cell Go well with Gundam Wing is that it has a extremely nice English voice forged. David Kaye, for instance, turns Treize Kushrenada into the form of excellent asshole everybody likes to hate, and Brian Drummond is ideal to voice Zechs Merquise, an enemy warrior along with his personal strict code of honor.
We now have to provide props to Campbell Lane because the narrator. Together with his expertise, even essentially the most fundamental descriptions would inevitably hype you up for the following battle.
A Gundam Mild On Lore And Heavy On Motion
That brings us to the following purpose why you must begin the franchise with Cell Go well with Gundam Wing, and that’s the truth that the present is gentle on lore and heavy on motion. Longtime franchise followers have usually criticized this explicit ratio as a result of they assume that the present transforms a really advanced franchise into one thing easy and splashy.
We advocate beginning the franchise with Cell Go well with Gundam Wing as a result of its characters and story are one thing common audiences can extra simply grasp.
Nonetheless, whenever you’re easing right into a franchise with many years of advanced lore and dozens of various sequence, the truth that mentioned sequence is each action-packed and simple to grasp is an effective factor.
Your Probability To Expertise The Energy Of Anime
Lastly, though will probably be your first sequence within the franchise, beginning with Cell Go well with Gundam Wing provides you an opportunity to relive anime historical past in a really highly effective approach. If this present hadn’t been such a runaway hit on Toonami, then the Gundam franchise would probably have by no means turn out to be widespread in North America within the first place, so that you’ll be watching the sequence that gave the franchise an actual shot within the arm.
Whether or not they’ll admit it or not, most longtime Gundam followers within the West began with Gundam Wing, so that you’ll successfully be beginning the place nearly all of the fandom began.
Finally, Gundam Wing is an ideal entry for anime followers trying to bounce into this long-running franchise. On the similar time, it’s a terrific standalone sequence for anybody in search of large characters, larger mechs, and the most important battles. Simply bear in mind to not say “mission completed” till you’ve watched the entire sequence and the superb OVA Gundam Wing: Infinite Waltz.
