G Gundam pimping post
Apr. 19th, 2026 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
embraceyourinnerdorkSaving this here for posterity.
You ever think the Olympics could use some giant robots? Well, this beauty from 1994 has that plus beautiful athletes in latex, wuxia magic, and all the hot-blooded emotional moments you could ask for! Welcome to G Gundam, the first alternate universe in the Gundam franchise.
Setting: Earth has been ravaged by war, so all the nations created space colonies, and everyone who could afford it fled to them. In order to try and 'fix' the problem of war, they have decided to settle their differences by way of the Gundam Fight. The Fight happens every four years, and calls for every country to send a Gundam and a fighter to control it with a motion-capture cockpit, and they spend a year battling it out, and the last one standing gives his nation the right to rule all the others for the next four years.
Earth is the ring.
The other thing to know is the presence of a secret quasi-mystical society called the Shuffle Alliance, which has existed throughout time for the purpose of overseeing wars and making sure humanity survives. There are five at any given time, mapped to card ranks, and they are magically 'chosen' rather than deciding to join.
Domon Kasshu, a young martial artist and the Shuffle Alliance's newest King of Hearts, didn't choose to represent Neo-Japan in the Gundam Fight; the military chose him, so that he could apprehend his fugitive brother Kyoji - who has run off with a top-secret nanotech weapon - without involving anyone else, and they promise that if Domon wins the tournament, they will release his father from cryogenic prison. With his childhood friend Rain as his crew, Domon has to find his brother and fight his way to the top, only to find that the stolen weapon has taken on a life of its own...
It's 49 episodes long, and can be legally found on Crunchyroll for the sub and Internet Archive for the dub.
The characters are so dang charming, you guys. This show celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. It's very impassioned power-of-friendship/love stuff, and even at its most logically ridiculous really lands the emotional beats to sell the scene. Pure pathos, really. (Non-spoilery examples of this include the entire concept of "communicating with your fists", the empathic bond between the Shuffle Alliance, tears from every one of our leads, a couple different spins on the classic "I know you're in there" fight, and the moment you realize that Domon's pre-attack speeches are actually pretty poetic.) Also, though it runs on Rule of Cool a lot, it is still a Gundam series, so it's no stranger to politics, having something surprisingly poignant to say about humanity, societal inequality, and our beloved planet Earth.
(Content warnings: Death, animated violence, PTSD, brainwashing, a nanotech-virus, occasional zombies, some dystopian elements, and some racially insensitive attitudes in the narrative [but not from the characters])
Let's meet the cast!
Team Neo Japan:
Domon Kasshu is our intrepid main character, and holds rank King of Hearts. He is 20 at the start of the Fight, and has been training as a fighter since he was 10. His father was sentenced to stasis by the government for alleged treason, and he wants to win so he can make a bid to reverse that. He broods quite a bit, but his anger is too red-hot to let that stay for long. He's LOUD and PASSIONATE and FEELS A LOT OF THINGS and SHOUTS A LOT. He's also a giant child sometimes, and that's not always a bad thing, particularly when he interacts with children. Also, he has a suit-up sequence to rival Sailor Moon. He pilots Shining Gundam, which true to hero form is kind of generic.
Rain Mikamura is Domon's crew, serving as both medic and mechanic. They were childhood friends, at least until Domon was taken away to train in the wilderness for ten years. She is proof positive that a woman can be very feminine and still be a kickass scientist (educated in medicine and engineering, and isn't half bad with a stun gun!). She's smart and kind and gentle... except around Domon, whose insensitivity she has little patience for. Also, though she's not trained per se, she can handle a Gundam if need be.
Team Neo America:
Chibodee Crockett is also 20, and holds rank Queen of Spades. He actually grew up an orphan on Earth (specifically NYC), but was discovered by talent scouts after a street fight and taken to the colony to be trained. He makes a name for himself as a professional boxer, and is undefeated by the start of the Fight. He is literally the rags-to-riches American Dream, and he seizes that, aiming to win the Fight as a symbol to give hope to those still living on Earth. He is loud and impulsive and, to coin a character trope, “bravado with a heart of gold”. Wait til you see the ridiculous beauty that is Gundam Maxter. Count how many American stereotypes are crammed in it, I dare you.
His team is composed of four lovely ladies, who also lived on the streets of New York and attempted to escape to the colony by sneaking on his shuttle. They were discovered and almost arrested, but Chibodee recognized something in them that he saw in himself, and offered them jobs with him instead. Shirley Laine (the redhead) is the headstrong team leader, and she and perky Janet Smith (the blonde) are mechanics. Bunny Higgins (in the glasses) keeps up on publicity, reconnaissance, and all-around communications. Cath Ronary is the team medic and voice of reason.
Team Neo France:
George de Sand is 20, and holds rank Jack of Diamonds. He is a self-styled knight and, let's be real, a love letter to Rose of Versailles. He fights for the honor of his country, and for his duty, and maybe a little bit for the love of combat. He is an accomplished fencer, which plays into his fighting style. He leans a little toward ''honor before reason", and is in all ways a gentleman almost to a fault. Though he's very much about romantic gestures, he's notoriously bad at realizing affection toward himself. He has little patience for rulebreakers or crassness. He pilots Gundam Rose, which literally looks like Napoleon and has all its weaponry based around roses.
Raymond Bishop is George's family butler (although George is the only family left), and has declared himself the crew. He actually has a rickety little dummy Gundam of his own that he will get into to help George train, and I kind of think maybe he built it? He is very loyal, though will not stop if he thinks George is doing something wrong, even though he knows he's liable to get steamrolled. Comic relief, but rather paternal.
Marie-Louise is the President's 13-year-old daughter, though she's inexplicably called 'Princess'. She is absolutely enamored of George, and will do anything for him to notice her. But equally powerful is her wanderlust and love of adventure, and she's certainly known to sneak out and cause trouble wherever she goes. She also has zero fear of death. She's frickin' great. Keep an eye on her.
Team Neo China:
Sai Saici is 16, and the youngest competitor in the Fight. He holds rank Ace of Clubs. His grandfather won the Fight back in the day, and he wants to win it to fulfill his late father's quest to revive the Shaolin Temple. He's a little shit, I'm not gonna mince words here. He's a sneak and a troublemaker and a peeping tom and, well, I guess what you might expect from a hyperactive hormonal 16-year-old boy. He's also a really good cook! Also watch his fighting skills. He didn't get in at his age for nothing, man. He pilots Dragon Gundam, which probably has the neatest weapons.
Zuisen and Keiun are Sai's crew, and they are monks who were friends with his father and entrusted to keep him safe. They speak in unison quite a bit, usually in prayer that Sai doesn't wreck things too badly. Honestly I don't blame them. He could stand to listen to them every now and again.
Team Neo Russia:
Argo Gulskii is 26, and holds rank Black Joker. He was once a space pirate, and has had the government offer him a deal - win the Fight for us, and we will release your crew/friends from prison. He agreed for the sake of his friends, and so wound up with plenty of restrictions to be allowed to fight. He has shackles (the chains are holographic/magnetic and deactivate only when he's fighting), a warden, and a bomb strapped to his chest that can be set off if he disobeys. He is a gentle giant, really - and I'm not kidding on the giant part, dude's just over SEVEN FEET TALL and PURE MUSCLE. He doesn't talk much, and is hell on the battlefield, but again, he's really very sweet. He pilots Bolt Gundam, which looks kind of stereotypical and is actually kind of a frankengundam, but that sucker can deal damage.
Nastasha Zabigov is the aforementioned warden, who has control of the bomb and the rest of him. She is clear-headed and tactical and very good at what she does. She discovers over time, however, just how corrupt her government is and how unwilling to listen to logic and reason they are, and finds herself growing closer to her prisoner. She's so great and their arc is lovely and aaaaahhhhh
A few other important faces:
Master Asia is the fighter for Neo Hong Kong, and the man who trained Domon. He's 50, and a silver fox. He formerly held the King of Hearts title. He's so over the top, and such a legendary fighter that the laws of physics don't apply, even when he's not in his Master Gundam, which is pretty cool-looking, and occasionally rides around on a horse gundam, piloted by Master's actual horse. Yes, really.
Schwarz Bruder is the fighter for Neo Germany, and yes he always wears this ridiculous full-face mask. He's pretty shady, but has some wicked techniques, and manages to always be in the right place at the right time, and give Domon plenty of cryptic advice. He pilots Gundam Spiegel.
Allenby Beardsley is the fighter for Neo Sweden, and was trained expressly for the fight from childhood by the military. She's 17. She loves video games and what little freedom she gets, and winds up with a huge crush on the oblivious Domon, mostly because he's the first outside person to be nice to her, and because they're evenly matched in their game. She's pretty spunky and it's great. She pilots Nobel Gundam, and I swear it's literally a giant Sailor Scout robot.
Of course, even within a small fandom I wound up attached to a small ship, so you know what I have? A ship manifesto outlining all their interactions and why I'm so into them. To supplement this (or if you don't feel like reading), here's a pic spam for the ship as well:
You ever think the Olympics could use some giant robots? Well, this beauty from 1994 has that plus beautiful athletes in latex, wuxia magic, and all the hot-blooded emotional moments you could ask for! Welcome to G Gundam, the first alternate universe in the Gundam franchise.
Setting: Earth has been ravaged by war, so all the nations created space colonies, and everyone who could afford it fled to them. In order to try and 'fix' the problem of war, they have decided to settle their differences by way of the Gundam Fight. The Fight happens every four years, and calls for every country to send a Gundam and a fighter to control it with a motion-capture cockpit, and they spend a year battling it out, and the last one standing gives his nation the right to rule all the others for the next four years.
Earth is the ring.
The other thing to know is the presence of a secret quasi-mystical society called the Shuffle Alliance, which has existed throughout time for the purpose of overseeing wars and making sure humanity survives. There are five at any given time, mapped to card ranks, and they are magically 'chosen' rather than deciding to join.
Domon Kasshu, a young martial artist and the Shuffle Alliance's newest King of Hearts, didn't choose to represent Neo-Japan in the Gundam Fight; the military chose him, so that he could apprehend his fugitive brother Kyoji - who has run off with a top-secret nanotech weapon - without involving anyone else, and they promise that if Domon wins the tournament, they will release his father from cryogenic prison. With his childhood friend Rain as his crew, Domon has to find his brother and fight his way to the top, only to find that the stolen weapon has taken on a life of its own...
It's 49 episodes long, and can be legally found on Crunchyroll for the sub and Internet Archive for the dub.
The characters are so dang charming, you guys. This show celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. It's very impassioned power-of-friendship/love stuff, and even at its most logically ridiculous really lands the emotional beats to sell the scene. Pure pathos, really. (Non-spoilery examples of this include the entire concept of "communicating with your fists", the empathic bond between the Shuffle Alliance, tears from every one of our leads, a couple different spins on the classic "I know you're in there" fight, and the moment you realize that Domon's pre-attack speeches are actually pretty poetic.) Also, though it runs on Rule of Cool a lot, it is still a Gundam series, so it's no stranger to politics, having something surprisingly poignant to say about humanity, societal inequality, and our beloved planet Earth.
(Content warnings: Death, animated violence, PTSD, brainwashing, a nanotech-virus, occasional zombies, some dystopian elements, and some racially insensitive attitudes in the narrative [but not from the characters])
Let's meet the cast!
Team Neo Japan:
Domon Kasshu is our intrepid main character, and holds rank King of Hearts. He is 20 at the start of the Fight, and has been training as a fighter since he was 10. His father was sentenced to stasis by the government for alleged treason, and he wants to win so he can make a bid to reverse that. He broods quite a bit, but his anger is too red-hot to let that stay for long. He's LOUD and PASSIONATE and FEELS A LOT OF THINGS and SHOUTS A LOT. He's also a giant child sometimes, and that's not always a bad thing, particularly when he interacts with children. Also, he has a suit-up sequence to rival Sailor Moon. He pilots Shining Gundam, which true to hero form is kind of generic.
Rain Mikamura is Domon's crew, serving as both medic and mechanic. They were childhood friends, at least until Domon was taken away to train in the wilderness for ten years. She is proof positive that a woman can be very feminine and still be a kickass scientist (educated in medicine and engineering, and isn't half bad with a stun gun!). She's smart and kind and gentle... except around Domon, whose insensitivity she has little patience for. Also, though she's not trained per se, she can handle a Gundam if need be.
Team Neo America:
Chibodee Crockett is also 20, and holds rank Queen of Spades. He actually grew up an orphan on Earth (specifically NYC), but was discovered by talent scouts after a street fight and taken to the colony to be trained. He makes a name for himself as a professional boxer, and is undefeated by the start of the Fight. He is literally the rags-to-riches American Dream, and he seizes that, aiming to win the Fight as a symbol to give hope to those still living on Earth. He is loud and impulsive and, to coin a character trope, “bravado with a heart of gold”. Wait til you see the ridiculous beauty that is Gundam Maxter. Count how many American stereotypes are crammed in it, I dare you.
His team is composed of four lovely ladies, who also lived on the streets of New York and attempted to escape to the colony by sneaking on his shuttle. They were discovered and almost arrested, but Chibodee recognized something in them that he saw in himself, and offered them jobs with him instead. Shirley Laine (the redhead) is the headstrong team leader, and she and perky Janet Smith (the blonde) are mechanics. Bunny Higgins (in the glasses) keeps up on publicity, reconnaissance, and all-around communications. Cath Ronary is the team medic and voice of reason.
Team Neo France:
George de Sand is 20, and holds rank Jack of Diamonds. He is a self-styled knight and, let's be real, a love letter to Rose of Versailles. He fights for the honor of his country, and for his duty, and maybe a little bit for the love of combat. He is an accomplished fencer, which plays into his fighting style. He leans a little toward ''honor before reason", and is in all ways a gentleman almost to a fault. Though he's very much about romantic gestures, he's notoriously bad at realizing affection toward himself. He has little patience for rulebreakers or crassness. He pilots Gundam Rose, which literally looks like Napoleon and has all its weaponry based around roses.
Raymond Bishop is George's family butler (although George is the only family left), and has declared himself the crew. He actually has a rickety little dummy Gundam of his own that he will get into to help George train, and I kind of think maybe he built it? He is very loyal, though will not stop if he thinks George is doing something wrong, even though he knows he's liable to get steamrolled. Comic relief, but rather paternal.
Marie-Louise is the President's 13-year-old daughter, though she's inexplicably called 'Princess'. She is absolutely enamored of George, and will do anything for him to notice her. But equally powerful is her wanderlust and love of adventure, and she's certainly known to sneak out and cause trouble wherever she goes. She also has zero fear of death. She's frickin' great. Keep an eye on her.
Team Neo China:
Sai Saici is 16, and the youngest competitor in the Fight. He holds rank Ace of Clubs. His grandfather won the Fight back in the day, and he wants to win it to fulfill his late father's quest to revive the Shaolin Temple. He's a little shit, I'm not gonna mince words here. He's a sneak and a troublemaker and a peeping tom and, well, I guess what you might expect from a hyperactive hormonal 16-year-old boy. He's also a really good cook! Also watch his fighting skills. He didn't get in at his age for nothing, man. He pilots Dragon Gundam, which probably has the neatest weapons.
Zuisen and Keiun are Sai's crew, and they are monks who were friends with his father and entrusted to keep him safe. They speak in unison quite a bit, usually in prayer that Sai doesn't wreck things too badly. Honestly I don't blame them. He could stand to listen to them every now and again.
Team Neo Russia:
Argo Gulskii is 26, and holds rank Black Joker. He was once a space pirate, and has had the government offer him a deal - win the Fight for us, and we will release your crew/friends from prison. He agreed for the sake of his friends, and so wound up with plenty of restrictions to be allowed to fight. He has shackles (the chains are holographic/magnetic and deactivate only when he's fighting), a warden, and a bomb strapped to his chest that can be set off if he disobeys. He is a gentle giant, really - and I'm not kidding on the giant part, dude's just over SEVEN FEET TALL and PURE MUSCLE. He doesn't talk much, and is hell on the battlefield, but again, he's really very sweet. He pilots Bolt Gundam, which looks kind of stereotypical and is actually kind of a frankengundam, but that sucker can deal damage.
Nastasha Zabigov is the aforementioned warden, who has control of the bomb and the rest of him. She is clear-headed and tactical and very good at what she does. She discovers over time, however, just how corrupt her government is and how unwilling to listen to logic and reason they are, and finds herself growing closer to her prisoner. She's so great and their arc is lovely and aaaaahhhhh
A few other important faces:
Master Asia is the fighter for Neo Hong Kong, and the man who trained Domon. He's 50, and a silver fox. He formerly held the King of Hearts title. He's so over the top, and such a legendary fighter that the laws of physics don't apply, even when he's not in his Master Gundam, which is pretty cool-looking, and occasionally rides around on a horse gundam, piloted by Master's actual horse. Yes, really.
Schwarz Bruder is the fighter for Neo Germany, and yes he always wears this ridiculous full-face mask. He's pretty shady, but has some wicked techniques, and manages to always be in the right place at the right time, and give Domon plenty of cryptic advice. He pilots Gundam Spiegel.
Allenby Beardsley is the fighter for Neo Sweden, and was trained expressly for the fight from childhood by the military. She's 17. She loves video games and what little freedom she gets, and winds up with a huge crush on the oblivious Domon, mostly because he's the first outside person to be nice to her, and because they're evenly matched in their game. She's pretty spunky and it's great. She pilots Nobel Gundam, and I swear it's literally a giant Sailor Scout robot.
Of course, even within a small fandom I wound up attached to a small ship, so you know what I have? A ship manifesto outlining all their interactions and why I'm so into them. To supplement this (or if you don't feel like reading), here's a pic spam for the ship as well: