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In the age of franchise, Yoshiyuki Tomino’sGundamseries would be considered one of the greatest series that has been going strong since 1979. The Mecha franchise has expanded over these years, giving birth to several series that have helped it to remain popular, even after all these years. As a result, the series has stood the test of time, becoming one of those few names that the fans just can’t get enough of.
Another project that rivals the anime franchise’s popularity is George Lucas’ sci-fi franchise,Star Wars,which tells the age-old skirmish between the Jedis and the Siths set in a galaxy far, far away. Though the recent additions have not shown love, the original six films were showered with it, establishing it to be a series that appealed to multi-generational fans.
However, Tomino-Sensei had some big words to say to the sci-fi franchise. The artist felt that his magnum opus explored the complex themes much deeper and in a better manner than Lucas’ film series. Hence, believing that his franchise lives in a world of its own.
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TheGundamfranchise has been present for 45 years, and even in the modern generation, the series appeals to the Otaku community. A major reason behind the franchise’s popularity is howYoshiyuki Tomino’smagnum opus single-handedly influenced the mecha genre as a whole.
What started as mecha anime soon explored its vivid and immersive world that featured themes like politics, economic inequality, and prejudice. These themes were sewn neatly together with other appealing themes like jaw-dropping mecha fights and superior mecha designs.
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Thus, sharing common themes with Western sci-fi franchises withGeorge Lucas’Star Warsand Gene Roddenberry’sStarTrek. However, in 2021, when Tomino-Sensei was celebrating his 80th birthday, he explained why Lucas’ magnum opus fell short.
During an exclusive interview viaAnimation Magazine, the creator explained howGundamfollowed a reasonable logic behind using mechas. He explained,
There has to be a war between nations if you want to produce giant humanoid machines and make them fight. For the Gundam world, I had to think of a background in which these giant weapons could be produced; I had to make assumptions about economies, industries and manufacturing capacities.
He further explained that in order to produce new weapons every week, the economic sustainability of a nation is also taken into consideration.
To introduce new mechanical weapons every week, I assumed prototypes were continually being designed and produced by a military-industrial complex. When you think about these things, you have to take economic issues into consideration.
He concluded, taking a subtle jab atStar Warsas he mentioned creators of the“contemporary movie industry”do not pay attention to such issues. He said,
I think creators in the contemporary movie industry pay too little attention to such economic and political issues.
Tomino-Sensei’s opinion made sense because creating weapons of mass destruction takes a fortune to be made, and when watched with a critical perspective, such minute details play an important part.
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Hence, even after 750 episodes and several films later, the series stays close to the hearts of the fans.
Tomino-Sensei Was Disappointed WithGundamFans
There’s no denying that the Mecha series has set up an empire over the years. Hence, making it as old as Akira Toriyama’sDragon Ball.However, introduced back in the day, the anime amassed major viewership from children, who were obsessed with flying mecha-battlesuits and humanoids battling each other.
However, the creator of the franchise was unhappy with the franchise as he had some different plans for the show. He explained his views while sitting withToyo Keizaifor an interview. He said,
“But to tell the truth, I feel that the fundamental messages I put into the work “Gundam,” such as social and war theories, are hindered by the design of the giant robot Gundam, and are not conveyed as well as I intended. Children love dinosaurs, and they also love giant robots. The popularity of “Gundam” is an extension of these preferences.
He continued that the rise in popularity of the show was led by some “narrow-minded mecha fans.”
Unfortunately, part of it has been supported by narrow-minded mecha fans. If you look at the work as a single piece, it can’t compete with the popularity of “Chibi Maruko-chan” or “One Piece.”
Nevertheless, Tomino-Sensei had a different plan for his series, where he tried to raise awareness of how war would only bring forth destruction. However, the fans’ misunderstanding of the secret message made the series so popular.
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Mobile Suit Gundamcan be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Tushar Auddy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :1784
Tushar Auddy is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, primarily covering WWE. He has contributed to anime, MCU, DCU, animation, and TV Series, giving sharp insights and coming up with his own unique theories, which take the fandom by storm.
