Life-sized Gundam statue
From BBC News Article, “Giant Gundam robot stalks Japan…”
But according to Patrick Galbraith, ethnographer at the University of Tokyo, and author of The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider’s Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan, there is “no series is more beloved” than Gundam.
“In Japan, they skipped all that negativity after the industrial revolution, and really, what they have is technology and mechanics as the hope for the future,” he told BBC World Service’s Digital Planet programme.
“In Gundam, you see a young man gets on board a giant robot, he reads a tech manual and he says, ‘I can fly this thing and save the world’ - and in fact, he does.
“I think that hopefulness is what the Japanese see in robots.”
Well, that’s nice. But, also, didn’t all of the main characters (of that first series) die horribly? That’s not that hopeful.
That guy is a dummy. Gundam is a war story, the robots are all killing machines, and Amuro Ray doesn’t say “I’m going to pilot this and save the world!” but is just trying to ensure that his childhood friend Fraw Bow doesn’t get killed by the enemy before the rescue ship is able to launch. In fact, he’s pretty reluctant to pilot the Gundam later on because he doesn’t want to kill or be killed.
“Skipped all the negativity…” What an idiot.
BTW, do you have facebook? I went to see the Gundam and I have some pictures of it up on my facebook. Please add me!
Haha, that’s right. I had forgotten, but Gundam is really pretty dark! That guy is way off. I am on facebook and just sent you a friend request!