30 DAY ANIME CHALLENGE | 11

Posted on by heyitszel

I’m a day behind on this challenge, BUT! with good reason!!  HAPPY (belated) THANKSGIVING. I decided to stay off the computer and off anime to spend some time with family yesterday. I could’ve posted since day 11’s prompt…well…I’ll get to that.

ERROR 707*

(*an homage to Agent 707 – my favorite MysticMessenger character)

707

Unfortunately, I have to say – I don’t have a favorite Mech Anime. 

The sole reason is – I haven’t really seen much of the genre. I’ve only seen Knights of Sidonia; I can hardly call that my favorite when I thought it was just okay.
I have a lot on my plan to watch list; so…I’m hoping you guys can help me decide which one I need to watch first.

MECHA-ANIME.jpg

Potentials to start with:

  • Code Geass
  • Aldnoah.Zero
  • Gurren Lagann
  • Vision of Escaflowne
  • Any of the Gundam variations
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion

If there’s any on the list that anyone feels like is a must-see I’m open to recommendations!

P.S. I realized Ghost in A Shell is listed as Mecha – but I feel a bit torn about it. It’s not as robot heavy as it is cybernetic heavy…if it’s really a Mecha then clearly hands down Ghost in a Shell would be my fave. Clarifications would be nice – I may have to revise this but as for now.

Published by heyitszel

34 thoughts on “30 DAY ANIME CHALLENGE | 11”

  2. Ahhhh…Mecha Anime 😀 Now this is one of my favorite Anime genres so I do have a few recommendations for you 😀
    1. Macross. Macross has pretty much been one of the founders of the Mechagenre, along with Gundam. The original Macross series is utterly fantastic, but seeing as it is more than 30 years old, you might have some trouble to track it down. I recommend watching Macross Frontier. It is pretty much a reboot for the entire show. It features amazing Mecha fights, cool characters, but the thing truly of note is the music, which to date features some of the most amazing songs I have yet heard in an Anime series
    2. The Big O. This is a really cool Anime, in which a private detective tries to solve crimes, which usually end up for him to use his giant robot : The Big O. It has a kind of film noir type of feel to it, and also reminds me at times of Batman. This is a really good and pretty unique show.
    3. Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is a classic, pure and simple, and so much more than just a robot smash alien show. This is just simply a show that pretty much anyone who loves anime should see once, even if you don’t like Mecha anime
    4. Orguss 02. This is a short (6 episode) series, that features truly amazing robots. Some of them are giants. Besides being great to look at, the story is pretty cool as well. It is short, but sweet.
    5. Gasaraki. Horror meets Mecha. That’s pretty much how I would describe this show. It is a very unique blend of mystery, horror, and robot fights. I really liked this show at the time, as it is a cool cocktail of two of my favorite anime genres.
    Well…that’s about it. Sorry for this very long response…when I get to talk about Mecha Anime I have the tendency to keep on talking lol 😂 Hope this helps 😀

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    1. Lol these are great recommendations! I will definitely add these on my plan to watch list! And I love the long responses. It gives me more to chew on to see if I would really like them! Thanks again!

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  3. Code Geass is terrific!! I loved everything about this show! Its deep and complex and extremely dark but so wonderfully philosophical. It has a lot of historical references, which i loved! The psychological nuance is on the same level as death note.
    I have to admit that i never watched neon genesis evangelion even though its supposed to be a classic so i cant make comparisons to it D: ;;

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  4. Go for Neon Genesis Evangelion or Gurren Lagann.

    Neon Genesis is, in my opinion, the best Mecha series out there. It’s a deconstruction of the genre, it has one of the best written protagonists in Anime and it’s an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish with some amazing themes and symbolism throughout. Just make sure to watch the End of Evangelion movie afterwards or you won’t get to see the real ending 😛

    Gurren Lagann is a great entry level Mecha and one of the best. It takes things to ridiculous levels and deconstructs a lot of tropes along the way with a ton of tributes to older titles. It’s also full of feels and really inspiring.

    Code Geass is pretty good too, but it’s more of a psychological thriller with sprinkles of mecha mixed into the storyline. I’ve never considered it a proper Mecha series, but it’s a good entry point into the genre as well. Season 1 is amazing, season 2 is pretty average.

    Escaflowne is also really good and blends Fantasy and Mecha together. It also has an amazing soundtrack and a cool aesthetic. Really great show.

    Aldnoah.Zero is fairly meh. It’s pretty boring and the second season ruined the first season badly. It was great fights though and the main character is overpowered, which is good fun if you like the Gary Stu archetype.

    Gundam is the inspiration for most mecha series as you probably know already. The series is mixed overall, depending where you start. Luckily, while they all connect in small ways, they’re pretty self-contained and can generally be watched in any order. I recommend the original series, Turn A Gundam, War in the Pocket and 08th MS Team. 08th MS team is probably the best show in the franchise.

    Of course this is all my opinion, this isn’t factual or anything 😛 But I hope this helps narrow things down a little.

    I got carried away… My bad! Hope you enjoy whatever you end up watching! 🙂

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    1. LOL! I love the carried away responses! You get to see what people get passionate about! But these are great breakdowns. I’m possibly going with Neon Genesis then go from there. I really do hope to find a mecha anime I could call my favorite! Thanks for the tips I appreciate it!

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    1. 😀 My best friend and I were hanging out over milk tea a few weekends ago, and I forgot how we got to the topic but he asked if I had seen Escaflowne – I said I didn’t know what that was; and he basically was like , “okay. you HAVE to watch that ASAP” so I said if I can find it. It’s on funimation but they only have the dubbed version. Still gonna watch it tho! I watched the first episode and was like..yes. I’m into this. LOL Just haven’t had time to go back!

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      1. DO IT, YOU NEED TO, YOU HAVE TO
        /pants deeply
        Be prepared for feels and tears and just aaaaah, it’s so good I swear, even tho I made a post on it I still don’t have enough words to describe my loveeee 😭😭😭😭😭✨

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  7. A lot depends on what you’re in the market for.

    Code Geass focuses on strategy and planning, very similar to the mechanizations of Death Note.
    Gurren Lagann is a mix of absurdist the top comedy and an engaging but well hidden philosophical undercurrent, similar to FLCL in my opinion.
    Evangelion has moments of strong mech fighting, but much of the story is about the complex and turbulent relationships of the characters. It does offer a unique perspective on mecha, as the Evas are much harder to use than most anime mechs.

    I can’t speak to the others.

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        1. I’m just about open to anything when it comes to anime- I definitely gravitate to shounen more than anything. But if the plot/ story is interesting enough I’ll watch it 🙂

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      2. Oh, I forgot about Escaflowne.

        Escaflowne is a blend of medieval fantasy, love triangle relationships, and war, that engages ideas of free will, fate, and to what extent we are all responsible for the consequences of our choices. It is one of my favorite fantasy anime, and has a strong visual aesthetic, though I get the sense that the second half of the series was meant to be longer.

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          1. If I may offer a few more recommendations under the fantasy genre

            Log Horizon, which is “trapped in an online fantasy game”, but the fantasy and politics elements tend to take center stage.

            There’s Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, which is magical girl but complex.

            Mushishi, really mellow “humans and supernatural” trying to coexist.

            Kino no Tabi (Kino’s Journey) is a very mellow philosophical story about traveling from place to place, and the different things that appear normal to “us” but strange to outsiders.

            Record of Lodoss War, the OVA, is a very high fantasy anime, in the style of a solid D&D campaign.

            If you fancy a slow supernatural mystery involving “kids vs adults” there’s Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World).

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          3. Mushishi and Kino to me are the two really rare types. They have a way of creating strong narrative without a fast pace or urgency. Every episode just slows me down, in a good way. I like to save them and use them as a nice round out to a good anime night.

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