G Gundam

The Mobile Fighter G Gundam series creates an original story that succeeds in mixing the mystical martial artist with the explosive and dramatic scenes normally found within Gundam anime.

Mobile Fighter G Gundam is an original series of 47 episodes that stands apart from the rest of the Gundam universes. In this story, each nation on an overpopulated Earth created space stations to send up their leaders and wealthy citizens. In order to avoid a war between each nation as they shared outer space, a tournament titled the Gundam Fight was organized in which each nation sends a representative Gundam fighter down to Earth in order to win their nation the right to rule space for four years.

The main character, Domon Kasshu, is the Gundam fighter for Neo Japan in the 13th Gundam Fight and is searching for his brother while he fights other Gundam fighters in one-on-one combat.

Each Gundam is piloted by the mobile trace system, which creates a skin-tight suit of nano-machines around the fighter. This allows the fighter to move the Gundam by moving his own body instead of using pedals and joysticks. This shows good original thought in explaining why a martial artist is piloting a Gundam, instead of a soldier.

The show succeeds in giving the audience a number of diverse and interesting characters that are usually non-existent in other Gundam shows. Each character also has their own fighting style and a unique and clearly recognizable Gundam amongst all of the others.

The show itself is driving with its emotional scenes, enhanced by the English vocal-cast. Admittedly, the cast initially comes off as fake and amateurish, but they warm up quickly and serve to support each episode well until the end.

Unfortunately, the show is riddled with a number of major racial stereotypes that can be considered both insulting and ridiculous. For example, Neo Mexico’s space colony is a giant sombrero.

The final two episodes bring good closure but do not represent the rest of the series very well, relating better to Power Rangers than Gundam.

Even so, the storyline in general for G Gundam is interesting and original, with the mystical quality of the martial artist mixed with the powerful and destructive Gundam. In this, it is a successful credit to the Mobile Suit Gundam series.