EyeOnAnime Forum

Damo

I’ve been noticing a trend as of late their seems to be a lot of mecha shows where the mechas in question have personalities of their own, leading to all those statements of “it moved by itself!!” “what is this technology we’re using” “it’s not a robot it’s armour” “it’s evolving” and so fourth. Euerka 7 has them, Idolm@ster has them and there’s several more.

Just thought I’d get peoples thought on this as Eva as far back as I can think is the first to do this with its robots. And I can’t help think now never time I see a mecha do something on it’s own the show is just re-using a tried and tested plot device.

where we just don’t seem to get robots anymore, unlike say the ones in gundam. Robots that can be piloted by anyone. Even A.I controlled robots seem to be getting rarer, we, as in “us humans in anime” appear to get all our robots from technology we don’t understand.
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Gawyn · Elite Poster Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 568

The original Bubblegum Crisis had a degree of that. Genom used Dr Stingray's original specification as a basis without really understanding the technology behind it, resulting in the Boomers ultimately evolving out of control. The hardsuits used by the Knights Sabers were also based upon that same technology with the Motoroids being the most pronounced of the autonomous units. Of course the post-Eva BGC2040 expounded upon this a great deal but the concept was deeply seated in the original.

botmaster2005 · Ninja In Training Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 859

warning! botmaster's gonna be a smart arse!
EVA units aren't mechas they're giant monsters with implants and armour. I kinda like this new trend and hopefully one day they'll get rid of the pointless angsty kid pilots and just have a show about mechs with personalities. I'll start watching gundam again when they start having arguments with oneanother or doing the cheesy belly laugh at the end of the show Very Happy

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Fudce · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 11:47 pm Post subject:

Magic Knight Rayearth pre-dates Evangelion, and the Rune Gods had personalities. I think Evangelion popularised the "more than just a mecha or mechanically armoured being" side of things, but they definitly didn't start it.
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Damo · Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 8:58 am Post subject:

Guess Eva was he most popular, if doesn't seem to discount that most mecha shows now follow the path, ehere're teh botots that are just ronots.
Is it Eva then then that also popularised the only a specific pilot-per-mecha device. The Nirvash in Eureka 7, not just anybody can get in it and pilot it.

Going back to BGC, using someone elses scientic development (whetehr understanding it or not) is way different from the trick of *finding it* like a lot of shows seem to like.
The Sousuke's mech in FPM, like all mysterious, Is still man made.
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"Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out."
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IanC · Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:47 am Post subject:

gradian · Resident Poster Joined: 07 Aug 2006 Posts: 292

So here a thought can we split it in two and have the monster bio blob with armer and implants and the mechs with chips and and power plants that have grown to have some sort of personality.

I would say the BGC and FMP fits the Mech's that grows

and EVA , Eruka 7 is the montser, bio blob with animer and implants

Damo · Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 2:27 pm Post subject:

Mecha is an all encmpasing word, you're arguing over the simatics of the delievery of the subject, not the topic the subject raises.

If you asked fans 90% would call them mechas. what genre do they put them under - mecha, not mecha w/ sub genre blobby lifefrom with armour shows.

FMPs mechs are mechs, as in machines able to be piloted by anybody, sousuke is the only one to pilot the arblast because he's the only one able to take advatage of the lamnda driver.
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"Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out."
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botmaster2005 · Ninja In Training Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 859

it could be argued that a gundam and an EVA are variants of Armour, they accomadate a pilot, protect em from the volleys of nukes and beam cannon rounds and then commands by said pilot are translated into movement, mecha is a very broad term, you could say a tank is a mecha, or a gunship is a mecha, armour is more to the point. the sad truth is a lot of shows are basically regurgitating an old story about a machine becoming sentient, I'd be much happier if they just plunged the viewer into a story of a fully sentient robot, and just get on with it, this is why i like transformers, they didnt spend the entire first series trying to firgure out if prime had a sense of humour.

sorry im rambling on here, I say EVA has a lot ot answer for for what it did to anime in general, it was almost as if things went a little snobby. simple well told stories suddenly had to become complicated and all the characters went from gung ho heroic up beat types to angsty little brats. who I was often hoping would get stepped on by their mechs.

*huff* *huff* *huff*

gradian · Resident Poster Joined: 07 Aug 2006 Posts: 292

gradian · Resident Poster Joined: 07 Aug 2006 Posts: 292

I have a side not here or more like an after thought could anime be responding to how the world is view's technolagie and how both nature is being more upgraded or mimiced in sience. there for anime is simply take that trate and expanding it.

Damo · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 8:50 am Post subject:

gradian · Resident Poster Joined: 07 Aug 2006 Posts: 292

I don't realy know it eva is really at the center of this idea it could be that we here in the west saw eva first and have asume that it was the origians for this mech with personality trate, it sure was my first. and i have seen a far few of mech show before this.

however I do hold that eva did set the bar for this type of story and freely accept this. Could it be that we have been into anime so long that we are now noticeing the exact same problems that hollwood are haveing coming up with original idea's.

botmaster2005 · Ninja In Training Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 859