Anime Turn A Gundam

[Dagger]

Turn A Gundam was made in 1999, after Gundam X but before the super-popular SEED. Like X, Turn A Gundam was something of a flop in Japan and currently remains unlicensed. Though this anime has its share of problems, it's well on its way to becoming one of the few Gundam series I actually enjoy watching. It has a pretty unique atmosphere, and at times feels a lot more like a futuristic fantasy than hardcore science-fiction.

The main plot has to do with a conflict between the people of the Earth and the "Moon race," two groups which have remained estranged for time immemorial. The inhabitants of the Moon desperately want to return to their home planet. They appear to possess a huge advantage in terms of weaponry, but those who live on Earth are gradually uncovering forgotten relics of their technologically advanced past. Among those relics is--believe it or not--a Gundam.

Turn A's soft, muted character designs are markedly different from those seen in Gundam SEED or Gundam Wing. Generally speaking, I really like the show's artwork, but there are certain aspects of it which fall horribly fact. The titular Gundam, for example, looks laughably bizarre: the poor thing sports a metal [i]moustache[/i]. Fortunately, Turn A Gundam has a fantastic, gripping story and an interesting cast. The male lead, Loran, is especially intriguing--he's naive and not particularly bright, but extremely capable, optimistic and responsible all the same.

Even if you don't like other Gundam anime, Turn A is well worth a cursory look. As far as I know it has no relationship to the other parts of the franchise, so no prior knowledge is needed to watch the series.

~Dagger~

[Domon]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=1]Ah, so you have seen Turn-A. I agree, the gundam is rather odd looking but the way it was designed is what I find amazing.

Instead of being like most of the gundams, in the technical sense that all of the previous mechs run off a nuclear power source and have pistons and gears, the Turn-A is comepletely hollow. This was due to Earth constructing it before whatever it was that caused them to revert to a time like the 1930s or w/e year it resembled. Instead, the Turn-A runs off a sort of I-Field which allows it to maneuver quickly. Also, the core fighter and cockpit are in a strange area, around the waist area instead of being in the traditional chest area. And then of course, the V-Fin instead of being on the forehead is instead a mustache.

Anywho, the story is different IMO because, the original creator of Gundam came back in 1994 and came up with the idea of making Turn-A, but it took him five years to comeplete and it was well, a little odd for the majority of the Gundam community. Also, if you've watched the orignal 0079 Gundam series, you'll notice that the Zakus made a reappearence in Turn-A, but under a different name. Personally I think Turn-A reminds me of some of the UC Gundam series, but maybe that's just me.[/SIZE][/COLOR]