The first mecha anime I can watching is the 90s classic Mobile Fighter G Gundam. G Gundam was far from the first Gundam anime to air in America, but it was only when it came out that I had reached the age where I started watching anime regularly, so as far as I was concerned, there were no other Gundam anime or mecha anime, in general.

I had plenty of fun with 1994’s Mobile Fighter G Gundam, but even with that, it and the mecha genre as a whole hardly became a big part of my identity as an anime fan. All of that changed when I decided to rewatch G Gundam recently; not only did I what I loved about it, but rewatching Mobile Fighter G Gundam as an adult gave me newfound appreciation for the mecha genre as a whole. That journey was one of the best experiences I could have asked for, and it’s not something I plan on forgetting anytime soon.

Why Mobile Fighter G Gundam Is One Of My Favorite Anime Of All Time

What's So Great About Mobile Fighter G Gundam?

After a long-overdue rewatch of G Gundam, not only did I how much I loved it, but I came to see it as one of my favorite anime of all time. For starters, the art and animation are both consistently gorgeous from start to finish, and with how different G Gundam’s action is from other Gundam anime, that gets to be shown off in unique ways that still haven’t been replicated after 30 years. Mobile Fighter G Gundam is easily one of the best-looking anime I’ve ever seen, and that’s true of both 90s anime and anime, in general.

Tying it altogether, of course, was the goofiness of the story. Not only is the action completely over-the-top with its wuxia elements and how many of the characters will be blatantly superhuman with no explanation, but both the humans and Gundams will often sport some of the craziest names and designs for the Gundam franchise, especially the famous Tequila Gundam, and even the simplest exchanges of dialogue will be incredibly hammy and cheesy. Mobile Fighter G Gundam is one of the goofiest anime I have ever watched, and the incredibly uneven English dub just makes that even better.

What makes the goofiness work, however, is the sincerity behind it. As absurd as the writing and action can get, there’s never a moment in Mobile Fighter G Gundam where the characters aren’t treating everything completely seriously, and that sincerity makes it feel far stronger than its more serious compatriots. No other anime can have things like regular humans kicking buildings into the air or the hero and his love interest saving the day with an energy blast powered by love and have it feel completely genuine, and that level of commitment is exactly why I love it so much.

My Love Of G Gundam Makes Perfect Sense, Thanks To My Other Favorite Mecha Anime

I've Always Had A Love For A Particular Type Of Mecha Anime

I have nothing but love for G Gundam, and that makes perfect sense when I my other favorite mecha anime, Studio Trigger's Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Gurren Lagann is another mecha anime that fully embraces the super robot genre, with every fight scene and dialogue purposefully as over-the-top as possible, yet it’s no less endearing because of how seriously the show takes itself at every turn. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is another one of my favorite anime specifically because of how absurd and over-the-top it is, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

With that in mind, it makes total sense why I would love G Gundam so much. Both anime are super robot anime that had no problem being as over-the-top as possible when most of their contemporaries strive for more grounded storytelling, so it’s easy to say that my love of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’s absurdist writing and animation is exactly why I loved Mobile Fighter G Gundam. Stories that never take themselves too seriously have always been some of my favorites, and with how much I loved Gurren Lagann for that, it makes sense why I would love G Gundam.

Mobile Fighter G Gundam Made Me Understand How Cool Mecha Anime Can Be

I Love Mecha Anime, And It's All Thanks To G Gundam

Before my big rewatch of Mobile Fighter G Gundam, it wasn’t that I didn’t like mecha anime; I already talked about how much I loved Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, but beyond that, anime like Code Geass, Star Driver, and Neon Genesis Evangelion had always been some of my favorite shows. For those shows and others, though, I wouldn’t always connect the quality of their stories to them being mecha anime, but sure enough, Mobile Fighter G Gundam being as great as it was made me come to truly understand that mecha anime, as a whole, can be cool.

Thanks to that newfound appreciation of mecha anime, not only did I come to better understand how the themes of war, heroism, and humanity in mecha anime drove the ones I already liked, but it also led to me expanding my repertoire. Classic mecha anime like Getter Robo quickly became favorites, and I’ve also slowly been putting more effort into watching more Gundam anime, in general, with Turn A, 00, and Iron-Blooded Orphans all becoming favorites of mine. My love of Mobile Fighter G Gundam made for the perfect excuse to expand my horizons, and it’s been nothing but great.

For the newfound love of Gundam, specifically, G Gundam helped me give the latest Gundam anime the time of day, and while The Witch from Mercury fell short for me, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX has been great, and it will probably go down as one of my favorite anime of the year. Granted, those shows and others are far removed from what I loved about G Gundam, but at the end of the day, Mobile Fighter G Gundam inspired me to invest more time into mecha anime, and I’ve never looked back.

The more I watch mecha anime, the more I realize how much I’ve been overlooking such a vital part of anime, and every mecha show that I’ve either rewatched under a new light or watched for the first time has made me feel like a far richer anime fan and person, in general. None of them have resonated with me in the same way as Mobile Fighter G Gundam, but I’ve never had more fun with a specific genre than I have now, and I can’t wait to see more.