So I started watching TTGL again... I put it on hold after Kamina died, cause at the time I started I was only watching for him.
I hadn't gotten into mecha yet and it didn't really appeal to me.
Since then I had watched 079 and like im like half way through Zeta atm (im watching the movies cause I'm a plebian and zeta just isnt doing it for me as much as 079 did)
But back to my point, So I'm watching Gurren Lagann and I noticed a similar feeling to when I was watching Gundam, where before the timeskip in TTGL it felt a lot like 079 (everyone is a kid and fighting a war against an evil empire with a bunch of generals, Viral is Char, I'm actually enjoying watching it/don't hate everyone, etc.)
Then after the timeskip, everyone is and adult (duh) and there is a whole new generation of pilots. The main focus now has shifted to the kids from before the timeskip being the adults and administrators trying to keep the peace in the new world order they fought for.
Other similarities are that a lot of characters have turned into total shitheads, there is a lot more fighting in cities with a whole lot more collateral damage, and the mc from last time gets back into his mech.
there are a bunch more similarities I noticed too but those are the major ones that made me really feel deja vu about the whole thing.
Do y'all thing this was intentional or an unintentional trope in the writing?
also general similarities between series and tropes that arent all "who's the new Char?"
TTGL is one massive homage to the mecha genre, of course it pulled some shit from Gundam.
But the things you're talking about aren't uniquely Gundam either. "Everyone is a kid and fighting a war against an evil empire" predates Gundam by a fair while; enough that Tomino gave it a dark treatment in Zambot 3 before Gundam was a twinkle in his eye.
Fighting in cities with collateral damage dates back to the original Mazinger Z manga.
>>13615299
Mecha is very formulaic, iterative, and incestuous as a genre.
They're all much more similar that you're think.
This essay basically shows a great example, though I've kinda spoiled the joke.
http://www.evamonkey.com/writings_shea04.php
>>13615590
Last summer I found this interesting anime. After watching most of the series I was astounded by all the similarities it has to Evangelion...
I think I'll start with the main character. Lets call him 'Bob', although thats not what his actual name is. Bob is a Japanese teenager, just like Shinji. It is stressed early in the series that he has been seperated from his parents often, especially in recent times. In the first episode of the series Bob is in a city under attack by an enemy threat. Intense damage is dealt to the surroundings and there are many casualties. Bob ends up getting into the cockpit of a powerful robot and uses it to save everyone, just like Shinji. Unfortunately for Bob, he essentially finds himself forced into a powerful military organization, just like Shinji was essentially forced into NERV. Being just a teenager, Bob certainly isn't suited to the life of a mecha pilot. He is put under a lot of stress and often times doesn't want to pilot the mech. Sometimes he can't take it anymore and blatantly says he will never pilot the mech again. When he finds the situation that this decision puts his friends in though, he reluctantly returns to his duty. Bob is often in conflict with his superiors, especially a certain male authority figure. Sound familiar? Thats not all.
At one point in the series Bob is put over the edge. He commits treason against the organization much like Shinji did when he threatened to destroy NERV HQ. After this situation is settled, Bob is thrown in a cell, just like Shinji was. Despite that act, he is eventually brought back to good terms with everyone else. Like Shinji, Bob is unconfident in his abilities in the beginning, but slowly gets used to it and realizes he is better than he originally thought. There is a period when this puts him and trouble, and Bob becomes overconfident in his abilities. Luckily, this particular thought soon goes away. Bob has an odd relationship with his father, who happens to be the one that built the mech he pilots, just like Gendou built Unit 01, which Shinji pilots. Their relationship is so bad that his father cares more about the mecha than his own son. There is also a part in the series where Bob is removed as the pilot of the mecha and is replaced with a female pilot (just like when Shinji was replaced with Rei as the pilot of Unit 01). This doesn't work out, and things go back to normal. I'd say that pretty much makes Bob a Shinji ripoff, don't you think?
While the similarities between Bob and Shinji is the biggest thing that made me think this show was an Eva ripoff, there are other things out there as well. For example, in this show the 'good guys' base their survival on 3 mechas, just like in Evangelion. By the end of the series, all 3 of these mechas are rendered useless, just like in Evangelion where Units 00 and 02 were destroyed and Unit 01 drifted off into space. There are multitudes of scenes that just scream out "Eva ripoff!". One of the adversaries wears a mask that looks like its taken right from Keel Lorenz. Late in the series, our hero has a battle with a skull faced enemy that shoots beams out of its mouth. Reminds you of Zeruel, doesn't it?
In one scene near the end of the show our hero's mecha is dismembered and decapitated, just like what happened to Unit 02. There's another scene that seems like its taken straight out of the movie. Enemy troopers burst into the headquarters of our heroes and kill many, but their mission ultimately ends up being a failure and they are unable to take the main part of the base. Another part that I can recall being reminded of from the movie is when a suicidial blond attempts to blow up our heroes HQ by sacrificing herself. She fails however, and is killed, just like what happened to Ritsuko in the end.
Alright, I think thats enough. I've cited enough examples to prove just how similar these two animes are. I think its time I reveal just what this anime I've been talking about is.
Mobile Suit Gundam
Yes, that Mobile Suit Gundam. The most famous mecha anime of all time. The Mobile Suit Gundam that just happened to have come out 16 years before Evangelion. I hope this little exercise has shown just how meaningless this 'Evangelion ripoff' discussion is. For a show can hardly be ripped off it isn't original, correct?
>>13615608
wait a sec... maybe it's cause im new to mechs but was Bob Amuro? or is there yet another show that follows this formula so closely?
>>13615609
>>13615615
Lmao (crying laughing emote)
I want to watch EVA but I have already watched 079, is it even worth it?
>>13615615
At the end, it says the show is Mobile Suit Gundam, so yeah.
But even Gundam was already steped in this stuff.
For example, Amuro himself is basically a variant on Koji Kabuto from Mazinger Z. Both are teenage geniuses who inherent their giant robots from a father figure to whom terrible things happen to. And they're both joined by a possible love interest girl and fight along side a jovial side fat guy.
>>13615636
sorry I started typing that before I refreshed the page to see you posted it was msg
>>13615625
Evangelion is basically your typical mecha show until it the final episodes where it decides to be an in depth disection of the main character's depression. And that's really the highlight of the show that makes it special and interesting to watch. It was a reflection of the director's own stuggles and telling the viewer they can improve and get past their own struggles as well, which was important with the large presence of otakus/hikkimoris are a target audience for such shows.
A lot of people didn't like this and sent the creators death threats. The director wasn't very happy with this and essentially made a movie that was alternate ending in which he lost all faith for the audience and tears them a new one.
But generally the fandom is too thick to acknowledge this and instead just thinks it is edgy and cool. And then the director just gave up and now he's basically driving himself to suicide trying to his the hideous otaku exactly what they want.
And that's basically what makes Evangelion special.
Decide if you want to want to go into this shit from there, I guess.
>>13615649
* to suicide trying to GIVE the hideous otaku exactly what they want.
>>13615649
I feel a deep sorrow for that director. Otaku pandering is a helluva way to go.
sounds like it would be too generic and boring for me to get to the juicy dissection at the end tho.
NHK was enough of that anyway.
Why do the japs have shit taste and the otaku never get the point?
Why cant people just appreciate/criticize art instead of expecting pandering?
>>13615299
I hope this is shitposting.
>>13615693
It isn't...
but I didn't intend for it to be an obvious "Look Mom I noticed how formulaic Mechas are!" thread.
I meant more in the "Wow the style seems very similar, I did not expect the show that pays homage to mechas to have copied the story progression almost verbatim"
>>13615649
>>13615689
The old meme of Anno hating otaku, always lovely to see.
>>13615693
This entire thread is. I learned form /o/s shitposting on how to tell shitposting on /m/
>>13615712
seems like he doesnt like people who look down on others. But his ideology seems to disagree with the general way otaku are
>>13615689
But yeah, a lot of it is formulatic, a lot of it isn't.
Here's a few that really mix things up, if you wanna keep going at this stuff.
Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket is a OVA that takes place at the end of the one year war in Mobile Suit Gundam. The main focus is on a civilian child who gets caught up in a conflict. Very tragic, very meta. Not a lot of fights, but those that are there hit so much harder.
The Big O. I would best describe it as Batman the Animated series. (in art style and film noire elements) meets Lost (in the general mystery.
Flag. A photo journalist as the protagonist with the show being done in the style of a war documentary. This is about as "real robot" as it gets.
>>13615689
Anno's been through some shit. I kinda sold it as less than what it was. I guess. There's definitely style to it and few mecha shows really got me to care for characters like that, especially for very deeply flawed ones like that. But it's just kinda of worth emphasizing that a lot kind of happened as the show went along in response to some terrorist attacks instead of what as initially planned.
>>13615734
terrorist... attacks?
>>13615744
Jesus, what happened to Quiet's face?
>>13615767she's a burn victim you know...
>>13615601
>Bob is a Japanese teenager, just like Shinji.
But Amuro is Canadian?
>>13615767
Forget that, why is Kaz black?
