Perhaps you did not read the title of the tread. It asks what is the most overrated anime.Soubi wrote: The whole Gundam series (from the first to the last. But i am in love with GW}
Universal Century Gundam (which makes up for the bulk of Gundam anime) is incredibly unpopular in the United States, with Bandai-USA estimating a total of merely 5000 paying fans. Did you ever wonder why Bandai pulled the plug on its American Gundam kits? Because Gundam was so unpopular that they just weren't selling. Why else would Amazon sell $200 Perfect Grade models for $20? Sure, a few Gundam animes were overrated (SEED was decent, Wing was stank, and SEED DESTINY was crap), but the majority of Gundam anime is highly unpopular in the American market and is quite underrated.
To say that First Gundam is overrated is an insult. Mobile Suit Gundam was by far one of the most influential and groundbreaking animes of its time, setting the standard for future animes. Previously, every mecha show was a formulaic super robot bashfest. Mobile Suit Gundam started the trend of the Real Robot anime, utilizing realistic combat sequences, the realization of the mech as a tool, instead of as a superhero, the use of deep intricate storylines, and (typically) the use of character deaths to advance plot and character development, all traits that had never been used or seen before.
Every other Real Robot anime including- but not limited to- Fang of the Sun Dougram, Patlabor, Round Vernian Vifam, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Interdimensional Calvary Southern Cross, Genesis Climber Mospeada, Orguss, Super Powered Tracer Layzner, Martian Successor Nadesico, Full Metal Panic, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Metal Armor Dragonar, Rahxephon, Zegapain, etc... would not even be around if it were not for First Gundam.
I find wide sweeping generalities about Gundam quite often, and most of the time, the poster has only watched at most, one or two different Gundam animes. Statements like these irritate me a great deal, and it irritates me even more when one states that Wing (or SEED) is the only good Gundam anime. I find it hard to believe that someone can say that original and highly distinct animes suck, while at the same time praise Wing (or SEED), both of which merely rehash elements and ideas from these so-called "overrated animes".
Continuing on with my point, it is impossible to generalize Gundam together, as in the case of Gundam, every entry in the Gundam family is completely different in terms of style, plot, themes, and setting. For example, First was about a war between two spheres of influence, while Zeta and Double Zeta were similar to Star Wars in that they involved a guerrila war against a corrupt regime. 0080 was a human drama, focusing on characters and showing the brutality of war, while G was a homage to the Super Robot animes of the 70s. X was about the Earth rebuilding after a devastating war that killed 99% of the population, and Turn A was about a war between the Earth (which had reverted back to a 1800s-1900s Victorian technological setting) against the technologically superior Moon colonists. The only exeptions to this rule are Wing, SEED and SEED Destiny, with Wing and SEED rehashes of First Gundam, and SEED Destiny a rehash of Zeta Gundam.
