I think Dianna and Kihel was really the moment Tomino really got across what he wanted the idea of Newtypes to be. Two people, perfect understanding each other to the point where they understand what the other should be doing.
Watching all of Gundam in order of release - Turn A hits the hardest. I don't think I would've nearly appreciated it's viewpoint without seeing all the previous approaches. It's my favourite Gundam.
I think part of the symbolism with Loran’s Laura Rolla persona is that the Earth is presented as masculine with seemingly exclusively male leaders while the moon is presented as feminine with only a queen to rule them (though this is turned on its head latter in the series with Gym and Agrippa taking power on the moon and Lily leading Ameria). By blurring the lines between masculine and feminine, Loran’s crossdressing works as a symbolic representation of him being between his two identities of a Moonrace and an Earthian.
I'm glad! it's a great show. it can be a bit marmite (tomino has a very specific dialogue style which is up and down for folks, even myself) but those who like it tend to rlly cherish it.
Gundam is such a wild franchise to me. On the hand, it's obliquely toyetic and merchandise-driven, serving a launch pad to sell toys of cool robots to children and adults. But on the other, it's consistently one of the deepest and most intellectual pieces of media out there, for any target age or demographic. It reminds me of how cartoons like Gi Joe and Transformers used to have these "moral lessons" embedded in them to justify their existence as extended toy commercials; I feel like Sunrise got the same memo but interpreted it very differently. Instead of a PSA about how littering is bad, they serve as primer on Benedict Anderson and Judith Butler.
Gundam in this way is like how I like to describe some or my favorite Transformers seasons “Art that is created for profit, but instead of being held down creatively by that profit, it weaponizes the profit to tell the story. It knows what the toys are and what they need to sell, and use that priority to create art that does more than sell. It soars.”
If I remember from the Men that created Gundam manga, Tomino and his team wanted to tell a deep compelling war story, set in a science fiction future inspired by classic golden age texts, but disguised it as a by the number Mecha Series to appeal to the toy company sponsors and the suits at the company. Hence Gundam was marketed at a child demographic and initially failed to meet the targets for audience retention but due to the strong toy sales it was able to keep on air until it was finally cancelled and the team worked to try to wrap up the story. Ironically though the toy sales and reruns took off leading the way for the film success and naturally a sequel series and ultimately to more Gundam.
@@MarathonGuy1337 The toy sales flopped on their face. Because Gundam appealed to a different audience that didn't buy kids toys, and the series was rooted in the initial metric of selling toys, it was deemed a failure. But the adult audience loved Gundam, enough to become a staple of otaku culture, enough to beg Sunrise for a continuation, and enough for another company to approach Sunrise with doing a toyline that more specifically appealed to adults, that the devotion of the adult audience alone saved the series. A series that otherwise would have died in obscurity as a failed kids toy project.
@@polkadi the article I read indicated the toys were one of the few motivators in the continuation of the show which had a poor TV viewer ship though eventually the toy sales dipped and the TV viewer ship hit a critical low though by this time Tomino had been able to negotiate a new TV schedule which allowed for the series to be more or less completed, though aspects of the story were changed like Amuro's death and the alternative ending where Char becomes the leader of Zeon which is all more or less kept in his novelization versions. Great reads by themselves.
"We are all prisoners of our time" as it pans over the scene of guin on a voyage was a particularly good edit choice. It clicked for me again why guin is such a good antagonist and mirror to gym, they were both people who couldn't see beyond their own time, unmalleable and trying to define others by the era in which they lived, insisting on referring to Loran as "Laura", etc. Whether it be shame or something else, Guin's refusal to put on the skirt is directly tied to his ambition, he rejects change and locks away his own potential, relegating himself to be swept along the sands of time. Great video!
Guin's line at the end of "I can't start the next industrial revolution in a skirt" literally sent me and the transfem friends I was watching it with into derangement.
@@error3902 That makes a lot of sense, especially with Sadsheep's analysis. I was caught up on Guin pursuing Loran and didn't think about wanting to *be* Loran. If Feezy_feez, in another comment, is right about Tomino wanting men to accept their inner femininity, then Guin and Gym are opposite ways of failing to achieve that. Guin knows something is going on inside, but refuses to understand it. Gym has totally rejected femininity and marches straight (hah) into his self-destruction. I think Guin wants Gym's certainty and chooses that self-destruction instead of trying to understand himself and succeeding (Lily Borjano proves that sex and gender are not insurmountable even in their culture.) I guess that's also Guin failing Tomino's broader thesis: he can't even understand himself, let alone others.
I think there's a certain element to Tomino's oeuvre which simply translated best into Turn A Gundam -- the more operatic or play-like aspects. The Kihel Heim and Diana Sorel role swap, Loran's gender swap, the Kaguya-esque fairy tale of Will Game, Corin Nander playing the Fool archetype, and Gym Ghingham being more a personification of conflict to name some of the more prominent examples. They all build upon one another to place you slightly into the realm of the fantastical and heightened emotions. This works in Turn A especially because its core conflict is crafted in such a way that both you and the main characters really want to avert a violent resolution. What does a Gundam series do without that violence then? It threads together these stories based on the tension of war, the complexities and painful tribulations of getting people to move beyond their seemingly intractable worldview. Everything Loran does with the Turn A is to buy time and space for that to happen, which he is shockingly pragmatic and calculating at despite being so generally earnest and good-natured.
Heya! I think having more context will probably help in your understanding. Dual-identity/alter identities is definitely a running theme in Turn A. Loran/Laura, Dianna/Kihel, White Doll/Turn A/Mustache, Kapool/Ball, etc. "Two in one and one in two". Part of this comes from Tomino's fixation on Takarazuka Revue (all female theater troupe) at the time, which ties into what you say about performative acting. Dance & theater and performing arts are big in the Tomino family, and you see this in shows like Brain Powerd and King Gainer too. Loran being dressed & trained to be a lady can be compared to Takarazuka, Dianna-Kihel trying out each others' clothes is reminiscent of a backstage theater room. The Dianna-Kihel swap is inspired by Heian tales like Torikaebaya Monogatari (a Japanese court drama); the basic idea of them swapping places over and over while being in "tune" with each other and ending up with their respective love interests, is pulled from it. You can also equate it to Osamu Tezuka works like Twin Knights. In the 90s, Tomino sought emotional refuge from the women in his life and that influenced him a lot. He wanted men to accept their inner femininity, and Loran's pseudo-androgyny is basically a result of that. That said, I don't want to oversell Tomino's mentality at the time; in Turn A interviews he's made some pretty traditional comments about gender, and that's even reflected in some of the music/songs Sorry if that was a lot of quick notes at once. I'm happy that even without context you hit on many of the right points. Great video :)
Having just finished this show about a month ago, the two characters that I kept thinking about were Kieth and Sochie. Specifically Kieth's scene near the end where he's holding on to his injured wife screaming in defiance at the moonrace "how dare you come down and attack the earth" etc. I kept thinking of the interactions he had at the front of the series, specifically the scene where he's watching the parade from the rooftops with Loran and Fran, trying to figure out why people on Earth always look to the sky, and couldn't figure out an Earth person's perspective. I think you hit the nail on the head with how Tomino expresses themes he's interested with in that they feel like extensions of an idea or ideas we have to sit with and come to our own conclusions. Especially with characters like Loran and Kihel! I've been thinking about Sochie Hiem's character arc for literally about four weeks now because of this extension of thesis that Tomino does a lot. Sochie might be my favorite Tomino character because of it, specifically because of how much of her screen time is her processing loss or change, and the identity she really wanted to take on versus where she ended up because of how she ended up expressing herself in like, four different crucial instances. Anyway, this video is basically exactly what I was looking for after ruminating on this show for a while, awesome job Pyramid Inu!
My favorite genre of YT video is people with accents different from my own speaking gently into a microphone about various existential themes and ideas, paired with footage of a framing device (preferably an anime) that I know nothing about. Even when only talking about works that fall within that very specific niche, this is some good shit. ~Bonus points for taking the time to put in an unnecessary snipe aimed at The British Empire 10/10~
As a transfem who has struggled with figuring out identity for years at this point, I'm really touched by this video. Hearing in proper words that identity is malleable, and there's nothing "inside" me that forces me to be something is genuinely an extremely liberating message to hear, and see explained so well.
I think the core of it is ultimately what suits you better. It’s about becoming your full potential and if you feel a more honest self inside of you that might challenge the boundaries and context we live in, then that’s just part of it. So it’s maybe not that things are infinitely malleable it’s that all things are malleable which are movable. The feminization wouldn’t have worked on just anyone, nor the identity swap (witch ultimately was less of a swap and more of finding a truer center)
@@emi_mono Ah, that's probably a better way of describing it, yeah. For sure it's about like, finding what you yourself prefer your identity to be, or the range of identities you're comfortable with.
I think Loran's time as Laura has something to do with the Gundam interrupting his coming of age ceremony. Loran didn't get to "become a man" through that ritual, so instead he has this journey towards deciding what kind of person to be, which included trying being a girl. There's also some symbolism with the fish toy and the Gundam's cockpit and other things.
@@suzygirl1843 that when a Japanese creator writes a royal family, his reference point is probably going to be the Japanese monarchy, not the British one.
@@rorythomas9469 Every other Monarch style is better than the British Royal family. It's wild that they expect the world to bow to them amd having to compete with the changing times like Kardashians. Everyone else is interested in preserving their own culture. I like the Spanish Royals, the Japanes3 royals and the Lichtenstein family. The more private and Reserved the better.
I'm gonna check this out and give you another view once I'm further into the anime, thank you for making a video discussing this topic! Turn-A does a lot of cool and funny things with personal identity, one's community identity/reputation, identity shenanigans involving twins, etc. and it's super fascinating. I definitely feel ignorant of what's being symbolized/discussed at times however, so a video like this was just what I needed!
Perfect video to arrive the same day as my MG Turn A kit! Thank you so much for your fantastic analyses on topics that are honestly outside my typical topics or themes I engage with. Love getting to see such a wide array of media through your unique analytical lenses!
Hey this video showed up in my recommendeds, and it’s really stellar! I’ve been listening to your entire videography on repeat at work for a few weeks now. Thank you. Also, I started watching Turn A. Really cool! I usually struggle to click with mecha shows, but your video gave me a lot of the context i needed to stick through those dense first few episodes. I’m really enjoying it, and I’m looking forward to enjoying a whole new medium :) Thank you.
I'm sure something can also be said about Turn A's place in chronology and how this ties to identity as well. How the "official" story changes on it every half decade, shifted through tiny supplements and comments to partially promote whatever the current project in the brand is, how various subgroups of the fanbase have their "preferred" idea of what "canon" is with Turn A, and how this extends into how people feel about other writers who have written for Turn A-adjacent material. Trying to learn about the identity of Turn A within the wider gundam brand from a fan of gundam usually tells you less about Turn A and more about how the person you are asking *feels* Turn A is. That there is less hard fact within its text alone as a series to explicitly say what it is in the bigger picture beyond hints and implications, a sort of canon androgyny, and so with every individual interpretation and the wide/conflicting statements on what should be the case, everyone has their own canon identity construct projected onto it.
Another great video! I think you're on your way to an illustrious career as an essayist. Your videos make me want to watch the shows you talk about. Really great job. Keep up the good work!
I just love this video, and I'm so glad you went ahead and made it to share the beautiful drama of Turn A, and it's characters. Thank you for doing so, it's still a lot of time to record and edit and you make it seem effortless~ One thing that always struck me about Loran's transformation into Laura, was how easy it was for him to accept this change mentally, because who else in his life represents femininity other than the one he reveres most: Diana Sama. He never had the idea growing up that portraying himself as 'feminine' is wrong, because feminine couldn't possibly be wrong given his community's worship of the Queen. Even Harry Ord isn't bothered by the feminine portrayal as much as he is surprised that it's Loran that was Laura. It always signaled to me how much the idea of gender roles (or at least how severely delineated they are) area partially a result of the culture you grown up in. Which is the same conclusion you came too as well! Absolutely loved this one, especially as someone who could talk about Turn A for way too long, loved this video Inu!
Male characters dressed as women is actually quite a recurring thing in Tomino's body of work. It happens in Daitarn 3, L-Gaim, Gundam ZZ and King Gainer, though it's usually a more one-off situation in comparision to what happens in Turn A.
Turn A Gundam my beloved. It's got me thinking on the role of the dark history, context and the dual role of actors shaping environment as they're shaped by it. Great video and your narration voice is really nice.
i was actually thinking about how much i like your gundam coverage. very happy to see this on my feed. as always, you did a wonderful job expressing yourself and elaborating on a show i find fascinating. well, fascinating from a distance. i never fully watched it. i'm currently watching all of gundam. at least up to char's counterattack. i wasn't sure if i would actually sit through turn-a. but i think i will, after having watched this. cheers.
Turn A is definitely one of the best written gundam out there, it is worth watching even if you are not a gundam fan, it is simply a good sci-fi anime. The gundam fanbase enjoy the cool robots above all else, so don't feel that you have to watch all of them. A lot of the stories are just straight up stupid. You can totally skip Z, ZZ, victory, unicorn, narrative, seed destiny, blood iron orphan.
I really liked this video! I enjoyed your discussion of identity through the lens of this piece! Idk this was just fun to watch and I’m considering watching it with my friends now :p
YES! Turn A Gundam has been my favorite since I'd first seen it and I grew watching all of the shows. Glad you're covering it so thoroughly. Love your work.
Turn-A is probably my favorite Gundam show, and its themes of identity play a big part of that. Thank you so much for making this analysis! You really perfectly encapsulated what I love about the way the show explores identity.
Hi Pyramid! Amazing video as always, just wanted to thank you for being a personal inspiration of mine, seeing your videos made me want to create my own channel (hope to become as well articulated as you are in the future ahah). And although I've always been intimidated by the Gundam series, I think you've helped me finally choose my first Gundam to watch :D
Well, now I have several more reasons to watch Turn A. When I was first introduced to Gundam as a concept in a meaningful way, I recall reading about this series and thinking that this one felt like the one that was the most "my thing," but hesitating because I thought it would be helpful to have further context for the series, but now I think I was right and maybe I should just go for it. (Although being someone who also enjoys crushing sadness, I'll probably be starting with War in the Pocket.)
Yes! Turn A is incredible for so many reasons, and the way it plays with and explores identity is chief among them. I'm glad there's such an insightful video I can point people towards if they want to see some of the depth the series has to offer in a nutshell.
I’m a simple person. I see a video on Turn A, I watch and subscribe. Identity is such a major theme in the works of post UC tomino and I feel somewhat validated someone can not only see that but is able to articulate these feelings I myself have had before so well. Turn A is my favorite anime of all time, seeing anyone talk about it and do it justice brightens my day.
only Bergman films I've seen are wild strawberries, seventh seal, cries and whispers, and that one he did in the 60s that is sort of like a horror movie with the island and vampire-esque shit (this probably doesn't narrow it down)
Inu, you posting this video was what finally gave me the push to sit down and watch Turn A, so I wanted to say thank you for that. I realize saying "Turn A good, actually" isn't a particularly profound or controversial statement, but I did really enjoy it. It does share the issue with a lot of Tomino's works where there are so many threads running through the show that I feel like I would need to watch it several more times before I fully "get it", but I suspect that's more an issue with my own ability to process and analyze media than any flaw in the show itself. I don't know if Turn A is necessarily Tomino's best work (I do think there's still a strong case for Ideon taking that spot), but it's definitely his most impressive in term of sheer artistry. The show is a great example of what happens when a veteran director comes into a work energized with a bunch of ideas and themes they want to explore, and they have the experience and clout to bring on the resources and talent needed to fully realize it. Like, look at the lightning in the background of the first ending. They didn't need to animate it to that level of polish and detail, but they did anyways. It's genuinely some of the best looking lightning I've ever seen in an anime, and it's this tiny background detail playing over the ending theme that a lot of people probably won't even be paying attention to. Also, I found your comment about Tomino directing off of instinct really insightful. A lot of his works have this moment where they'll bring up an idea I find really intriguing without dwelling on or elaborating on it in detail (the reveal of the Gaizock's motivations and origins in Zambot, SU-Cordism and the taboos in G-Reco, the cyclical nature of the Dark History in Turn A, the reveal of what Ideon and the Ide actually are, the way newtypes are portrayed in the original Gundam series, etc). I always found it frustrating that his shows would go "Here's a really cool idea. Anyway, moving on...", but that approach makes a lot more sense if we assume that the works don't go into the details because Tomino himself doesn't have the details, or at least not in a way he knows how to directly communicate with the audience.
Since i've finished Turn-A, there was something that buged me and wanted to discuss. I've even drafted a video idea about gender and perception of it in gundam, how the UC people trancend all this qualitys and becomes their purest form, however there was something that i lacked and coudn't turn my head around what was it. This is the video i wanted to make but never could. This video gave me the words i needed to translate what i felt through this wonderfull series. Thank you for giving me the words i needed and to make a video about my favourite gundam series and one of my favourite series of all time.
I never delve into the broad Gundam universe But you have shown so much of the thoughtful work done by the creators I need a map to carefully navigate this to capture it
I've always thought of Turn A as my favorite. It's so strikingly different to any other Gundam series. I think you and commenters covered all the analysis I could think of, so I'll just say thanks for the video!
Good old Kill em all Tomino. One of anime's finest and simplest creators. Also I have always watched Gundam for the lore the mecha are just the greatest free bonus ever. Fantastic vid.
22:15 The Swedish state actually made a documentary about that and apparently 50% of your personality is determined by your genetics. The rest is determined by your friends and random. (source: Din personlighet Anders Hansen)
In agreement with what you have to say about what this series has to say about identity (or subjectivity) and what you elliptically allude to regarding what it has to say about politics (I get it, it's CZcams), I also think this is Gundam at both its most mature and playful on a narrative level. Tomino realizes he doesn't have to KILL 'EM ALL to say something substantive about the world -- no one gets what they want at the end. It's a sort of quiet tragedy without comeuppance -- in fact, one of the most affective TV shows I've ever seen.
As someone who shifts their exterior identity rather frequently in the context of an audience, I found this video particularly compelling. Specifically the scene in which Diana cries in Kihel’s behalf at her father’s tombstone made me tear up since I’m personally all too familiar with the pain of repressing one’s inner self in favor of an idealistic exterior self. Looking at the Tarot, the Chariot Arcana is one which shows a rider handling a pair of beasts. It represents an individual being driven forward by their emotions, but also being sure to maintain control lest they be overthrown and trampled by the beast. But on the flip side, one can hold too much control and stifle the beasts leading to a weakening of the self through a lack of expression. All this to say that I find themes on identity in my Sci-Fi Political Drama very entertaining, especially when two individuals essentially trade persona’s and find themselves in the mask of another.
Underrated Series. Like actually this series is honetly peak Gundam. It borrows elements from the victorian era, real life ancient cultures, war of the worlds, look at the mech designs I mean. Not just that, the soundtrack too. The only part I don't really like is how it tries to claim to be the composite timeline of the UC, AC, FC, and AW timelines, cause that makes like no sense at all cronologically. But that aside, its still an amazing series, cow episode and all. I also think the Zakus/Borjarnons are at their peak here. While a lot of it the Luzianna Militia isn't very skilled in mobile suit combat, their machine which are based on Zakus as well as Inglessa's Kapools all seem to have a lot of personality in this series and really feel like they make more sense as these Earth army machines seeing as they have a more mechanical and heavy feel compared to the 40s/50s sci-fi feel of the moon race mobile suits. Also I still think its crazy that the MS-05 Borjarnon Gavane Gooney Custom doesn't have a gunpla. It isn't just a purple zaku 1, it has noticable key differences. It even appears later in Build Divers with a green coat of pain. Even the MS-06 Borjarnons have slight differences to the Zakus. I feel like Bandai of all people would love the chance to milk more money out of people with more slight variations of the same mobile suits. Like the Kapool has a model kit, and it's just a slight variation of the Capule.
Very much agree with your small point about Lae’zel, I myself was quite disappointed when they changed her greeting dialogue at camp to be more friendly to the player during romancing her. I *liked* that Lae’zel was cool and standoffish with you even after you were sleeping with her. That’s strong characterisation! Now, it’s true that she belongs to a culture founded on some quite evil beliefs but I’ve always found it quite unconvincing when a story does the ‘side character learns the power of friendship and forgets all about their own inherently evil culture’ beat, and it seemed like the devs moved Lae’zel more in that direction with updates, and that weakens the character, imo.
I've not got the chance to watch this yet, at all. Yet, the art style is winning me over. That and, I think, I'm one of the few people that doesn't mind New-type stuff. I liked Unicorn, and what it did. Guess I need to catch up on Gundam, honestly.
I have seen almost every Gundam except the very newest (quit half way through 00). Turn A remains my absolute favorite, and maybe one of the best animes ever.
His*, Loran is male. I'm assuming what you're asking is The Gundam series worth watching due to the aesthetics presented? Depends. The Gundam meta-series has different aesthetics for different series. Some can be pretty bleak and dark, some can be enjoyed by a younger age group, and the list goes on. If you're curious to watch Turn A specifically however, I would recommend picking up the original 1979 show and a few other series beforehand. This is due to the fact that Turn A is supposed to be a culmination of the previous series. While there is no wrong watching it for the aesthetics, it wouldn't be the same experience when compared to watching the other series beforehand.
There is also another thing that I'd like to add to Laura's identity, it wasnt an identity that lauren made but was thrust towards him by his master, and there we see the why he's been given that identity, laura is treated as a trophy in his eyes, something to show the people, but more importantly to show that he own laura. Im sure there are other people who could explain this better than me.
Thank you, Turn A is my favourite Gundam (maybe my favourite anime) and this is a great essay I can point to as recommendation. I really resonate with the premise, particularly trying to decipher authorial intent in spite of cultural differences. My example is at the very end Guin basically admits that he's attracted to Loran. Guin insisted on calling him Laura the entire series. The pay-off, Guin's line 'the world isn't ready for [me to marry a man]', is one line quickly glossed over, and in the context of Loran's sexual ambiguity anyway, it's hard to know if Guin is actually gay or what Tomino's intent is either way. Sure, I do think Guin is gay, but I haven't dug in to decipher what that means in the context of the themes.
I think Dianna and Kihel was really the moment Tomino really got across what he wanted the idea of Newtypes to be. Two people, perfect understanding each other to the point where they understand what the other should be doing.
Bright blue eyes, too, like the old Newtypes.
Watching all of Gundam in order of release - Turn A hits the hardest. I don't think I would've nearly appreciated it's viewpoint without seeing all the previous approaches.
It's my favourite Gundam.
You didn’t jump ahead to watch SEED as well? Ɐ refs all previous series AND SEED, the next series to come out.
@@Marandahir actually SEED is one of the few I never touched at all. I'm missing G-Reco, Build, SD and SEED.
@@KanaevM To be fair, I haven't seen G-Reco or Build either. SD I saw a bit of way back when they trialed it a few times on Toonami.
oh, let me ask you, what do you think of G Gundam¡?.
@@erugurara8235 "SHINING FINGER!". Fights are boring, but it's amusing, especially with all silly Gundam designs.
I think part of the symbolism with Loran’s Laura Rolla persona is that the Earth is presented as masculine with seemingly exclusively male leaders while the moon is presented as feminine with only a queen to rule them (though this is turned on its head latter in the series with Gym and Agrippa taking power on the moon and Lily leading Ameria). By blurring the lines between masculine and feminine, Loran’s crossdressing works as a symbolic representation of him being between his two identities of a Moonrace and an Earthian.
1:02 - "this is um..."
Me - "yes, My Fair Lady/Pygmalion"
1:04 - "this basically force fem huh?"
Me - "oh"
I’ve never seen anyone talk about Turn A Gundam before, let alone make such a compelling case for it like you did. Now I’m gonna seek it out! Thanks!
I'm glad! it's a great show. it can be a bit marmite (tomino has a very specific dialogue style which is up and down for folks, even myself) but those who like it tend to rlly cherish it.
There's many good video essays on it, you should check them out, or better yet, watch Turn A!
Gundam is such a wild franchise to me. On the hand, it's obliquely toyetic and merchandise-driven, serving a launch pad to sell toys of cool robots to children and adults.
But on the other, it's consistently one of the deepest and most intellectual pieces of media out there, for any target age or demographic.
It reminds me of how cartoons like Gi Joe and Transformers used to have these "moral lessons" embedded in them to justify their existence as extended toy commercials; I feel like Sunrise got the same memo but interpreted it very differently. Instead of a PSA about how littering is bad, they serve as primer on Benedict Anderson and Judith Butler.
Gundam in this way is like how I like to describe some or my favorite Transformers seasons
“Art that is created for profit, but instead of being held down creatively by that profit, it weaponizes the profit to tell the story. It knows what the toys are and what they need to sell, and use that priority to create art that does more than sell. It soars.”
Tomino pitched a kickass toy to promote his philosophical viewpoints and I'm all for it.
If I remember from the Men that created Gundam manga, Tomino and his team wanted to tell a deep compelling war story, set in a science fiction future inspired by classic golden age texts, but disguised it as a by the number Mecha Series to appeal to the toy company sponsors and the suits at the company.
Hence Gundam was marketed at a child demographic and initially failed to meet the targets for audience retention but due to the strong toy sales it was able to keep on air until it was finally cancelled and the team worked to try to wrap up the story.
Ironically though the toy sales and reruns took off leading the way for the film success and naturally a sequel series and ultimately to more Gundam.
@@MarathonGuy1337 The toy sales flopped on their face. Because Gundam appealed to a different audience that didn't buy kids toys, and the series was rooted in the initial metric of selling toys, it was deemed a failure.
But the adult audience loved Gundam, enough to become a staple of otaku culture, enough to beg Sunrise for a continuation, and enough for another company to approach Sunrise with doing a toyline that more specifically appealed to adults, that the devotion of the adult audience alone saved the series. A series that otherwise would have died in obscurity as a failed kids toy project.
@@polkadi the article I read indicated the toys were one of the few motivators in the continuation of the show which had a poor TV viewer ship though eventually the toy sales dipped and the TV viewer ship hit a critical low though by this time Tomino had been able to negotiate a new TV schedule which allowed for the series to be more or less completed, though aspects of the story were changed like Amuro's death and the alternative ending where Char becomes the leader of Zeon which is all more or less kept in his novelization versions. Great reads by themselves.
"We are all prisoners of our time" as it pans over the scene of guin on a voyage was a particularly good edit choice. It clicked for me again why guin is such a good antagonist and mirror to gym, they were both people who couldn't see beyond their own time, unmalleable and trying to define others by the era in which they lived, insisting on referring to Loran as "Laura", etc. Whether it be shame or something else, Guin's refusal to put on the skirt is directly tied to his ambition, he rejects change and locks away his own potential, relegating himself to be swept along the sands of time.
Great video!
This is a very good reading of Guin's character...
Guin's line at the end of "I can't start the next industrial revolution in a skirt" literally sent me and the transfem friends I was watching it with into derangement.
@@error3902 The guy doesn't want to wear a skirt. It's nothing to freak out about.
@@error3902 That makes a lot of sense, especially with Sadsheep's analysis. I was caught up on Guin pursuing Loran and didn't think about wanting to *be* Loran. If Feezy_feez, in another comment, is right about Tomino wanting men to accept their inner femininity, then Guin and Gym are opposite ways of failing to achieve that. Guin knows something is going on inside, but refuses to understand it. Gym has totally rejected femininity and marches straight (hah) into his self-destruction. I think Guin wants Gym's certainty and chooses that self-destruction instead of trying to understand himself and succeeding (Lily Borjano proves that sex and gender are not insurmountable even in their culture.) I guess that's also Guin failing Tomino's broader thesis: he can't even understand himself, let alone others.
this is probably the biggest sell on Turn A Gundam i've ever heard, genuinely feeling the tangible passion through this. absolutely loved it !!
So true. I had started watching Turn A a few years ago but never finished, now after this I can't wait to revisit the series
I think there's a certain element to Tomino's oeuvre which simply translated best into Turn A Gundam -- the more operatic or play-like aspects. The Kihel Heim and Diana Sorel role swap, Loran's gender swap, the Kaguya-esque fairy tale of Will Game, Corin Nander playing the Fool archetype, and Gym Ghingham being more a personification of conflict to name some of the more prominent examples. They all build upon one another to place you slightly into the realm of the fantastical and heightened emotions.
This works in Turn A especially because its core conflict is crafted in such a way that both you and the main characters really want to avert a violent resolution. What does a Gundam series do without that violence then? It threads together these stories based on the tension of war, the complexities and painful tribulations of getting people to move beyond their seemingly intractable worldview. Everything Loran does with the Turn A is to buy time and space for that to happen, which he is shockingly pragmatic and calculating at despite being so generally earnest and good-natured.
Heya! I think having more context will probably help in your understanding. Dual-identity/alter identities is definitely a running theme in Turn A. Loran/Laura, Dianna/Kihel, White Doll/Turn A/Mustache, Kapool/Ball, etc. "Two in one and one in two". Part of this comes from Tomino's fixation on Takarazuka Revue (all female theater troupe) at the time, which ties into what you say about performative acting. Dance & theater and performing arts are big in the Tomino family, and you see this in shows like Brain Powerd and King Gainer too. Loran being dressed & trained to be a lady can be compared to Takarazuka, Dianna-Kihel trying out each others' clothes is reminiscent of a backstage theater room. The Dianna-Kihel swap is inspired by Heian tales like Torikaebaya Monogatari (a Japanese court drama); the basic idea of them swapping places over and over while being in "tune" with each other and ending up with their respective love interests, is pulled from it. You can also equate it to Osamu Tezuka works like Twin Knights. In the 90s, Tomino sought emotional refuge from the women in his life and that influenced him a lot. He wanted men to accept their inner femininity, and Loran's pseudo-androgyny is basically a result of that. That said, I don't want to oversell Tomino's mentality at the time; in Turn A interviews he's made some pretty traditional comments about gender, and that's even reflected in some of the music/songs
Sorry if that was a lot of quick notes at once. I'm happy that even without context you hit on many of the right points. Great video :)
It was a lot of rambling-nonsense. +
So Turn A is understanding, but not delusional. That's good to know.
@@onojioboardwalk9748Its a lot of wordss for "I want a cute chocolate femboy".
@@CunnyMuncher .. Thaats not what Gundaamn is ABOUT - Get, A, JOB, Man! +
@@CunnyMuncher .. Thaats not what Gundam is about - GET a JOB, Man! +
Having just finished this show about a month ago, the two characters that I kept thinking about were Kieth and Sochie. Specifically Kieth's scene near the end where he's holding on to his injured wife screaming in defiance at the moonrace "how dare you come down and attack the earth" etc. I kept thinking of the interactions he had at the front of the series, specifically the scene where he's watching the parade from the rooftops with Loran and Fran, trying to figure out why people on Earth always look to the sky, and couldn't figure out an Earth person's perspective. I think you hit the nail on the head with how Tomino expresses themes he's interested with in that they feel like extensions of an idea or ideas we have to sit with and come to our own conclusions. Especially with characters like Loran and Kihel! I've been thinking about Sochie Hiem's character arc for literally about four weeks now because of this extension of thesis that Tomino does a lot. Sochie might be my favorite Tomino character because of it, specifically because of how much of her screen time is her processing loss or change, and the identity she really wanted to take on versus where she ended up because of how she ended up expressing herself in like, four different crucial instances. Anyway, this video is basically exactly what I was looking for after ruminating on this show for a while, awesome job Pyramid Inu!
My favorite genre of YT video is people with accents different from my own speaking gently into a microphone about various existential themes and ideas, paired with footage of a framing device (preferably an anime) that I know nothing about.
Even when only talking about works that fall within that very specific niche, this is some good shit.
~Bonus points for taking the time to put in an unnecessary snipe aimed at The British Empire 10/10~
As a transfem who has struggled with figuring out identity for years at this point, I'm really touched by this video. Hearing in proper words that identity is malleable, and there's nothing "inside" me that forces me to be something is genuinely an extremely liberating message to hear, and see explained so well.
I think the core of it is ultimately what suits you better. It’s about becoming your full potential and if you feel a more honest self inside of you that might challenge the boundaries and context we live in, then that’s just part of it. So it’s maybe not that things are infinitely malleable it’s that all things are malleable which are movable. The feminization wouldn’t have worked on just anyone, nor the identity swap (witch ultimately was less of a swap and more of finding a truer center)
@@emi_mono Ah, that's probably a better way of describing it, yeah. For sure it's about like, finding what you yourself prefer your identity to be, or the range of identities you're comfortable with.
@@Flame-el6ej ✨✨
I think Loran's time as Laura has something to do with the Gundam interrupting his coming of age ceremony. Loran didn't get to "become a man" through that ritual, so instead he has this journey towards deciding what kind of person to be, which included trying being a girl. There's also some symbolism with the fish toy and the Gundam's cockpit and other things.
Turn A Gundam's Ancient Astronaut vibes are just so well weaved into the show, loved it. The whole identity thing flew over my head if I am honest.
It’s worth remembering that Japan also has a monarchy, and it’s more highly revered and ritualised than the British monarchy
@@suzygirl1843 that when a Japanese creator writes a royal family, his reference point is probably going to be the Japanese monarchy, not the British one.
@@rorythomas9469 Every other Monarch style is better than the British Royal family. It's wild that they expect the world to bow to them amd having to compete with the changing times like Kardashians. Everyone else is interested in preserving their own culture. I like the Spanish Royals, the Japanes3 royals and the Lichtenstein family. The more private and Reserved the better.
@@suzygirl1843Who asked?
your first 4 minutes convinced me to watch turn A gundam
hell yea
Enjoy! It's a great series
I'm gonna check this out and give you another view once I'm further into the anime, thank you for making a video discussing this topic! Turn-A does a lot of cool and funny things with personal identity, one's community identity/reputation, identity shenanigans involving twins, etc. and it's super fascinating. I definitely feel ignorant of what's being symbolized/discussed at times however, so a video like this was just what I needed!
Perfect video to arrive the same day as my MG Turn A kit! Thank you so much for your fantastic analyses on topics that are honestly outside my typical topics or themes I engage with. Love getting to see such a wide array of media through your unique analytical lenses!
Absolutely stunning video analysis. Great stuff and I can't wait to see more from you! 💖
Great video essay! Seeing a focus on how identity affects the characters was a refreshing change in perspective.
The popularity of tanned tomboy main protagonist remains strong
Never clicked on a video faster. Also love the Harris joke at the end, thank you.
* rotates all my gunpla*
I still don't know why this show wants me to do this...
Hey this video showed up in my recommendeds, and it’s really stellar! I’ve been listening to your entire videography on repeat at work for a few weeks now. Thank you. Also, I started watching Turn A. Really cool! I usually struggle to click with mecha shows, but your video gave me a lot of the context i needed to stick through those dense first few episodes. I’m really enjoying it, and I’m looking forward to enjoying a whole new medium :) Thank you.
I'm sure something can also be said about Turn A's place in chronology and how this ties to identity as well. How the "official" story changes on it every half decade, shifted through tiny supplements and comments to partially promote whatever the current project in the brand is, how various subgroups of the fanbase have their "preferred" idea of what "canon" is with Turn A, and how this extends into how people feel about other writers who have written for Turn A-adjacent material. Trying to learn about the identity of Turn A within the wider gundam brand from a fan of gundam usually tells you less about Turn A and more about how the person you are asking *feels* Turn A is. That there is less hard fact within its text alone as a series to explicitly say what it is in the bigger picture beyond hints and implications, a sort of canon androgyny, and so with every individual interpretation and the wide/conflicting statements on what should be the case, everyone has their own canon identity construct projected onto it.
This is the best take I have seen on Turn A pretty much anywhere. Great job!
Another great video! I think you're on your way to an illustrious career as an essayist. Your videos make me want to watch the shows you talk about. Really great job. Keep up the good work!
the clip at the end had me rolling!! truly a great video. turn a is now on my watch list
I LOVED this fascinating video essay, thank you!
Now I HAVE to finally watch Ɐ!
I just love this video, and I'm so glad you went ahead and made it to share the beautiful drama of Turn A, and it's characters. Thank you for doing so, it's still a lot of time to record and edit and you make it seem effortless~
One thing that always struck me about Loran's transformation into Laura, was how easy it was for him to accept this change mentally, because who else in his life represents femininity other than the one he reveres most: Diana Sama. He never had the idea growing up that portraying himself as 'feminine' is wrong, because feminine couldn't possibly be wrong given his community's worship of the Queen. Even Harry Ord isn't bothered by the feminine portrayal as much as he is surprised that it's Loran that was Laura. It always signaled to me how much the idea of gender roles (or at least how severely delineated they are) area partially a result of the culture you grown up in. Which is the same conclusion you came too as well!
Absolutely loved this one, especially as someone who could talk about Turn A for way too long, loved this video Inu!
Male characters dressed as women is actually quite a recurring thing in Tomino's body of work. It happens in Daitarn 3, L-Gaim, Gundam ZZ and King Gainer, though it's usually a more one-off situation in comparision to what happens in Turn A.
Turn A Gundam my beloved. It's got me thinking on the role of the dark history, context and the dual role of actors shaping environment as they're shaped by it. Great video and your narration voice is really nice.
Great video there isn’t enough channels like yours, so I’m definitely subscribing!
i was actually thinking about how much i like your gundam coverage. very happy to see this on my feed. as always, you did a wonderful job expressing yourself and elaborating on a show i find fascinating. well, fascinating from a distance. i never fully watched it.
i'm currently watching all of gundam. at least up to char's counterattack. i wasn't sure if i would actually sit through turn-a. but i think i will, after having watched this. cheers.
Turn A is definitely one of the best written gundam out there, it is worth watching even if you are not a gundam fan, it is simply a good sci-fi anime.
The gundam fanbase enjoy the cool robots above all else, so don't feel that you have to watch all of them. A lot of the stories are just straight up stupid. You can totally skip Z, ZZ, victory, unicorn, narrative, seed destiny, blood iron orphan.
People ask for more nuances take on Gundam
Tomino: here you go, my magnum opus
People: but why is there so little war going
I really liked this video! I enjoyed your discussion of identity through the lens of this piece! Idk this was just fun to watch and I’m considering watching it with my friends now :p
YES! Turn A Gundam has been my favorite since I'd first seen it and I grew watching all of the shows. Glad you're covering it so thoroughly. Love your work.
Turn-A is probably my favorite Gundam show, and its themes of identity play a big part of that. Thank you so much for making this analysis! You really perfectly encapsulated what I love about the way the show explores identity.
Hi Pyramid! Amazing video as always, just wanted to thank you for being a personal inspiration of mine, seeing your videos made me want to create my own channel (hope to become as well articulated as you are in the future ahah). And although I've always been intimidated by the Gundam series, I think you've helped me finally choose my first Gundam to watch :D
Well, now I have several more reasons to watch Turn A. When I was first introduced to Gundam as a concept in a meaningful way, I recall reading about this series and thinking that this one felt like the one that was the most "my thing," but hesitating because I thought it would be helpful to have further context for the series, but now I think I was right and maybe I should just go for it. (Although being someone who also enjoys crushing sadness, I'll probably be starting with War in the Pocket.)
Absolutely wonderful analysis!!!! I fucking love Turn A, and you beautifully articulated the core themes of identity in such a good way...
I so love this series but after all these years my heart still aches for Sochie 😢
Yes! Turn A is incredible for so many reasons, and the way it plays with and explores identity is chief among them. I'm glad there's such an insightful video I can point people towards if they want to see some of the depth the series has to offer in a nutshell.
What an amazing analysis! Definitely subbed
I’m a simple person. I see a video on Turn A, I watch and subscribe. Identity is such a major theme in the works of post UC tomino and I feel somewhat validated someone can not only see that but is able to articulate these feelings I myself have had before so well. Turn A is my favorite anime of all time, seeing anyone talk about it and do it justice brightens my day.
Great video, absolutely makes me wanna watch this
Turn A rules so much, and I loved hearing you talk to it. Also huge respect for the victory mentions 🎉
I am curious if you've seen Ingmar Bergman's "Persona", the themes you discuss here are definitely present in that film.
only Bergman films I've seen are wild strawberries, seventh seal, cries and whispers, and that one he did in the 60s that is sort of like a horror movie with the island and vampire-esque shit (this probably doesn't narrow it down)
Inu, you posting this video was what finally gave me the push to sit down and watch Turn A, so I wanted to say thank you for that. I realize saying "Turn A good, actually" isn't a particularly profound or controversial statement, but I did really enjoy it. It does share the issue with a lot of Tomino's works where there are so many threads running through the show that I feel like I would need to watch it several more times before I fully "get it", but I suspect that's more an issue with my own ability to process and analyze media than any flaw in the show itself.
I don't know if Turn A is necessarily Tomino's best work (I do think there's still a strong case for Ideon taking that spot), but it's definitely his most impressive in term of sheer artistry. The show is a great example of what happens when a veteran director comes into a work energized with a bunch of ideas and themes they want to explore, and they have the experience and clout to bring on the resources and talent needed to fully realize it. Like, look at the lightning in the background of the first ending. They didn't need to animate it to that level of polish and detail, but they did anyways. It's genuinely some of the best looking lightning I've ever seen in an anime, and it's this tiny background detail playing over the ending theme that a lot of people probably won't even be paying attention to.
Also, I found your comment about Tomino directing off of instinct really insightful. A lot of his works have this moment where they'll bring up an idea I find really intriguing without dwelling on or elaborating on it in detail (the reveal of the Gaizock's motivations and origins in Zambot, SU-Cordism and the taboos in G-Reco, the cyclical nature of the Dark History in Turn A, the reveal of what Ideon and the Ide actually are, the way newtypes are portrayed in the original Gundam series, etc). I always found it frustrating that his shows would go "Here's a really cool idea. Anyway, moving on...", but that approach makes a lot more sense if we assume that the works don't go into the details because Tomino himself doesn't have the details, or at least not in a way he knows how to directly communicate with the audience.
Very much agreed on all counts!
Just wanna say keep up the good work xdd I really like your videos
Since i've finished Turn-A, there was something that buged me and wanted to discuss. I've even drafted a video idea about gender and perception of it in gundam, how the UC people trancend all this qualitys and becomes their purest form, however there was something that i lacked and coudn't turn my head around what was it.
This is the video i wanted to make but never could. This video gave me the words i needed to translate what i felt through this wonderfull series. Thank you for giving me the words i needed and to make a video about my favourite gundam series and one of my favourite series of all time.
The psychic damage of sneaking a Kamala Harris soundbite at the end has done irreparable damage to me
I never delve into the broad Gundam universe
But you have shown so much of the thoughtful work done by the creators
I need a map to carefully navigate this to capture it
Judith butler 101 through Gundam. Love it
Well done!
“Some Hollywood dude”?!?!?!?!?
Currently watching Turn A and this video could not be better timed.
Interesting. I listen to the soundtrack all the time so I always wondered what the show was like.
Wait, is Turn A Gundam commentary on Israel/ Palestine?
babe, wake up, new Pyramid dropped
I've always thought of Turn A as my favorite. It's so strikingly different to any other Gundam series. I think you and commenters covered all the analysis I could think of, so I'll just say thanks for the video!
Turn A will be my favorite for quite a while.
When your Gundam has a mustache, you never need to be insecure in your masculinity.
Good old Kill em all Tomino. One of anime's finest and simplest creators. Also I have always watched Gundam for the lore the mecha are just the greatest free bonus ever. Fantastic vid.
22:15 The Swedish state actually made a documentary about that and apparently 50% of your personality is determined by your genetics. The rest is determined by your friends and random.
(source: Din personlighet Anders Hansen)
In agreement with what you have to say about what this series has to say about identity (or subjectivity) and what you elliptically allude to regarding what it has to say about politics (I get it, it's CZcams), I also think this is Gundam at both its most mature and playful on a narrative level. Tomino realizes he doesn't have to KILL 'EM ALL to say something substantive about the world -- no one gets what they want at the end. It's a sort of quiet tragedy without comeuppance -- in fact, one of the most affective TV shows I've ever seen.
This really is one of the most well made anime ever made
Well damn, I'm convinced. Time to watch Turn A I guess!
This video is so good
I uses to just call these one mustache Gundam 😊
As someone who shifts their exterior identity rather frequently in the context of an audience, I found this video particularly compelling.
Specifically the scene in which Diana cries in Kihel’s behalf at her father’s tombstone made me tear up since I’m personally all too familiar with the pain of repressing one’s inner self in favor of an idealistic exterior self.
Looking at the Tarot, the Chariot Arcana is one which shows a rider handling a pair of beasts. It represents an individual being driven forward by their emotions, but also being sure to maintain control lest they be overthrown and trampled by the beast. But on the flip side, one can hold too much control and stifle the beasts leading to a weakening of the self through a lack of expression.
All this to say that I find themes on identity in my Sci-Fi Political Drama very entertaining, especially when two individuals essentially trade persona’s and find themselves in the mask of another.
Its about turning into an A, jesus fucking christ, media literacy is dead.
BANGER
Underrated Series. Like actually this series is honetly peak Gundam. It borrows elements from the victorian era, real life ancient cultures, war of the worlds, look at the mech designs I mean. Not just that, the soundtrack too. The only part I don't really like is how it tries to claim to be the composite timeline of the UC, AC, FC, and AW timelines, cause that makes like no sense at all cronologically. But that aside, its still an amazing series, cow episode and all. I also think the Zakus/Borjarnons are at their peak here. While a lot of it the Luzianna Militia isn't very skilled in mobile suit combat, their machine which are based on Zakus as well as Inglessa's Kapools all seem to have a lot of personality in this series and really feel like they make more sense as these Earth army machines seeing as they have a more mechanical and heavy feel compared to the 40s/50s sci-fi feel of the moon race mobile suits. Also I still think its crazy that the MS-05 Borjarnon Gavane Gooney Custom doesn't have a gunpla. It isn't just a purple zaku 1, it has noticable key differences. It even appears later in Build Divers with a green coat of pain. Even the MS-06 Borjarnons have slight differences to the Zakus. I feel like Bandai of all people would love the chance to milk more money out of people with more slight variations of the same mobile suits. Like the Kapool has a model kit, and it's just a slight variation of the Capule.
I love Turn A, Ive rewatched it more than any other Gundam show.
Extremely good
Best channel
Very much agree with your small point about Lae’zel, I myself was quite disappointed when they changed her greeting dialogue at camp to be more friendly to the player during romancing her. I *liked* that Lae’zel was cool and standoffish with you even after you were sleeping with her. That’s strong characterisation! Now, it’s true that she belongs to a culture founded on some quite evil beliefs but I’ve always found it quite unconvincing when a story does the ‘side character learns the power of friendship and forgets all about their own inherently evil culture’ beat, and it seemed like the devs moved Lae’zel more in that direction with updates, and that weakens the character, imo.
great, now I'm gonna finish Zeta. Still so much to experience...
I've not got the chance to watch this yet, at all. Yet, the art style is winning me over. That and, I think, I'm one of the few people that doesn't mind New-type stuff. I liked Unicorn, and what it did. Guess I need to catch up on Gundam, honestly.
I just found out it's not on any streaming.
I have seen almost every Gundam except the very newest (quit half way through 00). Turn A remains my absolute favorite, and maybe one of the best animes ever.
thanks for getting me into gundam
The whole story feels studio ghibli to me
i am a simple man i see a turn A video essay I click
Hazel Mentioned :)
yooo hazel mentioned
HAZEL MENTIONED?!? I like you, person.
brb im gonna start and finish turn A before watching this
I never watch gundam, but is worth watching for loran appreciation since I like her design? (I didn't watch the video so as not to get spoilers).
His*, Loran is male.
I'm assuming what you're asking is The Gundam series worth watching due to the aesthetics presented? Depends. The Gundam meta-series has different aesthetics for different series. Some can be pretty bleak and dark, some can be enjoyed by a younger age group, and the list goes on. If you're curious to watch Turn A specifically however, I would recommend picking up the original 1979 show and a few other series beforehand. This is due to the fact that Turn A is supposed to be a culmination of the previous series. While there is no wrong watching it for the aesthetics, it wouldn't be the same experience when compared to watching the other series beforehand.
There is also another thing that I'd like to add to Laura's identity, it wasnt an identity that lauren made but was thrust towards him by his master, and there we see the why he's been given that identity, laura is treated as a trophy in his eyes, something to show the people, but more importantly to show that he own laura.
Im sure there are other people who could explain this better than me.
thank u for the video i needed to hear this 💜, EZ HYPERCLAP new sub
Oh my! 🤣🤣
Had no idea William Shatner of all people could be that eloquent!
I didn’t watch the whole thing since by the 8 Minute mark i had to watch this show. It’s so intense but at the same time grounded.
Thank you, Turn A is my favourite Gundam (maybe my favourite anime) and this is a great essay I can point to as recommendation. I really resonate with the premise, particularly trying to decipher authorial intent in spite of cultural differences. My example is at the very end Guin basically admits that he's attracted to Loran. Guin insisted on calling him Laura the entire series. The pay-off, Guin's line 'the world isn't ready for [me to marry a man]', is one line quickly glossed over, and in the context of Loran's sexual ambiguity anyway, it's hard to know if Guin is actually gay or what Tomino's intent is either way. Sure, I do think Guin is gay, but I haven't dug in to decipher what that means in the context of the themes.
thanks! yeah I find the Guin arc very odd tbh.
Good video.
Turn A Gundam is peak fiction.
A Kamala Harris quote being a TL:DR summary of Turn A Gundam is gonna make me lose my mind btw. Masterful work.
You know, I never watched this Anime, however I think I just might give it a shot.