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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2236 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 5, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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I never got the appeal of Mecha. What’s good about it?

I’m right there with you, I like giant robots but mecha just feels odd. I attribute my feeling to growing up on Transformers; I’m used to my robots having souls and so seeing people sit inside of them and pilot them has the same sort of creepy feeling as those stories where human beings turn out to be robots piloted by tiny aliens.

(Mecha has always been more popular in Japan and the Transformers began as a line of mecha robots with human pilots, but the American adaptation went in the complete opposite direction and turned them into living characters.)

I considered them one in the same, I suppose I need to finally get around to watching Evangelion to develop a taste.

Do you get the appeal of tanks, warships, planes, and similar military vehicles?

Yeah!

Is it gundam-style mecha that seem unappealing, or legged war machines generally?

I'm not much of a gundam fan myself, but I really love giant robots and grittier mechs, for basically the same reasons I love more realistic war machines. They're big and complicated high-tech amalgamations of concentrated power, and the extra complexity of arms and legs just enhances their appeal.

Legged war machines, but;

complicated high-tech amalgamations of concentrated power

This is appealing. However all the surrounding media seems to juvenile and I didn’t catechize myself on any of it when I was young, so it’s hard to get into.

You know that "big machine is like an extension of my body" thing? This, but taken as literally as possible.

It’s like construction equipment, but without the boring limitations of reality.

Well, you just watch the cool-looking giant robots zoom around with reactionless thrusters, swing energy swords, and shoot giant guns, interspersed with some human-focused drama. (Note that different series can have vastly different appeal. For example, I enjoyed Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Fighter G Gundam, but was not able to enjoy Mobile Suit Gundam (ugly animation) or Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (overwhelmingly stupid characters).)

My personal favorite mecha to look at probably are Zeta Gundam (sleek and with a cool fold-out thruster on its back), Delta Gundam (sleek (unlike its overly edgy child Delta Plus) and with a cool shield (unlike its parent Hyaku-Shiki)), and Kshatriya (four shields and two free arms, without an ugly backpack contraption like Full Armor Gundam's).

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