What is a problem, at least to some degree, is the whole setup of the show. Like many side stories, it tries to take a somewhat neutral approach, with both the Federation and Zeon coming across as distinctly immoral here. Thunderbolt is, of course, set during the One Year War, that oft returned to conflict which is always ripe with potential.

War is hell here, as it is in every Gundam series, but more than that it’s totally pointless, both from a narrative point-of-view and from a thematic one. Hope is almost totally lacking and while individual human actors can be good, there’s no real sense that the show has any belief that humanity can better itself.

Thunderbolt is a bloody, violent, and nihilistic series. It’s simply the least interesting from a thematic perspective. I want to be clear that I mean no disrespect to Thunderbolt in putting it at the front. By examining these four works, I think we can gain a good grasp of what the franchise as a whole is trying to say, without having to look at every single series. Turn A, on the other hand, is arranged at the end due to the fact that it serves as a sort of thematic conclusion to everything, fully investigating the ideals and themes brought up in previous entries and synthesizing them into a broader, workable thesis. Thunderbolt may be the most recent of the anime I’m looking at here but it’s being arranged at the front as its ideas are the least elaborated upon and the most basic of the franchise. This order will not be chronological but instead will simply flow based on how deeply the various thematic elements are explored. The core themes of the series are worth investigating, even if not in a strictly chronological sense wherein we go through all of the various shows.Īs such, I’d like to propose an order through which we can chart the development of Gundam’s primary thematic elements and tensions. At the same time, it’s an incredibly important franchise, one which shaped the entire medium. Perhaps one I’d be willing to do at some point but right now I’ve only seen a limited selection of Gundam anime and that won’t be changing any time soon.

To cover all of the entries, or even all of the main themes that the series ever tackles, would be an absurd undertaking. Mobile Suit Gundam is an absolutely massive franchise.

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