Retronauts Episode 368: Gundam (Universal Century)

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Confession time, readers: Despite growing up on Voltron and living in the land of the giant robot for over a decade, I've never quite found a fondness for stories about human beings piloting mechanical battle suits. Sure, I saw Neon Genesis Evangelion, but are those even mechs? My tenuous understanding of the ending suggests they were not!

But today's episode isn't about me or what I like, it's about Gundam, a powerhouse media franchise that seemingly everyone in Japan has at least heard of and many, many of them love it. And given its size and longevity, the series has had a tremendous influence on the medium of video games.

This week, noted Gundam lovers Kat Bailey (from Axe of the Blood God) and Austin Walker (from Waypoint Radio) join Jeremy to elucidate the importance of Gundam in Japanese media, share a few of their favorite and less-favorite moments, and then touch upon a few significant games related to the Universal Century saga of Gundam.

Description: Jeremy Parish, Austin Walker, and Kat Bailey hop aboard the White Base to travel across the span of the profoundly influential Gundam franchise (or at least the U.C. timeline) with a look at the anime and its hot scramble of a video game legacy.

Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get exclusive episodes every month, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.

MP3, 56 MB | 2:00:36 Direct download Retronauts on iTunes Retronauts at Libsyn

BONUS: Here is a free-preview of our recent episode on Street Fighter II, a Patron-exclusive episode originally released in March 2021 to coincide with the game's 30th anniversary!

Description: Kat Bailey, Kurt Kalata, and Diamond Feit face off against Jeremy Parish in a free-for-all throw down of video game history to celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of the most influential pop culture creations of all time: Capcom's Street Fighter II. To listen to the full version of this episode, subscribe to the show ($5/mo.) at patreon.com/retronauts

MP3, 5 MB | 8:51 Direct download Retronauts on iTunes Retronauts at Libsyn

Artwork for these episodes by Nick Wanserski (367) & Amanda Pruitt (368).
Editing thanks go to Greg Leahy.