TheWeirdoWithKohi

Not too long ago, I decided to begin researching and writing about the cultural impact of the genre we've come to know as "Mecha", from its earlier incarnations as a firm power fantasy series not too dissimilar to super hero media of the time- to the inception of the modern face of Mecha with Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) bringing in the "Real Robot" sub-genre into reality, and following the cultural context of the decades that eventually led to Armored Core (1997) for the PS1. The primary focus of said prior essay was mainly a gross oversimplification to talk about the importance of Armored Core as a piece of Mecha media made specifically in mind for the brand new medium it was interacting with to do things through mechanics, narrative, and "feel" that were not possible in its contemporaries both in and out of the medium of video games, and that the legacy of which is still alive and well into present day with releases like Armored Core VI: The Fires of Rubicon.

With that being said, however, it still is as I said- a gross simplification in order to get to the point of that particular essay. So then, what would a broader overview of the genre look like? Well, considering that the previous work was so long it had to be divided into a series of reblogs, trying to tackle that here would come out messy and a bit disorganized. In all honesty, it would be best to leave a subject like that well enough alone. ... So, anyway-

"Real Robot" As A Medium For Reflecting On The Scars and Fears Brought by Weapons of Mass Destruction.

(Consider this a companion piece to the first essay.) It doesn't take much of a thinking person to recognize the titular Gundam and what most of its imitators are as a Weapon of Mass Destruction- both in the text and subtext it draws direct parallels and discussions that were and are echoed sentiments of creations like the Atomic Bomb. On the whole, "Real Robot" as mentioned in the previous essay, was born out of Gundam's lead figure head Yoshiyuki Tomino (富野 由悠季) who deliberately did not want to make another Super Robot show, but something decidedly different in approach, tone, and priorities. To do this, proved to be a rather herculean effort at the time, for nobody in the industry was really willing to try and break the mold on what "Piloted Robots" could be. It was an endeavor that nearly failed, were it not for a deal with Bandai that lead to the creation of "GunPla" (shorthand for Gundam Plastic Models) as we know it. The results of which, need no further re-iteration and aren't the focus of this particular piece. Thanks to this deal, however, Tomino and Studio Sunrise went on to keep Gundam alive as a series and create similar shows in its image as a part of an effort to bring in "Real Robot" as the new face of the genre. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985) for example, would go on to be a far darker sequel to the original series that proved to be much closer to the original intent of the first series and further expanding what Gundam was supposed to be about- that being the inherent and severe consequences of when war is waged by tools of destruction who's creation was meant to deter any further loss of life- instead contributing an imaginable scale of death the likes of which would only call for further escalation to retaliate.

There's no need to go too much into the parallels with the very real equivalents that inspired Real Robot. From tanks to nuclear weapons, it reads clear as day- especially from the context of a country that was the first to bare witness to the effects of the Atom Bombs. Conversations, discussions, debate have always followed the culture of Japan since then- because how could it not? Officially, however, Japan as a nation and people were not allowed to openly talk about this major world ending event that would change everything about the new age of warfare and deterrence for over a decade. So the ways they began to express these newfound fears, anxieties, and generational trauma, was the same as anywhere else- through art. Before Mecha, there was Kaiju (怪獣), none more famous and influential than Godzilla (ゴジラ 1954) which is the archetypal metaphor for the bombs, atomic weapons, and what it does to a people and society. Point being, using the arts and mediums of story telling, Japan has a long a steeped history in the modern era of writing analogies and metaphors for what was one of the darkest moment in their people's history. What Gundam did wasn't new per say, is the gist of what I'm trying to explain. From more fantastical, to more horror oriented works. From live action, to books- this was all rather well known and a massive part of the cultural zeitgeist. What I think it did that the others hadn't up to this point, at least in brief summary, is that it took those fears and scars- then used it as a jumping off point for both reflection, and observation of a realized future setting that ran with this train of thought. "After the this, then what? What new horrors would we make? What other W.M.Ds would we invest and invent? How would those new generations react to or handle this new technology? What new kinds of wars would be waged with this power? Could the mere existence of such creations keep peace, or lead to further escalation?" All questions that were applicable back then, that are still relevant now, and as relevant as it was in the Gundam's own setting.

It's this origin and point that nearly every work in the Real Robot genre can trace itself back to, even as the times change- bringing with them new anxieties, new fears, and new threats to the world as we know it become realized, Mecha is able to adapt to and take in these incredibly real and unfortunately tangible feelings, because Mobile Suit Gundam was able to graft this core emotion and observation of the wars that inspired it into its very DNA. Even as the idea itself of "Real Robot", that roughly being upright, mostly humanoid mechs starts to feel improbable to some in current era (2025 as of the time of writing this, where in many fields the idea of a bipedal "Mech" ever being used on the battlefield as seen in Real Robot Mecha works, becomes more outlandish)- so to does the genre adapt and include those thoughts. The light novel and anime series 86 (-Eighty Six-, 2017) written under the pen name Asato Asato (安里アサト) for example, is a Real Robot Mecha series- that completely ditches the idea of the machines needing to be humanoid or bipedal, re-imagining them as something closer to insects. This change however, is not made in a vacuum as a concession of modern sensibilities, but is the first in a series of several additions and changes that reckons with what a world using Mechs like these to wage war would look like- incorporating themes of prejudice, racial inequity, societal hypocrisy, dehumanization, and the kind of very real and terrible things mankind can do to itself when faced with an existential threat found in one another. In this we see, the Real Robot genre can and successfully adapts itself to the times and cultural discussions, fears, and climate surrounding its creation- serving as an evolution of the ideas and themes Real Robot grew involved with around the 1990s to early 2000s, but something that feels distinctly "modern" in how it tackles and approaches the subjects it keeps and adds. Just as that Lost Generation Era influenced and evolved itself to its own changes and perceptions, so to does the genre once again.

To bring this point home, the Soul of the Mecha Genre is that of Humanity itself. The heart of the best of these stories and even those that never leave much of an impact on its own, is that of people. How awful, wonderful, terribly brilliant, and brilliantly terrible we can be. How with every way we find new ways to destroy each other, scar one another- that it is still the heart of adapting and persevering that defines any and everything we do. War didn't end with the splitting of the atom, young people didn't stop being sent to die when the Gundam was mass produced- but the world didn't come to an end either, we didn't wipe ourselves out. Real Robot continues to exist because it is a product informed by the scars and realities of conflict, and it's about how no matter how battered and beaten down- we will survive. How the more things change- the more they stay the same; but also how we're changing every second of every day. Sometimes, any particular series can become bleaker than this, or focus so much on the positive traits it can drown out the darkness in a blinding light- but even these are just as emblematic with the genre as with ourselves. In many ways, Mecha itself I consider to be its own medium, more than just a genre. You can bring any story to mecha and ask yourself "What can I express through this?" and no answer is invalid. It's as malleable as the people who created it, and continue to create with it. From metaphors and allegories, to expressions of self and purpose, to yes- even big robots punching other robots; Mecha is a beautiful reflection of ourselves, with as much good and bad as you want to bring with you into and out of it. As true for now as it was when Mobile Suit Gundam arrived on the scene, and even as when Mazinger and Getter Robo debuted on television sets- Mecha has proven that it is itself, an art form that can be as high or low brow as any other work of art, and will always have a place in how we tell stories. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Hey, this was a bit of a shorter essay than the last, but took thrice as long to write funnily enough ;-; I wanted to expand on the rather ridiculous length of the original but narrow it down to that overview, but in doing so I ended up re-writing and formatting it to work as a standalone work that asks the question of "What's the appeal with Mecha? What's at its core? Its Soul?" and kind of ran with it from there. Alas I won't take up anymore of your time, thank you to any and everyone who sat down and read through this- it means a lot. I'm still incredibly new to all of this, but I want to in earnest try to really do this. If you're able to or want to, you can support me through my ko-fi which I'll link right here :D Stay safe everyone, and be good to each other.)

Would anyone be down to read that here or elsewhere?