Last year, as part of the 30th-anniversary celebration for Mobile Fighter G Gundam, an original spin-off novel series, penned by the anime's original director Yasuhiro Imagawa, began serialization on the official website in July. It's currently in its final arc, "Three Heroes' New Legend ~Pearl of the Orient~." Within this new narrative, the fresh mobile suit, "God Gundam II," has also become a hot topic.
Bandai recently unveiled the latest product, the METAL BUILD 'God Gundam & God Gundam II', which has many netizens scratching their heads. They find 'God Gundam II' looks... off. They just can't quite put their finger on why, sparking a massive discussion among fans.
The original tweet that ignited the discussion stated, "God Gundam II's weapons... they feel a bit too Chinese, and not very Japanese, don't they? The original God Gundam, with the Hinomaru (Japanese flag) on its back, only had the God Slash as its main weapon, aside from its special ranged attacks and machine guns. This new look... it feels a bit off. Am I the only one who thinks this?"
Of course, Domon Kasshu represented Neo Japan in the 13th Gundam Fight, so a Japanese aesthetic made perfect sense. However, in the novel, this mobile suit isn't for Neo Japan but Neo Hong Kong, so a Japanese style isn't necessarily required.
Many people believe the "Chinese flair" itself isn't the main issue. It's the addition of weapons like the guandao, staff, nunchaku, and three-section staff – all iconic Chinese weapons – that feels a bit head-scratching.
But even more baffling for many is that the core appeal of God Gundam lies in its bare-knuckle brawling! That's the whole point! Adding all these weapons actually makes it look weaker. After all, this is G Gundam; if you're not delivering a scorching fist to your opponent, you're doing G Gundam wrong.
Regarding the use of weapons, the novel explains that according to the School of the Undefeated of the East's rules, weapons are generally not used. So, God Gundam II's armaments are primarily used as ranged projectiles (think: throwing weapons).
In fact, Master Asia's son, "Master Junior," even criticized this approach in the novel, calling it "a total disgrace to the School" and stating that it's not how they should fight.
However, many fans haven't read the new novel, so when 'God Gundam II' was officially merchandised and revealed as a physical product, these new settings started to raise some serious eyebrows.
As for the exact reasons behind these design choices, perhaps the later parts of the novel will provide more detailed explanations (the third chapter is currently only up to its fourth part). As for the product itself, it'll probably still get snatched up in a heartbeat.
via： togetter