The "2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo," kicking off on April 13, 2025, is shaping up to be one of Japan's biggest events of the year. And guess what? Bandai Namco is bringing the heat with a dedicated "Gundam Pavilion," featuring a life-sized RX-78F00/E Gundam that's already got everyone talking.
With the Osaka Expo's trial run starting this week, visitors are already pouring in, and international pavilions are nearing completion. However, a Japanese X (formerly Twitter) user recently shared an interesting observation: after seeing the life-sized RX-78F00/E Gundam in person, they overheard people debating its pose, calling it "too basic" and "not cool enough." This post quickly went viral, sparking a massive online discussion about why the Gundam is striking such a peculiar stance.
The original poster recounted the scene, sharing snippets of the visitor chatter:
Visitor 1: "Seriously, what's with this Gundam pose? It's so lame! Wouldn't it look way cooler just kneeling with its hand on its knee?"
Visitor 2: "Well, actually... it's because..."
A "pro-pose" visitor chimed in: "If it were just standing, you'd only see its face from the circular walkway above! Not impactful enough! See? With its arm raised like this, it looks totally awesome! Right?!"
Visitor 2 (sighing): "Ugh... the higher-ups just don't get it..."
It sounds like everyone involved was a Gundam fan, just with wildly different opinions on the giant mech's display.
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but many agree that the squatting Gundam's pose makes it visually awkward to appreciate from certain angles. One netizen even shared a hilarious take from a foreign visitor who thought it looked like:
"Hey, hey! Look at the ground! Huh? Is something shining by your foot? ...Oh yeah, found it! My contact lens is right here!" Clearly, this pose is causing some serious head-scratching.
Some netizens suggested the current pose might be a nod to the visual art for "Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative" (NT), specifically the "Narrative Gymnastics" pose featuring its three main characters. But let's be real, this is *not* a pose a Gundam would ever strike. It looks far from cool, so why put it in such a bizarre, anime-unseen stance?
If it really is about height restrictions, wouldn't it be better to just have it in the classic, more stable, and imposing pose from the original "Mobile Suit Gundam" anime shown below? (LOL)
▼ "Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative" (NT) promotional art
Other netizens suggested these poses for future Gundam statues. Are you sure about that, folks? LOL.
However, some savvy netizens pointed out the real reason: the Expo site is on reclaimed land, which comes with building height restrictions. Since the Gundam statue is classified as a "building," it's subject to these architectural regulations.
So, while the "RX-78F00/E Gundam" might be sparking some aesthetic debates, it's undeniably drawing in hordes of visitors. Perhaps all this widespread discussion means it's already achieved its mission, right? XD