The latest Gundam anime, "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX," a joint production between two animation giants, Studio Khara (of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" fame) and Sunrise ("Mobile Suit Gundam"), kicked off on April 8th. The second episode, "White Gundam," which aired on Tuesday (April 15th), not only featured the appearance of Char Aznable but also showcased many classic Mobile Suit Gundam-era mobile suits reimagined with fresh new looks.
One X user in Japan shared a hilarious anecdote: while happily watching the show, their dad, fresh out of the shower, suddenly blurted out, "Huh? Why is Char piloting a Type 78 mobile suit?" The user instantly burst into laughter, unable to hold it in. Netizens flooded the comments, sparking a lively discussion among different generations of Gundam fans.
The original poster explained that their dad belongs to the generation that grew up watching reruns of the original "Mobile Suit Gundam." While watching "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX," their dad quietly murmured from the side, "Huh? Why is Char piloting a Type 78 mobile suit...?" "I just couldn't stop laughing," the OP recounted.
This show is truly bizarre, isn't it? Everyone probably feels like something's a bit off (lol).
What's more, when his dad saw the 01 Gundam (01ガンダム), he exclaimed, "That's totally a GM!" This also made the OP chuckle. The OP's father is someone who grew up watching reruns of the original Gundam. While he might not remember the anime's plot in detail, his "old-school" knowledge, honed by years of poring over model kit manuals and Gunpla catalogs, left him with a deep impression of mobile suit designs and color schemes, especially referring to the original Gundam as "Type 78."
(The "Type 78" refers to the original Gundam, "RX-78-2," the mobile suit piloted by protagonist Amuro Ray in "Mobile Suit Gundam" (1979). Its iconic red, white, and blue color scheme and design have become deeply ingrained, making it a symbolic representation of the Gundam series.)
The OP noted that even though this "White Gundam" looks so strangely deformed, his dad still recognized it as the original Gundam at a glance, which is pretty amazing. But then again, many people probably identify Gundams by their colors, so maybe his dad did too.
The term "Type 78" isn't actually that common in Japan. Some netizens commented, "As someone from the rerun generation, my dad also says that; you really can tell it's the original just by the color scheme." Others suggested that this way of naming might be linked to early Gunpla model advertisements, which often labeled products by model numbers like "RX-78-2," leading many kids back then to habitually refer to mobile suits by their model numbers.
Furthermore, some netizens expressed heartfelt sentiment, saying, "It's truly touching to see generations connect over Gundam and watch shows together." This amusing shared experience not only evoked nostalgic feelings but also bridged the gap between different age groups.
Perhaps this series is also a way for new and old generations of Gundam fans to connect, especially with the character overlaps providing plenty of talking points! XD
via： togetter