The current state of things makes this the perfect time for people to catch up on old classics they haven't seen in a while or just haven't seen at all. With favorites like Jim Henson's Dinosaurs sitcom coming to Disney Plus, the time seems right for other streamers to start offering their own little comfy corners of nostalgia. Crunchyroll apparently agrees as it has now officially made the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime available for streaming.
On January 25th, the anime streaming service announced that Mobile Suit Gundam, the 1979 mech series that launched a thousand other mech series, would come to their collection of available shows beginning immediately. This means that fans old and new of the long-running franchise can finally take a look at the story that started it all, like a trip down memory lane or as some new content they've never seen before. Though whether or not it will be more thrilling than seeing Japan's actual life-size Gundam in action is debatable.
Mobile Suit Gundam features an Earth under an overwhelming attack by rebels in large humanoid combat vehicles known as mobile suits. The Earth Federation finally builds its own versions of the weapons called Gundams, only for unforeseen circumstances to place them in the hands of civilians and inexperienced cadets. One such young man, Amuro Ray, finds himself at the center of the story as he takes control of a powerful white Gundam. Thus launched a single show into the decades-spanning Gundam franchise.
While the idea may seem almost cliched today, Gundam was the start of something special. Though it wasn't necessarily the first time a story featured giant fighting robots, it absolutely pushed that particular genre (popularly known as "mecha") into a much more mainstream position. Hardcore mecha fans may dispute that claim, but it's fairly certain that movies like Guillermo Del Toro's love letter to the genre, Pacific Rim, wouldn't exist without it. Not to mention, United States Congresswoman Ilhan Omar would never have gotten this personalized Gundam fan art.
The series is available to watch with an English voice track or in Japanese with subtitles, which is sure to divide certain facets of the audience. As one of the oldest anime series, at least among the more well-known shows, it's understandable that some may prefer to stick to subtitles based on the rather poor track record of English-dubbed Japanese content at the time.
So with both methods of viewing available, hopefully, everyone interested in some retro robot action can enjoy Mobile Suit Gundam as they please. Though perhaps debating the superiority of dubs vs. subs should stay on the sidelines for now.
Mobile Suit Gundam is now available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Source: Crunchyroll