The History of Mecha StylesMecha series creators in Japan have several distinctive styles which define the mecha, its use, and the characters who made up the series in which the mecha appear. Although Japanese mecha shows and mangas are much more than the "Giant Robots" which inhabit their fabricated universes, there is an understanding that a mecha show cannot have a successful plotline without incorperating one of these distinctive mecha styles.
|
The Super Hero Mecha Genre
In early mecha, the artists and creators were effected by the superhero comics of America. Superman and the Green Lantern had an important influence on the development of these shows. Usually, the hero was a young male who happened upon a suit of mecha created by a good scientest to battle evil aliens. This hero became a superhero, whose alterego was the pilot of the gigantic robot. Series like Getter Robot, Mazinger Z/Great Mazinger, Goldorak, Big O, and Giant Robo are examples of this mecha sub-genre. In these series, good always prevailed, the villians were pure evil, and the title mecha was an invincible robot with a special attack that was used to beat every enemy alien or super-robot. |
The Teen Angst Genre
In this genre, the hero was a teenager who piloted a mecha designed by his father. The hero most likely did not want to become a pilot, but through either an accident of birth or a special skill they are extremely capable of piloting one. This genre was started by the 1979 classic Mobile Suit Gundam, in which the hero Amuro Ray must pilot the Gundam using only the instruction manual and his unhoned psychic skills. The genre was put to the extreme test in Neon Genesis Evangelion, a blockbuster hit that was so successful, it caused Gundam X to be cancelled when it moved to the same time slot. These series were important steps to new anime shows like Macross/Robotech, because not only were the mecha mass-produced war machines like tanks, but the pilots did not call out the names of their attacks before assaulting the enemy (like they do in Pokemon, Digimon, and most old mecha shows). |
The Teen Angst Genre
After the series Mobile Suit Gundam, many other producers picked up on the appeal of soldier mecha, or mass-produced mecha which elite soldiers piloted. Series like Macross/Robotech, Five Star Stories, Orguss and VOTOMS all were a part of this genre. Macross/Robotech and Orguss took it a step further. With mecha that transformed from robots to fighter planes, mecha pilots became like fighter pilots: they went to academies, they belonged to military units, and they were honorable soldiers. Five Star Stories made these pilots into majestic knights, while the gritty plot of VOTOMS created mecha pilots as hardened killing machines, and created elite groups of pilots known for their cruelty just as much as their skill. Whatever series you enjoy, I am sure you agree that mecha has a colorful history in Japan. Click here to return to the main page. |
