The Influence/Impact of Gundam on Japan
The Mobile Suit Gundam franchise first aired on April 9, 1979. The series took place in the distant future and featured giant, human piloted robots called mobile suits. These mobile suits were used as weapons of war between the earth and the oppressed space colonists. The series became a hit and was responsible for pioneering the real-robot mecha genre of anime. The series went on to gain multiple sequels set in the same timeline as the original, and many spin offs set in alternate timelines. The franchise also spawned a line of plastic model kits, with new figures being released to this day, in following with the series. Aside from tv series and model kits, the franchise has many novels, manga, video games, movies, and OVA series that get released every year. Currently, the franchise has a total of 43 series, films, and videos. By the year 2000, the franchise had broug...
