When Amuro Ray (voiced by Toru Furuya) shouts, "Core Change: Docking, Go!" each part connects, and the familiar Gundam is completed! However, Bright Noa (voiced by Hirotaka Suzuoki) seems unsatisfied with the speed of the process, grumbling, "That was slow. Can’t you make it four seconds faster?"

With its lively background music and overall atmosphere, this scene is unmistakably reminiscent of a classic Showa-era robot anime. It makes one wonder if, at the time, the creators just couldn't escape the trope of "robots combining with energetic flair." Perhaps the staff wavered between making a show that appealed to children and their own inclination toward realism... which, when you think about it, gives this scene a certain depth.

"Mobile Suit Gundam," currently available for streaming, is a robot anime series produced by Sunrise, originally aired from April 1979 to January 1980 and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. By pioneering the "real robot anime" genre, it had a massive impact on subsequent robot anime. While its ratings were modest during the original broadcast, the show's popularity soared with reruns and theatrical releases, sparking a "Gunpla" (Gundam plastic model) craze. Many sequels and spin-offs have since been produced, and the franchise enjoys continued high popularity today. Beginning in April 2025, the new anime "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" is now airing.

(C)SOTSU·SUNRISE

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