Hello everyone. This is the first question that I asked people a month ago, so let’s do this. I didn’t get as much responses as last year at this moment, so this might not be a feature of Mecha March going forward. Oh well.
Question 1: Do you think a mostly non mecha show can have super robot/mecha energy to them?
I would think so. There’s tons of series that are labeled one thing by their creator, marketing team, etc, but feel completely different to the viewer. I think this also depends on the fan and their prior experience with mecha anime as a comparison point. I’ve only seen a handful (Code Geass, G.I.T.S., Astro Boy, FLCL for reference), a lot of which without looking at tags I wouldn’t have outright named as ‘mecha’ series. G.I.T.S. especially since it still boggles my mind that the tachikomas are considered ‘mecha’. So my perspective on ‘mecha’ energy is a lot different than say, someone who has extensively watched franchises like Gundam or Macross or at least has a lot of familiarity to them.
I certainly think a non-mecha show can carry that energy. It is something I have actually been thinking about a bit recently coincidentally. Given that a lot of the character most super robots have (at least in the case of older series, I am admittedly not up to date on what shows have come out that are mecha related recently) comes from the pilot(s) you could very easily transfer that type of character into something else.
As strange as it sounds I think JoJo fits the bill somewhat honestly. Hot-blooded heroes, ridiculous powers and some crazy battles with the courageous protagonists always coming out on top. I am sure plenty of people would disagree on that but the reasons I like super robot shows are the reason I like JoJo (besides the sweet mecha designs). The shouting of battle moves certainly helps too. Admittedly that is a very specific type of super robot show I suppose but those are certainly my favourites.
From Me:
I originally thought about this question because Deca-Dence came about and had a giant fortress with a giant first that punches things. You know, one of the most super robot things ever. Instead, my thought goes a little deeper easier then that in two directions. The first thought is that shows like Symphogear exists which combines magical girl and super robot concepts into one show and is amazing for it. The second one is how any show that has the show’s opening or a character theme play during the hypest moments possible is also super robot energy. This came from watching the hilariously awesome moments of mahjong players in Saki. Super robots came before shonen battle series became a thing, so many things borrow energy from them and it’s wonderful.
If you want to join in, here is Question 2 that needs to be responded too by March 12 2021, 5 PM PST:
Has any recent mecha series (past three years or so) spoke to you more then you’ve realized?
Mechanical Anime Reviews 
To answer your question for next round (if you decide to continue it!).
Unfortunately, not as much simply because I haven’t watched too many mecha anime in the recent past. I did watch Listeners last year which was a lot of fun for me. It sparked my creative juices with it’s premise, but long term impact was minimal.
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It’s fine, I will be continuing this year at least. Next time, I might have to come up with another idea 🙂
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Sounds good to me!
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Ack…got caught up in my own things, so I missed the deadline!
I would say this “mecha energy” is not exclusive to mecha anime, but is generally “hot-bloodedness” which can be found in all sorts of series, from battle shonen to sports series. That’s because mecha generally fall into either hot-blooded or…I guess you could call it “cool-blooded mecha” in contrast, but the kind that takes stuff way too seriously and plays everything straight (including some of the Gundam series, 70s – 80s mecha, all space operas, maybe Ghost in the Shell). I get quite bored by the “cool-blooded” types of series because hot-blooded series have outrageous concepts which mean you’re expected not to take things seriously from the outset.
As for the second question, all the seasonal mecha that have shown up as of late I’ve seen which aren’t attached to a bigger series and that I’ve stuck with for more than one episode (Back Arrow, Egao no Daika, RobiHachi, Gridman and Planet With just made it by being slightly under 3 years) have spoken to me because they’re generally quite self-contained, but they still bring a quality story to the table without compromising too much else (I would classify all these series as “hot-blooded”, aside from maybe Egao no Daika). Although Egao no Daika was a bit lacklustre in how its ending was rushed, the perspectives from both sides of the conflict made it interesting. Likewise, RobiHachi has the distinction of being connected to Boueibu, so although I haven’t finished it, I want to finish it someday.
If I had to pick one anime though, I’d say Back Arrow, which is goofy enough to be “hot-blooded”, but takes itself seriously enough to take care in developing its various locales and characters. I did ping the Mecha March post with this, but I did want to submit it formally too: https://animangaspellbook.wordpress.com/2021/02/24/why-is-back-arrow-so-fun/
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It’s ok, we’ve all been busy recently. I’m barely managing to keep up with my own things lately.
Thanks for the comments 😊.
I have noticed it, just haven’t been that good at telling people that fact. Logged and noted. 😁
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