Mailbag 1: First Delivery

Posted February 18, 2005

Welcome to the first installment of the MAHQ Mailbag. We've got a couple of good questions for our first session, so let's get right to them.

Inquisitor Kuruni asks:
1. Do you plan for anymore "Burke's All the World's Aura Battlers" profile? Nothing add since Dunbine and Billbine from 2002.

2. Anyone working on "Burke's Big List O' Patlabor Mecha"? What about update of Burke's Big List O' Gundam Mecha? It's kind of outdate now.
Chris responds:
1. Eventually, yes. Lots of things pop up when you run a site as big as MAHQ. I don't have the series in my possession now, but once I get it again the profiles will continue.

2. The Patlabor Big List is dead in the water right now. The same thing goes for the Gundam Big List. Originally, Burke Rukes created his Big Lists and distributed them on the first Gundam Mailing List for discussion before he created The Mecha Domain website. Although I've updated the Big Lists to a point, they've sort of outlived their usefulness given that the same information is already available right above each list. It's a lot of work, but if someone were willing to update the list I'd gladly post it. It's just one of those things that I don't have time to do myself.

Nate Gefvert asks:
I have one a few of the Gundam soundtrack CDs, and one of them lists a few different versions of Gundam Wing. There is the series, Endless Waltz (both OVA and movie versions) and then there is something called Gundam Wing Blind Target. What series is this? The only thing searching came up with was a manga by the same name, but I cannot see how that would have a soundtrack.
Chris answers:
Gundam Wing Blind Target was originally a radio drama before it was adapted into the manga (available in America through Viz). It does indeed have a soundtrack, featuring the singles Mind Education/Snow Planet. I believe these are out of print, so if it's not part of the CD you own now, you'll have a tough time finding it.

Sang Gyu Lee asks:
I read the news and you said you'll accept questions. First of all, I really enjoy reading your review of each Gundam series. They're really well-done and sophisticated, and I laughed at Gundam Wing reviews. Nowadays I check your site to keep up with the review of SEED DESTINY. ^^

My question is, can you give me all the possible influence for Mobile Suit Gundam? Gundam was influenced from WWII, Hitler, Karl Marx (Char's father, I think...), and possibly more. Can you give me all the list? Thanks.
Chris asks:
Thank you for your comments. In regards to your question, there's many sources we can look to as being an inspiration to the original Gundam series. Visually, the beam saber and the original all white colors for the RX-78-2 Gundam come from Star Wars. Now, as to the One Year War and the politics around it, there are definitely many ties to World War II. Many people relate the Principality of Zeon to the Nazis, and while this is accurate to a certain degree, the connection is more subtle in the original series. Gundam 0080 and Gundam 0083 are responsible for what you could call the Nazi-fication of the Zeon. Those series introduced German names and German-influenced items just about everywhere they could be squeezed.

As far as relating Karl Marx to Zeon Sum Deikun, I think what they have in common most is that their theories were twisted for the political gain of others. Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin used the ideas behind Communism to help bring an end to Czarist Russia and replace it with a harsh, murderous regime. Likewise, Degwin Sodo Zabi perverted the ideas of Zeon's Contolism for his political ambition. Of course, his son Gihren took it to the next level with the idea that Spacenoids were a superior race and that those who were inferior had to be eliminated.

<<back to Mailbag