Chris responds:
1. It's just one of those things that happens in mecha anime because it happens. If you're looking for a deep explanation about this, you're not going to get one.

2. I don't have the GFF for the X-2, so it's completely possible the reviewer was mistaken and assumed they were supposed to be there when they weren't. I'd need more definitive information before making any change to the profile.

3. I wouldn't bother at all with the movie version of Gundam 0083. It's easily one of the worst compilation movies ever, cuts out lots of important elements, and is pretty poorly edited. Stick with the OVA.

4. The Devil Gundam mobile fighter form is completely a toy gimmick. The Ultimate Gundam was never designed to be a mobile fighter, so there'd be no reason for it to have that mobile fighter form.

5. Maybe it has, but I don't really care what people say. I'm not one of these Macross fans that completely hates Robotech and rages every time it's even mentioned, but I have no interest in making a Robotech anime section, especially when I've already reviewed Macross.

6. Yes, it's ridiculous. I don't have anything to add there.

7. Even though my opinion of Macross 7 has changed while re-reviewing the series, I still don't care for Basara as a main character. He's totally static and really doesn't change at all from his first appearance to the end of Dynamite 7. As such, if there's any biographical data on him, I've never cared enough to look for it.

8. Given the weird things Gabil can do and the way he acts, it wouldn't surprise me if this was a case of "the beauty of killing without getting your hands dirty."

9. No clue.

10. Fold systems are a tricky thing, and I'd imagine that even in Macross 7 they're still not exactly perfected yet. It's not something I give much thought to.

11. It's no reference as far as I know, just an in-joke that runs throughout the whole series.

12. This is just one of those questions you're probably not going to find an answer to. It's a detail I don't really care to think much about and just accept as a given.

13. I'm sure they mined some planets or asteroids for natural resources, plus they have the Three-Star factory ship.

14. It's both or neither, depending on how you look at it. Shoji Kawamori said at the outset of Zero's release that he wasn't really concerned about continuity. I think that says it all.

15. I don't know of any other non-human humanoid species other than the Zolans.

16. Again, same as #12. You're thinking too much about things that don't have answers.

17. I already stated my views on Gundam and Wikipedia in an editorial from two years ago. I think a lot of the Gundam articles on Wikipedia are pretty crappy and are better suited for Wikia or some other place, but I don't agree with the reasons cited by most of these deletionists. If you're going to call Gundam articles a bunch of "fancruft" or whatever, you'd better damn well do the same with Star Trek, Star Wars, The Simpsons and a bunch of other franchises that have ultra-detailed articles on the most inane topics.

Chris responds:
Before going into my answer, I should note that this question was submitted in February, soon after the episode in question aired. Even though the ship is smashed up, it does resemble the Jupitris, so I guess that's a popular design for long-range spaceships in Gundam. As for Eifman, well, we ended seeing what the true purpose of the Trinitys was, and it obviously wasn't quite the same as the original Meisters.

as1 asks:
1. I heard that in the 1980s, the lowest cost for a 30 minute anime episode was about ¥7,000,000, or $70,000. What is the average cost today? I heard Tomino said 90 minutes is the longest limit for movie watchers to maintain tension, so he made 90 minutes long Zeta movies. But I suspect true reason was he was given only ¥100,000,000, or $1 million for the first Zeta movie, which must be about only some times greater than 30 minute long episode cost. How do you think about this?

2. In Gundam 00, Exia could fly from Tokyo to South America and back. The Gundam's solar engine generates infinite energy. So these Gundams must be the first Gundams that can fly up into space from Earth. But, it seems these Gundams have no ability to free themselves from the Earth's gravity, as Kyrios needed to be conveyed to space by the linear car. They can only have ability to enter the atmosphere, which many other Gundams have. Also, when the Gundams were surrounded by 1,000 mobile suits, why could not they escape? Their speed is not much faster than other mobile suits? Are these contradictions in settings? Or the Gundams of 00 have ability to go into space from Earth and they are technologically superior to other Gundams in the later generations?

3. Tomino said Char is incredibly strong. If he would be free from his wonder/reluctance, he could kill Amuro instantly and ZZ would end in less than 5 episodes. This means Char is potentially the strongest Newtype? But how about Newtypes and Coordinators? In SEED/SEED DESTINY, it seems Coordinators are stronger than Newtypes. Are they stronger?

4. Soon after the first Gundam was aired, Tomino said Gundam was well done, but finally it could not surpass Future Boy Conan. In Future Boy Conan, some very primitive mecha appear, but basically it is not a mecha anime. It is difficult to compare different genre anime, but I think Conan is one of the best anime at least. What is the best anime? Do you think Conan is better than Gundam?

5. Soon after the first Gundam was aired, Tomino said in the White Base, there is some anti-gravity or gravity control system. That is why it can fly in the air or roll over in the air. Also he said there is a small fusion reactor in Zaku and other mobile suits. But, later, it seems anti-gravity system in the warship and fusion reactor in the mobile suit ideas seem to be abandoned. Are they contradictions? Also, in 00, Gundams have solar reactors which generates infinite energy. Fusion reactors are known technology at least in principle, but solar reactors are totally unknown technology. Why older Gundams have more advanced technologies? In the end of 00, these technologies and orbital rings will be broken and lost? And the infinite energy generator is against the principle of the known physics, as well as anti-gravity system. They seem to admit small portion of imaginary technology above/against present physics.

6. There are rumors about why many voice actors were changed for the Zeta movies. Saeko Shimazu says in her home page that Tomino told her that he was deceived by the audio director. But, later, Tomino denied this. What is the reality? Changing of the Four voice actress Saeko Shimazu is the biggest problem. Personally I think Yukana was good. But I cannot tell if she is better than Shimazu. Who do you think is better?

7. Gundam 00 is made on HV (Hi-Vision in Japanese, HD (High Density in English)). But, is there any merit for it? Anime visual must have much less info than live actions.

8. In episode 14 of Zeta Gundam when the Audhumla was flying over the rural area of North America and Rosamia started to attack, Char ordered other mobile suits stay in the Audhumla. Why did he order that? I guess this was for not more people on the ground killed. Are there any other possible reasons?

9. In episode 21 [of Gundam 00] , we saw the Gundams were moving with backup from Veda, which was inevitable for Gundams. But, as Veda is on the moon, the communication between Veda and Gundams takes some seconds, which is too large to fight against other mobile suits. Another strange thing is the width of the orbital ring. The diameter of the ring seems good. The radius of the orbital ring of the Tekkaman Blade was too small and at that height, it is not the zero G region. Also, Aki and other people walked from a Space Port to the nearest Space Port, which must be thousands of miles. Compared with that, Gundam 00 rings are good, but the width is not good. We see the ring even at the back of the Earth, which is tens of thousands of miles away. This means the width of the ring must be hundreds of miles, which is impossible. Another strange thing in Zeta Gundam and first Gundam is vacuum. People could live when big holes were made in the colony and Kamille could stop air leak with a handkerchief, which were impossible. If a large hole is made on the wall of the colony, then all air must leak out almost instantly. I do not know if a man can live if he opens the visor instantly in space as Kamille did. Is it possible?

10. Back to Gundam 00, it seems that it is influenced by Isaac Asimov`s Foundation series. In Foundation, there is the Foundation, which is a small isolated planet, but with scholars who calculate the probability of the future of the Galaxy and predict and control the Galaxy. The founder is Hali Seldon, who died hundreds of years ago and his image appears to public every once in some dozens of years when the Foundation or the Galaxy confronts a crisis, just like Aeolia Schenberg's image appears at times of crises. In Foundation, there are scholars who are also mind controllers who can control the minds of people. In Gundam 00, we see no Newtypes yet. Will there be a Newtype? In episode 22, Lockon said Setsuna is reckless, which is also said about Garrod Run in Gundam X. Garrod is reckless and not a Newtype, but has will to create future by his own will. It seems Setsuna may be like him. Will he be a Newtype?

Chris responds:
1. You're not going to easily find production costs for contemporary anime. According to ANN, the production cost for each episode of Gundam SEED was ¥25,000,000, or about $250,000. I can't imagine that other shows of similar length would be different, so that's probably a good figure. With the Zeta movies, you have to keep in mind that most of it is old animation, so the cost isn't going to be the same as a totally new movie. Also, I've not heard Tomino say that, and since a lot of things are attributed to him that he didn't say, I tend to not believe anyone who says "Tomino said this." But for the sake of this question and all the rest, we'll just assume for the sake of argument that he did.

2. You already establish as a point in your question that the Gundams can't escape Earth's gravity on their own, so why are you asking at the end of the question if they do? When it comes to speed, there are suits that are faster than the Gundams, such as the Flag. Also, in the desert battle, they were all pinned down in a wide net. There's nowhere to escape to.

3. Again, I've not heard Tomino say that, so I tend not to believe it. I really don't understand what you're asking, since neither Amuro nor Char are in Gundam ZZ. Also, I'm tired of people comparing technology or special abilities between universes. None of them are the same. Aside from one interview, we've never been told that spatially aware people in SEED are Newtypes, and the shows never refer to them as such. With that in mind, there's no point to this question or making comparisons.

4. I really have to wonder where you keep reading all this "Tomino said" stuff you keep asking about. If you had a reliable source for all this information, it would make answering these questions a lot easier. I've never seen Conan, so I can't answer the question.

5. The White Base has rotating sections just like many warships. The only places in Gundam where you find anti-gravity systems are in the lunar cities, and that's something they've never bothered to explain. Mobile suits in UC continue to use fusion reactors even in later entries, so I don't know why you're saying they don't. There's no contradiction. As for 00, different teams will depict technology in different ways over time. Don't think too deeply about it.

6. This was pretty controversial when it happened. According to rumors, sound director Sadayoshi Fujino had a relationship with Yukana, which fans believe got her that role over Saeko Shimazu. Rumors also state that Fujino divorced Kayoko Fujii, voice actress of Rosamia Badam, who was also replaced. It certainly all sounds pretty dirty, but I don't know if any of it is true. Personally, I think that Four is an iconic character for that series and was made so in part by Saeko Shimazu providing the voice. Since she was still playing the part of Four in video games, there's no reason why she shouldn't have been in the movies. I think Yukana did a good job with the part, but it really should've been Shimazu.

7. I guess you haven't seen High Definition anime like Freedom. Watch something like that and you'll see exactly what the merit is of animated works in HD.

8. You pretty much answered your own question. As stated in the episode, they were flying over a populated area filled with civilians, so Char probably wanted to take care of it on his own and limit potential damages.

9. I'm sorry, but for all the statements made in this large paragraph, there's no actual question until the end. The point of the Mailbag is to answer questions, not listen to thoughts on which anime series properly depict orbital rings. As to your actual question, yes, Kamille could survive what he did. A person can survive exposure to space for a few seconds, so it's not like Hollywood movies where they freeze instantly or explode from decompression.

10. You're asking me something that no fan would by privy to. We won't know if the series will feature Newtypes will be in the series until they show up, but personally I would prefer if there weren't any. Also, just because Setsuna and Garrod are described as reckless, it doesn't mean there's any deeper connection. Since there's no such thing as Newtypes in 00 yet, I don't think Setsuna could even become one.

Chris responds:
I'm not going to include video games, but here's the timeline as it currently stands:

AD 2008: Macross Zero
AD 2009: Super Dimension Fortress Macross
AD 2012: Macross Flashback 2012
AD 2040: Macross Plus
AD 2045: Macross 7
AD 2059: Macross Frontier
AD 2090 (alternate universe): Macross II