#panzer world galient

[osakanone]

I love how in-depth your mech discussions dive

This isn't even my full power.jpg

I have to hold a lot back, because I don't know how to communicate well without overwhelming an audience.

Let me show you.

I'm right now figuring out how to explain a summary of over two years of investigation into mecha feet and contact-patch design, which led to me designing many MANY foot designs I came up with based on fighter landing gear, tank design, hovercraft, omniwheels, screw vehicles, and my personal favourites: marginal terrain vehicles and the Landmaster of Damnation Ally, which overcomes the shortcomings of 4+ generation Knightmare Frames [...]

(eg, their lack of omnidirectional motion, which they had to solve by transitioning to a psudoquadraped both with the Akito of Exile's 4-leg mode using its arms as walking limbs and the Queen Asura, which is not the same thing as a psudotetrapod because a quadraped has a abdomin structure closer to a jumping spider with the legs arranged inwardly for the front and outwardly for the back, and a tetrapod is radial pushing legs out at square or diamond angles relative to the abdominal centroid)

...and of Artos/Armored Trooperoids of Votoms [...]

(which had problems of a small tarus or hoof style foot with zero longitudinal arch which results in a lack of clearly defined calcaneus and thus no formal heel which would allow terrain gripping via the relative motion of the arch and phalangal body of the toes the heel like a beak -- all to encorporate the wheel in the arch-space -- which the design partially compensates through the use of a talon mechanism, and an optional structure fitted to the ankle which folds down to form an extended front foot -- which Armored Core's 5th generation later references in the folding falanges of the UCR series -- and late,r the Blue Knight variant directly addresses by extending the foot by 50% to improve the contact leverage with ground surfaces)

This is accomplished by using the stair-climber mechanism as a heel, but encorporating a scissor mechanism. Right now I'm not happy with where it is and I'm still figuring out where the hinge would go to keep it omnidirectional, which again is the common failure of leg-design in these platforms.

This is a MASSIVE amount of information to take in even in this light summary without diagrams to explain what's happening and I'd need help to really express what I actually want to accomplish.

I'm right now deeply conflicted as to how deep I should actually go because we can get very lost in the weeds and I'm not very skilled at diagramming the points I want to make and I have an entire taxonomic and anatomical language for mecha that I remove from my work when I present it to the public most of the time.

Like do I go into the development path, do I go into the evaluation of evolutionary paths I see like throughlines connecting things like how we got from knightly designs in Panzer World Galient or Dunbine (the first isekai) informs Tekkaman Blade informs Xi Gundam informs Escaflowne informs White Glint informs Unicorn Gundam and Banshee informs NWGIX/V, etc, etc?

Like there's an entire lineage and family line there being Albidimiles -- albidimiles being a portmanteau of albido (white) and miles (knight) -- not to be confused with the line Samonaut, which are essentially samurai-astronauts commonly belonging to Gundam.

Since we're dealing with design memetics, common concepts of conventional phylogenetic development don't apply since through a genetic lens, mecha is incredibly dependant on horizontal transfer -- eg, passing of information via contact, so adaptions happen not always convergently but frequently in direct parallel, as an arms-race does.

So that's an example of what this is like when I don't filter any of it for an audience, and it very quickly goes off into the weeds.

What I really need to go to the next level is an editor who understands the concepts I'm dealing with; for example, do I talk about the inherent transness of the L-Gaim Mark II and Nagano's own history with gender expression as a mechanical designer and how he expresses those feelings of femininity in his work, or do I go full schizo and present the world with my wild "Nagano-Egg Fashion-Sapphoid-Mantis" theory which is in itself a total fever dream born of conjecture gleaned entirely from his work and photographs of him leering at Tomino instead of his wife at his own marriage?

I need someone to reign me in, but also be able to support me in this capacity -- ie, a research partner who's happy to let me toil in the weeds and then is happy to help me represent these ideas and understand what you as an audience can actually make sense of.

What has happened is I accidently over-studied the design part of mecha and understudied the illustration part which I'm actually very poor at.

I can go so much deeper than I do regularly, but making sure I don't lose people is a challenge I've never managed to solve so I mostly just write for myself and then only turn it into a post if someone has a question.

Sorry if all of this is kinda disorganized.

[wanderersrest]

An Abbreviated History of Mecha Part 3.1: Do You Remember Love? (1980-1985)

Welcome back to An Abbreviated History of Mecha! Last time, we covered a small smattering of shows from the 70's. I tried to cover the big names, with a focus on the Holy Trinity (Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and Mobile Suit Gundam). While the latter of the three will be showing up throughout this series, the other two will largely fade into the background. Do not mistake this for them no longer being relevant though, as there is a very good reason why they are part of the Trinity. Besides, they'll show up again in some capacity towards the end. This also ignores the fact that both Mazinger Z and Getter Robo would constantly get updates throughout the years, so to say that the other two were somehow lesser than Gundam is foolish.

What we DO see in the 80's though are mecha shows popping up left, right, and center. A lot of this is helped by the fact that the 80's are also a time in Japanese history where the economy was booming. OVAs also become a major thing in this time period, as do a lot of surprisingly influential series. As such, I will be covering 80's (and later the 90's) in multiple parts due to how many series come up in this time period:

Part one (this part) will cover the time period from 1980-1985

Part two will cover 1986-1990

Part three will cover pretty much everything directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino from 1981 to 1993 and will serve as a bridge between the 80's and the 90's

Oh, and let me reiterate something about Mobile Suit Gundam from the last point: Gundam wouldn't become successful until the 80's with the release of the compilation movies.

With that out of the way, let's transform and ROLL OUT!

Space Runaway Ideon (1980)

Coming off the heels of Mobile Suit Gundam, Yoshiyuki Tomino would follow it up with Space Runaway Ideon. Think of it as a classic giant robot series mixed with the style of war stories that would be more in line with Space Battleship Yamato or Mobile Suit Gundam. Do not let the brightly-colored giant robot fool you. Ideon is, to my understanding, one of the darkest entries in the canon of mecha. Ideon is also where the Itano Circus came from, so that's another reason to be aware of this series. More importantly, Space Runaway Ideon specifically would be the inspiration for one Hideaki Anno when he made a certain series that I will talk about in the future. Something about a young man needing to get into a robot something, I don't know.

Diaclone (1980) & Transformers (1985)

Remember when I brought up Microman (the toy, not the wrestler)? This is why.

In 1980, Takara would release the Diaclone line of toys as a spinoff to Microman. This series would be noteworthy due to its inclusion of transforming machines designed by one Shoji Kawamori (more on him soon). One of these machines would be the eighteen-wheeler known as Convoy.

In 1985, Hasbro would license out the Diaclone line among other Takara licenses for the surprisingly ambitious series known today as Transformers. The story would follow the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (who Diaclone fans would recognize as Convoy), as they fight against Megatron and the Decepticons. Chances are very likely that if you're not thinking of the RX-78-2 Gundam when you hear the word "mecha," chances are likely you're imagining Optimus Prime.

Transformers' success in America and beyond would be so great that, in the 90's, Takara would end the Diaclone line and create a new line of toys, complete with accompanying TV series. That's another story for when we get to the 90's though, so stay tuned for that.

Beast King GoLion (1981) & Voltron (1984)

In 1981, the anime Beast King GoLion would air in Japan. GoLion itself would be pretty run-of-the-mill as far as mecha shows in the early 80's would be concerned. However, GoLion is worth mentioning as it would be one of the first anime properties that US showrunners would splice with other shows like it in order to make something for syndication.

In 1984, World Event Productions would splice Beast King GoLion with another mecha series, Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (1982), to create Voltron. And when it comes to combining robots, chances are very likely that one would think of Lion Voltron (or GoLion for those more familiar with the original) over something like Getter Robo or Voltes V. Voltron is an icon of the 80's, so much so that Voltron (specifically the lion version) would get multiple adaptations over the years, including but not limited to Voltron Force in the 2000's and Voltron: Legendary Defender in the 2010's, the latter of which I am told is a big part of Tumblr history. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if people considered GoLion/Voltron to be more of a US creation than a Japanese one.

Fang of the Sun Dougram (1981)

Starting in 1981, Ryousuke Takahashi and company would create Fang of the Sun Dougram. Building off the themes of Mobile Suit Gundam, Takahashi would begin to push the envelope in terms of what one could present with a military mecha series. Whereas Gundam's relative realism comes from how the One Year War affects the soldiers, Dougram would go further and show us just how the parties involved plan out their attacks and political machinations.

If you want to learn more about Dougram, I'd highly recommend Pyramid Inu's video on Dougram, as they're a big Takahashi nut.

Also, Dougram is of vital importance to a certain tabletop RPG coming up.

Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982) & Robotech (1984)

In 1982, Shoji Kawamori and the people at Studio Nue would release Super Dimension Fortress Macross, a series that would explode in terms of popularity. Like Gundam and Dougram before it, Macross would give us a war story featuring giant robots. But unlike Gundam and how war has its tolls on soldiers, or Dougram with its focus on political machinations and realistic strategy, Macross would focus more on how love and culture can overcome conflict. Macross is notable not just for popularizing transforming robots, it would also bring idol singers into vogue.

In 1984, Carl Macek would be tasked by Harmony Gold to make Macross eligible for syndication. Doing the best he could, Macek would fuse Macross with two other series, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada, to create the controversial Robotech.

Why is Robotech controversial? To put it very shortly: Robotech would be the reason why the original Macross has never been brought over to the west, for reasons that we will see later. It's a shame too, since Macross is one of the biggest mecha franchises after Gundam. But, it should also be worth noting that Robotech, while controversial, is still important due to it being a major introduction point into mecha stories and anime as a whole for a whole generation of people.

Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu/Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1982)

In 1982, Yoshiki Tanaka's Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, or Legend of the Galactic Heroes for us westerners, would be published. Over the course of ten volumes, the series would follow the exploits of the so-called Galactic Heroes, Reinhardt von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-Li, as the factions the two belonged to fought for control of the galaxy, with all of the politics and strategizing that ensues. Galactic Heroes is such a large and sprawling story that, when it came time to adapt it into an animated original video animation (OVA) series in 1988, it ended up becoming the longest-running OVA series of all time, clocking in at about a whopping 108 episodes in total. The series would also get another animated adaptation in 2018, Die Neue Theiss.

Armored Trooper VOTOMs (1983)

Following up on the success of Dougram, Ryousuke Takahashi would release the extremely iconic Armored Trooper VOTOMs in 1983. While Dougram was already a pretty grounded military robot in its own right, VOTOMs would take that concept to its logical conclusion. Here, VOTOMs were 4-meter tall machines that acted more like humanoid jeeps, and not only were they expendable, they were easily replaced. When mecha heads talk about realistic mecha series, VOTOMs is oftentimes brought up as the gold standard for this.

Panzer World Galient (1984)

Galient gif courtesy of Sakugabooru

Following up from VOTOMs, Takahashi would then follow that up with Panzer World Galient, a series that would trade out the military robots in favor for fantasy-flavored mecha. What's interesting to note here is that this would come out a year after a series called Aura Battler Dunbine, and I'd argue that both series would be the bases for later fantasy-inspired mecha series such as Magic Knight Rayearth and Break Blade.

Battletech (1984)

1984 would also see FASA Corporation release the first edition of its BattleTech ruleset. Rumored to have taken inspiration from series like Fang of the Sun Dougram, Macross, and Crusher Joe, BattleTech would become the poster child of the western giant robot aesthetic, that of the walking tank.

Also due to a messy copyright situation, BattleTech would also get tied up with Harmony Gold due to stolen designs. This legal back and forth would eventually be the reason why Macross would be unavailable outside of Robotech to this very day, though at one point the legal nonsense got so out of hand that, if I remember correctly, they tried to also bar FASA and their successors from using mechanical designs from Dougram and Crusher Joe (even though they did not have the rights to either series).

Blue Comet SPT Layzner (1985)

Blue Comet SPT Layzner is a 1985 series created by Ryousuke Takahashi. The series, from my superficial glancing of the series, would be the first major Gundam-like series to come out. It should be noted that, prior to this, the only major Gundam series to exist prior to 1985 was the original Gundam. Unfortunately for Layzner, 1985 would be the year that Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam would air, which is generally considered to be the most popular Gundam series in the franchise.

Conclusion

As we get further into the 80's, we will begin to see more and more stories show up that would be a part of the mecha canon. The latter half of the 80's is where we see the rise of the OVA which, as I mentioned briefly with Legend of the Galactic Heroes, will be where we see a lot of OVA series pop up. We'll also see couple more western productions, along with an appearance by a certain Blue Bomber.

This is a work of fiction, but in ten years? Who knows?

[terebifunhouse]

if you missed the Old School Afternoon program at Anime North last month, don't fret; you can catch the entire thing from noon until six on Sunday June 30 at twitch.tv/terebifunhouse!

[animenostalgia]

News - Sentai Filmworks will be releasing the 1984 fantasy mecha series Panzer World Galient on bluray on October 15th, 2024! This will be the first time the series has ever gotten an official English release. Sentai's bluray will contain the original TV series as well as the 3 episode OVA. Pre-orders for the bluray are available on their website, or via my affiliate link at The Crunchyroll Store!

[kasperl-ruprecht]

[fortesp89]

Super Robot Wars BX amv Go Tight! - AKINO

[basarabigboi]

1986 poster from NewType magazine by Yutaka Izubuchi

[scope-dogg]

Source

[ljaesch]

HIDIVE to Begin Streaming the Panzer World Galient Anime on December 31, 2024

HIDIVE has announced that it will begin streaming all of the episodes of the Panzer World Galient anime on December 31, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Panzer World Galient is described as: Prince Joldy’s birth should have been cause for celebration, but the prince isn’t even a few hours old before Mardoul invades and conquers the Vorder Kingdom. 12 years later, Joldy discovers the iron giant, Galient,…

[classicanime79]

#262 : Panzer World Galient (OVA series)

In this vast universe we see cycles of rise and fall constantly. Humankind no matter where they are both in space and time are always under a state of change. Yet, so much is constant as well. War and peace lead again to war and peace almost as if it is scripted. On the planet of Arst this cycle has been at play for longer than recorded history. War machines buried beneath the ground are…

[hobbystationerytagimi]

海洋堂　ARTPLA SCULPTURE WORKS 鉄巨神vs邪神兵　機甲界ガリアン 鉄の紋章　入荷しました！

[wanderersrest]

Filling in the Blanks of An Abbreviated History of Mecha

As I worked on An Abbreviated History, it dawned on me that using a broad definition of mecha makes this a rather intense project. The more I went on, the more I thought "What about Gaiking/Hades Project Zeorymer/Gravion/Genesis of Aquarion," or "Maybe I should list Dragon Ball as an honorary mecha show," or "Would Dragon Ball technically BE a mecha show," or "Should I have mentioned Panzer World Galient?" You get the idea. It's also not helped by the fact that I have not watched most of these shows, so the most I can give of a description is, at best, superficial.

My problem is that if I had kept on second-guessing myself, I'd never finish this series. So this post's purpose is twofold:

To kick off a more long-term project that will fill in the many, many, many gaps in An Abbreviated History of Mecha.

To bring to light and to give you, dear reader, an idea of just how expansive mecha is.

So here's a, once again, incomplete list of mecha that was not covered in the original An Abbreviated History of Mecha series:

Gaiking

Kotetsu Jeeg/Steel Jeeg

Danguard Ace

Super Beast Machine King Dancouga

Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh/Matchless Raijin-Oh

Robot Jox

Heavy Gear

Genesis of Aquarion

Gotcha Force

Dragon Ball

gen:Lock (begrudgingly)

Giant Gorg

Armor Hunter Mellowlink

Gravion

Vandread

Ex-Arm (also begrudgingly, although given more time to think, I don't know if Ex-Arm actually counts anymore)

Hades Project Zeorymer

Megazone 23

Break Blade (originally was a part of Part 6 but was cut since, moreso than most shows, I didn't really have much to say about it)

Planet With

Granblem

Majestic Prince

Heavy Object

Obsolete

Gasaraki

Genocyber

Blue Gender

Flag

Knights of Sidonia

Porco Rosso

Howl's Moving Castle (the Ghibli Film, not the books, although if you squint I think you could count House of Many Ways)

The Wind Rises

Gintama (Tama out here carrying this stupid-ass series by herself)

Shogun Warriors (special thanks to Owlsounds for pointing this one out)

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Waters

The Princess and the Pilot

Medarot/Medabots

Zoids

Red Giant

Tryder G7

The Spider-Man Tokusatsu series

Iron Man

Rah'Xephon

Knights and Magic

Fafner of the Azure

Cross Ange

Robotics;Notes

And many, many, many more. If I missed any series on here that you think should have been mentioned here that was also missing in the original An Abbreviated History of Mecha, please let me know.

[terebifunhouse]

six hours of vintage anime happening tomorrow at twitch.tv/terebifunhouse! #anime #princeplanet #astroboy #candycandy #greatmazinger #cyborg009 #anneofgreengables #stophibarikun #armorhuntermellowlink #panzerworldgalient #bavistock #blackmagicm66

[spacedebris1993]

I really think the worst thing abt ai art is how its damaged mecha art. Nobody really gives a shit abt the designers and illustrators behind mecha cause its all gundam or transformers to them. A lot of ppl can't name the designer of the original gundam and his breath of works nor the works the designer of Optimus Prime worked on besides that, or even who the artists behind the character models for g1 were, but its like. Ive passed by so many ai generated images of mecha thats mashing the works of contemporary asian artists and designers into a fine paste of an approximation of the work those folks do. Its hit everybody hard for sure but i do notice how easy it is to erase that particular niche and let it go by unnoticed cause its always sorta been written off as like. A thing that magically appears on screen. I guess its ironic, given how most mech story tropes are. Can anyone who puts these prompts in even name the panzer world galient designer? Do you even know how few designers there were that actually built the genre? Did you know Votoms and Transformers shares a designer? Do you know which Transformer it even is? Do you know what groundwork he laid for a future work? How about his favorite design? What about the car he designed? The designer of Optimus worked on toys. Do you know where the design from Chromia comes from and the history that has? Do you know the name of the artist who worked on Unicron's concept? I dunno. Its sad, ig, and im sure im not the only mech designer/illustrator out there that feels that way.

[newtypezaku]

Hey! I just wanted to say I really like all those post you did on the anime Back Arrow! And some were really funny too! My favorite is when us was on the war ended episode and Rekka is too stubborn to quite so they’ll be back when they rearm XD priceless!! It’s nice to met a fellow Back Arrow fan!!

Looking back on Back Arrow, I think what really sells it to me is that it has the look and feel of an 80s robot show but done in a modern style. You have an absurd MC who runs on Rule of Cool until he doesn't. You have various factions operating technology they don't know or understand and the plot hits hard when we start to get into the consequences. The escalation to "we can, must, and will defeat god".

Panzer World Galient and Combat Mecha Xabungle might be fun if you're able to track them down. They obviously don't look as nice because they're old and Galient plays things more seriously, but there are definitely some similarities between them!