Mobile Suit Breakdown: the Gundam Podcast

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and provide analysis of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 41 - "Awakening" (目覚め), discuss our first impressions, and talk to special guest Dr. Shar, of Dr. Sharmander Gaming , about Rosamia's psychology. - - Pop article on retrograde amnesia from How Stuff Works. - The famous HM case study on retrograde amnesia. - The infamous Dr. Loftus...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and provide analysis of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 40 - "Activation of Gryps" (グリプス始動), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and analysis on the voice acting by both the Japanese cast and the cast of the English dub. - - The music used in the TNN was: Prayers, by Admiral Bob used under a CC BY license Long Road...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and provide analysis of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 39 - "By the Lake" (湖畔), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on "fortress" Switzerland and indirect kissing. - - Wikipedia pages for the National Redoubt , Swiss armed forces , and "defense in depth." - Probably the first time article I ever read (way...

Show Notes The music used in the closing section was sourced from Public Domain and CC BY samples uploaded to freesound.org , including: https://freesound.org/people/borralbi/sounds/351980/ by Boralbi (Public Domain), https://freesound.org/people/Hjaarlmarch/sounds/220058/ by Hjaarlmarch (Public Domain), https://freesound.org/people/Metzik/sounds/244155/ by Metzik (CC BY), and https://freesound.or...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and provide analysis of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 38 - "Reccoa's Shadow" (レコアの気配), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the Dijeh mobile suit, and giraffes. - - Articles about sail-backed creatures like the Spinosaurus: Joseph Castro for LiveScience.com , Spinosaurus: The Largest Carnivorous Di...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and provide analysis of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 37 - "The Day of Dakar" (ダカールの日), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the city of Dakar, Senegal, and broadcast signal intrusion. - - Relevant Wikipedia articles for background on Dakar , Cap Vert , and French West Africa . Senegal and the Fren...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 36 - "Forever Four" (永遠のフォウ), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the Tanzania, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and a language note about the name "Bidan." - - Jisho.org online Japanese dictionary search results for "Bidan." - Wikipedia pages for background the history o...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 35 - "Storm Over Kilimanjaro" (キリマンジャロの嵐), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the 1969 American film, "Cactus Flower" and it's likely influence on the previous Zeta Episode (The Call of Darkness/宇宙が呼ぶ声). - Short show notes this week, since we mos...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 34 - "The Call of Darkness" (宇宙が呼ぶ声), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the Axis symbol and a wrestling move. - - Google image search for “astra star goddess.” - Wikipedia pages for Astraea and Asteria. - About the Astra, Star Goddess symbol. - About the...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 33 - "The Messenger from Axis" (アクシズからの使者), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on an unexpected bird and the math and science of the Solar System weapon from First Gundam. - - Quora page on identifying the differences between cranes, storks, and herons (a...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 32 - "Unidentified Mobile Suits" (謎のモビルスーツ), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the history of ice cream in Japan (part 2), and Yazan's turtle tattoo. - - Web resources (in Japanese) about the history of ice cream: “アイスクリームの工業化.”日本アイスク...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 31 - "Half Moon Love" (ハーフムーン・ラブ), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the history of ice cream in Japan (part 1!), and the conclusion of Thom's research on the Young Officers Revolt of February 26, 1936. - - A book on the history of ice cream, with a f...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 30 - "Jerid's Desperate Attack" (ジェリド特攻), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on kissing in Japanese culture, and AEUG, Melanie Hugh Carbine, and the Young Officers Revolt of February 26, 1936. - - Essay on Kissing in Japanese culture: “The Japanese Kiss.” A...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 29 - Crisis at Side Two (サイド2の危機), discuss our first impressions, and discuss the mental and emotional state of a somewhat-more-grown-up Amuro Ray with special guest and consultant in neuropsychology, Dr. Shar, of Dr. Sharmander gaming. You can find Dr. Shar online on YouTube and Twitter....

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 28 - The Jupitris Infiltration (ジュピトリス潜入), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on physical deception and women spies. We are joined by guest-voice Adam Black, who asked us to link to One Earth Sanga , and organization he works with that "expresses a Buddhis...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 27 - Rendezvous With Char (シャアの帰還), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on Yazan's glove and Nagano Mamoru (永野護). - - A very readable overview of the history of dueling , from The New Yorker. - Useful books: John Gideon Millingen, The History of Duelling:...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 26 - The Ghost of Zeon (ジオンの亡霊), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on bridges and the captains who die on them, a hard to translate phrase, and why Jamaican reminds Thom of Rudyard Kipling. - - Background on the bridge (nautical), all or nothing armoring ,...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 25 - Colony Drop (コロニーが落ちる日), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on women at work in Japan of the 1980s, nuclear pulse engines, seiza , and fortune-telling machines. - - Paper about labor force participation of Japanese women: Shimada, Haruo, and Yoshio H...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 24 - Counterattack (反撃), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on Japanese grammar and vocabulary, Wernher von Braun, desertification, and a final (we hope!) note about "the birds will laugh at me." - - Kotobank page for レクリエーション (recreation) . Kotobank pul...

Show Notes This week, we have the text of the forum comments and discussion prompts, and sources for submitted research pieces. Some comments have been shortened or reformatted. - Dan: I would like to know your opinion on why certain Mobile suits are called Gundam, and others aren’t. Take the MK II, it’s made of titanium alloy, but it’s called a Gundam. The Hyaku Shiki and Rick Dias are both made...

Show Notes Our show-notes are a bit odd this week - no sources, just the text of the questions submitted to us. We have done little or no editing of them, so for the most part they are exactly as they were submitted to us. - Personal Thunderokami: what's your favorite Kebab? Rob B: You mention that the podcast is your full-time time job. How does that work financially? It's easy to see your patreo...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 23 - Moon Attack (ムーン・アタック), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research Japanese youth and religion, home shrines and altars in Japan, and a Gundam names round-up that include Buran Blutarch (ブラン・ブルターク), Mouar Pharoah (マウアー・ファラオ), and Siddeley. P...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 22 - The Eyes of Scirocco (シロッコの眼), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on Scirocco's implement and corporal punishment in Zeta, the history of vending machines, and a follow-up on last week's research on Saint Miki. - - Roman centurion's vine staff (or vitis...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 21 - A Sign of Zeta (ゼータの鼓動), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the possible inspiration for the Gabthlay and it's gun - the fedayeen, blood oaths in Japanese history, and Saint Miki. - - Fedayeen on Wikipedia. - Painting of an Afghan warrior carrying a...

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) episode 20 - The Heated Escape (灼熱の脱出), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the inspiration for the Titan's New Guinea Base, and solid rocket boosters. - - Wikipedia page for New Guinea. - Google maps link for Lae. - General New Guinea pre-colonial and colonial his...