Mobile Suit Breakdown: the Gundam Podcast

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 38 - “The Iron Wall of the Jamru Fin” (鉄壁, ジャムル·フィン), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on blood-type personality theory. Wikipedia page for Type A and Type B personality theory , and a Huffpo article about the Type A personality type . Wikipedia page for blood-t...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 37 - “Nahel Argama” (ネェル·アーガマ), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on different shuttle-launch methods. - NASA's Space Shuttle Propulsion Trivia page and FAQ about the shuttle program . - Article comparing the costs of different launch methods. - Cost assessments fo...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 36 - “Ple 2 Under Gravity” (重力下プルツー), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the history of cloning technology. - Encyclopedia Britannica page on cloning generally, and a BBC timeline of animal-cloning . - "The History of Cloning" from the Universit...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 35 - “Falling Sky” (落ちてきた空), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary on the use of Ireland as a setting in Gundam with special-guest Sarah McCostumes! - Sarah's Twitter account , and the Twitter for the podcast they're a part of, " Wow!! Cool Robot!!! " - Sarah's Yo...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 34 - "Kamille's Voice” (カミーユの声) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research Dublin as depicted in the episode, and the inspiration for Beech Mansion. - General background on Dublin from Britannica and Wikipedia , as well as two overviews of the history of Dublin , a page...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 33 - "Afternoon in Dublin” (ダブリンの午後) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on this episode's Animation Director, Kanayama Akihiro (金山明博), and Unit Director, Imanishi Takashi (今西隆志). Pages about Kanayama Akihiro (金山明博) on Japanese Wikipedia , Anime News...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 32 - "Across the Salt Lake” (塩の湖を越えて) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on pipelines in Algeria. - About the real Chott Melrhir . - Detailed overview of Algeria's hydrocarbon industry from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). - Less detai...

Show Notes Mobile Suit Breakdown is written, recorded, and produced within Lenapehoking, the ancestral and unceded homeland of the Lenape, or Delaware, people. Before European settlers forced them to move west, the Lenape lived in New York City, New Jersey, and portions of New York State, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut. Lenapehoking is still the homeland of the Lenape diaspora, which incl...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 31 - "Blue Corps, Part 2” (青の部隊 (後)) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on religion in postwar Japan and the history of Islam in Japan. - Books and articles: Basabe, Fernando M., et al. Japanese Youth Confronts Religion: A Sociological Survey. Sophia University....

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 30 - "Blue Corps, Part 1” (青の部隊 (前)) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the Franks. - Books and articles: Edward James,  The Franks , Blackwell 1988. Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Taking stock of the Franks: South Asian views of Europeans and Europe, 1500-1800, Indian...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 29 - "Runaway Roux” (ルーの逃亡) discuss our first impressions, and talk to physics consultant and friend-of-the-podcast Iraj about the physics of the Audhumla's battle with the Sadalahn in Dakar. - Regarding the correction made for our last episode, on the pronunciation of W. E. B. Du Bois name, th...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 28 - "Leina's Blood, Part 2” (リィナの血 (後)) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on Pan-Africanism. Wikipedia pages for the Pan-African colors and Pan-African flag . Ethiopian history , and a source for the Ethiopian flag as the source of the Pan-African colors: Smit...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 27 - "Leina's Blood, Part 1” (リィナの血 (前)) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on Pentax cameras and the mobile suits that appear in this episode. - Pentax Brand overview and a brief history of the Asahi Optical Corporation . - Wikipedia page for Pentax . - A Brief...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 26 - "Masai's Heart” (マサイの心) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the setting: rock formations, architecture, desert trees, inspiration for Masai's name, and just where exactly is the Gundam team, anyway? Petsu-chan's Twitter thread about the Gundam team&#x2...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 25 - "Rommel's Face” (ロンメルの顔) discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the possible origins of a collection of Gundam names: the Gaza-C, Gallus-J, and Bawoo mobile suits, the character Desert Rommel, and Zeon itself. - Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica pages on...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 24 - “Sibling Love Blooms in the Southern Seas” (南海に咲く兄妹愛), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the history of childhood in Japan, and how children and childhood are characterized in the Gundam universe so-far. - Articles: Copeland, Rebecca. “Fashioning the Femin...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 23 - “The Burning Earth” ( 燃える地球 ) (sometimes also translated to English as “Earth Ablaze”), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the history of childhood. _- Wikipedia pages for “child” and “history of childhood.” _ - Papers: Uno, Kathleen. “Civil Society, State, an...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 22 - “Judau, Launch!” (ジュドー、出撃!!) (sometimes also translated to English as “Judau Sorties!”), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the history of recreational ballet and ballet in Japan. - Main paper I consulted about ballet in Japan: Ono, Sayako. “Ballet in Japan:...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 21 - “Crybaby Cecilia (Part 2)” (泣き虫セシリア (後)) (sometimes also translated to English as "Tearful Cecilia (Part 2)"), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the connection between Cecilia's family and historical Japanese emigration. - Books and articles: Mas...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 20 - “Crybaby Cecilia (Part 1)” (泣き虫セシリア (前)) (sometimes also translated to English as "Tearful Cecilia (Part 1)"), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the inspiration for the name Milly Childers (and a tangentially related naval disaster), as well as t...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 19 - “Ple and Axis” (プルとアクシズと) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the origin of Elpeo Ple's name (pronounced ElPee Puru). This episode comes with a content warnings - the research on the origin of Elpeo Ple's name deals with the history, sociology, and legal e...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 18 - “Haman's Black Shadow” (ハマーンの黒い影) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the origin of Elpeo Ple's name (pronounced ElPee Puru). This episode comes with a content warnings - the research on the origin of Elpeo Ple's name deals with the history of simulated (i...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 17 - “Retrieve the Core Top!” (奪回!コア·トップ) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on maglev trains. This episode comes with content warnings - repeated incidents of strangulation, one of which depicts a character strangling one of his female friends, and a scene depict...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 16 - “Melee Aboard the Argama” (アーガマの白兵戦) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on composer Ferdinand Beyer, the rules of war regarding "perfidy," and extramarital romantic and sexual relationships in Japan. - Wikipedia page for Ferdinand Beyer , with refe...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 15 - “The Phantom Colony, Part 2” (幻のコロニー (後)) - discuss our first impressions, and discuss Cargo Cults and the "White Gods" narrative with anthropology consultant, Allie! Allie was kind enough to provide us with the following references, with the caution that the older of these articles...