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 14 - “The Phantom Colony, Part 1” (幻のコロニー (前)) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on Mesoamerican step-pyramids, shoal zones, and Sweetwater-type colonies. - Wikipedia pages for step-pyramids in general , and Mesoamerican pyramids in particular. - About the Maya c...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 13 - “Little Sister!” (妹よ!) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on calcium deficiency, the history of Japanese toilets and the Toto company (東洋陶器), and napkin etiquette. - Symptoms of calcium deficiency (hypocalcemia). - Japanese sources on calcium deficiency and "f...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 12 - “Leina Vanishes” (リィナが消えた) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the history of women in Japan's news-media industry. - This book chapter provides a good summary, and was the source of most of the statistics referenced in the research this week: Ishiyama, Rei...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 11 - “Activate! Double Zeta” (始動！ダブル・ゼータ) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the easter-egg in Beecha's choice of reading material. - An official page about Star Luster from Ninendo for the game's inclusion on the Wii Virtual Console. - Wikipedia pages about...

Show Notes This week, Nina and Thom interview Dr. Bayley Garbutt about Kamille Bidan's psychological development! "Bayley is a longtime fan of Gundam, having started watching it as many his age did when Gundam Wing first aired on Toonami in the US in the early 2000s. He was instantly hooked and sought out as much of Gundam as he could find. During that time he also got into building, customizing a...

Show Notes When footage of the Walking Gundam went viral earlier this week, your loyal podcast hosts received a deluge of questions from friends and family about it. "Did you see this? What is this? Why did they build it? Is this one of those 'Transformers' you podcast about?" We knew what we had to do: it was our responsibility to make a public service announcement explaining Gundam and the Walki...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 10 - "Sayonara, Fa"/さよならファ - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on what trends and subcultures could have inspired Chara Soon's iconic look. - Articles about Japan's youth-culture, Visual Kei, and Gyaru: Takada, A. (1992), Contemporary Youth and Youth Culture in Japa...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 9 - “Judau in Space” (宇宙のジュドー) - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on home electronics in the 1980s, namely the Sony Walkman and the pocket calculator. - Wikipedia page for Sony Walkman. - Sony corporate website company-history pages about the Walkman and a timelin...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episodes 7 and 8 - "Gaza Storm" (ガザの嵐) and "The Funeral Bell Tolls Twice" (鎮魂の鐘は二度鳴) - discuss our first impressions, and take a brief u-turn: we are joined by Dr. Shar, of Dr. Sharmander gaming, to discuss the last 3 episodes of Zeta Gundam. You can find Dr. Shar on YouTube , Twitter , and Facebook....

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 6 - "The Zssa Menace"/ズサの脅威 - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the possible influence of the novel Don Quixote on the characters of Mashymre and Gottn. - Wikipedia pages for the novel Don Quixote , the full list of characters from the novel, and character-specifi...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 5 - "Judau's Decision"/ジュドーの決意 - discuss our first impressions, provide commentary, and present part 2 of our research on the origin of the term "Shangri-La," and how the book it comes from may have influenced the portrayal of Colony 1, aka Shangri La, in ZZ. The notes continue to be very short! S...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episodes 3 and 4 - "The Knight of the Endra"/エンドラの騎士 and "Hot-Blooded Mashymre"/熱血のマシュマー - discuss our first impressions, provide commentary, and review part 1 of our research on the origin of the term "Shangri-La." Plus, how the book it comes from may have influenced the portrayal of Colony 1, ak...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 2 - "The Boy From Shangri La"/シャングリラの少年 - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on some aspects of the Japanese economy on 1986: laborforce participation by youth and women, educational attainment, tanshinfunin , migrant labor, and... orange imports. Plus - another J...

Show Notes We're back! This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ) episode 1 - "Prelude of ZZ"/プレリュードZZ" - discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on world events 1985-86, and anime industry luminaries contemporary opinions on the state of the anime industry at that time. - Wikipedia lists of significant world events in 1985 and 1986...

Show Notes This week, we review and analyze Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζガンダム) as a series, discuss our thoughts about the show as a whole, and provide commentary and research on the number four, as well as post-Zeta interviews with Yoshiyuki Tomino and Akinori Endo. - Wikipedia page for the number four , with a list of things that are in fours (many of them religious). - A paper about th...

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 50 - "Riders in the Skies" (宇宙を駆ける), discuss our impressions, and provide commentary and research on Scirocco's name and the "The-O" mobile suit. - Japanese Wikipedia page for Paptimus Scirocco. - Wikipedia page for the Sirocco wind (aka scirocco, jugo, siroc, xaloc, sciroccu,...

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 49 - "Casualties of War" (生命散って), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the "third eye." - Wikipedia page for third eye. - Wikipedia pages for chakra , Vajrayana (Tibentan/Tantric/Esoteric Buddhism) in Japan, and the ajna chakra. - About the parie...

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 48 - "The Mirror of Rosamia" (ロザミアの中で), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on voice actor Gouri Daisuke (郷里 大輔), the voice actor for Bask Om. We also say goodbye to Rosamia Badam. - - Wikipedia pages for Gouri Daisuke/郷里大輔, born Nagahori...

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 47 - "A Descent Into the Maelstrom" (宇宙の渦), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on what an Edgar Allen Poe short story has to do with Zeta. - - Japanese Wikipedia Pages for Edgar Allen Poe/エドガー・アラン・ポー and A Descent into the Maelstrom/メエ...

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 46 - "Scirocco Rises" (シロッコ立つ), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the Bolinoak Samahn mobile suit. - - Japanese Wikipedia page for the Bolinoak Samahn (ボリノーク・サマーン). - Japanese Wikipedia page for Mori no kuma-san (森のくまさん). - De...

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 45 - "Coming from the Heavens" (天から来るもの), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the French town of Sedan (and what connection it might have to the Gate of Zedan base!). - - Wikipedia pages for the town of Sedan and the castle (or “chateau”) ther...

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 44 - "The Gate of Zedan" (ゼダンの門), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the inspiration for Haman Karn's name. -*- - Japanese Wikipedia pages for Haman Karn and Herman Kahn. - English Wikipedia page for Herman Kahn. - A profile of Herman Kahn in t...

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 43 - "Haman's Victory" (ハマーンの嘲笑), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the Qubeley (キュベレイ). - - How to pronounce Kybele in Greek (plus help from patron Serperoth). - Wikipedia pages for Cybele/Kybele and Phrygia. - Listings from other onli...

Show Notes A gallery with pictures of all the covers Nina reviewed is available for your reference at gundampodcast.com/patreon - and don't worry, the gallery is available to everyone. You can subscribe to Mobile Suit Breakdown for free! on fine Podcast services everywhere and on YouTube, follow us on twitter @gundampodcast, check us out at gundampodcast.com , email your questions, comments, and c...

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 42 - "Goodbye, Rosammy" (さよならロザミィ), discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on the Baund Doc (バウンド・ドック). - - Kobayashi Makoto's (小林誠) Japanese Wikipedia page. - Kobayashi Makoto's Twitter post about different variations on the Baund Doc d...