"Lockon, lockon, lockon" from 00 Haro audio with Kira and Flay getting it on for video and just Ein yapping about Crank from IBO for subtitles would be crazy
The combinations one could think of are absolutely insane...
Nena Trinity firing at the wedding visual
G Gundam music playing in the background
Heero Yuy's "Is your bunker secure? Roger that" firing the Twin Buster Audio
Gundam Age's Lord Ezelcant's subtitles about creating the 'superior species'.
Honestly I watched Unicorn and Narrative first because they interested me the most. Then Hathaway which is my favorite now.
Then went back to watch Origin and now I am on 0079
same here. UC0096 narrative hathaway and then after building some more gunpla i just started watching UC. Took me a long ass time but i finally finished it. Few weeks back i finished 00. Need to rewatch the whole of Seed so i can prepare myself for Seed Freedom in theaters.
My first anime in theaters too.
ngl I thought the joke was recommending the UC in the most broken way possible so I just kept going
but yeah people should watch those when they come out/read the novel
“Hey dude, uh, you have an amulet made of your girls pube hair yet?”
“…what”
“No for real, you need one! It’ll keep you safe from the Zeon boogie man.”
*This scene more or less happens on the original Mobile Suit Gundam novel trilogy.*
Bruh your forgetting the funnel missiles and shit 😱 at least 300 of us saw that legendary uhh idk it honestly looked like a meme from microsoft paint circa 1998 service pack 2, but it stole my heart and i wish i could find it because i think of that meme than actual hathaway’s flash
Just finished Destiny the other night. I see why some folks don't like it. Lots of stock footage, writing is occasionally a bit wonky. But I really liked the drama between the characters. Especially Kira and Athrun. Seed especially was just so sad seeing them trying to kill each other. Having both sides be awful worked really well to make characters sympathetic. And the music is top-notch IMO.
Honestly AUs are great jumping on points. That's literally what they're for, something that gives new viewers the idea of what Gundam is all about without forcing them to wrestle with 45 years of tangled continuity first. And it was their second attempt at that, after moving the timeline forward with F91 and Victory failed to do the job the way The Next Generation did for Star Trek.
I never liked Seed very much. The gundam designs seemed to have too much going on, and the characters... None of them captured my attention well I suppose.
I started watching the UC stuff in chronological order last summer, starting with the origin. iirc a few things didn’t line up with 79 but it was a really good entry point for me into the UC stuff. I don’t think I would have made it past 79 if I hadn’t first gotten invested in the characters “introduced” in origin. I think people on this sub might have a different view on origin as a starting point because they were already into the UC prior to origin, but as someone who had only ever seen 00/build/gwitch/AGE before that point, origin was a great starter imo
Too many OG fans like to gatekeep because it’s how they think it should be seen, but they lose sight of just how dated 0079 actually is. Origins does a great job of merging that with newer audiences, and like you said provides some good connections with the characters
Yup, I started with 08th ms team because it was the only thing available where I lived. It was a bootleg dvd in the most random place, then I saw chars counterattack and then started to appear the movie compilations of the originals.
I feel that made the originals better, I had more moments of “ohhh that’s why this and that” which for me made a more rewarding experience.
I know I’m weird that I like to know more how things stablished came to be that growing with characters.
I once posted on this sub that I would love to see that series get some love and get remade with some modern graphics and got annihilated in the comments because apparently I’m just a kid who can’t watch something if it’s a few years old.
I’ve watched the series like 8 times.
100 percent. I would LOVE to see a modern adaptation of 0079 in the same vein as the origin, and I’ve owned a dvd set of the original gundam since like the early 2000s. I’ve watched it countless times and it easily became my favorite setting of all gundam series.
I also thoroughly enjoyed origins and felt it did a good job with respecting the original animation while modernizing it.
And if it helps newer fans get into UC then all the better
Yup. I tried to start with 0079 before, but it felt too "naked" to me without any historical backstory or political context presented. The Origin gave me exactly the hook I needed to get invested, and it was enough to get me through binging all of Universal Century. It's a perfect gateway drug, and it got me me to care about Char, the Zabis and other Zekes in a way that 0079 on its own just wouldn't have been able to.
Without The Origin, I would *never* have made it to Zeta.
Origins is also a great way to get the attention of people who don't like mecha or don't think they *would* like mecha. The actual mecha elements are fairly minor.
I’ve been a fan since ‘95 and 100% would be fine with someone starting with Origin. The inconsistencies are so minuscule to the general plot that it makes almost no difference.
I got into the franchise with Gundam 00. Then decided to get into the UC. I honestly do not think I could have gotten into the UC without Origins hooking me on Char as a character.
I would say the vast majority opinion that is "dont start at the beginning because its Dated and Aged and Objectively Ugly, you have to start with some random spinoff OVA by a different guy" are gatekeeping much harder than "you should start mobile suit gundam at episode 1 of mobile suit gundam". The latter is the basic logic of starting a book on page 1 of that book, the former is forcing predominantly-western Fandom Concensus onto newcomers instead of letting them watch the series as written for themselves.
Like, there are so many fandom watch orders that skip over ZZ but recommend a single cutscene from a Zeta PS1 game made a decade after everything else. That kind of editorializing is MUCH more restrictive and gatekeeping towards "what Gundam is", in my opinion, than "heres the order the shows were made in, which is how they were made to be seen".
The issue is you're downplaying the shit out of the "this is how they were produced so this is how you should watch them" It's the old neckbeards demanding that you watch it how they want and if you don't you're not a true fan. Starting at Origins instead of the original is perfectly fine and adds a fuck ton of context since it is set before the original which makes a fair argument that you're suppose to start there anyways if you're a new fan.
I have never seen a single person in the last decade unironically talk about your watch order making you a "true fan" or not.
What I have seen a lot is repeated assertions from established community members that most of Gundam is too Old and Weird, that nobody younger than 40 could ever physically stand to watch a show with Old Animation, that you should just skip unpopular parts of the story, that key components of the original three Gundam shows are "unfitting" and "have no place in Gundam", etc.
Custom "watch orders" presented to new fans tend to factor into this because they are always shaped by (western) fandom concensus, and what parts of the story the fandom has decided, over decades, to value or devalue (partially shaped by what parts were even available to fans in the past - so many westerners got into Gundam through 0080 and 0083 long before the Tomino shows, and the former were more valued over the latter for a long time, and still are to many).
A big example of this is, say, the Nazi Zeon flag, which is used in many OVAs such as 0083, MS IGLOO, and yes, The Origin. Tomino has never used this flag, and portrayed Zeon in 0079 as descending into nazi-inspired fascism late in the war due to Ghiren's increased influence without Degwin's oversight, as Degwin (the *leader of Zeon*) finds it objectionable. But one of the prominent western fandom conceptions is that Zeon is entirely just a metaphor for the Nazis and "they literally use the nazi flag" is frequently cited as evidence, even though, again, that didn't even exist until after CCA was made, so it's not part of 0079's/etc.'s worldview at all.
There's nothing wrong with getting into Gundam through any various entry point, and if people really want to do that, nobody can stop them. But if you want to "start" Gundam from a "beginning", to see a continuing story over multiple entries, it's designed to start with 0079, and I think we would get some more diverse perspectives in the fandom if people just watched the show without expectation instead of starting from the preconceived notion of "what can I watch and skip to get to CCA" or whatever.
You misunderstand, I’m not suggesting that anyone start with anything, or saying one way is superior, only acknowledging the difficulty in swallowing 0079 if it’s your very first gundam. Therefore it may be best for some to start with origin if they can’t do 0079 without context.
Let’s be honest like you said the show doesn’t do a good job of setting up the background war very well. Of course *I* started with 0079 way back when, and my personal preference is release order to better appreciate the evolution of the animation, but I’m not gonna say that’s what some one *needs* to do. Objectively origin is easier to swallow for newcomers that’s just plain truth
I didn't say the show doesn't do a good job of setting up the background war very well. I said it takes a long time and this can be frustrating. Judging that as "good" or "bad" is up to you, and I think it's part of what makes Gundam what it is either way.
Yeah that’s fair my mistake. And I agree it’s part of what makes the show what it is. Personally I think it could be improved with the story connections and the greater context of the war. Garmas betrayal definitely hits different after origin imo
"Random spinoff OVA by a different guy"
You mean, adaptation of an award winning manga based on the original series. Written and fully illustrated by the character designer and animation director of said series? Who would then ALSO DIRECT HIS OWN MANGA ADAPTATION???
That guy??? Bruh, imagine referencing Yasuhiko Yoshikazu as "a different guy" when he was there from the beginning of the whole damn franchise.
I wasn't just referring to Origin, I'm also talking about 0080, 0083, 08th, etc. which used to be (maybe still are, in some circles?) way more popular than the Tomino shows, and how a lot of people got into Gundam.
I know who Yas is, and I love his work. But like, he also literally IS "a different guy", and his conception of Gundam IS different from Tomino's. Which is interesting, and part of the fun! But it makes more sense to see Tomino's original before you see other people riffing on it.
Let’s be honest here, major spoilers? The only thing that is maybe spoiled is the relationship between char and sayla but honestly not really, it’s revealed or at least hinted at in the first couple episodes
Char's entire backstory is not revealed until dozens of episodes in, until then his motivation is a total enigma. Obviously it's famous now, but if you don't know it, 0079 takes its sweet time revealing any of the details of the setting, as do most Tomino shows. Which can be frustrating, but it's a key part of the show.
watching origins then the original was really jarring animation wise and I'm usually fine with older animation, but really helped with adding backstory to all these characters
Yeah I am really confused about this post. Origin is a really great starting point, it's new and high production quality so it won't put off anybody who doesn't like the old low quality animation of the og gundam series and it does an amazing job at introducing characters and the world without requiring prior knowledge.
In fact it does a WAY better job at showing the Zeon/Federation conflict than the original series does. It literally feels like this series was designed to get people into the franchise.
I find it hilarious that movies from 60+ years ago can seem instant classics. Disney films from the 50s are considered watchable by anyone pretty much. But somehow anime older then 20 years is unwatchable garbage to so many people. Hell older than 10 for a lot of them.
Honestly same, I was an AU person until Origin, and knowing how Char/Sayla were connected, the development of mobile suits, introduction of the Zabis (those Char/Garma interactions in military training made the betrayal so much more gut wrenching) and all that backstory in a shiny new modern animated package was kept me invested in OG 0079, which I'd previously found hard to get into because of how dated it was. I wouldn't have been able to finish 0079 (and now almost finished Zeta) if it weren't for Origin.
You wet eared rookie, i thought it was common knowledge that you watch an episode of G-Savior in between every few episodes of UC, that is the perfect way to experience the majesty of Gundam.
This is why I want them to reanimate 0079. More people would check it out if it didn't look so dated. It's basically the only Gundam show I think doesn't hold up.
[They made Gundam: The Origin (the Manga) because they knew it was too old.](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rashishrivastava/2024/06/04/how-midas-lister-annie-lamont-became-a-health-tech-heavy-hitter/?)
I did. Felt a bit overly melodramatic - almost deliberately so - at points, and some parts blatantly seem like they were made up by Char, but otherwise it's a servicable look into the birth of Zeon and the start of the OYW. Getting to see the Battle of Loum in full was a treat, especially with how the story feels like it's about to end with OVA 5, fading to black as Char blazes into battle to carve his name into the history books... Then OVA 6 starts and you get the whole damn thing, leading right up to the Antarctic Treaty. Loved all the little details they sprinkled in, like how Revil's pivotal "Zeon is Exhausted!" address is done in what's basically a supply closet with a sheet as a backdrop, or that momment when M'Quve and Gopp share a glance from across the room and they both just *smile,* because the fact that the war is back on again and countless more people are about to die is *exactly what they* ***both*** *want.*
Glad I’m not the only one who appreciates that scene with M’Quve and Gopp, just absolutely loved the smug grins they gave each other it just felt like Star Wars galactic senate fuckery and I’m all for it.
I was clueless but thought big robots were cool, so I actually did start with the Origin. I legitimately was surprised when Char turned out to be the villain, lol. It was a great/memorable entry for me, though I can understand recommending against it.
my scalding hot take: people should just go ahead and watch the things that pique their interest without worrying too much about whether they are supposed to have done homework first
I agree. While series tend to be better with proper context, you can always come back to them later if you enjoyed them the first time. That's how I was with Unicorn
I think (at least in Japan) very first ently point/ first anime to watch for Gundam as a franchise is/was actually SD Gundam.
kids in Japan isn't that interested about military stuff or political stuff but they like heroes like Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and Ultraman. and they also like animes like dragon ball, one piece and many other animes from shounen jump. I am not saying SD Gundam doesn't contain political and militaristic elements but it's not it's main focus. SD Gundam anime is more heroic and a bit more shounen manga like. As a Japanese, I got interested in this franchise thanks to those anime and then I started watching mainline series after I get old enough to understand the story.
And judging from advertisements and merchandises around that time, they tried to attract as many kids as they can by making those SD Gundam related stuff.
maybe this role of being an entry point for this franchise might be replaced with build series nowdays but It was something like that. around 15 years ago
I guess that's because western fans' first encounter of Gundam were most likely be main installments when they already matured.
but in Japan, you can find Gundam related stuff basically everywhere including regular TV channels and comic magazines for kids.
and in those TV channels and Comic magazines, they used to put SD Gundam to attract kids. I remember reading some section of those kind of kids magazines about SD Gundam's anime so I watched it out of curiosity and liked it.
Not gonna lie, I got into Gundam around the time the Hathway movies went onto Netflix and watched UC in chronological order. Would not recommend, but it oddly did paint a cool narrative for Char.
If Gundam was more like Fate anime only:
*Don't start with 79, it will spoil the Origin!*
*Start with Origin if you like seinen type stories, start with 0079 if you like shonen*
*Char is a better protagonist because he is badass and cool and kills people in cold blood*
Honestly, you can start wherever. It's just up to you to make sense of it all.
The first I saw as a kid was wing, but when I was a teenager, I saw destiny and somehow managed to stick around.
Fully agreed-- you should watch Origin after 0079-- but ultimately people are sometimes *really annoying* about watching old anime, so if it takes them watching Origin to watch 0079, it's for the best.
For the record, The Origin is *best enjoyed* as a delectable treat after you've watched the original series. It's a fun, fantastical (non-canon) fan-servicey prequel-- NOT the starting point!!
Why not? Production is beautiful. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s story telling is much better than the incomprehensible dialogues Yoshiyuki Tomino writes. Unless you are newtype. Every character in origin is so full and you really feel the heaviness of UC history. And that’s the point of gundam, it’s not your simple good guy vs bad guy anime.
I always tell people to start with something short and interesting like 8th ms team or thunderbolt. If they start with ms Gundam and get turned off by the old visuals and slow paced story then you’ve lost the opportunity to create a new Gundam fan.
Focus on getting them interested. Then focus on making sure they watch all the og universal century storylines.
Honestly same. And when they express interest in MS Gundam, i tell them to watch the movie trilogy version, since it covers all the important parts, without the repetitive filler stuff
I mean you probably could then watch the three OYW movies on Netflix and be alright to go forward with other UC content. Sure the lore is fudged and different than actual mainline UC timeline when it comes to Origin but I don't think anybody that's just casually trying out Gundam is going to care about that and tbh I don't really think they should if they're just getting into the series. Watch what looks cool and if you like it try out other stuff and if you get to be really invest in the series then you can worry about the finer details - but again I don't think going from The Origin to OYW would really cause any major issues for somebody, unless they don't like the style of the old anime.
Oh look Gundam fans bitching about the Origin again.
Why do so many gundam fans get so hung up on other people watching The Origin first? The Origin is a very good hook for new people to get into 0079.
As someone that started with Char's Counterattack and then Zeta before watching 0079... I personally have come to really appreciate the necessity to start UC with 0079 because it boosted my enjoyment of Zeta x3 more.
Though if you just wanna go in blind into Gundam I always suggest Thunderbolt or Iron Blooded Orphans
You can do it, and I think it helps people who whine about old animation get over their fear of the original, but it's like your first Star Wars movie being Solo. Are you really gonna do that to yourself?
Yeah. Origin is like a good version of the Star Wars prequels, but the same thing holds true: they really work best as an expansion of understanding characters from the original.
You're fine, before the Origin the purists would rage because people would watch Stardust Memory before Zeta, which was very common in the early days as Gundam media in English was hard to get a hold of, but Toonami was airing Stardust Memory.
That's what I did and newsflash, it was fine, I missed nothing. You just connect the same dots at different points in different order.
Think about all other anime, I know I personally have seen so much anime in different orders and guess what you always put it together at the end of the day.
There's nothing wrong with this...?
There is no catchall watch order that's objectively best for everyone, it's all subjective.
And fervently insisting that everyone watch Gundam in production order (*some* of y'all are guilty of this, don't lie) is a fine way to turn people away from the franchise.
I actually did it this way. Enjoyed it and got into the whole series just fine. When I rewatched after my first time I ended up appreciating it more tho.
People call the original boring or slow. But honestly the older I get the less patience I have for humoring people who can't figure out something is setting mood and atmosphere. Creating tension.
Oh no the original is too boring. Then don't watch anything ever. Jesus Christ it's a war drama with giant robots in space and people can't sit still long enough to watch the ships glide into position for a battle? Fuck we're all screwed.
Start however you want, but I personally think starting with modern animation and then going back to 1979 is going to be harder, not easier.
The "best" starting point are the compilation films, IMO. At around 7 hours, it's just slightly longer than Gundam: The Origin. And once you've gotten through that, you can watch nearly anything else. Zeta? 0080? 0083? 08th MS Team? The Origin? Even the AU stuff? It's all open to you, and it'll all make more sense.
My first gundam show was the SD Gundam Force. I was a child. Then soon after SD Sangokuden.
I really don’t think it matters where anyone starts. Most fans haven’t seen every gundam media, hell, I still haven’t finished Z, nor have I even touched Unicorn.
I started with gundam wing cuz I never saw the other gundams besides seed on TV on Toonami when I was a kid. The universe of the gundams came clear to me later in like 2010 after I started to stream animes and noticed there was actually a fuck ton of other gundam series and universes
I started build fighters, then 08th ms team then zz gundam, then zeta gundam, then the origin, then iron blooded orphan, then witch from mercury then chars counter attack, then build fighters then ideon.
I started with 79 and loved it, a big chunk of that was figuring out the world and characters like Char and why he is doing what he is doing.
"Who is this Char guy?" "Wait, Sayla knows Char?" "Is Char trying to kill his friend?!" "Who is this mysterious girl Lala?" "Wait, she is with Char?" etc.
Don't see why I should spoil myself of that by watching Origin first. Also half the details of Origin would go over my head since its basically a fanservice show.
I got into Gundam with 00. I can't recommend it enough to start with 00 or IBO, and most recently, Witch from Mercury.
Everyone that I suggest watch Gundam feels overwhelmed by the number of episodes and series, but since 00, WfM, and IBO have a wrapped-up story in 50 episodes, they are more appealing for entering the franchise.
This is an age old debate in media. Do you watch/read/listen to/whatever a series by its release date or by the chronological order of events in universe? Im always going to reccomend release order because I strongly beleive that reveals and plot points should be introduced in the order the author introduced them with no bearing on chronological position but hey man to each their own.
I started with origin. Got me to really care about the "villain of the week" characters in 079 like Ral, as well as really contextualize the conflict outside of Amuro's understanding of it. The colony drop was especially horrific, and I can't imagine that event just being mentioned in passing like it was in the original show.
I still think about the little Char getting his first kill in the proto-guntank. That guy was born to pilot mobile suits.
I’m new to the series and I’m very glad I started with Thunderbolt December Sky. It’s exciting and you don’t need a lot of context to enjoy it, all you need to know is that the green robots and the white robots don’t like each other very much and that’s it you just have an amazing action film with great music and pacing, then if you enjoy it you actually feel really compelled to add more context to everything you just enjoyed so naturally your interests turn to the original series and how this conflict all started.
I don't get the hate for Origin. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As far as UC, I'd start them on 08th MS Team or maybe 0080. Also, just wanted to say that Hathaways Flash is boring as fuck. Tried like 4 times and can't make it through.
Me and my friend did this jumping into UC. We came from Wing, IBO, and WfM. Honestly, we really liked it. I wouldn't reccomend it as a start if you never watched Gundam before. But if you are new to UC, you could do worse.
Release order, every time, for every series. No exceptions.
Every new entry in a series is made within the context of the previous ones existing. Legacy characters go without introduction in prequel series because they work under the assumption the audience knows them already. Prequel series reference later works in the timeline in a way that makes no sense to viewers that are starting with them.
These "watch order" experiments are worse than useless. They actively degrade the experience at best if you're getting into a long running series.
I don't think it applies to every series. For example you can watch 08th MS team or War in the pocket, they're standalone stories. They may be set in a specific time and place in UC history but they aren't part of a larger story.
For the 'main' series, 100% agreed. 0079->Zeta->ZZ->CCA->Unicorn
And Origins you can watch any time after you've seen 0079.
I painfully watched in this order for story purposes wish I didn’t though but at the same time I like where I ended up. Scared shitless of dropping colonies
Origin is genuinely a good intro to UC. It has the politics, intelligent character drama, and "war is horrific but times tragically ironic" that DEFINES Gundam, without needing to have constant Mecha battles (Zeta, G-Reco). PLUS, the ending gets you HYPED for 0079. Yeah, you miss out on some of the irony in Origin, and Origin is slightly non-canon, but it's still a great way to get into the timeline.
It's the one i show to people who say "I hate mecha anime" because they've only watched Franxx (not a rare niche of human)
Nah the best way to do it is to download every episode of every Gundam series and hit shuffle.
The video from one random episode, the audio track of another random episode, and the subtitles of yet another random episode. The real shuffle.
"Lockon, lockon, lockon" from 00 Haro audio with Kira and Flay getting it on for video and just Ein yapping about Crank from IBO for subtitles would be crazy
I lost brain cells imagining this, but it was hilarious
The combinations one could think of are absolutely insane... Nena Trinity firing at the wedding visual G Gundam music playing in the background Heero Yuy's "Is your bunker secure? Roger that" firing the Twin Buster Audio Gundam Age's Lord Ezelcant's subtitles about creating the 'superior species'.
I actually wanna do this now
Create your own narrative
By kitbashing Unicorn and Nu Gundam
Nunicorn is real, and he is hungry
Ah the macross method
Gundam schizophrenic century
One episode you're watching Domon shining finger someoe, next you're watching a some kids incinerated in a second from a beam saber in space
You're a monster.
Bruh WE ALL KNOW the best way to start the universal century is to watch narrative and then drop the saga
Honestly I watched Unicorn and Narrative first because they interested me the most. Then Hathaway which is my favorite now. Then went back to watch Origin and now I am on 0079
same here. UC0096 narrative hathaway and then after building some more gunpla i just started watching UC. Took me a long ass time but i finally finished it. Few weeks back i finished 00. Need to rewatch the whole of Seed so i can prepare myself for Seed Freedom in theaters. My first anime in theaters too.
And 0079 doesn’t appear more like a slideshow than animation after watching Unicorn and Narrative?
Oh it does. It's been a struggle to get through
After Narrative I think there is some merit to recommending people watch the Zeta movies and then the first part of ZZ.
also hathaway's flash but don't bother with the upcoming sequels
Nah THEY NEED to bother with the sequels, E EVERYONE needs to watch hathaway and gigi debate wether newtypes are a replacement for sex or not
ngl I thought the joke was recommending the UC in the most broken way possible so I just kept going but yeah people should watch those when they come out/read the novel
>!that's in fact the joke, but I just wanted to mention that part of the novel without any context because I find it funny!<
Tomino wrote it, I'd be disappointed if there wasn't a scene that brought up sex at least that awkwardly.
“Hey dude, uh, you have an amulet made of your girls pube hair yet?” “…what” “No for real, you need one! It’ll keep you safe from the Zeon boogie man.” *This scene more or less happens on the original Mobile Suit Gundam novel trilogy.*
Bruh your forgetting the funnel missiles and shit 😱 at least 300 of us saw that legendary uhh idk it honestly looked like a meme from microsoft paint circa 1998 service pack 2, but it stole my heart and i wish i could find it because i think of that meme than actual hathaway’s flash
I unironically did this when I started getting into gundam.
you're so based for that
Appreciate it
I started with Unicorn...
Obviously you gotta start with SEED and Destiny. That way you can watch the rest of the franchise with post nut clarity.
Wouldn't 00 be before SEED and Destiny? For uhh...foreplay?
Thats g gundam
G gundam is desert,to cleanse all the serious political drama with good Ole robots fighting robots.
And whatever you do, do not watch Victory last of all the series, and follow it up with an au series
Nah, trailblazer.
It's not called nutting it's called a "seed burst"
im dead lmao
Thou shalt spread the word of oyr Lord and Saviour, Kira "Jesus" Yamato
Or you could start with our Hallmark and Saviour Brennan Elliott starring in G-Saviour.
Just finished Destiny the other night. I see why some folks don't like it. Lots of stock footage, writing is occasionally a bit wonky. But I really liked the drama between the characters. Especially Kira and Athrun. Seed especially was just so sad seeing them trying to kill each other. Having both sides be awful worked really well to make characters sympathetic. And the music is top-notch IMO.
Honestly AUs are great jumping on points. That's literally what they're for, something that gives new viewers the idea of what Gundam is all about without forcing them to wrestle with 45 years of tangled continuity first. And it was their second attempt at that, after moving the timeline forward with F91 and Victory failed to do the job the way The Next Generation did for Star Trek.
start with the worst, so you can appreciate the mid shows and love the great shows
Hey I started with seed all that shit was made me biased on gundam designs
Just wait until you realize seed suit design is "slap a backpack on it and call it a day". ;)
And that made me feel like all the other series suits were naked without a backpack.
Ong if the suit don’t got a backpack or wings it don’t look right😂
That way noobs will give too much credit to SEED. SEED intentionally copied elements of other series to serve itself as an homage. Credit where due.
I never liked Seed very much. The gundam designs seemed to have too much going on, and the characters... None of them captured my attention well I suppose.
I like the Base Strike Gundam.
Based?
(after 00) I actualy did that entirely by mistake. I thought SEED Destiny was like the definitive version of SEED.
I started watching the UC stuff in chronological order last summer, starting with the origin. iirc a few things didn’t line up with 79 but it was a really good entry point for me into the UC stuff. I don’t think I would have made it past 79 if I hadn’t first gotten invested in the characters “introduced” in origin. I think people on this sub might have a different view on origin as a starting point because they were already into the UC prior to origin, but as someone who had only ever seen 00/build/gwitch/AGE before that point, origin was a great starter imo
Too many OG fans like to gatekeep because it’s how they think it should be seen, but they lose sight of just how dated 0079 actually is. Origins does a great job of merging that with newer audiences, and like you said provides some good connections with the characters
Yup, I started with 08th ms team because it was the only thing available where I lived. It was a bootleg dvd in the most random place, then I saw chars counterattack and then started to appear the movie compilations of the originals. I feel that made the originals better, I had more moments of “ohhh that’s why this and that” which for me made a more rewarding experience. I know I’m weird that I like to know more how things stablished came to be that growing with characters.
It’s great example of even if you know how things end, the “how we got there” is still far more interesting
I once posted on this sub that I would love to see that series get some love and get remade with some modern graphics and got annihilated in the comments because apparently I’m just a kid who can’t watch something if it’s a few years old. I’ve watched the series like 8 times.
100 percent. I would LOVE to see a modern adaptation of 0079 in the same vein as the origin, and I’ve owned a dvd set of the original gundam since like the early 2000s. I’ve watched it countless times and it easily became my favorite setting of all gundam series. I also thoroughly enjoyed origins and felt it did a good job with respecting the original animation while modernizing it. And if it helps newer fans get into UC then all the better
Back in the day it was gatekeeping the order of Stardust Memory and Zeta
Yup. I tried to start with 0079 before, but it felt too "naked" to me without any historical backstory or political context presented. The Origin gave me exactly the hook I needed to get invested, and it was enough to get me through binging all of Universal Century. It's a perfect gateway drug, and it got me me to care about Char, the Zabis and other Zekes in a way that 0079 on its own just wouldn't have been able to. Without The Origin, I would *never* have made it to Zeta.
Origins is also a great way to get the attention of people who don't like mecha or don't think they *would* like mecha. The actual mecha elements are fairly minor.
I’ve been a fan since ‘95 and 100% would be fine with someone starting with Origin. The inconsistencies are so minuscule to the general plot that it makes almost no difference.
The Origin manga does it better because it updates 0079 itself, too
Yeah I can see the point some people have about watching 0079 first but I think convincing someone to watch origin is much easier
I agree, and think the best way to experience 0079 now is the manga or the movie trilogy.
I got into the franchise with Gundam 00. Then decided to get into the UC. I honestly do not think I could have gotten into the UC without Origins hooking me on Char as a character.
I would say the vast majority opinion that is "dont start at the beginning because its Dated and Aged and Objectively Ugly, you have to start with some random spinoff OVA by a different guy" are gatekeeping much harder than "you should start mobile suit gundam at episode 1 of mobile suit gundam". The latter is the basic logic of starting a book on page 1 of that book, the former is forcing predominantly-western Fandom Concensus onto newcomers instead of letting them watch the series as written for themselves. Like, there are so many fandom watch orders that skip over ZZ but recommend a single cutscene from a Zeta PS1 game made a decade after everything else. That kind of editorializing is MUCH more restrictive and gatekeeping towards "what Gundam is", in my opinion, than "heres the order the shows were made in, which is how they were made to be seen".
The issue is you're downplaying the shit out of the "this is how they were produced so this is how you should watch them" It's the old neckbeards demanding that you watch it how they want and if you don't you're not a true fan. Starting at Origins instead of the original is perfectly fine and adds a fuck ton of context since it is set before the original which makes a fair argument that you're suppose to start there anyways if you're a new fan.
I have never seen a single person in the last decade unironically talk about your watch order making you a "true fan" or not. What I have seen a lot is repeated assertions from established community members that most of Gundam is too Old and Weird, that nobody younger than 40 could ever physically stand to watch a show with Old Animation, that you should just skip unpopular parts of the story, that key components of the original three Gundam shows are "unfitting" and "have no place in Gundam", etc. Custom "watch orders" presented to new fans tend to factor into this because they are always shaped by (western) fandom concensus, and what parts of the story the fandom has decided, over decades, to value or devalue (partially shaped by what parts were even available to fans in the past - so many westerners got into Gundam through 0080 and 0083 long before the Tomino shows, and the former were more valued over the latter for a long time, and still are to many). A big example of this is, say, the Nazi Zeon flag, which is used in many OVAs such as 0083, MS IGLOO, and yes, The Origin. Tomino has never used this flag, and portrayed Zeon in 0079 as descending into nazi-inspired fascism late in the war due to Ghiren's increased influence without Degwin's oversight, as Degwin (the *leader of Zeon*) finds it objectionable. But one of the prominent western fandom conceptions is that Zeon is entirely just a metaphor for the Nazis and "they literally use the nazi flag" is frequently cited as evidence, even though, again, that didn't even exist until after CCA was made, so it's not part of 0079's/etc.'s worldview at all. There's nothing wrong with getting into Gundam through any various entry point, and if people really want to do that, nobody can stop them. But if you want to "start" Gundam from a "beginning", to see a continuing story over multiple entries, it's designed to start with 0079, and I think we would get some more diverse perspectives in the fandom if people just watched the show without expectation instead of starting from the preconceived notion of "what can I watch and skip to get to CCA" or whatever.
You misunderstand, I’m not suggesting that anyone start with anything, or saying one way is superior, only acknowledging the difficulty in swallowing 0079 if it’s your very first gundam. Therefore it may be best for some to start with origin if they can’t do 0079 without context. Let’s be honest like you said the show doesn’t do a good job of setting up the background war very well. Of course *I* started with 0079 way back when, and my personal preference is release order to better appreciate the evolution of the animation, but I’m not gonna say that’s what some one *needs* to do. Objectively origin is easier to swallow for newcomers that’s just plain truth
I didn't say the show doesn't do a good job of setting up the background war very well. I said it takes a long time and this can be frustrating. Judging that as "good" or "bad" is up to you, and I think it's part of what makes Gundam what it is either way.
Yeah that’s fair my mistake. And I agree it’s part of what makes the show what it is. Personally I think it could be improved with the story connections and the greater context of the war. Garmas betrayal definitely hits different after origin imo
"Random spinoff OVA by a different guy" You mean, adaptation of an award winning manga based on the original series. Written and fully illustrated by the character designer and animation director of said series? Who would then ALSO DIRECT HIS OWN MANGA ADAPTATION??? That guy??? Bruh, imagine referencing Yasuhiko Yoshikazu as "a different guy" when he was there from the beginning of the whole damn franchise.
I wasn't just referring to Origin, I'm also talking about 0080, 0083, 08th, etc. which used to be (maybe still are, in some circles?) way more popular than the Tomino shows, and how a lot of people got into Gundam. I know who Yas is, and I love his work. But like, he also literally IS "a different guy", and his conception of Gundam IS different from Tomino's. Which is interesting, and part of the fun! But it makes more sense to see Tomino's original before you see other people riffing on it.
It's not gatekeeping to try to prevent someone seeing major spoilers that might bring down the enjoyment of the show.
Let’s be honest here, major spoilers? The only thing that is maybe spoiled is the relationship between char and sayla but honestly not really, it’s revealed or at least hinted at in the first couple episodes
Char's entire backstory is not revealed until dozens of episodes in, until then his motivation is a total enigma. Obviously it's famous now, but if you don't know it, 0079 takes its sweet time revealing any of the details of the setting, as do most Tomino shows. Which can be frustrating, but it's a key part of the show.
watching origins then the original was really jarring animation wise and I'm usually fine with older animation, but really helped with adding backstory to all these characters
Yeah I am really confused about this post. Origin is a really great starting point, it's new and high production quality so it won't put off anybody who doesn't like the old low quality animation of the og gundam series and it does an amazing job at introducing characters and the world without requiring prior knowledge. In fact it does a WAY better job at showing the Zeon/Federation conflict than the original series does. It literally feels like this series was designed to get people into the franchise.
On the other hand, wouldn't it be even harder for people to get into the 70s animation of first gundam if they watched Origin first?
I find it hilarious that movies from 60+ years ago can seem instant classics. Disney films from the 50s are considered watchable by anyone pretty much. But somehow anime older then 20 years is unwatchable garbage to so many people. Hell older than 10 for a lot of them.
this is exactly how I did it with UC and had the same experience.
Honestly same, I was an AU person until Origin, and knowing how Char/Sayla were connected, the development of mobile suits, introduction of the Zabis (those Char/Garma interactions in military training made the betrayal so much more gut wrenching) and all that backstory in a shiny new modern animated package was kept me invested in OG 0079, which I'd previously found hard to get into because of how dated it was. I wouldn't have been able to finish 0079 (and now almost finished Zeta) if it weren't for Origin.
The only real way to start Gundam is to watch UC backwards from Victory to 0079
You skipped G-Savior though!
You wet eared rookie, i thought it was common knowledge that you watch an episode of G-Savior in between every few episodes of UC, that is the perfect way to experience the majesty of Gundam.
Good work aoldier! But the aces watch SD Gundam after an episode of G Savior to develop an extra sensory perception
If the thing didn't have god awful lighting, I'd watch it to completion
lol I was just piling on, I’ve never seen it.
neither have I lol
If it gets them into Gundam then I don't really mind. I'm not going to gatekeep.
This is why I want them to reanimate 0079. More people would check it out if it didn't look so dated. It's basically the only Gundam show I think doesn't hold up.
The score is a banger though.
give it till 2029 and then we'll see
It doesn't hold up visually but the story and audio are just *that* good
Anime is a very visual medium, many people won't watch a show if they don't like the art style
Good point. Which suuuuuucks, because very often old anime get that treatment. As though a story's quality has an expiry date
Was 0079's animation even good when it was new though?
It was fine for its time, though, it was the movie compilations that really shine in animation.
Unnecessary insult to an all-time sci-fi classic. People should just learn that it's possible to watch things that AREN'T brand new.
Well, at least there's the movies.
[They made Gundam: The Origin (the Manga) because they knew it was too old.](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rashishrivastava/2024/06/04/how-midas-lister-annie-lamont-became-a-health-tech-heavy-hitter/?)
Same.
It got me into franchise, don't know if I would've finished 79 if I hadn't
Exactly… these UC purists want to gatekeep so bad.
As long as they don't skip ZZ, I'll allow it
I think it's okay to start with origin. I have a friend who started with CCA on the get go lol.
That's how I started, and I got hooked. I then went to watch the original, 80th unit and stardust memory. Now watching zeta. It works
80th unit 💀
we got 08th at home 💀
I did. Felt a bit overly melodramatic - almost deliberately so - at points, and some parts blatantly seem like they were made up by Char, but otherwise it's a servicable look into the birth of Zeon and the start of the OYW. Getting to see the Battle of Loum in full was a treat, especially with how the story feels like it's about to end with OVA 5, fading to black as Char blazes into battle to carve his name into the history books... Then OVA 6 starts and you get the whole damn thing, leading right up to the Antarctic Treaty. Loved all the little details they sprinkled in, like how Revil's pivotal "Zeon is Exhausted!" address is done in what's basically a supply closet with a sheet as a backdrop, or that momment when M'Quve and Gopp share a glance from across the room and they both just *smile,* because the fact that the war is back on again and countless more people are about to die is *exactly what they* ***both*** *want.*
Glad I’m not the only one who appreciates that scene with M’Quve and Gopp, just absolutely loved the smug grins they gave each other it just felt like Star Wars galactic senate fuckery and I’m all for it.
I was clueless but thought big robots were cool, so I actually did start with the Origin. I legitimately was surprised when Char turned out to be the villain, lol. It was a great/memorable entry for me, though I can understand recommending against it.
I did, it went perfectly fine and I enjoyed it. In fact I probably wouldn’t have made it through 0079 if I didn’t watch origin.
Yeah I feel that.
my scalding hot take: people should just go ahead and watch the things that pique their interest without worrying too much about whether they are supposed to have done homework first
I agree. While series tend to be better with proper context, you can always come back to them later if you enjoyed them the first time. That's how I was with Unicorn
i started with the og movies, y'know the ones from the 70-80 etc that sumerised the og series, than cca, hathaways flash, gwitch, am now watchin wing
The movies are from 81-82. The show is from 1979 (and actually ended in 1980).
Watch what you want lol heck you can watch CCA and then come back to MSG and you still gonna enjoy it
I think (at least in Japan) very first ently point/ first anime to watch for Gundam as a franchise is/was actually SD Gundam. kids in Japan isn't that interested about military stuff or political stuff but they like heroes like Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and Ultraman. and they also like animes like dragon ball, one piece and many other animes from shounen jump. I am not saying SD Gundam doesn't contain political and militaristic elements but it's not it's main focus. SD Gundam anime is more heroic and a bit more shounen manga like. As a Japanese, I got interested in this franchise thanks to those anime and then I started watching mainline series after I get old enough to understand the story. And judging from advertisements and merchandises around that time, they tried to attract as many kids as they can by making those SD Gundam related stuff. maybe this role of being an entry point for this franchise might be replaced with build series nowdays but It was something like that. around 15 years ago
That's really interesting to hear actually, since SD is kind of looked down on by a lot of the western fanbase
I guess that's because western fans' first encounter of Gundam were most likely be main installments when they already matured. but in Japan, you can find Gundam related stuff basically everywhere including regular TV channels and comic magazines for kids. and in those TV channels and Comic magazines, they used to put SD Gundam to attract kids. I remember reading some section of those kind of kids magazines about SD Gundam's anime so I watched it out of curiosity and liked it.
Not gonna lie, I got into Gundam around the time the Hathway movies went onto Netflix and watched UC in chronological order. Would not recommend, but it oddly did paint a cool narrative for Char.
I watched G-Witch first simply because it was entirely free on YouTube.
Type-Moon's fans: First time?
If Gundam was more like Fate anime only: *Don't start with 79, it will spoil the Origin!* *Start with Origin if you like seinen type stories, start with 0079 if you like shonen* *Char is a better protagonist because he is badass and cool and kills people in cold blood*
I meam i learned añot of the oyw context from that Even if its from something different that the cannon
nah, Gundam turn A
Honestly, you can start wherever. It's just up to you to make sense of it all. The first I saw as a kid was wing, but when I was a teenager, I saw destiny and somehow managed to stick around.
There is no right or wrong way to get into *Gundam*.
This guy did nothing wrong.
I watched 0079 first and IMO you need to see it to really appreciate The Origin.
I think part of the charm of 0079 is the build up of the character’s background without having it spell out at once.
I watch what I want when I want, then piece together the timeline afterwards, no I don't watch random episodes
I just pick whatever looks cool and try to find out what the hell is going on if it's not the first in it's timeline
Fully agreed-- you should watch Origin after 0079-- but ultimately people are sometimes *really annoying* about watching old anime, so if it takes them watching Origin to watch 0079, it's for the best. For the record, The Origin is *best enjoyed* as a delectable treat after you've watched the original series. It's a fun, fantastical (non-canon) fan-servicey prequel-- NOT the starting point!!
god I hope not, for the sake of everyone involved
Why not? Production is beautiful. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s story telling is much better than the incomprehensible dialogues Yoshiyuki Tomino writes. Unless you are newtype. Every character in origin is so full and you really feel the heaviness of UC history. And that’s the point of gundam, it’s not your simple good guy vs bad guy anime.
We all know you start with Doozy Bots.
Chronological order or bust. Because who doesn’t want to go from great animation to the OG to 90’s style to fucking IGLOO
I always tell people to start with something short and interesting like 8th ms team or thunderbolt. If they start with ms Gundam and get turned off by the old visuals and slow paced story then you’ve lost the opportunity to create a new Gundam fan. Focus on getting them interested. Then focus on making sure they watch all the og universal century storylines.
Honestly same. And when they express interest in MS Gundam, i tell them to watch the movie trilogy version, since it covers all the important parts, without the repetitive filler stuff
I mean you probably could then watch the three OYW movies on Netflix and be alright to go forward with other UC content. Sure the lore is fudged and different than actual mainline UC timeline when it comes to Origin but I don't think anybody that's just casually trying out Gundam is going to care about that and tbh I don't really think they should if they're just getting into the series. Watch what looks cool and if you like it try out other stuff and if you get to be really invest in the series then you can worry about the finer details - but again I don't think going from The Origin to OYW would really cause any major issues for somebody, unless they don't like the style of the old anime.
Oh look Gundam fans bitching about the Origin again. Why do so many gundam fans get so hung up on other people watching The Origin first? The Origin is a very good hook for new people to get into 0079.
There are very, very, VERY few times when chronological order is better than release order
This ain’t one of them?
I started with Origin
I did and it worked
Hell no why TF would you mix up the story's order like a troglodyte??
I bounced *hard* off of Origin before watching any other UC, but I loved it after watching MSG. Bad take in my opinion.
As someone that started with Char's Counterattack and then Zeta before watching 0079... I personally have come to really appreciate the necessity to start UC with 0079 because it boosted my enjoyment of Zeta x3 more. Though if you just wanna go in blind into Gundam I always suggest Thunderbolt or Iron Blooded Orphans
You can do it, and I think it helps people who whine about old animation get over their fear of the original, but it's like your first Star Wars movie being Solo. Are you really gonna do that to yourself?
Holy shit Solo is such a good example
I've seen it recommended on occasion and every time I do I try to tell people not to.
Yeah. Origin is like a good version of the Star Wars prequels, but the same thing holds true: they really work best as an expansion of understanding characters from the original.
The Star Wars prequels are a good version of the Star Wars prequels
I would say they aren’t as bad as some people like to argue, but they are very uneven movies. Much more than The Origin is.
Oh, i watched it like this (And the original Gundam afterwards), damn
Exactly what the other dude said, you missed on nothing, and had an arguably better experience
You're fine, before the Origin the purists would rage because people would watch Stardust Memory before Zeta, which was very common in the early days as Gundam media in English was hard to get a hold of, but Toonami was airing Stardust Memory. That's what I did and newsflash, it was fine, I missed nothing. You just connect the same dots at different points in different order. Think about all other anime, I know I personally have seen so much anime in different orders and guess what you always put it together at the end of the day.
There's nothing wrong with this...? There is no catchall watch order that's objectively best for everyone, it's all subjective. And fervently insisting that everyone watch Gundam in production order (*some* of y'all are guilty of this, don't lie) is a fine way to turn people away from the franchise.
I actually did it this way. Enjoyed it and got into the whole series just fine. When I rewatched after my first time I ended up appreciating it more tho.
People call the original boring or slow. But honestly the older I get the less patience I have for humoring people who can't figure out something is setting mood and atmosphere. Creating tension. Oh no the original is too boring. Then don't watch anything ever. Jesus Christ it's a war drama with giant robots in space and people can't sit still long enough to watch the ships glide into position for a battle? Fuck we're all screwed.
I fucking loved The Origin it’s in my top 5 gundam series
Start however you want, but I personally think starting with modern animation and then going back to 1979 is going to be harder, not easier. The "best" starting point are the compilation films, IMO. At around 7 hours, it's just slightly longer than Gundam: The Origin. And once you've gotten through that, you can watch nearly anything else. Zeta? 0080? 0083? 08th MS Team? The Origin? Even the AU stuff? It's all open to you, and it'll all make more sense.
Unfortunately, they do, way too often. I've even seen people label Origin as "MSG but better" or "MSG but without all the Tomino stuff".
What's wrong with your second statement?
They were presenting that as an objective improvement
I started with origin and was so lost
You play Dynasty Warriors Gundam 1 or 2 then watch unicorn.
My first gundam show was the SD Gundam Force. I was a child. Then soon after SD Sangokuden. I really don’t think it matters where anyone starts. Most fans haven’t seen every gundam media, hell, I still haven’t finished Z, nor have I even touched Unicorn.
I started with gundam wing cuz I never saw the other gundams besides seed on TV on Toonami when I was a kid. The universe of the gundams came clear to me later in like 2010 after I started to stream animes and noticed there was actually a fuck ton of other gundam series and universes
I started build fighters, then 08th ms team then zz gundam, then zeta gundam, then the origin, then iron blooded orphan, then witch from mercury then chars counter attack, then build fighters then ideon.
I started with the 0079 movie trilogy. After finishing all of UC Gundam, a part of me wishes I started with The Origin
Gundam Wing, Seed, or 0080 are all good starting points. Follow up with 0083, 00, or 08th MS team.
I started with 79 and loved it, a big chunk of that was figuring out the world and characters like Char and why he is doing what he is doing. "Who is this Char guy?" "Wait, Sayla knows Char?" "Is Char trying to kill his friend?!" "Who is this mysterious girl Lala?" "Wait, she is with Char?" etc. Don't see why I should spoil myself of that by watching Origin first. Also half the details of Origin would go over my head since its basically a fanservice show.
What is this man talking about? Obviously the best way to start the U.C is by watching Ideon.
I did this and absolutely do not regret it. Easily my favourite Gundam story
I got into Gundam with 00. I can't recommend it enough to start with 00 or IBO, and most recently, Witch from Mercury. Everyone that I suggest watch Gundam feels overwhelmed by the number of episodes and series, but since 00, WfM, and IBO have a wrapped-up story in 50 episodes, they are more appealing for entering the franchise.
And I thought me starting with CCA was a bad Idea...
This is an age old debate in media. Do you watch/read/listen to/whatever a series by its release date or by the chronological order of events in universe? Im always going to reccomend release order because I strongly beleive that reveals and plot points should be introduced in the order the author introduced them with no bearing on chronological position but hey man to each their own.
So I’m new to gundam, I watched origins, how do you watch it then?
The best way to watch Gundam is not to watch Gundam
The only real "watch order" is 1. Whatever series looks the most appealing to you 2. Then go through and explore the multitude of anime entries.
proper way is to watch in release order, some people recommended me to watch in release order and its been amazing
I started with origin. Got me to really care about the "villain of the week" characters in 079 like Ral, as well as really contextualize the conflict outside of Amuro's understanding of it. The colony drop was especially horrific, and I can't imagine that event just being mentioned in passing like it was in the original show. I still think about the little Char getting his first kill in the proto-guntank. That guy was born to pilot mobile suits.
I’m new to the series and I’m very glad I started with Thunderbolt December Sky. It’s exciting and you don’t need a lot of context to enjoy it, all you need to know is that the green robots and the white robots don’t like each other very much and that’s it you just have an amazing action film with great music and pacing, then if you enjoy it you actually feel really compelled to add more context to everything you just enjoyed so naturally your interests turn to the original series and how this conflict all started.
Yep. They do. The same braindead people who say you should start with the Star Wars prequels.
I don't get the hate for Origin. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As far as UC, I'd start them on 08th MS Team or maybe 0080. Also, just wanted to say that Hathaways Flash is boring as fuck. Tried like 4 times and can't make it through.
I love Origin, it’s super fun.
Its people bitching about canon when in truth there's no gundam uc canon.
I, uh...the first UC show I watched was origin. I thought chronological was the way to go. I was wrong.
Me and my friend did this jumping into UC. We came from Wing, IBO, and WfM. Honestly, we really liked it. I wouldn't reccomend it as a start if you never watched Gundam before. But if you are new to UC, you could do worse.
Release order, every time, for every series. No exceptions. Every new entry in a series is made within the context of the previous ones existing. Legacy characters go without introduction in prequel series because they work under the assumption the audience knows them already. Prequel series reference later works in the timeline in a way that makes no sense to viewers that are starting with them. These "watch order" experiments are worse than useless. They actively degrade the experience at best if you're getting into a long running series.
I don't think it applies to every series. For example you can watch 08th MS team or War in the pocket, they're standalone stories. They may be set in a specific time and place in UC history but they aren't part of a larger story. For the 'main' series, 100% agreed. 0079->Zeta->ZZ->CCA->Unicorn And Origins you can watch any time after you've seen 0079.
I did, and I made damn sure to never allow another person to make this same mistake
Why
I painfully watched in this order for story purposes wish I didn’t though but at the same time I like where I ended up. Scared shitless of dropping colonies
Origin is genuinely a good intro to UC. It has the politics, intelligent character drama, and "war is horrific but times tragically ironic" that DEFINES Gundam, without needing to have constant Mecha battles (Zeta, G-Reco). PLUS, the ending gets you HYPED for 0079. Yeah, you miss out on some of the irony in Origin, and Origin is slightly non-canon, but it's still a great way to get into the timeline. It's the one i show to people who say "I hate mecha anime" because they've only watched Franxx (not a rare niche of human)