Egyptpower
September 4th, 2007, 07:31 PM
When Mecha fans talk about the term Hybrid Robot, they always mention Evangelion as the pioneer who started it all. I agree it did create a market for a Mecha Genre different from both the old school hot blooded Super Robot and the dark, realistic Real Robot. But was it really the pioneer?
Since discovering Yoshiyuki Tomino's dark classic Space Runaway Ideon, which also served as the inspiration for Hideaki Anno to create Evangelion, I've listed it as a Super Type at first but then I began to wonder about certain elements in the anime that balances both the Super Type and the Real Type.
1. First its Super Type elements:
Since Tomino originally started his entry in the mecha genre with the typical Super Robot shows that were popular at the time, it's not suprising to find so many Super Type characteristics in Ideon.
Although at first sight, a rather humble robot in comparison to other mecha, Ideon is without a doubt, one of the most powerful mechas ever. So powerful that it could destroy an entire galaxy. Connected by an awesome power source called the Ide Energy, I would dare agree with sources saying that it is possibly one of the most destructive devices portrayed in all media in terms of raw destructive power.
It has an arsenal of powerful weapons that a Super Type would posses:
- Black Hole Cannon, which as the name implies, creates a miniature black hole capable of massive destruction. While devastating, this is actually Ideon's least powerful super weapon.
- The long Ideon Sword, beam of pure light emitted from each of Ideon's hands. While the beam's destructive power is immense, its most peculiar quality is its length. While adjustable, its maximum length of the sword is depicted as being quite possibly infinite.
- Of course neither could compare to the awesome power that is the Ideon Gun, the Gun is directly powered by the Ideon's Ide energy to produce an enormous white wave of energy which destroys literally anything in its path in a forty five-degree angle, including starships, planets, and even galaxies. The Gun is so powerful that even the crew of both the Ideon and the Solo Ship were actually kinda terrified of its awesome destructive power.
2. Now, for its Real Type elements:
At first, it seems to have more of a Real Type appearance than a Super Type. In the early half of the series, Ideon possesed only an array of missiles and cannons as well as limited melee and defensive shields before it recieves its big guns as the series progresses.
The three large armored vechiles that combine into Ideon look more like the Real vechiles than the Super vechiles and its transformation sequences reminds me of the sequence used in Tomino's 1979 Real Robot pioneer Mobile Suit Gundam than any of the sequences used in Super Robot animes. Plus, it has a very realistic piloting system compared to most Super Robot shows at the time.
Unlike most Super Robot shows at the time that don't make much attempt to explain the powerful abilities of the robots, Ideon at least tries to explain the awesome yet complex power of the Id Energy.
It's plot goes for a more dark War Drama feel, common in Real Robot shows instead of the typical Save The World type of plot used in Super Robot shows. It's character developments involving the struggle of the main cast, the tragic friction between the crew of the Solo Ship and the humanoid alien civilization known as the Buff Clan, the progressive story of an at first forbidden romance between the Solo's captain Bes Jordan and the daughter of the Buff Clan's military commander, Karala Ajiba and of course Tomino's well known "touch" for creating a huge death tool in his work. Although a number of these elements were indeed used in several Super Robot shows, they were mostly used to greater and a more dark effect in shows of the Real Robot genre.
The availability of Ideon's Real Type characteristics isn't really suprising since Tomino worked on Space Runaway Ideon after finishing the original 1979 show of the Mobile Suit Gundam saga. Even when he was working in shows of the Super Robot genre, he still used dark storylines that wasn't found in Super Robot shows at the time, the earliest example of this Tomino "formula" in the Mecha genre was the 1977 Super Machine Zambot 3.
In conclusion, I believe that Space Runaway Ideon is the real pioneer of the Hybrid Robot Genre that was made popular by Evangelion and continues to have a huge fanbase due to the success of animes like RahXephon. What about you?
Since discovering Yoshiyuki Tomino's dark classic Space Runaway Ideon, which also served as the inspiration for Hideaki Anno to create Evangelion, I've listed it as a Super Type at first but then I began to wonder about certain elements in the anime that balances both the Super Type and the Real Type.
1. First its Super Type elements:
Since Tomino originally started his entry in the mecha genre with the typical Super Robot shows that were popular at the time, it's not suprising to find so many Super Type characteristics in Ideon.
Although at first sight, a rather humble robot in comparison to other mecha, Ideon is without a doubt, one of the most powerful mechas ever. So powerful that it could destroy an entire galaxy. Connected by an awesome power source called the Ide Energy, I would dare agree with sources saying that it is possibly one of the most destructive devices portrayed in all media in terms of raw destructive power.
It has an arsenal of powerful weapons that a Super Type would posses:
- Black Hole Cannon, which as the name implies, creates a miniature black hole capable of massive destruction. While devastating, this is actually Ideon's least powerful super weapon.
- The long Ideon Sword, beam of pure light emitted from each of Ideon's hands. While the beam's destructive power is immense, its most peculiar quality is its length. While adjustable, its maximum length of the sword is depicted as being quite possibly infinite.
- Of course neither could compare to the awesome power that is the Ideon Gun, the Gun is directly powered by the Ideon's Ide energy to produce an enormous white wave of energy which destroys literally anything in its path in a forty five-degree angle, including starships, planets, and even galaxies. The Gun is so powerful that even the crew of both the Ideon and the Solo Ship were actually kinda terrified of its awesome destructive power.
2. Now, for its Real Type elements:
At first, it seems to have more of a Real Type appearance than a Super Type. In the early half of the series, Ideon possesed only an array of missiles and cannons as well as limited melee and defensive shields before it recieves its big guns as the series progresses.
The three large armored vechiles that combine into Ideon look more like the Real vechiles than the Super vechiles and its transformation sequences reminds me of the sequence used in Tomino's 1979 Real Robot pioneer Mobile Suit Gundam than any of the sequences used in Super Robot animes. Plus, it has a very realistic piloting system compared to most Super Robot shows at the time.
Unlike most Super Robot shows at the time that don't make much attempt to explain the powerful abilities of the robots, Ideon at least tries to explain the awesome yet complex power of the Id Energy.
It's plot goes for a more dark War Drama feel, common in Real Robot shows instead of the typical Save The World type of plot used in Super Robot shows. It's character developments involving the struggle of the main cast, the tragic friction between the crew of the Solo Ship and the humanoid alien civilization known as the Buff Clan, the progressive story of an at first forbidden romance between the Solo's captain Bes Jordan and the daughter of the Buff Clan's military commander, Karala Ajiba and of course Tomino's well known "touch" for creating a huge death tool in his work. Although a number of these elements were indeed used in several Super Robot shows, they were mostly used to greater and a more dark effect in shows of the Real Robot genre.
The availability of Ideon's Real Type characteristics isn't really suprising since Tomino worked on Space Runaway Ideon after finishing the original 1979 show of the Mobile Suit Gundam saga. Even when he was working in shows of the Super Robot genre, he still used dark storylines that wasn't found in Super Robot shows at the time, the earliest example of this Tomino "formula" in the Mecha genre was the 1977 Super Machine Zambot 3.
In conclusion, I believe that Space Runaway Ideon is the real pioneer of the Hybrid Robot Genre that was made popular by Evangelion and continues to have a huge fanbase due to the success of animes like RahXephon. What about you?