Poll: Japanese or Western Mecha?

[GundamSentinel]

My vote goes for wester mechs... I mean, the Japanese mechs always seem to follow the gundam look. I have never seen a mech in an anime that didn't just scream "GUNDAM!".

I mean, western mechs have all these:

-snip-

EDIT: Although, I will have to say that I love the Tachikoma robots from Ghost in the Shell, but they don't count..

A: What kind of mech anime have you even seen if you think it all looks like gundam? Ever seen Macross (or that American rape of it called Robotech)? Ever seen an Orbital Frame? Ever played Metal Gear for that matter? You'll actually be hardpressed to find the Gundam look. Even Gundam itself has created mechs don't look anything like gundams.

B: Why don't tachikomas count? Just a scaled down version of other multiped tanks.

They don't count as mechs.. A mech is basically a giant, pilotable, walking suit of armor. The Tachikomas are robots, since they think on their own.

I did not think of Metal Gear at first, so I'll have to say that they are pretty badass, but I have never heard of any of the others you are referring to, so therefore I did not consider them.

Depends on your definition of mech. The original Japanese definition is for everything electrical or mechanical. Even a toaster is a mech in that context. Also, as can be seen in Stand Alone Complex episode 2, the Tachikomas can in fact be piloted. Granted, they're not giant, but they sure are pilotable suits of armor.

Oh, and I can forgive anyone for not knowing those. Sometimes hard to remember that most people really don't know Japanese mecha besides Gundam. Sorry.

 

[lykopis783]

I prefer the japanese take on western mecha. i.e. steamboy

 

[Spineyguy]

I'm pretty sure there was a sizeable amount of crappage in the cockpits of those ground pounders.

In any case, Titan scaled mecha are almost always useless against smaller and nimbler mecha. Shirow always made an excellent case for this in his Ghost in the Shell manga, as having something of that scale reduces it's armor capacity so they only way to make it viable is to make it fast. This is why many of Ryosuke Takahashi's series stray from his Dougram (Battletech) roots and towards much smaller and far quicker mecha (such as VOTOMS, Layzner and Gasaraki). The funny aspect to all this is that Western sources copied Takahashi's Dougram, literally in the case of Battletech, but didn't evolve along with him.

The rationale behind this is quite sound and forms the backbone of much of the real robot pantheon in mecha.

You can never have too big a mech, too many Void sheilds, or armour that is too thick. Just increasing the size of something does not automatically mean that it is weak-arse and vulnerable.

Titans are the epitomy of Western mechs, which do exist by the way, (see the AT,ATs of Star wars) it's just that western ones tend to be bigger, slower, more armoured and have large crews instead of one pilot.

 

[John Funk]

Titans are the epitomy of Western mechs, which do exist by the way, (see the AT,ATs of Star wars) it's just that western ones tend to be bigger, slower, more armoured and have large crews instead of one pilot.

 

[Chipperz]

Western

Spoiler

It's hard to argue when they dual-wield steampunk miniguns...

 

[Ollie Barder]

Depends on your definition of mech. The original Japanese definition is for everything electrical or mechanical. Even a toaster is a mech in that context. Also, as can be seen in Stand Alone Complex episode 2, the Tachikomas can in fact be piloted. Granted, they're not giant, but they sure are pilotable suits of armor.

Oh, and I can forgive anyone for not knowing those. Sometimes hard to remember that most people really don't know Japanese mecha besides Gundam. Sorry.

Your recollection of the Japanese definition is wholly inaccurate, however fuchikomas/tachikomas are indeed mecha though. Regardless of the fact they can operate on their own, as ultimately many famous mecha work in the same way (Giant Gorg, Tetsujin 28-go, various Mortarr Heads from Five Star Stories).

You can never have too big a mech, too many Void sheilds, or armour that is too thick. Just increasing the size of something does not automatically mean that it is weak-arse and vulnerable.

Titans are the epitomy of Western mechs, which do exist by the way, (see the AT,ATs of Star wars) it's just that western ones tend to be bigger, slower, more armoured and have large crews instead of one pilot.

The design of Rob Cobb et al is regarded as industrial design, not mecha but still they openly admit Japanese design as an influence (the AT-AT's were actually influenced by designs from Yamato and Gundam).

As for the problem of increasing size, even within the fictional rulesets of mecha, this makes the target slower and even if large plates of armor protect its innards a smaller and nimbler oppoenent can (and often does) find a weakness.

Titans actually stem from Ideon [http://www.gearsonline.net/ideon/], which is the most powerful fictitious mecha ever created. As it can cut planets in half, fire black holes and, in its final "attack", reboot the universe.


Ideon is hugely influential, as it was one of the main creative catalysts behind Gainax's Top o Nerae 2 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion]...



These are classed as "super [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_robot]" robots in case anyone is wondering.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Depends on your definition of mech. The original Japanese definition is for everything electrical or mechanical. Even a toaster is a mech in that context. Also, as can be seen in Stand Alone Complex episode 2, the Tachikomas can in fact be piloted. Granted, they're not giant, but they sure are pilotable suits of armor.

Oh, and I can forgive anyone for not knowing those. Sometimes hard to remember that most people really don't know Japanese mecha besides Gundam. Sorry.

Your recollection of the Japanese definition is wholly inaccurate, however fuchikomas/tachikomas are indeed mecha though. Regardless of the fact they can operate on their own, as ultimately many famous mecha work in the same way (Giant Gorg, Tetsujin 28-go, various Mortarr Heads from Five Star Stories).

It is not actually. The word "mecha" originates from the Japanese abbreviation meka for mechanical. This encompasses any mechanical devices, from vacuum cleaners to airplanes. Japanese use "robot" to indicate, well, robots... It's transition back to English has led to the meaning of "big robot" for the word mecha/mech, followed by subsequent use in Japanese as well.
However, in anime and manga, the term "robot" is used far more often than mecha.

 

[Spineyguy]

Titans are the epitomy of Western mechs, which do exist by the way, (see the AT,ATs of Star wars) it's just that western ones tend to be bigger, slower, more armoured and have large crews instead of one pilot.

Like I said, over-blown super hero costume.

 

[The Austin]

Western are the only mechs that are practable.

 

[Spineyguy]

You can never have too big a mech, too many Void sheilds, or armour that is too thick. Just increasing the size of something does not automatically mean that it is weak-arse and vulnerable.

Titans are the epitomy of Western mechs, which do exist by the way, (see the AT,ATs of Star wars) it's just that western ones tend to be bigger, slower, more armoured and have large crews instead of one pilot.

The design of Rob Cobb et al is regarded as industrial design, not mecha but still they openly admit Japanese design as an influence (the AT-AT's were actually influenced by designs from Yamato and Gundam).

As for the problem of increasing size, even within the fictional rulesets of mecha, this makes the target slower and even if large plates of armor protect its innards a smaller and nimbler oppoenent can (and often does) find a weakness. [/quote]

In such a multi-cultural world as this, it's unlikely that you'll find anything that doesn't take its inspiration from something else.

As for the case of smaller mechs beating bigger ones; that's only because in most Animes, smaller means underdog. Small mech = Underdog = protagonist = tiumph against the odds = cliche storyline.

 

[John Funk]

Like I said, over-blown super hero costume.

I was just pointing out an incredibly well-armored Japanese mecha the size of several galaxies that is piloted by a crew

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Its funny, Space Marine/Imperial mechs have a western feel where Eldar have an eastern feel.

The western ones look more practical, but the eastern ones look so damn sleek and stylish. When I think mech I think Macross.

 

[CloggedDonkey]

Spoiler: western

it's called the cougar and it will kick your ass.

 

[Del-Toro]

I always think of this first:

Oh yes.

Is that a Robotech mech?

Technically it's a Super Dimension Fortress Macross mech, but you're still correct though.

 

[Sombra Negra]

As far as I know, that big mean motherhubber is Western. Vive l'oueste!

 

[John Funk]

Perhaps I just havent seen enough of both but I would have to say that the Japanese mechs look cooler in my opinion, perahaps watching Gundam Wing as a child had a wee bit of an effect on my opinion, maybe

no no, japanese mechs look cooler, of course a gundam would not even make it within range of a longbow

The Dynames snipes things in orbit from the ground.

Just sayin'

 

[Predlin]

I'm a very practical person and if I'm going to pick a giant robot to ride,
its going to be the one that can blow up as much as possible so western