Mailbag 39: Disco Gun Fever, starring John Travolta

Posted January 25, 2007

So what's the deal with those funky disco guns in Gundam SEED? Read on, sucka!

Dave G asks:
1. Does anyone else think that G Gundam borders a little too much on DBZ style-impossible feats of strength. I can understand at the very most Master Asia using a cloth to destroy the head of an MS (especially a cheaply made one like a Death Army), but what about Michelo Chariot cutting down an entire skyscraper in his pursuit of Schwarz Bruder with just one kick? Not to mention just how stupid Michelo is: he can't tell the difference between Schwarz and Domon? Sure, Schwarz was wearing a mask, but come on, he's Neo-Germany's Gundam Fighter. He should be recognizable right from the beginning.

2. Is Rey cloned from Rau or is he cloned from Al Da Flaga, like Rau?

3. What's the deal with Gundam VS Giant God: Counterattack of Gigantis? If it does take place in the UC timeline (or not), when would it occur (obviously before 0093)?

4. Since I, like many other fans, do not have direct access to Gundam manga (especially new ones), can you tell me which of the 5 Slaughter Dagger pilots are killed in DELTA ASTRAY (if you know)?

5. I've heard the Girty Lue and Minerva being called 'classes,' like the
Archangel was (since they were the first ship of that build). Though no
other versions of the Minerva were built, the fact that two other Girty Lue
ships would signify that, wouldn't it?

Chris responds:
1. You have to understand something about G Gundam that most Gundam fans don't get initially (myself included) or ever, for that matter. In the world of Future Century, this kind of thing is completely normal. There are countless super robot shows were characters can perform superhuman martial arts techniques. To use a cliche, it's par for the course.

2. Rey is cloned from Al Da Flaga. Given the age difference between him and Rau, he was probably fertilized/grown/whatever at a later date.

3. It's just a side story manga that's not canon (how could it be, it has Ideon in it!). I haven't read it, but it probably takes place around the ZZ era since Judau is in it.

4. Sorry, can't help you there. I haven't read DELTA ASTRAY in any detail other than to get mobile suit listings for the mecha section.

5. In the case of the Girty Lue, no. In the C.E. world, we have seen three ships of that type so far: the Girty Lue, the Nana Buluku and an unnamed ship in DESTINY ASTRAY. However, we don't know which of these was built first, or if there is another ship that precedes these. Therefore, it would be incorrect to refer to the ships collectively as "Girty Lue class" without this information.


Colin Barton asks:
1. I was wondering if MAHQ has any plans to put together a section for
DUAL! Parallel Trouble Adventures. It's not a serious mecha show but is
fairly robust and fleshed out.

2. A few months ago in Japan, I noticed a two mecha package featuring two Gundam action figures. One of them was the gray RX-78-3 model that I'm pretty familiar with but the other was listed as RX-78-CS. It was red and supposedly the Char Aznable model. I was wondering if you could tell me where the idea of the Char Gundam comes from. It was a licensed action I figure so it must have some origin in the franchise.

3. I'm a huge Kai Shiden fan. I've always felt he was the working man's ace from the OYW but it seems like he really gets lost in Amuro's shadow. Are there any side stories or manga that deal with Kai Shiden coming into his own or at least getting a little recognition? I mean, he did shoot down at least 20 mobile suits before losing the Guncannon.

4. MAHQ is a really top rate site and I appreciate the effort you guys put
into keeping it running. How much of a commitment is it for you guys to do this site? Does it steal a lot of time out of your week?

Chris responds:
1. I saw DUAL a few years ago and it didn't really impress me, so the answer is no.

2. The 'Char Gundam' is one of many possible suits from the Gihren's Greed games, where history can take multiple turns and play out differently.

3. There is indeed a Kai side story, entitled Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Day After Tomorrow - From Kai Shiden's Report. It ran in Gundam Ace and finished up last fall. I haven't read it, but I believe it delves more into what Kai was doing throughout the Gryps War.

4. Thank you for the comment. I can tell you that years ago, when the site was a bit more active, I'd sometimes put 20 hours a week into it. But now, that's not possible (or desirable). The amount of time I put in now fluctuates from week to week, depending on how much free time I have, and what exactly I want to update.


Marzak Ahmed asks:
Now, we know Gundam isn't as popular in America as it was in 2000. There are many reasons why the franchise is almost dead in the U.S. One possible reason is that Bandai decided to release Mobile Suit Gundam right after Gundam Wing. MSG (being older and completely different from Wing) obviously didn't do well and was taken off the air shortly after 9/11. If you were in charge of bringing the next Gundam series to America after Wing, which show would you have brought over?  Would you still choose MSG? Or would you gone with another AU series after Wing?

Chris responds:
Looking at this from a professional angle and not as a fan, MSG would've absolutely been my last choice as the follow up to Wing. When you want to establish a brand and a franchise, you follow up with content that's similar, not completely different. You wouldn't follow up an action movie like Die Hard with John McClane: The Ballet. I know MSG and Wing aren't that dissimilar, but to the legions of new Wing fans in 2001, they were. My choice would've been Gundam X. With similar character and mecha designs and a self-contained story, it would've been the perfect follow up to Wing. In 2002, G Gundam could've built on that success, rather than attempt to make up for MSG's failure. Of course, it's all moot now because it didn't play out this way.


David Ding asks:
Why, were the disco guns [in Gundam SEED] so badly edited, even for the episodes at the end? Didn't they even know what kind of people watch Gundam? I live in Canada, and I only found out about disco guns on Wikipedia. Why did Canadian channels receive the unedited version?

Chris responds:
I'll have to go on a bit of an editorial tangent to answer this one. Although America and Canada share a border, democratic principles and the English language, there are distinct differences. One of them is conservative moral attitudes. For some reason, Americans feel it is necessary to "protect" their children by shielding them from reality. Conservative watchdog groups prowl the TV landscape to find anything objectionable they can complain about to the Federal Communications Commission. Because of these attitudes, you have oddities in American cartoons and imported anime. Real guns are considered a taboo, hence SEED's disco guns. Even shows set in the present, such as the 1990s Spider-Man cartoon, feature laser blasters instead of real guns. References to death and religion are also taboo, which is why in Wing's Toonami version you have "I'll destroy you" and "The Great Destroyer." More ridiculously, it's why in G Gundam you have Andrew Graham explaining to Rain that his wife was "erased" (!) by Argo Gulskii.

Now, this is not to say that I think children should be running around watching R-rated movies or hardcore pornography. But doing things like disco guns is an absurd waste of time and a denial of reality. A child only has to turn on the local news to hear about rape, murder, crime and war. Kids play video games with guns and look at all sorts of things on the Internet. So to get back to your question, yes, the disco guns are horribly edited. Cartoon Network's concern isn't preserving the artistic integrity of the series, it's to make sure that little Timmy doesn't see those horrible guns on TV.


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