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Those who know me well know that there are two things that fire me up above all else. The first, of course is what I talk about here most days: superhero comics. There are few things that get me as excited as superheroics. But there is one thing that reaches that level in my estimations: Gundam.

My two loves share a lot in common. In the world of superhero comics, we have people with astonishing abilities that often put them leagues above normal men and women. And so they put on brightly colored costumes and do battle for the things they believe in -- whether those things are truth, power, justice, money, or the American Way.

In the various worlds of Gundam (for you see, there is a multiverse of Gundam worlds) we have people with astonishing abilities that often put them leagues above normal men and women. And so they pilot brightly colored robots and do battle for the things they believe in -- whether those are truth, power, justice, money, or the Zeonic Way.

But, like superhero comics, the heart and soul of Gundam is not might and strength of arms. It is about the person behind the mask (and there's always a masked man in Gundam). It's about the human being who pilots that mobile suit. It's about his or her dreams and fantasies; it's about his or her hopes and fears.

In that, Gundam embodies the same things that I love in superheroes. For me, it's about justice and protecting the innocent. One of the hearts of Gundam has always been the strong fighting on behalf of the weak and the defenseless. When the forces of oppression and evil rise up and all hope is lost the Gundam will appear. Not so different from Superman...

I speak of Gundam this night because the most recent Gundam series -- Gundam 00 -- just reached its twenty-fifth and final episode. As with most Gundam series, there were unanswered questions -- a good thing, considering the second season begins in October.

But before we reached that end I got to see Gundam pilots -- who are the hearts and souls of their Gundams both literally and figuratively -- struggle, fight, and die for causes higher than themselves. They fought for truth, justice, and freedom. And that, my friends, is what it's all about.

Off-Topic Post #732

I've been caught up in watching a lot of anime lately. I do that during the vacation times when there's not a lot else to do. Mostly I've been watching the various Gundam series. I love Gundam because, well, giant robots. Also -- like comics -- a lot of static rules tend to apply. So without further ado:

Rules for Surviving the Gundamverse:

1. Don't go to space. It never helps.

2. Someone is secretly your brother/sister. It may be your arch-foe or the person you have a crush on. It could be anyone.

3. The guy in the mask is either ridiculously noble or incredibly insane. Plan accordingly.

4. Never trust the military. For that matter, don't trust civilians, either.

5. Don't worry if you've never operated a car or so much as changed a light bulb. You'll be able to pilot a mobile suit with ease.

6. Look for the guys with a "Z" in their name. They're probably evil.

7. The guys they're fighting are most likely evil, too.

8. Someone has a giant space cannon, warship, or satellite. They will try to shoot the Earth. Keep an eye out.

9. Never turn your back on a pretty girl.

10. Don't try to fight the guy in the Gundam. You can't win.

Slightly Off Topic

I was thinking about Grant Morrison's wacky team of Japanese superheroes earlier. You know, the team including Most Excellent SuperBat, Big Atomic Lantern Boy, and Shy Crazy Lolita Canary? I said to myself "sure, that sounds interesting, but maybe not completely accurate."

Then I remembered that I'm watching an anime called Seto no Hanayome. It's about a junior high school boy who is saved from drowning by a mermaid (who is the daughter of clan of merfolk gangster), and then has to get engaged to her resulting in wacky hijinks because her gang leader father doesn't approve.

Or Nagasarete Airantou where a boy is washed up on a tropical island populated entirely by beautiful girls, talking animals, and carnivorous plants. Every day he has to fight for his life to escape... The girls. Because they want to alternately marry him, have sex with him, or experiment on him in ways best not mentioned here.

Or there's the Japanese anime of Romeo + Juliet (if anything needed the anime treatment it was that). Of course it takes place on a floating continent where Juliet disguises herself as a boy who in turn disguises himself as a Zorroesque masked avenger. Of course it does.

So yeah, I decided Grant Morrison's Japanese superheroes aren't accurate enough...