About

Mecha (メカ) is a science fiction^[1] genre based around the use of giant robots as machines to be piloted by humans, usually to stop an evil force from harming the Earth, or individual nations within it. The robots themselves are known as mechs by fans of the genre.

Origin

While the earliest depictions of piloted machines stretch back to H.G. Wells'^[2] The War of the Worlds^[3], the modern mecha genre did not enter into its current state until the manga series Tetsujin 28-go^[4] which depicted a giant robot being remotely controlled, and Mazinger Z^[5] where the mechs are being controlled via a pilot in a cockpit.

History

Since the popularization of mecha in the 1960s, the genre has spawned a number of successful anime and manga franchises such as Gundam, Space Runaway Ideon^[6], Evangelion, and Gurren Lagann. Along with these several video game franchises focused on mecha have also spawned, such as MechWarrior^[7], Shogo^[8], and Zone of the Enders^[9].

Fandom

On August 16th, 2004^[12], moot added a Mecha board on 4chan. Despite it being irrelevant in 4chan culture, it gets a fair amount of visits a day. Tumblr" also gets many results under the mecha tag.

Notable Subcultures

Gundam

Gundam is a space opera mecha anime series produced by animation studio Sunrise that first aired in 1979 with Mobile Suit Gundam^[10]. The series has spawned a very successful franchise with a large number of sequels, spin offs, and merchandise, and has helped influence a large number of mecha anime. It is credited with having created the 'Real-Robot' Genre of mecha anime.

Evangelion

Evangelion is multi-media franchise spanning a television series, a manga series as well as several spin-offs, a series of movies, and several games.

Gurren Lagann

Gurren Lagann (also known as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) is a 2007 mecha anime series produced by studio Gainax^[11]. The series has spawned a subsequent manga series as well as two compilation movies.

External Refernces