Illustration of a person looking at a gundam and thinking "wow!! cool robot!!!" while ignoring the anti war subtext of the series

Wow Cool Robot

Part of a series on Mobile Suit Gundam. [View Related Entries]

Updated May 10, 2024 at 04:30PM EDT by Zach.

Added Oct 10, 2018 at 04:13PM EDT by Adam.

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About

Wow Cool Robot refers to an exploitable drawing intended to satirize people who miss the subtext of certain pieces of media. The original features a person looking at a Gundam and saying "Wow, cool robot!" while he ignores the missile flying over his head labeled "War is bad."

Origin

While the first appearance of the comic is unclear, the earliest known mention of the comic appeared on Twitter on May 12th, 2016, when user @Random_Factor[1] posted a link to it, attributing it to their friend "Oleg" (comic shown below).


WAR BAD 3 wow!! cooL ROBOT!! 0

Spread

The comic spread in the Gundam fandom over the following year, appearing on Facebook[2] and Twitter[3] posts in that time. In June of 2017, variations began appearing on Twitter and Tumblr. On June 11th, 2017, Twitter user @frogkaro posted a redrawing of the comic referencing Blade Runner 2049, gaining over 150 retweets and 200 likes (shown below, left). On June 12th, Tumblr user samael made a variation based on Warhammer 40,000 that gained over 2,600 notes (shown below, right).


Autho riturianism brough n the lbwer clussi bad nuy Cool er-na aつ MURDER イwocRCACY K CowSumES DE STaoys FANATCIsm mPERIKLIim Is wow!!

Tumblr also saw meta variations of the meme making fun of the comics original point. For example, user charlesoberonn posted a variation saying the comic missed an even deeper point about Gundam (shown below, left). User kitsunetrickster posted a minimalist edit of the meme (shown below, right).


media companies sending mixed messages by using the aesthetic and visceral appeal of war for profit while preaching against it 4 wow!! cOOL OBOr 0 Subjective Opinion/ Obvious Assertion/ -Bitching toane. in peace, and thus suffer strawman

Media Literacy

Media Literacy refers to a skill that allows a person to correctly interpret media message and reflect on them. Online, media literacy, and particularly lack of it, has been a subject of viral debates and memes, with users on social media frequently accusing others of having low media literacy over their interpretation of books, films, video games and other media.


PRV pudding person @JUNIPER : we're at an absolute state of poor media literacy where people don't understand that a main character doesn't mean they have to be a good person Cigs @UsingCigarettes · Apr 4 This is your reminder that Walter White is a serial abuser who manipulates and threatens his wife and kills people. Show this thread 7:57 PM . Apr 5, 2023 7.6M Views ミー @PearlteaRizzy Bad guys are bad. In other news, the sky is blue and water is wet. H-------- did an entire decade of capeshit and redeemable villains reduced people's media literacy to that of 5 year olds or something? Cigs @UsingCigarettes · Apr 3 This is your reminder that Tony Soprano is misogynistic, racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic and also kills people. Show this thread 9:10 AM - Apr 5, 2023 14.3K Views Dexter @Super_Dexter Media literacy is dead. There can be no themes, no narritive, no emotion and not even the slightest hint of suspense of disbelief. Everything is just an equation to these people, where characters can only do what is optimal, not what is logical. Clark is a child in this scene. gautym @gautym Apr 28, 2022 Reminder that in Superman 1978, Clark Kent raced his father into a heart attack. It's a great scene but there's a culpability there that's never talked about. He outran a train & then goaded his father into running which resulted in his death. Show this thread 4:50 PM. Jun 4, 2022 NIEZAS : <><>

Various Examples


wow! THAT RL HAS wow!! C OOL ROBOT!!! human interaction is hard 3 wow!! cooL religious symbolism Guns are BAD wow!! C OOL ROBOT!H!
american exceptionalism is a suicidal and self destructive world view wow!! cooL ROBOT! captainkupo That gundam "war is bad" pic but with 2b instead robo-guy Humanity transcends Aesh want 2B face DINNE PART 3 wow!! cOOL ROBOT!H! っ

Search Interest

External References

[1] Twitter – @Random_Factor

[2] Facebook – For the Love of Gundam

[3] Twitter – captainjamestkink

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