If It Isn't Too Much Trouble ....

[JTurner954]

Would it be possible if someone can let me know when all the Toonami shows (with the exception of the Batman and Superman titles)on the very first episode??

I would like to watch anime, but only from the beginning. I'd really appreciate it if someone could help me out.

[ohmrbill]

Outlaw Star, Tenchi, Gundam 0083, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Pilot Candidate will all start from the first episode on "Adult" Swim Action on Saturday, February 23 at 11:00. Just don't watch Cowboy Bebop that week because they'll be showing the finale.

Oh, and you might not want to watch 0083 unless you've seen Mobile Suit Gundam since it assumes you have some background knowledge of that show.

[JTurner954]

Thanks. The only series I have seen are Big O and Bubblegum Crisis 2040 (just the first four episodes so far). Is Mobile Suit Gundam the first series in the whole Gundam series??

[VinceA]

Yup, MSG is the first of the Gundam series

[KingKoopa]

You don't really need backround info on MSG for 0083. I watched it before MSG and it didn't spoil anything and I wasn't confused. It doesn't use any of the characters or anything.

You can start watching Cowboy Bebop March 9, when it restarts

[JohnCrichton]

Actually, it is infact okay to jump in the middle of a series.

Sometimes the best idea, since there's a chance there might not be another run for a long time.

[ohmrbill]

Actually, there is a pretty big spoiler for the end of MSG within the first couple minutes of 0083's first episode.

But I KK's probably right. It's not absolutely necessary to see MSG to enjoy 0083. The characters are different, and the story is relatively self-contained. But it does take place in the same timeline of MSG and it takes place after the end of it (three years after, to be exact). While none of the same characters appear in it, they do mention a few events that took place in MSG. In fact, the main purpose of 0083 was to bridge the 7-year gap between MSG and Z Gundam.

If you don't think you'll have a chance to see MSG first (and you probably won't), then go ahead and watch 0083. You'll probably have forgotten all about the spoiler by the time you see MSG, anyway. ;)

[JTurner954]

Well, keep in mind that I don't know anything about the characters, story, or anything involving the Gundam series. I saw a trailer for Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam on my Big O Volume 1 DVD so that's as much as I know.

So based on that, which series should I watch?

[ohmrbill]

Well, you should be able to enjoy 0083 just fine without any prior knowledge of Gundam (in fact, I think it was the first Gundam series to be released in America). The main storyline of 0083 is pretty self-contained; they just mention events that took place in Mobile Suit Gundam a few times. But IMO, you'll probably get a lot more out of it if you've seen the original series and know a little about the back-story.

Gundam Wing is in no way related to any other Gundam series. It's an "alternate universe" series and it takes place in a completely different timeline. You can watch it any time you feel like without having to worry about any other series.

What I would do (but keep it mind I'm a real stickler for watching things in their proper order, regardless of whether or not it's "necessary"), I would watch Mobile Suit Gundam first, followed by 0080 and 08th MS Team (those two are side-stories that take place at the same time as MSG), and then 0083.

But unfortunately, it doesn't look like Mobile Suit Gundam will air again before 0083 does. And since I'm sure you don't want to buy a 40-something episode series that you're not sure you'll even like, I recommend just watching 0083 now and then catching the others when and if they air again, since there's no guarantee that 0083 will air again, either.

Did that answer your questions or did I just confuse you more? :)

[JTurner954]

Actual;ly , I'm still a bit confused. I should also mention that I found a comic book store that has many anime titles for rent so I don't have to wait for a series to start on TV. I like watching the beginning of a series instead of mid-way (in case I didn't mention that before). So you say I should watch 0083 instead of Mobile Suit?

[ohmrbill]

If that store has the original Mobile Suit Gundam available, then you should definitely watch that before any other Gundam series; especially if you're like me, and you absolutely have to watch things in order. It's the basis, in one way or another, for every other Gundam series to come after.

I should also mention that MSG comes in two different versions: a 43 episode TV series, and a theatrical movie trilogy. The story is exactly the same in both versions, but the TV series goes into much greater depth than the movies.

So far, of the TV series, only up to episode 30 has been released on video and DVD in America, but the movies, however, were released a while ago on VHS in both dub and sub versions (the early dub of that, I hear, is pretty awful, though). The DVD version of the movies won't be released until May.

So it's up to you; if you want to wait for the TV series to be released on video first, you'll be waiting a long time before you can watch 0083. If, on the other hand, you watch the movies now, that will give you all the important information you need and you'll be able to watch the other series without the worry of spoilers or being confused. Your best bet would probably be to try and get a hold of the movies now, that way you'll be ready when 0083 airs. Or you could just forget about seeing them on TV, altogether, and just rent the videos/DVDs as they're released.

If you want to know for future reference, this is the chronological order that the mainstream Gundam series follow:

1)Mobile Suit Gundam
*{08th MS Team}
*{Gundam 0080}
2)Gundam 0083
3)Z Gundam
4)Gundam ZZ
5)Char's Counterattack
6)Gundam F91
7)V Gundam

*(Both 0080 and 08th MS are side stories that take place during the same time period as the first Gundam. If you're going to watch them, be aware that there are some minor spoilers for MSG. They aren't necessary for understanding anything afterwards, though.)

Does this help at all? :)

[JTurner954]

Yes, thank you. I wrote that stuff down. I have one question though: Where does Gundam Wing fit into all this?? The trailer looked cool while the Mobile Suit Gundam one looked older.

[ohmrbill]

Ah, Gundam Wing is a completely different universe from all those. The mainstream Gundam timeline (up there) is called "Universal Century." After the end of V Gundam, four separate "Alternate Universe" series were created: G Gundam, Gundam Wing (and its sequel, Endless Waltz), Gundam X, and Turn A Gundam. None of these series share any continuity with one another and are completely separate from the Universal Century timeline. So, in other words, you can watch Gundam Wing, or any of the other "Alternate Universe" series any time you want, without having to watch anything else beforehand.

Oh, and the reason Mobile Suit Gundam looks old is because it was originally released in 1979. It's still a great show, though ;)

[Eddy_Girly]

I'm not so sure about the other anime shows on Toonami, but I do know the Tenchi series well.

There are 3 main parts to Tenchi Muyo! The first one is Tenchi OVA (commonly called "Tenchi Muyo!"). The original release was in 1992 in Japan. The second part is Tenchi Universe, an that released in Japan in 1995-1996. The last part is Tenchi In Tokyo, with was released also in Japan around 1997. artoon Network's Toonami first started to show Tenchi Muyo! in late 1999, in that order; Tenchi OVA, Tenchi Universe, and Tenchi In Tokyo (it repeats over and over, BTW).

Tenchi OVA has (I think) about 16 or 17 episodes. The first episode is "Ryoko Resurrected." Tenchi Universe has 26 episodes, and the first of that is "No Need Fo Discussions." Tenchi In Tokyo also has 26 episodes. The first episode of that is "Separation Anxiety." Tenchi OVA and Tenchi Universe begins neary the same way, but they are different too.

There's also a part of Tenchi Muyo! called, "Pretty Sammy," but I doubt they show that on Toonami. haven't seen that, so I can't give any reviews on that. But this is what I know about the Tenchi beginnings (I'm a big Tenchi fan - hehee).

[Sheamon]

Tenchi started on CN in the summer of 2000, not 1999 -_-

And the original OVAs have a grand total of 13 episodes, not 17 :P

[Eddy_Girly]

Originally posted by Sheamon
Tenchi started on CN in the summer of 2000, not 1999 -_-

And the original OVAs have a grand total of 13 episodes, not 17 :P

Thanks for the correction. :) I had a feeling that might have been a bit too much episodes in the OVAs (must have miscounted), and I actually started to watch Tenchi in the winter of 2000 (I thought they premiered in 1999 since I've heard about it then).

Silly me. :rolleyes: