S3E4: Josué's time to shine has arrived in this episode of Otaku Ryoho. Josué  and Rae discuss the first series, Mobile Suit Gundam from 1979, the most recent series at time of recording, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX from 2025, and many, many other series and adaptations in between that fall under the vast Gundam franchise umbrella. They talk about how Mobile Suit Gundam, as well as most of the franchise as a whole, doesn't shy away from showing the true cost of war, intentionally portrays major players in a morally grey light, and boldly illuminates the role of corporate corruption and influence over politics, power, and oppression. Josué connects the timeless themes in Gundam with current events and they reflect on how war becomes generational trauma. Rae notices a pattern of Japanese storytellers often restarting and retelling the same stories over and over in different forms and adaptations, and wonders if this is a metaphor for the cyclical nature of generational trauma. Or maybe it's just capitalism ruining the party again. 

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Change
• Consequences
• Death
• Leadership
• Power struggle
• Resilience
• Standing up for others
• Strong female role models
• Standing up for oneself
• Sacrifice for others
• Working with others
• War
• Freeing groups from oppression
• Survival
• Independence
• Grey morality in war and politics
• Horrors and reality of war
• Corporate influence and corruption in politics, healthcare, and war
• Capitalism and corruption
• Child soldiers

Relatable Experiences:

• Acceptance
• Clarity/Understanding
• Coming of age/Getting older
• Death
• Fear/Anxiety
• Fighting
• Making Others Worry
• Loss (other than death)
• Trauma
• War
• Generational Trauma
• Living in a dystopia

Anime/Manga/Characters Mentioned: 

• Mobile Suit Gundam
• One Piece
• Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
• Amuro Ray (Mobile Suit Gundam)
• Fraw Bow (Mobile Suit Gundam)
• Bright Noah (Mobile Suit Gundam)
• Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam)
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (film)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• SD Gundam Force
• Mobile Fighter G Gundam
• Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (Netflix anime)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway (movie trilogy)
• Yoshiyuki Tomino (Gundam creator)
• The Man Who Created Gundam (manga)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans
• Mobile Suit Gundam 00
• Gundam Build Fighters
• Mobile Suit Gundam Eight (manga)
• Gundam SEED
• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (Zeta Zeta)
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
• GUNPLA (model kits)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (manga)
• Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam (manga)
• Slayers
• One Piece: Party (manga)
• One Piece School (manga)

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• Toonami programming block
• Star Wars/The Phantom Menace
• Star Fox 64
• Star Trek
• Pacific Rim
• Band of Brothers
• Saving Private Ryan
• Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)
• Josué's TAGGS presentation: Making Miniatures Mindfully 
• Rae's TAGGS presentation: The Straw Hat Jolly Roger: How This Symbol Brings Hope and Empowerment During the Darkest Timeline 
• "What If?" Series in Marvel Comics
• Absolute Universe in DC comics
• Batman (various series)

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• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
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Conversation Starters: 

Many different types of media portray generational trauma- but which ones focus on ending the cycle? How can you draw inspiration from it and apply it to your work/life?