I think giant robots are cool; end of story. Goodnight…I’m just kidding. This week I’m here to gush about my love for Abnormally Large Mechanical Objects (ALMO for short). (Editor’s note: The mech pictured above, Tryon 3 from Gundam Build Fighters, is canonically tiny. But it invokes the spirit of a giant mech.)
Where it all started
In one of the earliest stages of my life (3 years old) I was introduced to The Transformers.
The Transformers was my first robotic outing and I loved it. I was lucky enough to grow up during a time where The Transformers were on TV with hits like Transformers Armada, Transformers Energon, Transformers Cybertron, and eventually the live-action, explosion-fueled, women-exploiting Transformers movies. Transformers were everywhere. The toyline associated with them made it easy for any kid to get hooked. I couldn’t tell you why I stayed a Transformers fan. The one thing I’m sure of is this was the start of my robot loving career.
What is so special about Mechs
It’s time to get into the meat of this blog; why I love mechs. As I said in the intro I think they’re cool, but the question is why. It’s because mecha anime combines several different aspects of fiction and real life that I love into one robot-flavored package.
The mechanisms that make the mechs
Have you ever seen an original iMac? If you have not, here’s a picture of it.
The thing I love the most about this is that you can see through the transparent plastic to look at the inner workings of the machine. I’m no computer expert, nor an expert on anything mechanical, but I love looking at all the details of any machinery. Being able to see how something works is the coolest thing to me; especially considering that computers and other machinery are magic. So when mecha anime pays tribute to the inner workings of the giant robots, the little kid inside me jumps for joy.
Giant Robot Fights are heckin’ cool
To my inner circle of friends, it is no secret that I am a Kaiju lover. You may be asking, what does that have to do with mechs? Mechs are robotic Kaiju; they’re larger than life, destructive, and they have spectacular fights. Giant robot fights are cool because of all the weight they carry behind them. When a giant robot takes a step, the whole Earth shakes. When two of them take steps, God alone knows the amount of destruction that is about to unfold. There’s a beauty to the destruction. It’s like watching a train wreck. You get to witness utter destruction on a large scale, much more grandiose than most mundane fights in other media.
Giant Robots will walk the Earth when pigs fly
One of the sad realizations that you make as a mecha fan is that they are impossible. There is no way to make a functioning giant robot like the ones we see on screen, especially with the current technology that our civilization has access to. But that gives me all the more reason to enjoy it. Despite how impossible it may be, it allows me to fantasize about a world with giant robots. I can escape reality and immerse myself in fantasy worlds where the impossible becomes possible. There’s an underlying beauty to that.
Conclusion
Giant Robots Are my guilty pleasure, and no one can Take them away from me. I’m just a guy with opinions and I think giant robots are heckin’ cool. life sometimes shows you early on what you’re going to be passionate about, and it’s easy to say that I’ve found mine.
Animation: Art in Motion 