Mecha Anime

As someone who has always loved mechanics and robots, I find mecha anime really fascinating. It is truly amazing how the robots can appear so detailed and intricate, all while engaging in intense battles. They make such fluid and smooth movements – one might wonder how the producers even animate them. 

To put it simply, mecha is a Japanese manga and anime genre that focuses on mechanical builds, designs, etc. These can include androids, cyborgs, vehicles, machines, but ultimately, they all fall under the broad topic of ‘robots’. 

History of mecha anime

After World War II, there was speedy economic and technological growth in Japan. Following this, two series were introduced – Osaka Tezuka’s Mighty Atom (also known as ‘Astro Boy’)  and Mitsuteru Yokohama’s Tetsujin 28-go (also known as ‘Gigantor’). Astro Boy speaks of a robotic boy with powers learning what it means to be human. The other series, Gigantor, describes a boy who inherits a giant robot (named ‘Gigantor’) which was invented by his late father. These two series showcased fights between a robot with another robot (or monsters), and this became a commonly used format for mecha anime in the years to come. 

During the 1970s and 1980s, mecha anime became very popular in Japan. In 1972, Go Nagai’s Mazinger Z was released, becoming the first mecha anime having a character sitting inside the robot’s cockpit in order to pilot it. This was vastly different from the earlier series, such as Gigantor, where the robot was piloted through a remote control. 

Over the years, mecha anime has evolved, involving different types of mechanical builds, with different origins. Moreover, there is a rise in plastic model kits of the robots shown in these anime, allowing fans to build scaled models of their favourite robots. Personally, I’ve done many model kits, and building them was a really fun experience. 

Classifying robots in mecha anime

Robots in mecha anime can be classified into two categories – Super robots and Real robots. 

Super robots refers to robots with pseudo-mystical powers or abilities. These robots are often special and are unlike any other typical robots. Real robots, on the other hand, are designed to be more realistic and practical in terms of abilities. These are mass-produced in factories and are commonly used to fight in war.

Below are two mecha anime that I personally recommend you to watch:

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury 

One of the latest series in the Gundam franchise. This franchise started way back on April 7, 1979. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino along with a group of people from Sunrise (animation production brand), Gundam was said to be the pioneer in the category of real robots in mecha anime. 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury aired from 2022, and follows a girl named Suletta Mercury who leaves her planet Mercury. She enrolls in a school called Asticassia School of Technology, where students settle their problems with duels. These duels are between mobile suits piloted by students. 

However, the mobile suit that Suletta pilots, Gundam Aerial, was accused of being a forbidden one. In this universe, GUND-ARM, or Gundam mobile suits are seen as forbidden. 

Through this series, Suletta engages in duels with students, fighting with the Gundam Aerial, which she sees as family. 

In my opinion, like any other Gundam series, The Witch from Mercury has very well-animated fights complemented by amazing sound effects and OSTs. The fights are easy to follow and strongly express the intensity of the battle. Moreover, I was captivated by the detailed mobile suit designs. It was nice to see that each group has a certain theme for their mobile suits, and this series really brought refreshing mobile suit designs to the Gundam franchise. One of my personal favourites is the Gundam Pharact – I really liked its uniqueness! 

In terms of storyline, this series has its emotional and heart wrenching moments, but it was genuinely an enjoyable watch. Do start off with its prologue first, it will definitely captivate you!

86 Eighty-Six

In order to fight in war with the Giadian Empire, the Republic of San Magnolia has created Juggernauts, an unmanned vehicle that is reportedly driven by no humans. However, this was not the case. While the silver-haired Alba of the Republican live peaceful lives within the 85 sectors protected by walls, the Colorata (people of colour) are forced to live in the 86th sector, where they pilot the Juggernauts to fight the Giadian’s Legions under the command of the Republican ‘Handlers’. These people are called the 86, who the Republic do not see as humans.

Vladilena Milizé (also known as ‘Lena’), an Alba, was recently assigned to be the Handler of the Spearhead Squadron, whose captain is Shinei Nouzen (also known as ‘Shin’). Lena does not support the Republic’s discrimination against the 86 and continues to fight for the 86’s rights, while Shin is a battle veteran who has survived countless battles and has been carrying the names of his fallen comrades. As the story goes on, Shin and Lena fight against the Legion, learning about each others’ stories. 

This is definitely one of my favourite stories of all time. While 86 Eighty-Six is not entirely a mecha anime, I feel that it is a good show to start with for those who want to get into the mecha genre. I personally enjoyed watching the whole series, from the character interactions to the smooth battle animations. In my opinion, this story was uniquely crafted, and can be very heartbreaking yet touching at some points. The character development in this story was also well executed, as every character, including side characters, gets a chance to shine and become a better version of themselves. Every character continuously develops throughout the series, learning new things about themselves. This series has been an emotional roller coaster ride, making it one of my most recommended anime. 

References:

Amanda Pagan, Children’s Librarian. (2019, April 4). A Beginner’s Guide to Mecha. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2019/04/04/beginners-guide-mecha-manga-anime 

Nicole Lim

Secondary 4 Loyalty

2025