I can't stand the Gundam franchise.
Now you know my dirty secret as a tried and true mech-head.
But I'm also completely fascinated by fandom, especially the shift it's taken from being male-dominated to the brink of total takeover by women. The Gundam series, thanks to it's longevity, inherent commercialism and hopeless fan-whoring is a dream series for someone interested in fandom trends.
The silliest and most indicative of the amazing destructive power of fan-demand is Seed Destiny. I spent a year of my life following it painlessly and even fell to collecting toys, artbooks and doujinshi. I have favorite characters, favorite pairings, and used to participate in co-op arcade battles with the games. But most of all: we have jokes. EVERYONE makes fun of Seed Destiny. Especially Seed Destiny fans. As a standalone series: it's garbage. As a sequel: it's garbage. As a serious mech series: it's quite possibly the biggest hunk of garbage ever created. As a reflection of the industry as a whole: it's an incredibly entertaining testiment to the power of fandom and the havoc caving to every single popular opinion can create on a storyline.
I hate Gundam.
Maybe that's why I love Seed Destiny
Looking forward to ZERO.
May it be every bit as ridiculous.