To commemorate the back-to-back theater releases of the 4th and 5th Gundam Reconguista in G movies—which, as of this writing, are still both being shown in Japanese theaters—a CONTINUE SPECIAL magazine was released on July 26, 2022. The magazine features interviews with Yoshiyuki Tomino, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, Kenichi Yoshida, among others, along with Tomino filmography information, fan polls, and more. While there’s much to parse in this amazing booklet, I want to focus on select “General Election of Director Tomino” survey polls that were conducted. The reader survey ran from June 13-20, and most participants were in their 30s with a gender ratio of 80% male, 10% female, and 10% N/A.
“Tell us about your favorite Tomino work”!
Turn A Gundam ranked #1 in this category! Below are the reader comments that were provided.
“It’s a story of people and the tools they use” – Eteru, male, 23
“It’s a culmination of the past 20 years, and a new starting point for the future.” – Hayasaka Utane
“It’s all about the beauty of the final episode” – sign, male, 37
“It’s very touching. I feel deeply moved every time I rewatch it. I love all of Tomino’s works so much, so it’s hard to pick just one! But in the end, I always find myself coming back to Turn A Gundam” – Llama, male, 45
“The themes and lives of the characters feel relevant, even to this day. I love every aspect of this work, from the depiction of the characters’ lives, to the sharp design and artistic quality. However, I feel the depictions of their way of life is what feels most relatable. It’s a common theme of Tomino’s work to show the coexistence of people and machines, but Turn A shows that off particularly well. There’s also a great variety of mecha. Many of the episodes are centered on different people’s lives, and for better or worse, I feel motivated seeing the powerful way they live. It’s a work I could watch over and over again” – Tas, male, 38
“I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the entire work, created by the combination of Yoko Kanno’s music with director Tomino’s direction. Each character really comes to life.” – Takencho, male, 20
“It’s amazingly well-balanced.” – Yoshikatsu Nogata, male, 44
“For a robot anime, it shows as much realism in their lives as any other Japanese anime. I feel like it’s the pinnacle of Yoshiyuki Tomino’s filmography.” – 90, male, 24
“That epilogue was a masterpiece!” – Sunagami, male, 55
“I liked the gap between the first impression of the work, and the sci-fi setting behind it. – N.T, male, 29
Full Results:
- Turn A Gundam
- Gundam Reconguista in G
- Brain Powerd
- Space Runaway Ideon
- Overman King Gainer
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- Zeta Gundam
- Victory Gundam
- Char’s Counterattack
- Combat Mecha Xabungle
These results do not surprise me too much. I imagine the majority of people participating in this survey were diehard Japanese Tomino fans, and in my experience Turn A and G-Reco do tend to enjoy popularity among this group. In another poll about favorite theme song in a Tomino work, “Tsuki no Mayu” (ED2) ranked 3rd and “Turn A Turn” (OP1) ranked 4th. It’s very heartwarming to see Turn A Gundam still so beloved after all these years.
Reader comment translation provided by Gen, Sachi F., and Feez.
Moon's Cocoon 