History Manga / GundamSousei

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Gundam's sponsor Kuroba has to make tough demands for changes to Tomino's work because he has to sell [[MerchandiseDriven toy models]] to kids to even fund the show. He wants to let Tomino do whatever he wants, [[MoralDilemma but he can't.]]

Every franchise has its humble beginnings, and the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise is no exception. ''Gundam Sousei''[[note]]Gundam Genesis[[/note]] is a manga retelling of ''Gundam''[='=]s rise from obscurity into the legendary franchise it has become today. Sounds pretty simple and boring, right? '''WRONG'''.

Currently, the manga is complete with 25 chapters.

->''"Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the director of Gundam!"''
-->-- '''Creator/YoshiyukiTomino'''

** It's not that big of an exaggeration for him either; in real life the man reportedly once forced himself to blackout during a flight school exercise as part of his research for MacrossPlus, much to the horror of his copilot.

->''"[[Anime/GurrenLagann Who the hell do you think I am?]] I'm the director of Gundam!"''

->''"Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the director of Gundam!"''

* ShoutOut: Besides references to ''SpaceBattleshipYamato'' and its financial success, several anime of the era (especially Sunrise shows) (understandably) get mentioned in passing.

* AnimationAgeGhetto: In-Universe, Anime as a whole is treated as a series of 25-minute commercials for children's toys and the success of SpaceBattleshipYamato is viewed as an exception rather than the rule. Which makes sense, given that the story's set largely in the late '70s to early '80s.

Written and illustrated by Hideki Owada, the author of the AffectionateParody gag series ''[[Manga/KidouSenshiGundamSan Gundam-san]]'', ''Gundam Sousei'' takes the creative staff (and a few of the voice actors) of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' and [[{{Dramatization}} cranks up their quirks and personalities]] [[UpToEleven to insane levels.]] Director Creator/YoshiyukiTomino is a chain-smoking, [[CoolShades shades-sporting]] badass, Creator/{{Sunrise}}'s program director is NewMeat {{Moe}}, the character designer is a {{Bishounen}}, the mechanical designer is a [[WrenchWench grease monkey who draws on the side]], the list goes on. If the person was involved in the creation of ''Gundam'', they will be exaggerated. And HilarityEnsues. While most of the story focuses on how outrageous Tomino is, the manga does take time out to show off some of the weird and peculiar facts surrounding the early years of ''Gundam'' that may have fallen to the sands of time.

* ManlyTears: Tomino's storyboards for episode 28 cause this effect on people]].

Written and illustrated by Hideki Owada, the author of the AffectionateParody gag series ''[[Manga/KidouSenshiGundamSan Gundam-san]]'', ''Gundam Sousei'' takes the creative staff (and a few of the voice actors) of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' and [[{{Dramatization}} cranks up their quirks and personalities]] [[UpToEleven to insane levels.]] Director Creator/YoshiyukiTomino is a chain-smoking, [[CoolShades shades-sporting]] badass, Sunrise's program director is NewMeat {{Moe}}, the character designer is a {{Bishounen}}, the mechanical designer is a [[WrenchWench grease monkey who draws on the side]], the list goes on. If the person was involved in the creation of ''Gundam'', they will be exaggerated. And HilarityEnsues. While most of the story focuses on how outrageous Tomino is, the manga does take time out to show off some of the weird and peculiar facts surrounding the early years of ''Gundam'' that may have fallen to the sands of time.

** The voice actors resemble their characters e.g. Tōru Furuya resembles Amuro Ray while Rumiko Ukai, who plays Fraw Bow, resembles Fraw.
** One of Gundam's earliest fans in the early chapters is Music/FreddieMercury, just as he entered his mustache phase.

Every franchise has its humble beginnings, and the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise is no exception. ''Gundam Sousei''[[note]]Gundam Genesis[[/note]] is a manga retelling of ''Gundam's'' rise from obscurity into the legendary franchise it has become today. Sounds pretty simple and boring, right? '''WRONG'''.

Written and illustrated by Hideki Owada, the author of the AffectionateParody gag series ''[[Manga/KidouSenshiGundamSan Gundam-san]]'', ''Gundam Sousei'' takes the development team (and a few of the actors) from Anime/MobileSuitGundam and [[{{Dramatization}} cranks up their quirks and personalities]] [[UpToEleven to insane levels.]] The director is a chain-smoking, [[CoolShades shades-sporting]] badass, Sunrise's program director is NewMeat {{Moe}}, the character designer is a {{Bishounen}}, the mechanical designer is a [[WrenchWench grease monkey who draws on the side]], the list goes on. If the person was involved in the creation of ''Gundam'', they will be exaggerated. And HilarityEnsues. While most of the story focuses on how outrageous director Creator/YoshiyukiTomino is, the manga does take time out to show off some of the weird and peculiar facts surrounding the early years of ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' that may have fallen to the sands of time.

->''"A franchise has to be established for at least as long as ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' has been for anybody to even consider fictionalizing the story of its own creation. In the case of ''Gundam Sousei'', it is to the story of Gundam's production what ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' is to the [[FeudalJapan Warring States period]]."''

* ExecutiveMeddling: Shichiro Kuroba, head of Clover (the toymaker that sponsored ''Gundam''), is a subversion of this. He initially comes off as a {{Jerkass}} for wanting the mecha to be more {{Toyetic}} than realistic (specifically, the case for the RX-78-2's "parade" color scheme). However, his reason for doing so is the fact that in order to be able to fund the series, they ''must'' be able to sell toys, which means he can't give Tomino and his team the freedom he would like to. [[invoked]]

* HypocriticalHumor: A relatively subtle example is how Tomino is irritated they needed to add bright primary colors to the Gundam's original all-white design, but then later he complains when the 300 yen models on sale aren't even colored.

* ItWillNeverCatchOn: Averted. During the big festival for the first movie, PR director Tadahiko Nobe shows Tomino a 10-meter-tall poster of the Gundam and says that he wanted to make it life-size, but city hall wouldn't approve anything larger. He remarks "One day, we'll raise an 18-meter Gundam", and Tomino is all for the idea. [[spoiler:The comic ends by jumping ahead to the unveiling of the life-size "Odaiba Gundam".]]

* EnforcedMethodActing: InUniverse. Amuro's voice actor couldn't make the "my own father didn't hit me" line convincing, so Tomino ''punches him until he got it right''. Our EstablishingCharacterMoment for Tomino.

** RealLife voice actors Creator/ToruFuruya and Rumiko Ukai are drawn ''a lot like'' Amuro Rei and Fraw Bow (respectively)[[note]]In RealLife, Furuya looks a ''lot'' like Amuro, albeit this could be as a side-effect of EnforcedMethodActing he has to do along the years[[/note]]. Creator/ShuichiIkeda is much less blatant about this, but you can still see a faint resemblance to Char. For some reason, there also is a Gihren Zabi {{Expy}} as a Bandai rep.

* XMeetsY: (The production of) Franchise/{{Gundam}} meets ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}. Go read that, and try to claim [[{{Expy}} Tomino isn't Spider.]]

-->-- '''YoshiyukiTomino'''

Written and illustrated by Hideki Owada, the author of the AffectionateParody gag series ''[[Manga/KidouSenshiGundamSan Gundam-san]]'', ''Gundam Sousei'' takes the development team (and a few of the actors) from Anime/MobileSuitGundam and [[{{Dramatization}} cranks up their quirks and personalities]] [[UpToEleven to insane levels.]] The director is a chain-smoking, [[CoolShades shades-sporting]] badass, Sunrise's program director is NewMeat {{Moe}}, the character designer is a {{Bishounen}}, the mechanical designer is a [[WrenchWench grease monkey who draws on the side]], the list goes on. If the person was involved in the creation of ''Gundam'', they will be exaggerated. And HilarityEnsues. While most of the story focuses on how outrageous director YoshiyukiTomino is, the manga does take time out to show off some of the weird and peculiar facts surrounding the early years of ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' that may have fallen to the sands of time.

* LargeHam: YoshiyukiTomino basically dominates any scene he's in.

* CompositeCharacter: Presumably, HajimeYatate (The guy in the cowboy hat, appearing as the Director of Sunrise Japan).

** The role of Yoshiyuki Tomino will be played by [[{{Transmetropolitan}} Spider Jerusalem]].

* XMeetsY: (The production of) Franchise/{{Gundam}} meets {{Transmetropolitan}}. Go read that, and try to claim [[{{Expy}} Tomino isn't Spider.]]

Written and illustrated by Hideki Owada, the author of the AffectionateParody gag series ''[[Manga/KidouSenshiGundamSan Gundam-san]]'', ''Gundam Sousei'' takes the development team (and a few of the actors) from Anime/MobileSuitGundam and [[{{Dramatization}} cranks up their quirks and personalities]] [[UpToEleven to insane levels.]] The director is a chain-smoking, [[CoolShades shades-sporting]] {{Badass}}, Sunrise's program director is NewMeat {{Moe}}, the character designer is a {{Bishounen}}, the mechanical designer is a [[WrenchWench grease monkey who draws on the side]], the list goes on. If the person was involved in the creation of ''Gundam'', they will be exaggerated. And HilarityEnsues. While most of the story focuses on how outrageous director YoshiyukiTomino is, the manga does take time out to show off some of the weird and peculiar facts surrounding the early years of ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' that may have fallen to the sands of time.

* {{Badass}}: '''[[YoshiyukiTomino Yoshiyuki. Tomino.]]'''

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory

* BaldOfAwesome: Tomino himself.
** Although Tomino wasn't actually bald yet back when he was first making Gundam.

* BlatantLies: How Tomino sells Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon.

* CaptainErsatz / [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed No Characters Were Harmed]]: The role of Yoshiyuki Tomino will be played by [[{{Transmetropolitan}} Spider Jerusalem]].

* DayInTheLimelight: Chapter 17 is devoted to another Tomino project, ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon''.

** Tomino's main complain however, is that the factory being hypocritical themselves, selling 'incomplete' product as cutting cost measure for mass production. FridgeBrilliance?

* MorphicResonance: RealLife voice actors Creator/ToruFuruya and Rumiko Ukai are drawn ''a lot like'' Amuro Rei and Fraw Bow (respectively)[[note]]In RealLife, Furuya looks a ''lot'' like Amuro, albeit this could be as a side-effect of EnforcedMethodActing he has to do along the years[[/note]]. Creator/ShuichiIkeda is much less blatant about this, but you can still see a faint resemblance to Char. For some reason, there also is a Gihren Zabi {{Expy}} as a Bandai rep.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Used in-universe by Tomino to gather more interest in Gundam.
** This is a ShoutOut to the legendary "Tomino Memo", detailing the original 52-episode plan for ''Gundam''; many of the ideas explored in it would turn up in later spin-offs, particularly most of the mobile suits showing up in the rejected sequel pitch ''MS-X''.

* HotBlooded: Tomino pretty much embodies this. More than a few times he seems to be channeling the soul of [[TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina]], 40 years earlier. Pretty much any other named character gets at least one HB moment, to boot (even Momoe, who throws Tomino down a flight of stairs at one point), but Tomino outnumbers and outshines them all.

* CharacterExaggeration: ''Rampant''. Creator/ShuichiIkeda is a total drunk most of the time [[spoiler:(but sobers up upon seeing the role of Char)]] , Tomino is a total badass, and Momoe Kusakari (the aformentioned program director) is highly naive. Given that Owada is the creator of TheLegendOfKoizumi, this should not come as a surprise.

* DayInTheLimelight: Chapter 17 is devoted to another Tomino project, ''SpaceRunawayIdeon''.

* KillEmAll: Sort of. Kusakari, after hearing about [[spoiler:the plotline, the cancellation of, and sponsor deception surrounding ''SpaceRunawayIdeon'']], aptly calls Tomino "Tomino the killer"[[note]]Referring of course to how two Tomino shows have essentially been canceled due to poor reception, not to Tomino's legendary FanNickname.[[/note]].

* BlatantLies: How Tomino sells SpaceRunawayIdeon.