It’s finally time to discuss what is almost certainly Tomino’s best-known and most widely renowned work outside the world of Gundam: 1980’s Space Runaway Ideon, the 39-episode TV series that begins with a relatively similar premise to Mobile Suit Gundam – a ragtag crew of space colonists flee an invading army, with a mysterious and powerful mecha in tow – before quickly spinning into much stranger, darker, and more philosophical territory. In fact, Ideon might be something closer to a horror anime than a traditional mecha show. But however one defines it, Ideon is undoubtedly one of Tomino’s finest hours, bold and brutal and artistically extraordinary at every turn. For today’s show, we look specifically at the original TV series, which ends abruptly (albiet distinctively); on next week’s episode, we’ll look at the two films Tomino and Sunrise produced in 1981 to recap and ultimately finish the story. The Ideon is simply way too big to contain in a single episode.

Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of The Ideon movies: A Contact and Be Invoked!

Time Chart:

Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:37

Intro and History: 0:01:37 – 1:24:34

Eyecatch Break: 1:24:34 – 1:25:17

Ideon TV Series Review: 1:25:17 – 3:56:28

End Theme: 3:56:28 – 3:58:38

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