I decided to hold off on this for now. Cowboy Bebop and a little bit of Gundam Wing from when I was kid are the only real investment I have in the properties. I'm going to invest in some anime and then dive into this later when I care more about the characters and mechs. I started watching Iron Blooded Orphans recently because it came up on Funimation as one of the more popular series. I'm a couple of episodes in and enjoying it so far!
I'd love recommendations for you guys on series I should go through that will maximize my enjoyment of this game when I eventually play it. Basically, of the series heavily featured in this installment, which of those series are the best in your opinions?
Honestly I'll just run down legal streaming options (for the US) worth considering for general familiarity:
-So, G Gundam is on Crunchyroll/VRV, and since that series is complete by the time the game story starts, that'd be good to know for backstory purposes.
-Gun X Sword is available on Funimation and Hulu, and is both a generally good looking show, heavily ties into the game's exploration of revenge, but also has some
major integration into the story going on since the planet in the series - Endless Illusion, which is otherwise just... somewhere, in space - is instead replaced by Mars in game, so it'd be useful for playing spot the difference.
-Watching
a UC (Universal Century) Gundam series would be useful, as it provides the political background of the game, with The Origin available on Hulu as a remake that leads into the One Year War; alternatively you can read the manga on Comic Walker, currently up to chapter 61, for free, which retells the events of the original series in full, and would be good for knowing who Amuro Ray, Char, and Captain Bright are meant to be.
-Mazinger Z the Impact is on Crunchyroll/VRV - yes, it's not the version featured in the game (which is instead Mazinger Infinity, a continuation of the original series), but it should help familiarise you with the general concepts, characters, and archetypes involved.
-Martian Successor Nadesico is
also available on Crunchyroll/VRV, which is somewhat a sendup of mecha tropes in general, though as mentioned best appreciated when you've got some pre-existing familiarity so as to understand what it's riffing and commenting on, including the preconceptions some characters have
because they've watched mecha anime.
-Aura Battler Dunbine is available on HiDive, and has the distinction of being one of the earliest isekai/other world anime, kickstarting the genre's long association with mecha.
-Armored Trooper VOTOMS is also available on HiDive, and while I've admittedly not yet reached the part of the game where it's relevant, it's still a strong recommendation in general.
-Cowboy Bebop is not mecha but it's a classic, and it's in this game. Has a good deal of presence in the game's worldbuilding for the 'lower rungs' of the universe as such - people living day to day and all that, plus their interactions with various characters because dammit Spike needs that bounty money.
-Captain Harlock is some old school shit, on Crunchyroll/VRV, but it's a good way of getting a taste of that Leiji Matsumoto romanticism that is infused into much of Japanese sci-fi; also space pirates, which thanks to the likes of the Crossbone Gundam crew, means Harlock gets a bunch of interaction with them.