4 Shots from 4 Anime: Mecha Edition

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Arleigh

Mecha: The name derives from a shortening of the English words “mechanism” or “mechanical” into the Japanese “mecha”

Last time I chose 4 shots from some chosen anime I went the isekai route. This time around I have chosen four shots from some of the more popular and well-received anime of the mecha variety.

This genre of anime has been around as far back as the 1940’s with earliest known mecha-related work being the 1940 manga “Electric Octopus” (Denki Dako). Yet, the subgenre of mecha as we we know of it today as the “super robot” was with the landmark anime from 1972 with Go Nagai’s “Mazinger Z.” This series would establish the many tropes and baseline rules of what mecha has become and will continue to be.

So, here are four shots from four very good to great mecha anime that fans new and old has watched at least once.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (dir. by Seiji Mizushima)

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (dir. by Hiroyuki Imaishi)

Macross Plus (dir. by Shinichirō Watanabe)

Neon Genesis Evangelion (dir. by Hideaki Anno)

AMV of the Day: Sweet Dreams

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Arleigh

It’s that time of the year when we should all be celebrating peace and love (and lots of presents and alcoholic festive drinks) yet the world of late has turned meaner, sadder and just plain not-fun. People really just need to chill and let the holidays move them.

This latest “AMV of the Day” is just plain fun and smile-inducing. No leaked emails here. No threats that lead to censorships. Not even a cynical pixel to be found.

So, let us just sit back and watch some Hall & Oates (never thought I’d say that in this day and age) inspired anime music video.

Anime: Angel Beats, Bakemonogatari, Black Lagoon, Carnival Phantasm, Eden of the East, Eden of the East: Paradise Lost, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22 – You Can [Not] Advance, Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Song: “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates

Creator: Alexmichur00 & Dragontamer5788

Past AMVs of the Day

Trailer: Pacific Rim (Wonder-Con Exclusive)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Arleigh

July 12, 2013 will be the date that will go down in otaku history when anime and live-action finally come together to prove that dreams of a live-action versions of some of the most beloved anime titles can work outside the animator’s studio. Guillermo Del Toro may not admit it but this Wonder-Con exclusive trailer for his upcoming Pacific Rim is chock full of anime influences.

Giant mecha aka Giant robots piloted by humans: CHECK

Giant monsters alien or interdimensional in origin: CHECK

Humanity brought to the brink of extinction and living in fortified cities: CHECK

It sounds like the basic outlines for anime of the past 30 or so years. There’s a bit of Neon Genesis Evangelion. There’s definitely a healthy dosage of the Mazinger Z DNA in this film. We can’t forget the classic Voltron that introduced many young people in the West in the 80’s to the joy of ultra-violent anime. Outside of anime there’s the Ultraman versus kaiju live-action Saturday serials that continues to be popular in Japan to this day and was a staple of any growing boy’s entertainment agenda on Saturday mornings.

Whether this film lives up to the hype it’s been gaining since the first teaser was shown late last year is still an unanswered question, but for fans of action anime this film looks like a love-letter to us and everyone else should just hang on for the ride whether they want to or not.

Plus, for those not steeped in otaku culture it has something for you as well: Jax Teller, Luther, Clay Morrow and Charlie “Kitten Mittens” Kelly.

On July 12, 2013 will be the date to cancel the apocalypse.

Source: Joblo Movie Network

AMV of the Day: RadioAkshun (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Arleigh

The latest “AMV of the Day” pretty much was the hit of Sakura-Con 2013 a couple weeks back.

“RadioAkshun” by AMV creator IleaiAMVs won not just Best Technical, but won both Judges’ Best in Show and Audience Best in Show. It’s a rarity that an AMV in competition wins both Best in Show. AMV judges tend to vote on whats best in competition a little differently than the general public who watches the videos more as fans and not judging them on technical, artistic and creative merit. IleaiAMVs definitely earned her wins by creating one of the best AMVs I’ve seen.

Her work on this video uses scenes and sequences from the Rebuild of Evangelion anime films (three out with a fourth still forthcoming) and edits it around the Imagine Dragons song “Radioactive” and she does an excellent job. She doesn’t rely on flashy effects to make her video interesting and unique. She just does an impeccable job in timing the beats and tempo of the song with the appropriate scenes from the anime films. She also makes sure that she doesn’t just slapdash together the best scenes from the films. IleaiAMVs makes sure that each sequence fits not just the beats and tempo of the song but the lyrics as well. Best example of all three is early in the video when the character of Shinji takes a deep breath and then his Evangelion Unit exhales just as the singer in the song does the very same thing.

Enough talk…just go watch and enjoy.

Anime: Rebuild of Evangelion

Song: “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons

Creator: IleaiAMVs

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Something Fishy (Bumblebee Tuna AMV)

Posted on January 9, 2011 by pantsukudasai56

I’ll readily admit, I’m not a huge fan of AMVs. Don’t get me wrong, when they’re good, they’re really fun and entertaining to watch. The thing is, 99% of AMVs suck. Seriously, most of them are just a mashup of some fan’s favorite scenes from an anime put to a song they like that really don’t fit together. But, the ones that are good, tend to be really good. You can tell when someone takes the time and the effort to put together something that they can be proud of.

This AMV is one of those good ones. There hasn’t been anyone yet that I’ve shown this to that hasn’t gotten hopelessly hooked on it. It’s the perfect blend of a high energy song, clips that make sense with the words of the song, and really good editing. It was made by JaddziaDax, but I’m not certain where it premiered at. All I do know is that it is impossible to watch this and not wind up singing along on the subsequent playthroughs. And there will be subsequent playthroughs. The first time I watched it, I immediately had to play it again, and again, and before I knew it I was on my fifth consecutive viewing. Now that’s a sign of a good AMV! So, feel free to watch this, but just be forewarned, you might not be able to look at a can of Bumblebee Tuna without thinking of this AMV again.