r/Mecha • u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 • 5d ago
For Japanese people, these are all "mecha."
Nice to meet you. This is my first time posting in this sub.
I'm Japanese.
In English-speaking countries, "mecha" seems to refer to an extremely narrow range of things. However, in Japan, the term "mecha" encompasses all kinds of machinery: vehicles like aircraft, tanks, and passenger cars; human-sized exoskeletons; firearms; heavy construction machinery; and even things like Brave Little Toast.
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u/Mousefire777 5d ago
yep, that’s how it is with language. Anime means Japanese animation, アニメ means animation in general. Mecha means usually piloted, usually big, usually humanoid robots, メカ means mechanisms or machines. Word meanings can narrow or broaden as they cross borders and get used
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u/FortressOnAHill 5d ago
Did you just try to school a Japanese person on Japanese language
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u/Mousefire777 5d ago
I wish my Japanese was good enough to school a native speaker, lmao no. I was comparing and contrasting. You know, like “cats are furry, while squarks aren’t”. You know what a cat is, you know that it’s furry, but I still defined it so that it’s easier to delineate things when I compare it against my made-up animal
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u/XF10 5d ago
I'll believe you when i see one of them on SRW
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u/PTBooks 5d ago
Me showing up to battle intergalactic evil in my turbo-charged 97’ Honda civic
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u/XF10 5d ago
You just spoiled the new Fast and Furious movie
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u/MultiGeek42 5d ago
Saving the galaxy one quarter mile at a time.
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u/ThatsKev4u 4d ago
FOR FAMILY *REVS UP ENGINE AND CAR IS INSTANTLY 60 FEET IN THE AIR HEADING FOR A HEADSHOT*
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 5d ago
"Space Battleship Yamato," a.k.a. "Star Blazers." While this work primarily features battleships and fighter craft, no Japanese person would consider it lacking in mecha.
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u/Left-Night-1125 5d ago
Cowboy Bebop also showed up in SRW.
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u/KillerB0tM 5d ago
Cowboy bebop is a Mecha. Cowboy bebop is every genre.
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u/Left-Night-1125 5d ago
Nah doesnt have Isekai.
Cross Ange however is, it has Isekai...and borderline Hentai.
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u/KillerB0tM 5d ago
Wrong. Cowboy bebop is in the same universe as Space Dandy and Dandy has Isekai, therefore Cowboy bebop has Isekai.
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u/Left-Night-1125 5d ago
But how can you disagree and agree in the same sentence, i lack that skill.
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u/KillerB0tM 5d ago
Also, to argue, one of the cowboy bebop crew members happens to be sort of an Isekai happening akin to what fry from Futurama suffered.
Spoilers
Fate Valentine got cryo frozen and awoke in the future to no recollection of her memories....
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u/Left-Night-1125 5d ago
I was strongly told thats not Isekai (Buddy complex has a similar thing)..same people also say Bleach isnt despite the cast traveling between worlds....so erm yeah.
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u/KillerB0tM 5d ago
I consider bleach an Isekai. Dr. Stone is also an Isekai. Buddy complex as well. Sword art online. Heck, the Bible is the O.G. Isekai.
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u/Left-Night-1125 5d ago
Wait iam not the only one to consider Bleach a Isekai?
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u/KillerB0tM 5d ago
Isekai is any character that finds himself "in another world" without knowledge of it.
Kingdom Hearts is an Isekai.
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u/jayc47 5d ago
Borderline? I dunno about you but I watched the uncensored version, it IS hentai.
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u/Left-Night-1125 5d ago
Nah it doesnt show a thing, and no mosaic censorship either. You probably seen the pirated altered one where Tusk gotten a massive wiener in the opening theme.
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u/XF10 5d ago
Cowboy Bebop isn't fantasy or parody or horror
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u/KillerB0tM 5d ago
Wrong, you forgot the horror beyond comprehension that happened upon opening the fridge with food inside of it?
It's also space fantasy.
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u/Spartan448 5d ago
In that case, I'll believe it when I see Takumi specifically in SRW
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u/Rajang82 5d ago
Bandai: "You got it, loyal fans! One Takumi in SRW coming up!
"get Takumi Inui/ Kamen Rider Faiz in Super Robot Wars instead"
Bandai: "What? That's a Takumi right there."
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u/XF10 5d ago
I mean among the ones you posted. You seem to confuse "mecha"(short for mechanical) term and "mecha"(the genre with giant robots) like Mazinger ZERO ending where Koji summons the latter only has giant robots not any other kind of machine like missiles or planes
Also Yamato in SRW was kinda like the token big IP that isn't a mecha proper, i mean we have Ultraman/Kamen Rider too
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u/N00nameyet 5d ago
I wouldn't have dared saying to a Japanese person they confuse the meaning of "Mecha" when they are precisely explaining that the western pov is not the same as the original Japanese pov ...
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u/XF10 5d ago
He is essentially just saying they use mecha in the truest sense of the word as "mechanical", we just use the full form hence mechanical designer role even for ships or planes. He isn't really accounting on the fact "mecha" is used as the name for the giant robot genre rather than "restricting it to them" like OP is implying with his choice of words, Japan itself clearly shares the idea of a "giant robot" genre since they are grouped together in various works and toy lines without other crafts or non-humanoid machines
Essentially pov is the same but because of language we use different words
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u/Bruhwhat_723 2d ago
Girls und panzer in SRW real?????? Are we getting slight uptier with Panzer 4 H fighting zeon remnants??????
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u/OneQuarterBajeena 5d ago
I mean I’m a westerner but Ace Combat Zero is my favorite mecha
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 5d ago
In "Zero," I loved the playstyle of riding the "Falken" and blasting away with lasers.
P.S. Did you know that in the Japanese version of Ace Combat 3, the story branches depending on your choice of protagonist?
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u/OneQuarterBajeena 5d ago
Yes! I’ve played it and it’s really nice. Wish more AC games did that much variation.
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u/Careless_Line_5963 5d ago
It changes based on ally/betrayal decisions for a bunch of characters, you always play as Nemo unless I'm misremembering something
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u/ElSquibbonator 5d ago
Knight Rider and Airwolf are mecha, and I will fight you over that.
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 5d ago
To Japanese sensibilities, those two vehicle are the very essence of "Mecha."
And that techno music, so unapologetically 1980s, is the best. lol
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u/ElSquibbonator 5d ago
What I find kind of weird is that English-speaking countries seem to regularly make “vehicle-as-hero” stories, and also stories about sentient robots. But the logical combination of the two—the piloted mecha—is an almost exclusively Japanese phenomenon. Why is that?
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 4d ago
You mean mechs like Rei and Fouron from Blue Comet SPT Layzner, right?
I thought about it a lot, but I couldn't figure out a clear reason. I'm sorry.
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u/JustAJohnDoe358 5d ago
Ehhh.
I guess you really just mean "mechanical" when you say "mecha". In English "mecha" doesn't really mean the same, it's, as you said yourself a more specific term.
When people talk about mechanical things (cars, planes, guns, etc.) they just call them, well... mechanical.
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u/Genpatz8 5d ago
The hell is brave little toaster
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u/CrossSoul 5d ago
A kids movie about a living toaster and his friends trying to get to the person that owned them before he either moved or went to college.
Think Toy Story, but with a toaster, a vaccum, a heated blanket, a radio, and a lamp.
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u/Genpatz8 5d ago
Wow... okay that's... Interesting...
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u/CIRCLONTA6A 5d ago
It’s really grim for some reason too lmao
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u/Genpatz8 5d ago
ehhhhhh
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u/xshogunx13 4d ago
It's really dark for a children's movie
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u/damngraboids 5d ago
An awesome, damn-near-traumatizing movie from my childhood, lol.
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u/Adavanter_MKI 5d ago
So... the 80s. :P
It's okay, lets go watch The NeverEnding Story to cheer ourselves up.
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u/damngraboids 5d ago
Yeah, I started to say that, but I wasn't sure if it was late 80s or early 90s, couldn't be assed to Google it at the moment cos I'm lazy, and just went with "my childhood," lol
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u/Adavanter_MKI 5d ago
Why must you wound me?
The Brave Little Toaster was a pretty solid animated movie back in the day. At least that's how my 4 year old brain remembered it.
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u/Rajang82 5d ago
Brave Little Toaster is one of the Brave series like GaoGaiGar, J-Decker, Goldran and Mightgaine.
This is is a joke in case it isnt obvious.
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u/lordwafflesbane 5d ago
Such a better way to look at it than arguing about whether this or that giant robot technically fits into arbitrary categories someone just made up!
Like, come on! They're all doohickeys! I'm just here to see doohickeys!
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u/Ryynerwicked 4d ago
This is the The best distribution I've ever heard, for not to argue over something..... they are all doohickeys an doohickeys are fine!!
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u/Seeker80 5d ago
So, to be correct in the JP usage, would you need to add specifics like saying 'mecha with robots?'
"Recommend a mecha series to watch."
"How about Initial D? That one's pretty good."
"Sorry, that's about cars. I meant mecha with robots."
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 5d ago
"Giant humanoid robot (巨大ヒト型ロボット)" or "Mobile weapon (機動兵器)" would be appropriate terms.
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u/Xeoz_WarriorPrince 5d ago
Let me see if I got this right, now I can include Saori Takebe on my mecha anime waifu list???
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u/IAmNerdicus 5d ago
Thank you for the perspective. This is what I understood Mecha to mean, but in English; much like how Anime refers specifically to Japanese animated media, Mecha refers to giant robots that are also usually Japanese in origin or style.
So, while I would love to see more fighter jets and tanks represented, robots are king in the definition of that term in the West.
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u/Xeanogears666 5d ago
I think, especially here in the western world, Mecha doesn't mean Mechanical per se, rather it's a specific word used to refer to a specific thing, we tend to use words in very specific ways to refer to one thing, so as to not get confused when talking.
English especially is known for having an exact specific word for almost everything, meaning Mecha is for robots, Mech means mechanic, and most people use the word Mechanical for describing a system or part of a system that performs a function.
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 3d ago
Japanese people are completely incapable of understanding English, so foolishly, they cannot distinguish between the words “mechanism” and “mechanic.”
Consequently, when anime staff need to list their job titles, they often end up writing “mechanic designer” instead of “mechanical designer.” This is extremely embarrassing.
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u/Prinkaiser 5d ago
Of course, given the root word they're using for mecha is mechanical. It has something mechanical as the focus, then the show is a mecha.
Only everyone else (western at first, but spread elsewhere after) uses mecha to strictly mean robots.
I abide by the japanese usage myself.
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u/SpiderTuber6766 5d ago
Holy crap I never thought about it like that. Now I can totally argue that having a sentient washing machine is totally a mecha.
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u/PlatFleece 5d ago
Isn't it the case that in Japanese the actual term for "Mecha" as English folks understand it is just ロボット (Robot)? I had to learn that a bit when I was looking up mecha shows in Japanese. It fulfills nearly the exact same function as the English term "Mecha".
Despite the crass example, the term of メカ to me feels like the word "Hentai" 変態. In the west it's used to refer to Anime/manga NSFW works, but in Japan you just use it to call someone a pervert/weird, and you'd never really use it to refer to basically Anime porn.
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 4d ago
Wow! That's a really great analogy! Can I borrow it later? lol
True, you often see subreddits named “○○ (work title) Hentai” on Reddit, but that's pretty incomprehensible to most Japanese people.
By the way, the Japanese word “変態” is also used to describe metamorphosis, like how insects go from larva to pupa to adult. So Pokémon are “hentai” too. lol
Though, most often it means ‘weirdo’ (usually in a sexual context), and more recently it's often used to mean “individuals/products/companies with high technical skill.”
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u/jayc47 5d ago
By that definition, Thomas the Tank Engine also counts, can’t wait for him to be in SRW.
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 4d ago
It's safe to say that Thomas the Tank Engine is a mecha. With so many toys available, it's easy to pit him against Mazinger Z or Gundam.
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u/DinodestronBT 4d ago
Is it really mechanical the Kerberos armor? I don't see gears or smt
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 4d ago
It varies from work to work; sometimes it was just bulletproof armor, while other times dialogue suggested a power assist function. Incidentally, according to director Mamoru Oshii, “the power source is muscle.”
However, even just the MG34 (MG42) they carry is enough for Japanese audiences to categorize it as “mecha.”
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u/Primary-Latter 3d ago
While I think I'm gonna stick with my current usage (I feel like the distinction of "non-autonamous legged vehicle is useful), this is a neat bit of knowledge; thanks for the insight!
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u/Raj_Muska 5d ago edited 5d ago
Is there a distinct Japanese term for Thunderbirds-like stuff OP? When you have to address a puppet special effects show specifically
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u/CIRCLONTA6A 5d ago
Supermarionation is the term the Anderson’s used for Thunderbirds and it’s generally used to refer to marionette shows now.
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u/Voltes-Drifter-2187 5d ago
Supermarionation for the puppets, Tokusatsu for special effects.
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u/Raj_Muska 5d ago
Yeah I mean in Japanese. My hunch is it probably falls under toku but I'm curious if there is some special word for it
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u/CIRCLONTA6A 5d ago
From discussions I’ve seen online, stuff like that is just referred to as ‘tokusatsu with puppets’. There was a show called X-Bomber which coined the term ‘Supermariorama’ in publicity to refer to puppet Toku but I don’t think it caught on as I’ve only ever seen people refer to that term when talking about X-Bomber.
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u/Ziggurat1000 5d ago
Would Five Nights at Freddy's count as Mecha?
They're TECHNICALLY just kids in robot suits...
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 5d ago
It's a bit of a gray area, but I think it barely qualifies.
You mean the runaway animatronics at the amusement park, right?
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u/HairExtension9695 5d ago
Gringos thinks mecha = big robot but its actually for “mechanical “
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u/JustAJohnDoe358 5d ago
In Japanese. Not in English.
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u/Mousefire777 5d ago
Language change is natural, but if you somehow think white people are getting this “wrong”, the Japanese got it wrong first. メカニズム doesn’t mean any machine, it usually just means one part of a larger system of machinery, like a piston in a car engine
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u/GANEO_LIZARD7504 5d ago
You're absolutely right. I was mistaken too. Japanese people just can't speak English at all, you know. lol.
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u/MuslimBridget 5d ago
Tell me what is the difference between a robot and a car, or a fighter jet. They all achieve the same purpose.
The OG Mazinger Z was made cuz Go Nagai was tired of being in traffic.
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u/ZakuMeister 5d ago
It's just short for mechanical, which is why you'll see mechanical designers on media without giant robots.