Newtype magazine started as a fanzine devoted strictly to Gundam (hence the name). Mecha anime in general took a drastically different direction after Gundam came out. Mecha anime was pretty much exclusively devoted to super robot shows before Gundam came around.
I think it's hard for a lot of people to watch because the characterization is subtle and you have to really think about the character relationships in the show. Also there's a lot of novels and OVAs that fill in the story that people don't bother with, either, but they should. (I think everyone should watch Gundam 0080, mecha fan or not.)
Re: N!S
I think it's hard for a lot of people to watch because the characterization is subtle and you have to really think about the character relationships in the show. Also there's a lot of novels and OVAs that fill in the story that people don't bother with, either, but they should. (I think everyone should watch Gundam 0080, mecha fan or not.)