メカmeka
Quick definition:Mecha is a genre of anime and manga featuring large robots or mechanical suits, often piloted by humans, and used in stories of war, adventure and science fiction.
Meaning
Mecha, short for mechanical, covers stories where giant robots or mechanical suits play a major role. Sometimes called giant robot anime, the genre includes machines piloted from inside, machines controlled remotely and armoured suits worn by their users. Settings are usually science fiction, with space battles, future wars or alien threats.
Two broad styles are often described. Super robot stories show larger-than-life machines with special weapons and heroic pilots, while real robot stories treat their machines as military equipment, with limited ammunition, repairs and tactical problems. Both styles often reflect on war, responsibility and what it means to be human, though many stories focus on pure spectacle.
Mecha has inspired a large market of model kits, toys and games. Building and painting plastic kits of the robots, such as the Gunpla range from the Gundam franchise, is a hobby in its own right.
Origin:Mecha is a shortened form of the English word mechanical, adapted in Japan as meka, written in katakana, the script used for foreign loanwords. It became a common label for robot and machine designs in anime in the 1970s and 1980s, and then entered English-language fandom as the name of the genre.
Example:Mobile Suit Gundam is a classic example, where a young pilot ends up at the controls of a prototype giant robot during a space war. Neon Genesis Evangelion is another famous series, with teenage pilots operating enormous machines to defend a city against mysterious attackers.
Did you know?Many classic mecha series were created in partnership with toy makers, with robot designs developed so that they could be sold as figures. This link between storytelling and product design helped shape the anime business from the 1970s onward.
