Yoshiyuki Tomino
In 1979, Tomino directed and wrote "Mobile Suit Gundam", which was highly influential in transforming the Super Robot mecha genre into the Real Robot genre. Mark Simmons discusses the impact of "Gundam" in his book, "Gundam Official Guide":
In an interview published in "Animerica" magazine, Tomino discusses what he was trying to accomplish with "Mobile Suit Gundam":
Although the last quarter of the show's original script was canceled and it had to be completed in 43 episodes, its popularity grew after three compilation movies were released in 1981 and 1982. "Mobile Suit Gundam" was followed by numerous sequels, spin-offs and merchandising franchises, becoming one of the longest-running and most influential, popular anime series in history, being chosen as No. 1 on TV Asahi's "Top 100 Anime" listing in 2005.
Cultural impact of Gundam
The giant robot anime franchise "Gundam" is a popular culture icon in Japan. The "Gundam" franchise had grossed over in retail sales by 2000. Its owner Bandai Namco was earning up to per year from products based on the Gundam characters by 2007, rising to per year by 2014. As of June 2018, "Gundam" is the 15th highest-grossing media franchise of all time, estimated to have generated more than in total revenue.