Just found out the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam only had 43 episodes, not the 52 I always assumed

I was reading some old thread on a different forum, guy was breaking down the production history... turns out the network cut it short by 9 episodes because of low toy sales at the time. Blew my mind because I grew up watching reruns and it always felt complete to me. Guess the toys picked up later and saved the franchise. Has anyone else run into a random fact like this that made you rethink a whole series?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jana1mo ago

No way, they cut it that short over toy sales?

seth_carr1mo ago

Totally agree, I saw that coming from a mile away. Remember when they killed off that fan favorite character in season 3 just to shove a new action figure line? The show was actually getting good again and BAM, they just wrapped it up in a rushed finale with no real closure. It's like they don't believe good storytelling can sell toys on its own anymore. My nephew was DEVASTATED when they cancelled his show mid-season for a stupid vehicle pack. Infuriating how these execs treat everything like a commercial.