Space Runaway Ideon is a nearly forgotten 1980 mecha anime that’s mostly remembered for two reasons: One, it’s the show Yoshiyuki Tomino worked on after creating the original Mobile Suit Gundam the year before, and two, it was a huge influence on Neon Genesis Evangelion, especially its postscript movie The End of Evangelion. I’d heard about it through that second reason, or more specifically, I’d heard that the Space Runaway Ideon movie, The Ideon: Be Invoked, was what The End of Evangelion cribbed a bunch of interesting ideas from. Of course, as a big fan of both Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion, I found the show online and began watching it within the week.
If you’ve seen the original Mobile Suit Gundam, most of Space Runaway Ideon‘s setup will feel familiar enough. On a planet we’re colonizing called Solo, an ancient three-part mecha is discovered: the titular Ideon. Just as restoration of this artifact is finishing up, another humanoid civilization, the Buff Clan, shows up and begins warring with us. The Ideon, piloted by some kids (typical), saves the day, and our crew evacuates aboard a large spaceship uncovered alongside it. This is our status quo for the series, with the “Solo Ship” on the run from the Buff Clan, who are chasing after the Ideon and see it as some sort of god. Our crew always manages to fend them off thanks to the Ideon’s awesome power, but never quite manages to escape. It’s a solid setup, of course, and one most Mobile Suit Gundam shows would follow in the next 40 years, but it does end up dragging a bit here.
(Spoilers Start Here)
After a *lot* of that, the Solo Ship arrives at Earth and is promptly disowned by, well, us. The Earthlings, that is, including the families of much of the crew. Not only has the Solo Ship led the Buff Clan right to Earth, but the crew also refuses to turn over the Ideon and Solo Ship to the military, for fear of how they’d use it. So the Solo Ship runs away again, trying to keep the dangerous Ideon out of the hands of those who’d use it for war.
See, by this time in the show, it’s clear that the Ideon is not merely a powerful mecha like the Gundam. Instead, it’s something like a deity, or a sentient source of infinite energy, that has been protecting the crew of the Solo Ship in response to its young crew’s self-defense instincts. Once on the run again, the Ideon is now our crew’s only ally as they drift through space, fending off Buff Clan and Earthling ambushes with less and less success.
There’s an element of cosmic horror to it, I think. These children are tired and on the run, increasingly dependent on something they barely understand. They’ve lost their home, their families, and any hope of returning to their old lives. There is no way out but to trust in the Ideon, an emotional and unstable entity with enough power to wipe out the universe. This entity’s physical body is falling to pieces around them, and all they can do is keep going.
(MAJOR Spoilers in the next paragraph)
Once cornered, the Ideon reacts like a god stuck in a bear trap. You see, there’s a secret third reason you may have heard of The Ideon: Be Invoked, and it’s because the middle of the movie consists of scenes where the crew we’ve come to know are murdered, one by one. Everybody dies. Remember I said they’re mostly children? It’s pretty gruesome, though not gory if you’re worried about that.
This is where the connection to Neon Genesis Evangelion becomes especially apparent. The concept of a sentient protector-mecha and the horror of being at the mercy of an unknowable entity’s whims- this is what Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s premise draws from. The End of Evangelion also draws parallels to motherhood and birth more explicitly than Space Runaway Ideon, but those themes are absolutely present here if you look for them.
(End Spoilers)
Space Runaway Ideon‘s a fine show, if not a great one. I’d probably recommend just watching the movies, The Ideon: A Contact (an abridged version of the show’s story) and The Ideon: Be Invoked, over watching through the show, in the same way I’d recommend for the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Really, I’d only recommend the “monster of the week” vibe of the original show for historical interest, or if it sounds like your speed. But you *should* find a way to watch The Ideon: Be Invoked, however you can, especially if you’re at all attached to its predecessors or descendants.
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