My first series was on Cartoon Network - Gundam Wing.
And let me tell you, as a kid that shit was not appropriate. My parents would walk by and see robots blow up and had no idea what it was a bunch of people dying in horrific explosions. had no idea what was going on because it was so dense. But I remembered enough to like Death Scythe the most.
I started to hit puberty around the time G-Gundam started airing in the US and that was another wild ride. I haven't gone back because the 'international fighter' anime was not a good look (Tequila-Gundam represented Neo-Mexico) but I do remember the overall story as being a lot easier to digest. It's kinda silly, but I liked this series more because fewer people died in that one. And because of the blatant fanservice.
I watched the original series and the movies once I got old enough to look up anime online. I've watched a lot more since then, sometimes bits and pieces, but I feel like I'm gravitating toward the franchise again with WfM.
So, what do other people think about Gundam?
I was always more of a Transformers/Voltron/TMNT kid growing up. But I discovered and fell in love with Visions of Escalflowne for its mix of high fantasy, chivalric romance, and giant robot fights. Also, Tekkaman Blade will hold a special place in my heart, simply because of all the time I spent watching it Saturday mornings as a kid.
Witch From Mercury has been fun. The ending of the first season was so brutally stark in such a refreshing way that I can't not come back for season 2. But I'm really noticing how the "High Schoolers In War Machines" plot lines have run thin for me as I've gotten older. Couldn't really make it through Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn because it just felt so cliche.
I love the premise of the Near-Earth Space Opera. But I'm increasingly more of an Expanse / Star Trek guy, now that the magical realism of That One Special Robot Armor plot arc has run thin.