Real Robot Genre/Sandbox

A subset of Mecha Show which approaches Military Science Fiction, the Real Robot Genre features Humongous Mecha as weapons. The Real Robot Genre is distinguished from the Super Robot Genre of Mecha Show by it's aim for realism in portraying Mecha as combat weapons and its mature themes, including loss of innocence and the horrors of war. The Real Robot Genre often falls on the cynical end of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism.

Real Robot Genre media frequently, but not always, focuses on conflicts between humans, including political intrigue and conspiracy, but conflicts with extra-terrestrial beings are not unheard of. The Real Robot Genre usually employs Real Robots as the main fighting Mecha of the protagonists' in the series, but note that a Real Robot Genre show may contain Super Robots, even as the protagonist's own Mecha (and visa versa). What separates a Real Robot show from a Super Robot show is its plot, themes, and focus on a realistic portrayal of that Mecha as a tool and weapon, rather than as something akin to a Superhero.

Tropes common to this genre

Setting tropes

• Elaborate Underground Base
• Space Station
• Standard Sci-Fi Fleet: generally, robots replace the Space Fighter.

Theme tropes

• War Is Hell
• Humans Are the Real Monsters
• You Can't Go Home Again
• My God, What Have I Done?
• Earn Your Happy Ending

Plot tropes

• Gundamjack
• Falling Into the Cockpit

Character tropes

• Bridge Bunnies: the best chance for Fan Service
• Char Clone
• New Meat: the common point of view character.

Prop tropes

• Applied Phlebotinum: what makes the robots run.
  • Minovsky Particle
• Laser Blade: a common close range weapon.
• Impossibly Graceful Giant: the exceptionally large mechas that move really fast.
• Mid-Season Upgrade: the best way to introduce a new mecha is to trash the old one and bring in one of these.
• Real Robot (duh)
• Super Prototype
• Vibroweapon

Works that fall into this genre

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• Mobile Suit Gundam: the Trope Maker, focused primarily around the horrors of war.

• Neon Genesis Evangelion: an example of a Real Robot Genre show which features what are arguably Super Robots. Its dark and heavy psychological themes, intense realism and focus on the practical aspects of executing missions, ensured it fell into this side of the Mecha-split and took the Mecha Show as a genre to the next level.

• Eureka Seven: another example of a Real Robot genre show which features what one would consider a Super Robot as the protagonist's Sky Surfing Mecha. It follows exploits of the crew of Gekkostate, an anti-military group who have a hijacked Cool Airship and Super Prototype Mecha, and the enigmatic Eureka who is its pilot.

• Full Metal Panic!: a mixture of Fish Out of Water Comedy, military missions, and High School Romance.

• Patlabor: a Police Procedural show featuring giant robot goodness.

• BattleTech: a western take, featuring numerous gun platform style mecha.