I might be a little biased here, but I believe The Gundam Experience is the best panel inside the hallowed halls of Anime Central; and perhaps any other con out there in the world. Yes, The Gundam Experience is available at other cons as well, like Otakon for example, but it was different this time; a little bit more magical, I mean a little bit more Newtype.

This is one of the most highly attended panels at ACEN for over the past 5 years. The reason why it’s so popular is not only because everyone loves Gundam, but because of the way it is presented. This isn’t your average panel where everyone just shouts out their favorite pairing until the panel host recognizes their existence (Char X Master Asia!!), but something like a cross between a college lecture, and a Gundam party. Read the rest of my love letter after the jump.

Last year’s Gundam Experience opening video.

This panel is run by super Gundam otaku Stephen Moellering, who created this panel to help spread information to the masses who might have only watched Gundam Wing in the past. He tries not to play favoritism in his panel, and attempts to just give the audience the facts about each series so that they may make the decision for themselves. Though it is hard not to be a little cruel when talking about Destiny.

Unlike most panels that just use one boring projector, this time they brought two! One for show specs via a power point slide, and another one for the anime opening, and other funny clips they feel like showing at the moment. It seems insignificant, but really stands out above all other panels.

One of the only problems with The Gundam Experience in the past was that it was not long enough. This year they solved that problem by having two panels instead of one. The first one covered the Universal Century, while the second one covered all the other alternative universes.

Not only did they educate the masses on how cool Gundam really is, but gave out free Gundam models and DVDs as well. Instead of answering trivia to get the prizes, they had a raffle instead; which works a lot better may I add. All the models were donated by the great people over at the Gundam Store And More, so give them some love for being so epic.

Unlike most panels out there (including our own), you can tell they put some time into creating this panel. This is a must see for anyone who even calls themselves a Gundam fan to the slightest degree. Even if you are not a Gundam fan, maybe you will be after this panel, so you must go! If you see this panel at your next convention, be like Setsuna and fall in love with Gundam all over again.