Original artwork, not a still
I don't want to admit it... the mistakes of one's own youth.
— Mobile Suit Gundam · 1979
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Char never quite says whose youth he means, and that ambiguity is why the line lasts. It reads as a cool officer's shrug at a subordinate's rash move and as his own admission that pride cost him men. Japanese fans use it as a ready-made sigh for any embarrassing past mistake, and it is one of the best-known Gundam lines outside the fandom.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Mobile Suit GundamShow the scene
In the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam (1979), "Gundam Rises", Char Aznable's Zeon squadron slips into the Federation colony Side 7 to spy on the secret mobile suit project. One of his pilots, Gene, disobeys orders and opens fire, which sets off the destruction that throws young Amuro Ray into the Gundam's cockpit; the Zakus are destroyed. Char's remark about the mistakes of one's own youth is tied to this botched raid. In Japanese it is "Mitometakunai mono da na, jibun jishin no, wakasa yue no ayamachi to iu mono wo"; English renderings vary by subtitle.
Sources (2)
- Gundam Wiki: episode 1 (Gundam Rising)PlotReference checked
- ITmedia Nlab on Char's quotesarticle section on the lineReference checked
Context reviewed
