VOTOMS / Gasaraki

VOTOMS and Gasaraki both feature smaller-sized, relatively more realistic armor suits. This may have something to do with the fact that they were both created/directed by the same man: Takahashi Ryuosuke . He has done other shows with "realish" mecha (see: Blue Gender , for one). But these two shows are his most realistic, and despite having different mecha designers on staff, they both have very believable mecha.

The main designer on VOTOMS was Okawara Kunio , famous for being the designer that ushered in the "Real Robot" era by being the designer of all the Mobile Suits from "First Gundam" (1979). He has long been associated with the Gundam series, but I think his work on VOTOMS is some of his best.

There were two main designers on Gasaraki, Izubuchi Yutaka , and Aramaki Shinji . Izubuchi has done other realistic designs in shows such as Patlabor . Aramaki is well known for Megazone 23 and Bubblegum Crisis among others.

Many of the design features from the earlier VOTOMS suits were carried over to the Tactical Armors of Gasaraki . The variations on the Turnpick, the indirect pilot view, synthetic muscle/hydraulics, as well as the "Down" mode for maintenance are all shared between the Votoms/Gasaraki designs, among other things. Compare the images in the last couple entries here with the images in this one, and keep in mind the 2 shows in question were made about 15 years apart.