Every beloved work of mecha fiction, be it anime or not, isn’t just about cool robots. Whether it’s the anti-war underpinnings of Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion’s allegory for learning to love and be loved in return, or a commentary on the ways in which power is concentrated in the hands of a select few, the mecha genre is filled with stories that drive at something deeper than the chrome-plated exteriors of its humanoid war machines.