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My Gundam 00 Season 1 Review
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4 months 2 weeks ago
So I felt like rewatching Gundam 00 again for some reason and started from the beginning of season 1 and I enjoy it more then before. Usually when you watch a movie and especially a 25 episode TV series for the first time you usually miss or don’t notice certain things and this was the case for me. My second time through season 1 I noticed and appreciate the subtle details in the story.
The one thing I really appreciate that I didn’t before is their use of historical and current events like the ethnic or religious conflicts in Ireland and Middle East in the form of Azadistan and Moralia in the world of 00. A current event that they pulled from the headlines of our world would be our dependence on foreign oil and in the world of 00 which is a couple hundred years in the future rely on solar energy from these solar towers. They really thought out the ramifications this would have on countries in the Middle East where their entire economy heavily relies on oil export, but with the world relying on solar energy has completely decimated these countries socially as well as economically in countries like Azadistan where there is not only economic strife, but religious ones as well between the conservatives and reformists. These conflicts gives way to civil wars and terrorists organizations like the KPSA that was led by Ali who trained children, Setsuna, to become martyrs and do suicide bombings which killed Lockon’s parents and sister. The writers of 00 don’t pull these current events from our world as a lazy excuse for the Gundams to blow stuff up, but are actually relevant to the story and makes it that much more relatable and interesting because there are real people out there who are experiencing these things right now.
The politics surrounding the three power blocs AEU, HRL and Union and their response to Celestial Being’s armed intervention was really intriguing. The way each country tried to deal with Celestial Being was different. After each failed attempted to stop Celestial Being each power bloc thought up more and more clever ways to deal with them or even take advantage of them in certain situations. These political decisions would eventually make it down the ranks to a couple characters that represent each power bloc in the story with Sergei, Kati, Soma, Graham and Billy.
The writers of 00 smartly focused on a couple of characters to represent each power bloc and by doing so gives the viewer three distinct perspectives on how these characters view Celestial Beings armed interventions and how they eventually deal with them. By approaching it this way the viewer is given a glimpse of their thoughts and personality while at the same time revealing each character’s past deeds
When I look back at the plot of season 1 I notice how little by little each armed intervention by Celestial Being pulled these three power blocs closer and closer to unification as Aeolia had intended. I just find the entire Aeolia plan really interesting in the way to unify them is for them to have a common enemy and band together to defeat which reminds me of the end of Code Geass. All three power blocs while they acted according to the situation that is in front of them were manipulated and led down the path of unification by the plan Aeolia set forth so many years ago. What is even more intriguing by the end of season 1 is what the plan is as crew of Ptolemias and Gundam meisters start to have doubts about their roles.
While Celestial Being’s interventions are going on you get a glimpse of a shady character that is working behind the scenes with some sort of ulterior motive. This character which is revealed to be Alejandra Corner was intriguing because you are only given a little information about his connection to Celestial Being, but you get the feeling that he isn’t on the side of Celestial Being or any of the 3 power blocs. While Aeolia plan is carried out by Celestial Being a conspiracy surfaces involving Lagna, Alejandra Corner and Ribbons in the second half of season 1 which slowly builds by giving the viewer small hints and clues to what was going on without revealing too much which kept me intrigued to continue to watch. As each hint or clue that was presented I connected the dots with how Lagna was able to get his hands on the fake solar furnaces, the Trinity siblings and Throne Gundams, Alejandro’s involvement and Ribbons motives that all come together fittingly in the last few episodes. These two major story arches involving Celestial Being’s armed interventions and politics and response from each power bloc as well as the internal conspiracy within Celestial Being was paced really well. Because of that each episode was interesting and kept me watching until the end.
While the universe of 00 is far into the future where there are space colonies and Gundams the conflicts on Earth are still the same as those in our reality with the energy crisis, religious and ethnic conflicts, suicide bombings, terrorist attacks, PMCs, child soldiers, jihadists, creation of humans for combat and war in general. You realize just how much humanity hasn’t changed much. They were able to use these events to really flesh out the universe of 00. The universe of 00 overall was really thought-out and most importantly was interesting and not just an excuse for Gundams to blow things up. The entire theme of 00 overall is a lot more thought provoking explore very controversial and mature subject matter that other series’ in the Gundam franchise don’t. Gundam 00 doesn’t just have style, but also substance which is missing in other non-UC Gundam series.
The plot is only as interesting as the characters that are in it. The Gundam pilots are main characters and are interesting not only because of their unique personality, but also their past. Each character, even the supporting character, is given the spotlight revealing their past, motives, and reason for joining Celestial Being. Lockon is the most likeable because he is the big brother senpai type character. He is the unofficial official leader of the group which was tough to see him die at the end of season 1. Tieria is an interesting character because at first he is a tough, strict follow the rules type that made him seem robotic at times in how he acts and responds, but by the end of the season you see him evolve and actually have human emotions and an actual personality. Allelujah is probably the least interesting character in season 1 where we only get a glimpse of his past and his connection with the super soldier project. Setsuna is interesting because of where he came from as a child guerrilla fighter who brainwashed into killing his parents to fight a holy war and how he deals with his past when Ali presents himself. Sumeragi has a deep scar even though there are only brief mentions of her past by other characters, but you can tell she lost someone dear to her without having to show the viewer in season 1. Every character in 00 has some dark past that have lead them to where they are.
The action in 00 speaks for themselves so there isn’t much to say about them. I especially like the Gundam designs which is important since that is the main appeal of the franchise. The fact that each Gundam is designed for a specific combat role is unique because it hasn’t been done before in previous series’ in the franchise. You have the long range sniper, close range sword expert, heavy weapons artillery support, and air bombardment type.
While I definitely enjoyed Gundam 00 I do have some problems with it and I’d like to first start with Marina Ismail. As a character she is not interesting, useless, weak willed, and too emotional. She does not add to the plot whatsoever whenever a crisis befalls her country she can’t do anything, but cry and moan and groan about why such things are happening instead of actually doing something about it. As a leader of a country she is useless and incompetent. She is not a strong female character let alone a leader of an entire country. She is idealistic, but doesn’t act on those ideas. Her relevance to the plot in season 2 is nil yet she is still given screen time. I would not have mind if they killed her off in my opinion.
Another thing I did not like is Setsuna’s big damn mouth the kid openly reveals that he is in Celestial Being and a pilot of a Gundam to a stranger he doesn’t even know. He does it again in season 2 when he goes to retrieve Sumeragi revealing that she was the strategic analyst for Celestial Being in front of Billy. I just find this to be laziness on part of the writers to somehow reveal a character’s hidden identity and affiliation to Celestial Being by having Setsuna yell it out loud instead of using the revelation in a more clever and dramatic way to open up story threads and conflicts. Another thing I don’t like about Setsuna is how he constantly reminds us that he lives and breathes for his Gundam to the point that I’d chuckle whenever he repeats the lines “I am Gundam” or of that sort because it sounds ridiculous and he constantly repeats it. Okay we get it you live and die by your Gundam you don’t have continue to beat us over the head with it.
Allelujah Haptism split personality I found to be annoying and unnecessary I was hoping they would finally merge the two at the halfway point of season 1, but that doesn’t happen until the end of the season.
A little nitpick I have would be all the screams of agony from the pilots while they are in their Gundams. The screams were really over done and annoying especially when they moan and groan when there are the ones Gundams taking damage and not them. Their Gundams are taking the brunt of the damage and not the pilots so why are screaming in agony when they are not getting physically injured?
The Saji and Louise story thread was not well done and I really felt like skipping these parts. You can tell that the writers were aiming to show the perspective of the world and Celestial Being from a civilian’s perspective, but it just isn’t done well. Saji and Louise aren’t affected by Celestial Beings interventions until the last quarter of season 1 which by that time I got to that point I couldn’t bring myself to care for their misfortune. They focused more on Louise and Saji’s relationship which was not interesting and less on how they were being affected Celestial Being’s actions. In season 2 Saji’s relevance to the story and his character is a lot more interesting and in-depth then in season 1.
To wrap it up the pros far out way the cons in my opinion and if you didn’t like Gundam 00 the first time give it another chance and you maybe surprised at the subtlety and maturity of the story.
The one thing I really appreciate that I didn’t before is their use of historical and current events like the ethnic or religious conflicts in Ireland and Middle East in the form of Azadistan and Moralia in the world of 00. A current event that they pulled from the headlines of our world would be our dependence on foreign oil and in the world of 00 which is a couple hundred years in the future rely on solar energy from these solar towers. They really thought out the ramifications this would have on countries in the Middle East where their entire economy heavily relies on oil export, but with the world relying on solar energy has completely decimated these countries socially as well as economically in countries like Azadistan where there is not only economic strife, but religious ones as well between the conservatives and reformists. These conflicts gives way to civil wars and terrorists organizations like the KPSA that was led by Ali who trained children, Setsuna, to become martyrs and do suicide bombings which killed Lockon’s parents and sister. The writers of 00 don’t pull these current events from our world as a lazy excuse for the Gundams to blow stuff up, but are actually relevant to the story and makes it that much more relatable and interesting because there are real people out there who are experiencing these things right now.
The politics surrounding the three power blocs AEU, HRL and Union and their response to Celestial Being’s armed intervention was really intriguing. The way each country tried to deal with Celestial Being was different. After each failed attempted to stop Celestial Being each power bloc thought up more and more clever ways to deal with them or even take advantage of them in certain situations. These political decisions would eventually make it down the ranks to a couple characters that represent each power bloc in the story with Sergei, Kati, Soma, Graham and Billy.
The writers of 00 smartly focused on a couple of characters to represent each power bloc and by doing so gives the viewer three distinct perspectives on how these characters view Celestial Beings armed interventions and how they eventually deal with them. By approaching it this way the viewer is given a glimpse of their thoughts and personality while at the same time revealing each character’s past deeds
When I look back at the plot of season 1 I notice how little by little each armed intervention by Celestial Being pulled these three power blocs closer and closer to unification as Aeolia had intended. I just find the entire Aeolia plan really interesting in the way to unify them is for them to have a common enemy and band together to defeat which reminds me of the end of Code Geass. All three power blocs while they acted according to the situation that is in front of them were manipulated and led down the path of unification by the plan Aeolia set forth so many years ago. What is even more intriguing by the end of season 1 is what the plan is as crew of Ptolemias and Gundam meisters start to have doubts about their roles.
While Celestial Being’s interventions are going on you get a glimpse of a shady character that is working behind the scenes with some sort of ulterior motive. This character which is revealed to be Alejandra Corner was intriguing because you are only given a little information about his connection to Celestial Being, but you get the feeling that he isn’t on the side of Celestial Being or any of the 3 power blocs. While Aeolia plan is carried out by Celestial Being a conspiracy surfaces involving Lagna, Alejandra Corner and Ribbons in the second half of season 1 which slowly builds by giving the viewer small hints and clues to what was going on without revealing too much which kept me intrigued to continue to watch. As each hint or clue that was presented I connected the dots with how Lagna was able to get his hands on the fake solar furnaces, the Trinity siblings and Throne Gundams, Alejandro’s involvement and Ribbons motives that all come together fittingly in the last few episodes. These two major story arches involving Celestial Being’s armed interventions and politics and response from each power bloc as well as the internal conspiracy within Celestial Being was paced really well. Because of that each episode was interesting and kept me watching until the end.
While the universe of 00 is far into the future where there are space colonies and Gundams the conflicts on Earth are still the same as those in our reality with the energy crisis, religious and ethnic conflicts, suicide bombings, terrorist attacks, PMCs, child soldiers, jihadists, creation of humans for combat and war in general. You realize just how much humanity hasn’t changed much. They were able to use these events to really flesh out the universe of 00. The universe of 00 overall was really thought-out and most importantly was interesting and not just an excuse for Gundams to blow things up. The entire theme of 00 overall is a lot more thought provoking explore very controversial and mature subject matter that other series’ in the Gundam franchise don’t. Gundam 00 doesn’t just have style, but also substance which is missing in other non-UC Gundam series.
The plot is only as interesting as the characters that are in it. The Gundam pilots are main characters and are interesting not only because of their unique personality, but also their past. Each character, even the supporting character, is given the spotlight revealing their past, motives, and reason for joining Celestial Being. Lockon is the most likeable because he is the big brother senpai type character. He is the unofficial official leader of the group which was tough to see him die at the end of season 1. Tieria is an interesting character because at first he is a tough, strict follow the rules type that made him seem robotic at times in how he acts and responds, but by the end of the season you see him evolve and actually have human emotions and an actual personality. Allelujah is probably the least interesting character in season 1 where we only get a glimpse of his past and his connection with the super soldier project. Setsuna is interesting because of where he came from as a child guerrilla fighter who brainwashed into killing his parents to fight a holy war and how he deals with his past when Ali presents himself. Sumeragi has a deep scar even though there are only brief mentions of her past by other characters, but you can tell she lost someone dear to her without having to show the viewer in season 1. Every character in 00 has some dark past that have lead them to where they are.
The action in 00 speaks for themselves so there isn’t much to say about them. I especially like the Gundam designs which is important since that is the main appeal of the franchise. The fact that each Gundam is designed for a specific combat role is unique because it hasn’t been done before in previous series’ in the franchise. You have the long range sniper, close range sword expert, heavy weapons artillery support, and air bombardment type.
While I definitely enjoyed Gundam 00 I do have some problems with it and I’d like to first start with Marina Ismail. As a character she is not interesting, useless, weak willed, and too emotional. She does not add to the plot whatsoever whenever a crisis befalls her country she can’t do anything, but cry and moan and groan about why such things are happening instead of actually doing something about it. As a leader of a country she is useless and incompetent. She is not a strong female character let alone a leader of an entire country. She is idealistic, but doesn’t act on those ideas. Her relevance to the plot in season 2 is nil yet she is still given screen time. I would not have mind if they killed her off in my opinion.
Another thing I did not like is Setsuna’s big damn mouth the kid openly reveals that he is in Celestial Being and a pilot of a Gundam to a stranger he doesn’t even know. He does it again in season 2 when he goes to retrieve Sumeragi revealing that she was the strategic analyst for Celestial Being in front of Billy. I just find this to be laziness on part of the writers to somehow reveal a character’s hidden identity and affiliation to Celestial Being by having Setsuna yell it out loud instead of using the revelation in a more clever and dramatic way to open up story threads and conflicts. Another thing I don’t like about Setsuna is how he constantly reminds us that he lives and breathes for his Gundam to the point that I’d chuckle whenever he repeats the lines “I am Gundam” or of that sort because it sounds ridiculous and he constantly repeats it. Okay we get it you live and die by your Gundam you don’t have continue to beat us over the head with it.
Allelujah Haptism split personality I found to be annoying and unnecessary I was hoping they would finally merge the two at the halfway point of season 1, but that doesn’t happen until the end of the season.
A little nitpick I have would be all the screams of agony from the pilots while they are in their Gundams. The screams were really over done and annoying especially when they moan and groan when there are the ones Gundams taking damage and not them. Their Gundams are taking the brunt of the damage and not the pilots so why are screaming in agony when they are not getting physically injured?
The Saji and Louise story thread was not well done and I really felt like skipping these parts. You can tell that the writers were aiming to show the perspective of the world and Celestial Being from a civilian’s perspective, but it just isn’t done well. Saji and Louise aren’t affected by Celestial Beings interventions until the last quarter of season 1 which by that time I got to that point I couldn’t bring myself to care for their misfortune. They focused more on Louise and Saji’s relationship which was not interesting and less on how they were being affected Celestial Being’s actions. In season 2 Saji’s relevance to the story and his character is a lot more interesting and in-depth then in season 1.
To wrap it up the pros far out way the cons in my opinion and if you didn’t like Gundam 00 the first time give it another chance and you maybe surprised at the subtlety and maturity of the story.
Oh thank you
for Review
for Review
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