Writer: Yousuke Kuroda
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha
Synopsis
*Rebirth Begins Through Destruction*
Our story begins in 2307 AD, about 400 years into the future. Following the depletion of Earth's fossil fuels, humanity was forced to search of a new power source, and it was found in the form of solar power collectors around the Earth's orbit, supported by 3 orbital elevators. Each of these elevators serve one of the three 'superpowers' of this era, which are the Human Reform League, consisting of China, Russia, and India, Union, who is in power in the region surrounding North
America, and the AEU, which encapsulates mainland Europe.
An inexhaustible supply of energy only made available to the major powers and their allies, conflicts and wars frequently happen worldwide for energy and fuel. Nations whose primary resource was the economic reliance of fossil fuels have been stricken with poverty, with some nations even going as far as claiming that the solar energy is a threat to the 'promised land of God', and ultimately became the reason for the 20 year Solar Wars. It was through these events that led to the birth of Celestial Being, a private military organization whose sole purpose is the eradication of war and the unification of mankind through four Gundams.
The series follows the four Gundam pilots addressed as Gundam Meisters, Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism and Tiera Erde as they are thrown into conflict between the 3 superpowers and the various other factions. Our main protagonist is the 16 year old Setsuna, a quiet, passive young man who grew up in the war-torn Krugis Republic, and pilots the GN-001 Exia Gundam, a quick, high mobility Gundam effective in melee combat.
With the three superpowers unable to compete against Celestial Being's superior strength and technology via the four Gundams, they eventually unite to form into the United Nations Army in order to resist Celestial Being's military interventions. The United Nations Army, desperate to defeat the Gundams, employed the assistance of Laguna Harvey, Celestial Being's intelligence officer, who turned traitor and provided the UNA with 30 GN-X, mobile suits with pseudo GN Drives installed in them. As the UNA continues to resist Celestial Being's armed interventions, a second team consisting of three Gundams had introduced themselves. Bearing the name of Team Trinity, they assist the Meisters' in their cause, but their methods are more of a cold blooded nature, in contrast to the Meisters own less aggresive nature of armed intervention.
This then brings us to the story of Alejandro Corner. A former Celestial Being observer who plans to capitalize in the chaos caused by Celestial Being in their quest, who subsequently captured Veda, Celestial Being's supercomputer situated on the moon. Without the aid of their supercomputer in their battles, Celestial Being is easily overwhelmed by the GN-X units' seemingly unlimited numbers.
The UNA then launches Operation Fallen Angels upon discovering the Meisters' mother ship, the Ptolemaios, to destroy the Gundams. This sets us up for an epic finale as the stage is set for a battle royale of biblical proportions, with an unexpected ending to the first season.
Chibi's Meister Comments
Following the extremely disappointing Gundam Seed Destiny, I approached this latest installment a little weary. I had many doubts about the series' ability to entertain, given its predecessor's many shortcomings, and was weary of even the slightest hint of flashbacks, which was kind of my cue to stop watching. Doing a little research before actually picking up the DVD, I found out that director Seiji Mizushima was at the helm, and was famous for his work on Ooedo Rocket and Full Metal Alchemist. So I decided to take the chance.
I was glad I did. From the opening credits that was played by my favorite J-rock band L'Arc En-Ciel to the introduction of the Exia Gundam in the opening half of the season, I was glued to the screen. The setting is basically 400 years from now, and how the world situation has progressed, combined with Gundam's trademark mecha extravaganza. Whilst the concept may be a little too familiar to some, and usually ends up being a screwed up emo-fest with reused cells galore, Mizushima-san's managed to cook up a really engaging political drama reminiscent of the Universal Century sagas. While the verdict is still out on the series as a whole, having watched the first season I've already had a lot to like about this installment.
What I like about the plot on 00 was that it takes a similar, yet different path of its predecessors (the Cosmic Era, Universal Century, and Gundam Wing). I thought putting the story 400 years into our future was a nice touch, rather than some alternate timeline. It also uses 4 main pilots, or Meisters, this time, unlike the staple team of 5, made popular by Gundam Wing. It is essentially a story about a group of four guys with ultra powerful mecha who use them to solve all armed conflicts in the world. This is obviously sounds impossible to achieve, and foolish to attempt, but the thing is that the characters are well aware that the thing they’re doing is naive. This series never claims one side to be morally right or wrong. It just presents us several different views on the world.
One of 00's strength is in the pacing of the story, building up the plot carefully and progressively. It’s got a huge plot and a huge setting that it needs to work with, and despite a few inconsistencies, I could feel that the creators have tried to explain as much as possible. The characters might be a little hard to relate to at first, but every single character develops, and at the end of the season the show had turned into something better and enjoyable. With a cast so large and diverse, you’re bound to have a few favourites. I particularly found the Meister Lockon Stratos a very interesting character, and the concept to his mobile suit the Dynames Gundam was a new twist to how weapons and mobility are controlled.
In conclusion, Gundam 00 took a calculated risk and struck gold, as we are bombarded by beautiful mecha designs, an engaging plot guaranteed at least a second viewing, awesome characters (been awhile since we had that in a Gundam saga), and an awesome soundtrack. I recommend it to anyone looking for an action packed epic.
Chibi's Review
Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
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