Story
The story of season 1 is political, to say the least as there is a lot of focus on the the three blocks (AEU, Union and Human Reformist Alliance), factions (Katharon) and their goals. So for the story, The year is A.D 2307 all the fossil fuels on the earth have been depleted entirely, and the mankind has turned to their next available resource ; solar energy. 3 orbital elevators with solar power generation system have been built. Each under control of the three blocks ; AEU (Europe), Union (Formerly United States of America) and Human Reformist Alliance (Russia, China and India). However, not all countries are able to enjoy the benefits of this system, leading to widespread resentment and war. Arising out of the conflict, a mysterious non-profit military organization known as Celestial Being appears, dedicated to end all warfare using mysterious Mobile Suits called Gundam. This begins the stories of Gundam Meisters (pilots) Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism and Tieria Erde which is followed up in season 2.
Characters
The characters were next to perfect, and they were the only thing that kept me watching the show. All the members of Celestial Being had dark pasts and were very different people but all of them had a bond and grew closer without saying anything. All of them also got a lot of character development especially Setsuna F. Seiei, who was a cold and affectionate person due to his dark past in Krugis in the starting, But he got close to all of the members of Celestial Being and Marina Ismail and also accepted them as family and if you observe closely he also grew in height. In season 1, he was smaller in height from Marina but in season 2 they both had almost the same height. Now about the other members of Celestial Being, Allelujah Haptism finds himself fighting with a split personality from super human experimentation. Tieria Erde, an exceptionally mysterious character, isn't what you'd call fully human. Lockon Stratos, the guy who would light up the room with his smile but still carried a hatred for terrorists within his heart that clouded his judgement. Feldt Grace, a socially awkward young girl who doesn't know how to express herself to people and finds solace in robotics. Sumeragi Lee Norieg, an alcoholic strategic who never misses a chance to have a drink. The other characters were also equally interesting and good especially the antagonists, The Trinity guys were dynamic even though you only get to see all of them for 10 episodes. It was quite a cast.
Animation and Sound
The artwork and animation was brilliant for both the seasons. I think almost all the Sunrise staff was utilized in its development as all the mobile suits, Whether a Gundam or the minor mobile suits of the three power blocks or factions was exquisitely designed with outstanding detail and were just amazing. The background animations of different places on Earth and in space were also amazing. The artwork fully brings the universe of Gundam 00 to life in vibrant colors and designs. The battle sequences were also smooth and detailed in animations.
For the sound, they were all amazing and made it to my ipod and especially the first opening "Daybreaks Bell" it was just excellent. Each and every important moments in the anime were also accompanied by amazing background songs. The voice acting was top-notch and they also got best actor and best supporting actor awards in the Seiyuu Awards of 2008.
Enjoyment
I definitely enjoyed Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and it is one of my all time favorite mecha anime. The action and battles were magnificent, the drama and emotion portrayed was also amazing. All the characters had their own secrets that were gradually uncovered and the story also took several turns and kept you on the edge of your seat. All these qualities make the enjoyment level simply outstanding, especially if you're a Gundam fan!
Overall, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is a masterpiece and has marked its own place in the realm of mecha animes. Its story-line is totally unpredictable, especially the last episode. Its a solid anime, I highly recommend this one and if you don't watch this anime even after reading this review then you'll really miss out on a lot of good things.
5 STAR ANIME.
Having never watched Gundam before, which series would yo recommend I start with? Does this series stand up well on its own or would I have had to watch other series to enjoy it?
ReplyDeleteWell, first you should know this that Gundam is generally divided into two different categories, "UC" (for Universal Century) and "AU" (for Alternate Universe). UC is the main Gundam Timeline, where as AU Gundams are all in a separate continuity. And, almost all AU Gundam can be watched in any particular order, since they have their own self-contained stories.
DeleteSo, Gundam 00 is an AU Gundam and for the most part, it is a stand-alone series that anyone can watch and enjoy! It was broadcasted in two separate parts, Gundam 00, and Gundam 00 Season 2, each 25 episodes. Because of this, Gundam 00 is often considered two separate anime, but technically its just two different seasons of the same show.
So, if you want to start watching Gundam series with Gundam 00 then I don't think you will have any problem to enjoy it without watching any other series's of Gundam as it is an amazing stand-alone Gundam. But, if you want to watch some "old school" Gundam's before watching it then I would recommend you "Gundam 0079" as it is the original Gundam and the starting one for all the UC Gundams.