MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00

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ANIME ActionMobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season
ANIME DramaMobile Suit Gundam
SPECIAL ActionKidou Senshi Gundam 00: Tenshitachi no Kiseki
OVA ActionMobile Suit Gundam 00 Special Edition
SPECIAL Mecha30th GUNDAM PERFECT MISSION
MANGA MechaMobile Suit Gundam 00
MANGA MechaKidou Senshi Gundam 00
NOVEL ActionMobile Suit Gundam 00
ONA ActionMobile Suit Gundam 00: Revealed Chronicle
MANGA ActionMobile Suit Gundam 00F
MANGA ActionGundam EXA
MANGA ActionGundam EXA VS
ONA ActionA boy with GUNDAM | Mobile Suit Gundam 50th Anniversary - Road to 50 - Prologue Movie

REVIEWS

• 

  CodeBlazeFate

  61/100
  Gundam 00 was a potentially captivating series somewhat squandered by an increasing need for complication and drama.

  Sometimes you shouldn't complicate simplicity.

  Gundam 00 is a peculiar installment in its franchise. Being an introduction into the Gundam franchise for many a fan, myself included, it has arguably become the most popularly viewed entry besides Wing. One could say that the writers looked at Wing and decided to take some of the base elements of it to create their own story that touched on war-related issues of the current times. Then that same person could say that they probably should have followed Wing just a little more loosely given how convoluted and nonsensical circumstances regarding the main group became.

  A group known as “Celestial Being” has appeared in the distant future with one simple objective: fight to bring peace and end all war. Many factions across the globe disagree with their objective which seems aggressively contrary to their methods. Four young adult pilots, half of whom have been affected by war, are deployed by Celestial Being to stop disputes with force, relying on what Gundam fans have referred to as the “overkill formula”, in which single machines mow down dozens of mooks at a time. Sounds relatively simple enough as long as the show manages to highlight and keep track of the multiple factions. The idea comes with the potential to explore all sorts of concepts related to war, terrorism, protests, and global violence in ways unique to the timeline, while slowly peeling the layers of each major combatant. To an extent, 00 seems to capitalize on this potential, even showing a more personal example of what happens to civilians caught in the crossfires of battle.

  Then we get the robot equivalent to Dragon Ball Z’s Kai-o-ken, an extra private faction that hijacks a poorly explained supercomputer the main protagonists’ faction was using, a council that oversees all of this, even more private investors with their own agendas that get killed off unceremoniously, special particle beams that prevent healing, a myriad of poorly-conceived world-building mechanics that get dropped after what little exploration they had such as the space colonies, a badly done newtype-esque type attribute known as quantum brain-waves, and the knowledge that the series has dropped the ball in making sure we are able to keep up with every private faction. This isn’t even going into the cloning, the innovade/innovator business, Zeta Gundam plagiarism and self-contradictions galore, the increased levels of over-complication in regards to the quantum brain wave mechanic that defines the timeline from the moment one of the main characters gets affected by it as early as episode 3 of season 1, and superpowers that allow communication with the dead, all of which occur in the second season!

  I’m sorry, was that overwhelming? Good; now you know what watching the 00 series is like!

  One could argue that this series is best enjoyed without attempting to stretch your mental capacity to house all the convoluted nonsense and mental-gymnastics taken by the second half of season 1 onwards. Thanks to the flashy and well-animated mech battles with loads of colorful particles and explosions, and the sexy character designs that pave the way for many moments of casual semi-nudity without the need for fanservice, I’d agree. The designs of each mech are nowhere near as iconic or memorable as those of most other installments, but they do serve their purpose in seeming like the aggressive war machines they are. The music, while certainly not up to Kenji Kawai’s standard, has some decently memorable tracks that do an acceptable job of complimenting the plethora of fights shown throughout. The opening themes also serve well at getting people excited for each episode, as mediocre and often meaningless as each episode may be. They also represent the state of the show in each half, with the first being more simple and about characters getting to know each other and how things are beginning to play out, and the second being more chaotic and more intense in nature, as the action and overall emotional baggage rack up. Sadly, the ending themes, which do follow this, are less enjoyable.

  For anyone hoping the characters would provide much of the enjoyment you would likely obtain from the show, just know this won’t likely be the case. The main 4 are mostly simple enough. Allelujah Haptism and Setsuna F Seiei (get used to these kinds of names) had the potential to be the most interesting in the show, given that the former suffers from split-personality disorder and that the latter, who is the main protagonist, is a more reserved and agitated chap who became a child soldier who grew to display trust and touch issues after being betrayed. They only somewhat capitalize on these personal aspects, more so for Allelujah than Setsuna, as the latter is largely Heero Yui from Wing, but with more baggage. Lockon Stratos is the most easy-going and friendly of the bunch, so many will deem him the most likable, even when the chips are down and he gets angry at his comrades or at terrorists. Contrast this with the initially unlikable and ultimately boring Tieria Erde. The rest of the astronomically large cast was largely tolerable, with very few standouts in positive or negative regards. The few exceptions include the fun and determined Graham Acker, the gloriously evil Ali al Saachez --both of whom are Setsuna’s main rivals--, and a painfully disappointing trio that joins the main 4 in the second half. Few are badly written per se, beyond how the script becomes a joke towards the end, but most of the potential many of these characters had is lost, with the second season doing them no favors. You might enjoy the rest of the crew the main protagonists collaborate with, notably the commander, Sumeragi, but getting attached to the wrong crew member may cost you towards the end. They are likely the best characters in the show, given that they allow for some pleasant and even humorous interactions with the main cast and even each other.

  Gundam 00 was a potentially captivating series squandered by an unchecked need for complication and drama. As such, its characters feel wasted and its world feels poorly developed and half-baked. You will find fun with the action scenes as well as a few of the side characters and their interactions, but you would want to treat this series as simpler than it actually is, lest you watch it start to be torn apart by the power of expectations and critical thinking. 00 goes downhill from here, so if you wish to start this, just know you’re getting the best of what the timeline has to offer pretty early on.

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• 

  ChillLaChill

  90/100
  Gundam 00 offers a grounded narrative with real-world themes, unique Mobile Suit designs, but struggles with character.

  Gundam 00 stands out as one of my favorite Gundam series, not for its visual splendor or Kenji Kawai's soundtrack, but because it offers a low barrier to entry by grounding its story in real-world contexts. It's the layman's Gundam, providing a straightforward entry point for newcomers. Set in the year 2307 AD, Earth's reliance on solar energy has led to the formation of three major powers aimed at tackling global issues. The story kicks off with Celestial Being, an organization wielding powerful Gundams, declaring their intention to end all wars through armed intervention.

  What makes Gundam 00 unique is its realistic approach to modern-day issues. Unlike other Gundam series, this one delves into post-9/11 themes, exploring topics like politics, terrorism, child soldiers, and biologically enhanced super soldiers. The series offers a diverse cast that brings various global perspectives, though its execution of these themes can be uneven. Setsuna, the protagonist, struggles with his religious beliefs, creating intriguing scenarios but occasionally coming across as preachy with lines like "There is no God in this world." His claim, "I am a Gundam," may seem overly meta, and there are subtler ways to portray these ideas.

  The portrayal of the Middle East power struggle and Celestial Being's role in it is a highlight, but some plotlines feel underdeveloped or unexplored. While Gundam 00 excels in its political themes, its characters sometimes lack depth. Setsuna's tragic backstory overshadows other characters, who often rely on their "coolness" rather than meaningful development. The Gundam Meisters, while ambitious in their goal to "stop all wars," often fall short in personal substance. Their backgrounds—Setsuna's past as a child soldier, Allelujah's traumatic childhood, Lockon's troubled past—are presented more as set dressing than integral parts of their personal journeys.

  The series' style is another strong point. Gundam 00 features impressive Mobile Suit designs, with a practical flair that distinguishes itself from the more fantastical elements of the genre. The Tieren's industrial look, for instance, retains the iconic Zaku eye. Although the CGI for space ships isn't groundbreaking, Sunrise deserves credit for their commitment to hand-drawn animation in a genre increasingly dominated by CGI. Additionally, Gundam 00 avoids the overuse of recycled footage, which is a notable improvement over previous series.

  Gundam 00 is a series I can rewatch with enjoyment, despite occasional modern anime tropes and conveniences. It might not always achieve its lofty ambitions, but it offers a unique take on the Gundam formula. The show reflects the post-9/11 era with a grounded approach, and while it may not delve deeply into every faction or fully escape the shadow of Universal Century Gundams, it provides a fresh perspective. Critics who dismiss Gundam 00 as merely rehashing Gundam Wing miss the mark; it's a distinct and engaging series that introduces new fans to the franchise effectively. For those new to Gundam or seeking a mech show with a grounded narrative, Gundam 00 is a fantastic starting point that will pique interest in the expansive world of Gundam.

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• 

  IsNotAChar

  88/100
  An incredibly ambitious show that just manages to pull it off

  Gundam 00 is a show that hits you with everything all at once from the start, to the point that it is genuinely a bit overwhelming at first. There's a large cast of characters and factions and terms and bits of worldbuilding that all get thrown at you. That said, once I got past the initial overwhelming feeling from the first few episodes, it really started to work for me. By the end it was impressive how well all these different characters and storylines fit together so well.

  That said, Gundam 00 definitely wasn't perfect and I do have some issues. I'll just go over whatever aspects of the show I have something to say about, starting with aesthetic points.

  Animation and action

  It looks honestly amazing. Genuinely no complaints with the animation. This also helps to elevate the action (which was already good) into being great. The story and characters could've been total crap and it would still be worth a watch just for the eye-candy mecha animation honestly.

  Mecha design

  Similarly, I generally enjoyed the Mecha designs, although some definitely more than others. I will say that the grunt/enemy suits weren't really that memorable (with the exception of the Flag, but that was more due to the characters associated with it. A certain spoiler suit was also quite memorable, despite its short time of appearance)
  
  Alejandro's Alvatore was such an absurd looking suit, that still managed to have a nice amount of threat to it. Exactly what I like in a final boss Mobile Armour.

  Another spoiler design I'm a bit less fond of is the Nadleeh, I just find hair on a mobile suit to be strange.

  Also, the Trans-Am system turns the Gundams red and lets them go 3 times the speed? More like Trans-Aznable lol.
  

  Quick note on music

  The music is alright, but it does get a bit repetitive feeling in the first half (specifically the main battle theme).

  Overall Story and pacing

  With all the perspectives and characters it's genuinely amazing that the story manages to be as cohesive and well paced as it was. It manages to set up a new gundam setting and tell a pretty satisfying story by itself while still very much setting up the next season. Ultimately, it was a first season that left me really wanting to watch the second season, something that I would consider to be a success.

  That said, there are definitely a couple plotlines and character arcs that were a little undercooked due to not enough time in the spotlight. However, many of these were set up so that they could be expanded on and resolved in the second season, so it's not too big of an issue (provide the next season is also good).

  I also think the story almost suffers from a similar problem to Wing, at least for the first half or so, where the Gundams and our protagonists aren't overly threatened. In my opinion though, it narrowly avoids this and it kinda ends up using the OPness of the Gundams to its favour.
  
  when the Gundams (with the help of the newly arriving team Trinity) survive the coordinated attack of all 3 alliances, non GN Drive powered Mobile Suits officially lost any remaining threat they had. The Gundams are officially too powerful to be challenged. So when Gundams (in the form of team Trinity) become the new threat it is really effective at immediately upping the stakes. This becomes even more true when psuedo GN drive tech gets spread to the 3 alliances.

  By the end, Celestial Being really feel like they could be completely wiped out. I even got similar feelings as I had towards the end of Zeta in the final couple episodes as it just starts killing off characters. It made for a tense and engaging ending, which is quite impressive considering I new there was a next season (so they couldn't all die).

  The timeskip at the end is also an interesting choice, but it's one that I'll have to wait for the second season to see how they pull it off.
  

  Characters and specific story criticisms

  With such a large cast of characters who all get at least some focus, some are bound to better developed than others. I'll just go over some characters I really liked, some I had some issues with, and others I have comments about. I'll also touch on their associated story lines where relevant.

  Starting with our protagonists? the gundam Meisters. In the first half of the show especially, they actually got a surprisingly small amount of screen time. This lead to some of their development feeling a bit rushed or rather compressed. If I had to rank how much I like them overall it would probably be Lockon+Haro > Setsuna -> Tieria -> Allelujah, although it's very close between Lockon&Haro and Setsuna (yes I am including Lockon with Haro as a bonus).

  
  For the reasons of my rankings:

  1. I like Lockon, he felt the most "human" of the Gundam Meisters and his death was good and got some emotions out of me. I always like a Haro, I have Haro on my favourites, and Lockon and Haro made a good team together. Making Harro saying Lockon over and over again somehow emotional is a genuine accomplishment.

  That said, I do have 1 problem with him: The whole brief conflict with Setsuna was established and resolved way too quickly. Lockon learns Setsuna was part of the terrorist group that killed his family (A fact we also learn at the same time, as well as learning that Lockon joined Celestial Being purely to get revenge on that terrorist group) and within that same episode they have one tense conversation and the matter is resolved. It doesn't get enough buildup or time to really happen, to the point that I'm not sure it needed to be there at all.

  (I also immediately recognized him as sharing a VA with Kurz from Full Metal Panic. Voicing 2 sniper wielding Mecha pilots? Coincidence, I think not.)

  2. Setsuna. I just like him, he's a strange guy but i think I understand where he's coming from. He was a member of a religious extremist group that used God to control him, as part of CB he has effectively replaced God with the Gundams. When things start to go awry with CB's plans and it starts to look like his replacement moral foundation for his fighting may also have just been a lie to manipulate him, his internal conflict works for me. I'm interested to see where things go from here with him.

  3. Tieria I have less to say about. I don't have any issues with him, but also nothing standout that I really like. I'm hoping to see more from him in the next season.

  4. Allelujah/Hallelujah. I'm just not sure how I feel about his split personality. It doesn't help that there was also not much buildup to him destroying the superhuman research centre. I think there was 1 entire episode between revealing he was a super soldier test subject and the facility being destroyed.
     

  For the rest of the cast, there are some I like and some that I wish got more time. There is one set of characters though that I feel got a strange amount of time in the spotlight, although next season will probably determine whether it was worth it or not.

  
  It's the Saji and Louise plotline. I swear they get more screentime than Setsuna for the first 10 episodes. Most of my interest in them during this period is wondering "Where the hell is this going?" or "When will this be relevant?". To be honest, their relationship was kinda meh. Their entire little plotline was like a kinda mediocre slice of life anime that just so happened to also be in a Gundam show.

  However, I think that kinda works in its favour. Louise and her family being the victims of team Trinity's attack is a fantastic way of giving a human face to the otherwise nameless civilian casualties. It really makes them feel like a tragedy of war/conflict instead of just a pure "ooh these trinity's are evil" moment.

  It's also clear that Saji's story, and probably Louise's, is not over. I'm interested to see what happens to them in season 2.
  

  I do think there's a bit of an antagonist problem though, in that there are kinda 2 antagonists and neither of them really get enough time to shine.

  
  When I say 2 antagonists, I'm referring to Ali Al-Saachez and Alejandro Corner. Al-Saachez was the stronger of the two, he was just a more entertaining presence. That said I feel he was missing a Big Moment, he had a lot of moments but nothing that really felt climactic (which considering he's definitely not dead, means that will probably happen next season so it's not too much of an issue.

  Alejandro is the bigger problem. He's the closest thing to a main villain of the season, with him orchestrating events from behind the scenes. The problem being that he does too much behind the scenes and doesn't really get to shine as a villain outside of the last couple episodes. He doesn't really have much of a presence outside of that. I did like his final battle though.
  

  Now I'll just rapidfire through a few characters who I have something to say about:

  
  Patrick Colasour is just the best. He's pure comic relief and I liked him a lot more than I though I would.

  Graham Aker felt like a Gundam IGLOO character in the best way, with his overly strong personal attachment to the Flag mobile suit type.

  Marina and the whole Azadistan stuff was knida strange and a bit underbaked. I think she's been set up as something of a love interest for Sestuna? But she's another character who'll probably get more from the second season.

  Ribbons Almark has a stupid name and I did not expect him to seemingly take over as main villain at the end? I'm curious as to what his deal is and I'm definitely interested to see what he does next season.

  Team Trinity were kinda just ok. They were entertaining and effective at raising the threat level. They just didn't really get enough screentime to really leave an impression. I also called their face heel turn immediately (their Gundams just looked too evil). (Also, Nena shares a VA with Kagura from Gintama and once I realised that it was mildly distracting).

  Soma Peries was a character. She wasn't super interesting honestly, but I did like her interactions with Allelujah and I'm mildly interested to see where the shows going with her. I also liked Sergei's interactions with her, I like how he was clearly uncomfortable with the super soldier program and the idea of using her in combat, but was still professional and a bit protective of her. It gave them an interesting dynamic.
  

  Conclusion

  I really enjoyed Gundam 00. I'm going to move straight onto the next season now, I was originally planning on watching a season of something else in between but I think I'll just continue on with it (which probably counts for something).

  I strongly recommend 00 for fans of Gundam or just Mecha in general.

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