I agree with mostly what u said although I find it very unrealistic humanity making Gundams and other awesome weapons in just 300 years and personally I did not really like the OST of this series compared to the OSTs of GS or GSD (those had awesome OSTs)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 tv Review
The series is set in the years 2307-2308 AD of the Gregorian calendar. During this time, fossil fuels became exhausted and the distribution of fuels became imbalanced. Humanity must rely on an array of solar power generation systems orbiting the Earth, and supported by three orbital elevators, each one pertaining to one of the three "major powers" on the planet.
The Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations, consisting of the Organization of American States, Australasia and Japan, control the elevator located in South America. The Human Reform League, consisting of China, Siberian Russia, India, the nations of South Asia (excluding the middle-Asian states of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan), Mongolia, the member states of the ASEAN, Papua New Guinea, the Korean Peninsula, and Taiwan, control the elevator located in the Pacific Ocean. The Advanced European Union (AEU), consisting of Iceland, the islands of the Barents Sea, Greenland, Anatolia, European Russia and the entirety of the traditional continent of Europe, control an elevator built in the middle of the African continent.
With this infinite source of energy benefiting only the major powers and their allies, constant warfare erupts around the globe for fuels and energy. The nations that rely on fuel have plunged into poverty. Many believed that solar energy threatened the "promised land of God". The chaos lead to the formation of a private military organization, called Celestial Being, dedicated to eradicating war and uniting humanity with the use of four humanoid machines called Gundams.
The series follows four mobile suit pilots termed Gundam Meisters, sided with Celestial Being. The protagonist is 16-year old Setsuna F. Seiei, a quiet, taciturn young man who grew up in the Kurdish Republic, and a Gundam Meister for two years. He pilots the GN-001 Gundam Exia, a high mobility mobile suit effective in melee combat.
By: zegesbar79
Story & Characters
This series is set around three centuries down the road from now, where fossil fuels are now defunct and countries are relying on solar energy. However the control of the three orbital elevators lies in the hand of three superpowers, and countries who are not members of these three organisations does not get to enjoy the benefits. As what human history has shown, when resources are unevenly distributed, those without access to them would resort to violence to get a hold of them. Meanwhile, a private armed organisation that intends to stop wars with force (with their superior mobile suits - Gundams) had just made its debut on the world stage.
The story is the first of the Gundam franchise with an Anno Domini timeline, and this has piqued my interest right from the start. With the mechanically-impossible Gundams and technology, it would be rather hard to link the story to reality. And yet, the story manages to bring in several very real issues that we are trying to deal with in today's world. Just as we are facing inequality in energy distribution, they are facing it as well. Just as terrorism is a big concern today, it also a common sight in three centuries time. There is even mentions of current-day conflicts, showing us that conflicts never end. There is even the use of real world concepts in terms of some of the technology featured. This gives the story more depth, which I feel that the previous Gundam Series does not have.
After watching the first couple of episodes of the first season, I was afraid that the conflict between Celestial Being and the world might be too one-sided and the only strength of Celestial Being lies in its technologies but I was wrong. The story is well developed even in fighting scenes, rather than just fighting and Celestial Being winning, the strategies are well thought out and this makes the series more enjoyable.
The main characters are also well developed, with little bit of tidbits revealed here and there. However, it seems that only the main characters and male characters are more developed. There is a serious lack of female characters and even those who are features more prominently are not as developed as the pilots. Perhaps this is due to the series being split into two seasons and emphasis are given to the pilots who are more important. We do see more development in other secondary characters in the second season, so I suppose this is the case. We can also see more development of the main characters in the second season, which seemed incomplete in the first, which again I think, is due to the series being split into two seasons.
Rating:
Art
I like the character designs, they are clearly defined and it is very easy to distinguish one character from another. There is also no wild hair colour for the most part, which is a refreshing change from the usual characters I see in animes. This also make the story more realistic, I suppose. However, there is one character, Tieria, who constantly makes me confused. When I first saw him, I can't believe that he is a guy. And I was confused when I saw another guy who looks like him in the second season. The expressions of the characters are also very clear in showing what they are feeling, without seeming over exaggerated.
The backgrounds and scene details are also well drawn, and the characters fit in very well with the background. Being
animated in high-definition, it also means that the images are always sharp and crisp and this do wonders for the
fighting scenes. Action and mecha lovers will no doubt love these scenes.
Rating:
Sound
The seiyuus really did a good job with this one. Setsuna's voice seems to matured for his 16 years, but he is able to act innocent and speaks with a innocent voice when he has to. And I can't belive that the Seiyuu is the same as the one as Tamaki in Ouran High School Host Club. Sure, they sound the same, but the tone is totally different! I also love the sharp contrast needed for Allelujah's character. Tieria's voice was rather unexpected, although it suits his character rather well, I suppose it is due more to his feminine looks. It took me sometime to reconcile his pretty face with a masculine voice. Even though I already know that he is a guy, I still expects him to be soft-spoken, like Allelujah. Still, I have no problems with the voice acting generally.
The OSTs are great - and the background music fitting. I am very particular about background music and I really like the OSTs for this series. The music for battle scenes are grand, majestic and if needs be, sorrowful. The characters' music also reflects their background, Setsuna's hints of his Middle-Eastern heritage, Allelujah's of his tragic past.
Not much to say about the openings and endings, except that I don't really like the first OP and the first ED. Despite this, the lyrics to the first OP is still rather fitting for the series.
Rating:
Presentation
It was really slow at first and you don't really see much of a development in the story at first. But after that, the story gets more interesting. I like how the issues discussed and how the technology tries to link as much to the current world as possible. It makes this series stand out among other mecha series and more enjoyable. I also like how the Celestial Being deals with their enemies as their enemies got stronger, using strategies rather than their superior technology so that there would not be as much loss for them, and how the enemy side has shown that technical superiority is not everything, it does not only add realism and enjoyment to watching the show, it also impressed me with the fact that an Anime can include so many realistic elements.
Being a serious anime with serious topics, humor is not very important but you can still see flashes of it occasionally and reminds us that despite the serious situation, there are always things to laugh about and enjoy.
As the anime has yet to end, I can't really comment on whether the concept is clearly put, but I would say that it is coming along very well and whatever that has been shown has been on the right track.
Rating:
Final Verdict
8.0000 (good)
Reviewed by spiritsword, Nov 07, 2008
Comments
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vatican92 Nov 16, 2008
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MetalhedDex Dec 21, 2008
I agree with most of what you said but I probably would have upped the score by .5/1. It's a step above GS and GSD for sure and the animation is amazing
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spiritsword Dec 22, 2008
MetalhedDex, I definitely agree with you that Gundam 00 is better than GS and GS, but since the series have yet to be finished, I can't up the points, as it's to early to decide on presentation and plot line, perhaps, when it's completed I will present a new review.
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crazy-kuro Banned Member Feb 09, 2009
I also agreed that Gundam 00 is better than previous Gundam series . The plot become to change . GS and GSD plot were a bit boring .
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tsuyoshi7171 Feb 21, 2009
los mechas y los chicos son muy guay
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ZEUSSHADOW Feb 28, 2009
Gundam 00 is really good.The story is complex it is much better than the other GS and GSD.I do like the english version,well I haven't seen it sub,but thats what I think anyway.I'm still waiting for the second season to come out dub hope it happens soon.
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chumbariwap123 Apr 23, 2009
good review, this series is great, i love watching it
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yuyuppi Jun 07, 2009
dun like mecha at all,but the story really interesting
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pmgbapm Jun 23, 2009
It has a movie on 2010...
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lordryo Jul 21, 2009
I love gundam!
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Ilona Aug 04, 2009
There was an interesting setting to Gundam 00 but how they use it made me... The first half of the first season was really boring, they put the accelerator after but it didn't seem to make lot of sense though it was really enjoyable. And... I have only seen a funny moment in the first season of 00 ^^' , the soap-opera-like one with the two Haros... even if it is pretty against all the atmosphere of the whole season.
I was also disppointed with the second season, especially the kamikaze moment... though there were few lovely moments like the tower destruction and the operations just after, it was easily the best moment of the serie.
So Gundam Seed will stay for me the best Gundam serie I have seen, the plot is well-built and is heading towards a direction, the characters behaviours are understandable (unlike the lost ship 00 was).
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SchRita Aug 23, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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Rodrigo0010 Sep 03, 2009
good job! nice review
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SchRita Oct 31, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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Fanatik007 Nov 02, 2009
not bad review, thanks
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rukasu04 Mute Member Nov 10, 2009
Nice review
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animalandia Nov 14, 2009
Ok muy buena rese
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killrainXKillrain Mar 02, 2010
lets wait for the MOVIES NEW STORY NEW GUNDAM
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cassia Mar 04, 2010
I for one Love Gundam 00
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SchRita Aug 28, 2010
I like it, too.
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