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Year: 2007-2009
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Episodes: 50
Rating: 4.75 out of 5
War has been going on since humanity could walk and talk. War is intense and violent combat between two or more countries, states, or governments. There are many reasons a war might happen. For one, there is an economic gain that can lead to a territorial increase. Sometimes it’s to spread nationalism or get revenge on someone. Whatever the reasons, war is terrible, and many lives will be lost. What if an organization came out with high-tech weapons intending to eradicate war. They would be the ones to make sure the earth is at peace. Would you follow them? Gundam 00 is an anime where a group of soldiers tries to achieve that goal.
Overview
In the year 2307 AD, mankind has deleted fossil fuels. The world has been left with a significant energy crisis leaving mankind to find a new power source. The world has found the best alternative in the form of solar power. Different nations decide to set aside their issues and form three major factions. The Union, the Advanced European Union, and the Human Reform League were formed. Each of these factions controls one of the orbital elevators, which gives them limitless energy. With only the major powers and their allies benefiting from the energy source, constant warfare erupts around the smaller nations as they fight for the scraps.
As a result of all the chaos and destruction, Celestial Being, an unknown paramilitary organization, appears before the world. Their mission is to rid the world of all warfare through armed intervention. Their weapon of choice is mysterious, superior, and technologically advanced Mobile Suits called Gundams. With their Gundam Meisters Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism, and Tieria Erde, the four hope to destroy violence and change the world forever.
Review:
I am going to try my best not to compare this anime to Gundam Wing. Gundam Wing was by far the best Gundam series ever in my eyes. The storyline, characters, Gundams, and everything else were just excellent. It was the first Gundam series I saw on the epic Toonami. I will say that Gundam 00 is a definite second in my eyes, as it hooked me from the beginning and kept my attention all the way through. The story’s progression and characters are top-notch, and it has a different feel from Gundam Wing.
As in most Gundam series, the story of Gundam 00 is fascinating. In this anime, three major blocs control the world, problems arise with war, and each one oppresses some other place. This story is fascinating because the central theme is eradicating all wars and uniting all nations under one banner. When Celestial Being makes its debut, they show off its advanced weaponry in the form of Gundams with a broadcast of a public statement by Aeolia Schenberg, who died more than 200 years ago.
The resistance that other nations and forces put up against Celestial Being is one that should be noticed. Initially, no one likes Celestial Being and sees them as a threat because the idea of getting rid of war seems far-fetched. The beginning of season one shows the superiority of the Gundams. As time passes, the other nations and forces start having their own machines rivaling the Gundams. When this happens, all hell breaks loose as each one either sustain losses or has a heavy toll taken on them.
Season one of this anime was fantastic. It showed all the characters and the progression they took. It started slow because you wondered how Celestial Being would make this dream a reality. You see the different personalities and reasons each Gundam Meister has for doing what they do. Take the main protagonist Setsuna F. Seiei for example. Homeboy grew up in the war-torn Middle Eastern Republic of Krugis, and those battle-hardened days drive him to be the undisputed champion in getting rid of war. In season one, when the three major powers see that they cannot fight on the same level as Celestial Being, they untie under one flag to combat the threat. Behind everything is usually a major villain. In season one, Alejandro Corner, a former Celestial Being observer, plans to use the chaos and destruction created by Celestial Being to rule the new world. He takes over Veda, Celestial Being’s supercomputer, until we find out there is a bigger threat them him. Season One ends with all the Gundams getting their ass handed to them and debating if they should continue their mission.
Season two picks up four years later. What I love about this season is that everything has changed. Even though it looked like Celestial Being had disbanded, Setsuna is still keeping up the fight. This season is when shit gets really crazy because we are introduced to the Innovators or beings that are subsets and have superhuman abilities. Setsuna goes H.A.M as he seems to advance and become a pure Innovator. You have to watch the anime to realize what I am talking about. The battles in this season pick up as they become more intense. What I like is that the evolution of the Gundams takes a step forward. They start off with being powerful tools of destruction. Then they get a new drive that seems to speed them up. Then Setsuna goes god mode and seems to not be stopped by anyone, and some of the most annoying characters die. It is a beautiful thing to see.
The animation is by far one of the highlights of this anime. The colors are crisp, and when a Gundam hits a new level, the animators made sure to show it. The battles are drawn with care, and there isn’t that strange look CGI in the anime series. What I see often is the coloring of characters. I don’t know why some anime series draw characters with the same color hair, and eyes. Does it make them distinctive? Yes, but damn, people love that purple hair and eye color.
There are many characters in this anime. We are going to hit on the main ones. Setsuna F. Seiei is the primary protagonist of the series. To me, he resembled Heero the most from Gundam Wing. He is the current pilot of Gundam Exia. As a child soldier, war really messed his ass up. Setsuna claims he no longer believes in God and fights his ass off to make Celestial Being’s dream come true. Lockon Stratos pilots the Gundam Dynames. He joins Celestial Being because his parents and younger sister were killed in a terrorist bombing. As the group’s oldest member, he seems to have the most level head. When the first Lockon dies, his twin brother takes his place and is a little more outgoing. Allelujah Haptism is the one that is the most jacked up in the head. The reason is that he was a super soldier experiment as a child. During that time, he developed a split personality. When his eyes are grey, Allelujah is in command. As this person, he is calm, thinks rationally, and tries to get along when everyone. When pushed, his eyes turn golden, and Hallelujah takes charge. Hallelujah is a straight-up sadistic person. He loves destruction and has zero remorse in killing someone. The final Gundam pilot is Tieria Erde, who controls so many Gundams that you lose track. Tieria is the one that is most in tune with Veda and seems more of a robot than a person. He is arrogant and cold towards the others, but as time goes on, he does soften up and becomes part of the team.
Gundam 00 is a fantastic anime that everyone should watch if they love the Gundam series. The characters are great as each one brings in their personal feelings and baggage to the series. The battles are outstanding as the intensity of each one increases with each episode. The storyline is spot on with trying to eliminate war and unite the world. Watch this anime.
