Mobile Suit Gundam 00

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.