NKDS

I finally got around to marathoning and finishing both seasons of Gundam 00, just in time for the upcoming Gundam Unicorn OVAs. Despite my inherent distaste for AU Gundam series after the pure disaster that is SEED, I actually found G00 pretty entertaining, or at least good enough that something had to be said about it. So… welcome one and all, to this 8-months late overview of Gundam 00.  

Gundam 00(henceforth referred to as G00) is at its heart, a rewrite of Gundam Wing, which first aired in 1995. That is just like how SEED and SEED Destiny are rewrites of 0079 and Zeta Gundam, in a broad sense. The elements are all there; a princess that meets the main hero, pilots that often double as intelligence agents or other exotic roles, and super-powerful Gundams that are effectively gods of war capable of single-handedly destroying entire armies, at least at the start of the show. Other similarities abound, like the fact that the Gundams are assigned to their pilots right from the start of the show, and how the Gundams are owned and operated by a group possessing super-technology in comparison to the armies of the world. Replace Celestial Being with the crazy Doctors from Gundam Wing, and you get the idea.

That is where most of the similarities end. The most  important factor that differentiates G00 from Gundam Wing and the rest of the AU Gundam series has to be the human tragedy and ideology involved. People close to the pilots died in dramatic manners, and people who were not supposed to fight ended up in the battlefield for revenge against their foes. As examples, Lockon’s final stand in the 1st season has to be one of the most awesome death I have ever seen in a Gundam show, while Louise turned from cheerful ojousama into a crazed warrior out for blood. Nice stuff. 

The idea of intervening in battles to stop fighting and enforce peace is not new… the last group to try that stunt was Kira Yamato and his merry friends. But what made Celestial Being different from Kira’s gang was how they acutely felt the effects of their actions. In fact, one can argue that the events  in the 2nd season were pretty much karma coming back to bite the members of Celestial Being in the ass, with the creation of the Federation and A-LAWs pretty much the direct result of Celestial Beings’ interventions in the 1st season. Compare that to Kira and Lacus, who happily led their guys in a flawless victory over their enemies, with Lacus even taking over ZAFT for herself at the end of it all. The guys in Celestial Being definitely had to fight harder for their beliefs and their future, which naturally makes it more exciting to watch them.

So, my favourite character in this series has to be Sumeragi Lee Noriega, for her beautiful boobs understanding of mobile suit warfare and her well-rounded ass strategical and tactical sense. Its either her or Nena Trinity, because she is voiced by Kugyuu. Nah, not really, since I was half-joking. 

If I gotta choose a favourite character, it has to be Lockon Stratos, as in both Lockon Stratos. One died for revenge against Ali Al Saachez, while the other lived for the dead woman he loved. Not to mention Lockon Stratos in both seasons simply oozed style and charisma, something rarely seen in a Gundam pilot, starting right from 0079. So yeah, Lockon for the win.

And my favourite Gundam in G00? Definitely not the 00-Raiser, which has become too imba for my taste. Instead, I like the Seravee Gundam. A heavy assault Gundam with 6 beam cannons, 6 beam sabers, a small Gundam stored at its back AND piloted by a trap? And later gets upgraded to a whooping 8 beam cannons? What’s not to like?   

So… Gundam 00. I get the feeling that I should have watched it sooner than I had, but better late than never, as they say. I’ve hated Gundam ever since SEED, thanks to the crappy writing and the endless reuse of stock animation, but I am happy to say that Gundam 00 has gone a long way towards restoring some of my faith in the franchise. The true test will be the upcoming Gundam Unicorn OVAs, which has already gotten me hyped up enough to go out and buy the HGUC Unicorn Gundam Destroy Mode during AFA09. This will be the first UC Gundam in a long, long time, which already makes me pretty excited. Combine that with beautiful mecha design that I like, and my hopes are understandably high for the series. Don’t screw up please, Sunrise/Bandai. Don’t screw up.

Ok, back to watching Letter Bee, which has Nana in it. This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.