Review of Mobile Suit Gundam 00

I was introduced to the Gundam Franchise by IBO, around that period in time between the airing of the first and second series - that is to say, before it totally went downhill. I then investigated 00, SEED and its corresponding trainwreck of a sequel, and the first few episodes of many other Gundam series. One thing struck me, and that was that this franchise seems to have one thing in common with itself every time: It frequently starts strong, but becomes disillusioned in the latter half, or the sequel. Of them all, 00 has the least loopholes and therefore, by that reasoning, it isthe best.

I'm also not saying this from a biased perspective, as my favourite happens to be Seed (who knows why, it's not even that good) but 00 is all-round better quality. As an added bonus, it's also the prettiest, what with the majority others having somewhat dated (but by no means bad) art styles, but I don't believe anyone could deny 00 to be pretty sleek - art-wise, music-wise, even animation-wise.

There is a diverse cast. The MC is a quiet, self-contained and reserved character of few words. It makes for an interesting story, as Setsuna has a history, and the few clues dropped will keep the viewer hooked to find out more. This is good, and it makes for an interesting, many-faceted story, but as a result, character development is minimal at best. 00 is a plot-driven show from the start and it remains such until the end.

This story starts out, and slowly introduces very many loose ends and threads, and as it progresses, everything is weaved into a tale that will have you question the morality and purpose for human existence. At first, you might wonder why your time was wasted by some seemingly irrelevant bystanders getting a good deal of screen-time, or why the astonishing number of antagonists that might not be antagonists at all, or why the Gundams themselves are on a level far too OP to make for any tension in the action. Everything comes together, and a lot of questions you didn't even know to ask are answered.

But I found myself questioning the point. It all ended with a sense of dissatisfaction. Sure, there's conflict. Then more conflict. Then more, and it snowballs. That was quite interesting to witness, but as someone who loves to delve into the mind-space of the characters, it was challenging to see everything end without a resolution that truly felt conclusive. But at the end of the day, 00 is an action mech show - and one of the best of the best at that - thus, it is highly recommended.

Although, if you don't want to see all logic destroyed, I suggest you steer clear of the sequel movie. Wishing you fun in viewing Celestial Being change the order of the world, thanks for reading.