Review of Mobile Suit Gundam 00
What makes a Gundam so darn fascinating? Maybe because instead of shooting each other with a rifle or machine gun, we literally extend our body into a mechanized suit that does the shooting for us. On an unprecedented scale. I was introduced to Gundam when I was much younger, and the appeal never went away. That sharp nagging of "man, wouldn't it be just dandy to control one of those?" as powerful as ever. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 far exceeds entertainment value as well as drama, music, and other outstanding characteristics. Story: 9/10 Set in the (almost) near-future, humanity has formed into three relatively accurate blocs:The Union (North/South America), the AEU of Europe, and the Human Reform League that covers most of Asia and Russia. To destroy their reliance on fossil fuel, humanity finally did the sensible thing and created three huge solar power arrays, thereby weaning themselves off of fossil fuels and other rare Earth commodities. This created a Solar Power Wars they frequently mention, but never fully explain. These three blocs, after the Solar Power Wars, currently fight, bicker, and arms-race each other constantly. Suddenly, an organization called Celestial Being randomly announces itself, declaring its message of eradicating war by using force. That extension of that force would be the Gundam Mobile Suit, far more advanced than any other military in the world.
This, of course, leads to conflict. The whole world simply won't bow down to new masters and obey; human nature isn't naturally submissive. Therefore, the world fights back. Hard. Setsuna, the main protagonist, has a watery past that slowly resolves itself into focus as he pilots his Gundam, Exia. I won't go into much detail, but let's just say the story has enough plot-twists to keep you constantly on your feet and enough mind-numbing action to keep your eyes glued to the screen. Love, love LOVE. And all throughout there is a deeper plot, a more ominous undertone that frequents itself more and more towards the end. It keeps you guessing; there are bigger powers at play here than readily apparent.
Art: 9/10
Holy. Shoot. These Gundams were drawn and executed to minute detail; battle scars, battle wounds, flashing lights, explosions, ship carriers, even the environment; it was like an eye-orgasm for a solid 25 minutes. If things weren't exploding in your face, the environment was rapidly changing. There were so many story-plots, it almost became convoluted; however, the art flawlessly transitions to each story, and I loved the emotions in the character's stance. The way the characters were drawn remind me vaguely of Code Geass; tall and lanky, yet these characters were built more stocky and round. I love me some good artwork, though; it didn't matter if the setting was in space or Earth or somewhere else - it was a living, walking, breathing colorful monster of artwork.
Sound: 9/10
Eye-gasms aren't the only thing keeping you to the screen. Multiple times my ears overflowed with the dulcet melody of my favorite part of anime: the voice acting. I can't watch English dubs simply because they do not convey the emotional feeling or raw power these characters exhibit by simply being themselves. And Gundam does not disappoint; each character has their own personalities and characteristics, plainly obvious in the voices. The explosions and sound effects shouldn't be ignored either, simply because it was music to my action-prone ears. Beautiful, beautiful sound.
Character: 10/10
Why is character development a perfect score? Because it fulfilled my expectations, perhaps exceeding it in some cases. When a main character's arc throughout the story is filled with letdowns, emotional highs, and a roller-coaster of feelings, you're left breathless because you BECOME that character. You feel what he or she feels, you sympathise and pity their impossible predicaments. And when you become this attached, each victory or defeat is either a stab of euphoria or a lance of pain. This also means something crucial: you related to this character, and that's what makes it special. Setsuna is just that sort of person you get attached with. You hate him at first, but then he kind of grows on you. If he's not your type, ladies, there's always the other three male Gundam Meisters and a few other "hotties" from other militaries, of course. But I'm off on tangents; main point: the character development was flawless. Every main character had their moment and more, which made for a sound anime.
Overall, this was a thing of beauty. There were almost no shortcomings, besides that it should be longer (thank GOODNESS they made a season 2). I know I'm watching this late, but hey, everyone has to start from somewhere. All in all, though, the story was riveting, the artwork dazzling, the sound loud and forceful, the characters beautifully presented. I was not in the least disappointed, and I recommend to all of any age because it was just so darn good. I was left with a glowing feeling of warm satisfaction. And finally: the world is always changing. Will you be the one to change it?