[Anime Reviews]

Gundam 00 7-9: fight fire with fire

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Gundam 00]

It’s taken long enough but I’m finally beginning to get into this show. It’s no coincidence that this is where we get to know the Gundam Meisters and the other Celestial Being members a bit more and have a better grasp on them as people. My opinion that the importance of the characters is paramount rings true even here, amidst the busty girls and shiny mecha. Setsuna loses his composure (not to mention causing one of his colleagues to stop speaking to him) and Lockon Stratos takes a hit in the Raw Nerves area too. Up until now I thought that the Meisters have had it too easy, which is fun to watch in some respects but is a bit boring in others; seeing them argue, fall out and suffer setbacks, albeit minor ones, reminds us that they are indeed human. Up until now seeing the Gundams fight was like watching someone shoot fish in a barrel - a nice gun and shiny mechanical fish, but less satisfying all the same.

I was especially intrigued with the idea that the rather shabby doctrine of ending war by waging war was a cover for whatever Celestial Being are really planning; it also poses the question of whether the Meister pilots are fighting under false pretences with the true intentions of their organisation being hidden from them. Sucks to be them in that case, but I really do think that Saji’s sister could be onto something.

[2 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Gundam 00 4-6

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Gundam 00]

I have to say that no anime series since Gasaraki has got me as hooked as this on the politics. Speculating about what will become of Middle-Eastern countries whose economies are driven by the oil industry when the reserves run out is really thought-provoking - and doesn’t seem outside the realms of probability either. You can actually see shifts in power and influence being started by events such as those that make up the background of this show, which is a nice bonus. Unfortunately I’m still watching Gundam 00 on blind faith: I keep telling myself that it’s going to get *really good* soon (there are already some good signs, but still…) and that the writers do actually know what they’re doing - I hope what I see as plot holes are merely pieces of plot that have yet to be revealed. If I’m to stick with this show I think it’s going to be a long haul flight - the problem is, I can’t take it altogether seriously. Put it down to how giving blood makes me light-headed or something.

[2 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Gundam 00 2 and 3

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Gundam 00]

I watched The Empire Strikes Back this evening. That old clichéd scrolling text drifting into the distance that happens at the beginning made me chuckle but as amusing as it looks now, it jogged my memory about an aspect of Gundam 00 that was niggling at me. We were treated to an entire episode without a word of explanation behind the worldview initially, but at the beginning of ep #2 the whole reasoning behind the orbital elevators and the outline of the politics involved was finally spelled out before launching back into the story proper. Personally I think that the background was pretty important and needed to be explained earlier - had they decided to do that I might have appreciated what was going on in episode #1 much more. On the plus side, the talking heads and newsflashes offer some promise of a decent storyline but still…the tactic that anime series take in making opening episodes that are intentionally confusing and often not representative of the show as a whole still annoys me a bit.

Girls of Celestial Being don’t like getting their feet wet. That’s what bishies are for

[5 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Gundam 00: First Impressions

Posted by Martin  [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Gundam 00]

I could’ve lumped this into the forthcoming second ‘Autumn 07′ post but there was no doubt that I’d be checking this one out; y’see, I’ve never actually seen any Gundam before. That might seem as incredible coming from a sci-fi nut such as myself as saying I’ve never eaten bread, but I’ve always been a Macross kind of guy. Besides, the fact that Gundam has OVER NINE THOUSAND sequels, spin-offs and retellings is a bit intimidating to the uninitiated…in which case, check out Sir Haggis’ invaluable Ultimate Guide to Gundam on his blog.

Insert random NGE reference here

[4 Comments]