Finally Gundam returns to its roots, and gives us old-skool Gundam fanboys something really meaty and interesting to chew on. After a 12-year hiatus of non-Universal Century stuff (let me be kind when I call it crap), we're finally back to the real thing, like with REAL PHYSICS IN SPACE, believable battles, and ...dare I say it ... characters that you might actually give a damn about!
Now, if that wasn't enough to plop your ass into the couch and watch this, the series is surrounded by some really incredible animation. I'm not talking your average TV-grade stuff; we're talking about setting a whole new standard for something looking excellent on a TV budget. Visually stunning and it sucks you right into the action and doesn't let go. (Really, seriously, you need to see this on Blu-Ray, it's completely killer).
Taking place in U.C. 0096, the Vist Foundation manipulates the Earth Federation and Anaheim Electronics from behind the scenes. Hoping to create a new world, the Foundation attempts to hand over a certain secret to the Neo Zeon remnants known as the Sleeves. At the manufacturing colony Industrial 7, they gather to hatch their plot.
Meanwhile, student Banagher Links rescues a girl he sees falling through the colony's zero gravity area. The girl gives her name as Audrey Burne and says she wants to prevent a war, spurring Banagher to step into the gathering conflict...
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, June 2010
We really, really wanted to start this review by calling it "Gundamn Uh-Oh". However, they should have called it Gundam 9/11 -- because it seems that this particular spin on the Gundam universe has more to do with terrorism and the politics of energy than it does with Newtypes. Much like what's going on in the *real world*, Gundam 00 revolves around a war being fought for control of dwindling energy resources.
Gundam 00 The world has run out of fuel and now depends on massive solar panels which orbit the earth, which are supported by three orbital elevators, each of which is controlled by one of three international organizations vying for prominence over the globe. As a result, only the major international powers have access to the energy, leaving a massive chasm between the haves and the have-nots. Skirmishes, battles, and entire wars are fought over energy.
Into this world arrive the Gundams: five giant robots piloted by young men, all of which belong to an organization called Celestial Being. Celestial Being's stated goal is to end all wars on the planet, using force to achieve that end - a contradiction-in-terms noted by many characters within the series.
And of course, being a part of Bandai/Sunrise's Gundam franchise, which has been their ace-in-the-hole for some time now, I hardly need to tell you that the show looks amazing and involves both mechs, complex politics, and too many characters.
But if the sheer volume of Gundam Universal Century shows scares you, don't worry; Gundam 00 is, like its wildly successful predecessor Gundam Wing, a completely independent series from the rest of the franchise. Enjoy it on it's own merit.