Mobile Suit Gundam 00 #01 — Mecha Mecha Mecha

October 6th, 2007

 

It’d almost be worth watching this just to get to Mobile Suit Gundam 00 7 for the Bond jokes.

Impressions:

Let me pull out the mecha soapbox for a moment. Seriously, I will never understand the attraction of giant robots wailing on eachother. Even when your series is about magical giant swords, the fights are real. When somebody gets hit, you can empathize. When somebody gets kicked in the junk, you wince. When somebody gets their arm pulled off their shoulder, you feel it. When the same thing happens to giant robots… you cheer maybe? Unless it’s the good robot being attacks, in which you watch it triumph despite a giant gaping hole in itself. It cheapens any and all attempts at drama around the battles and makes everything feel so very very contrived. Maybe tearing the arm off hurt the pilot, maybe it did nothing. Maybe the entire thing was cut in half, exploded, and then launched into the sun, but the pilot’s still fine. Why? Because the writers say so.

Okay, I’m done with the mecha hating soap box for now. The above should clue you in that I really have next to no interest in Gundam 00, so you should really not rely on me for… well… any sort of impartial opinion on it at all… and probably just skip anything I have to say and go look at the pictures. Luckily, there was next to no plot or character introductions in the episode at all and it was just robots flying around and whatnot, so that gets me off the hook from actually having to decide whether or not I like the characters for a show I’m not going to watch. It was well animated enough, and Sunrise always has good composers on hand, so no complaints on the production values front.

Aaaaaaaanyway, I just like to cover every first episode of the new season. You never know what’s going to be different from expected or surprising. Gundam 00 was, predictably, neither. I’m sure Gundam fans will find things to enjoy, and I wish them well in their endevor. Me? I’ve got magical harem fantasies to look forward to for tomorrow.

No summaries for the first episodes. I write as I watch, and I don’t know if I’ll care about a show until after the first episode.

Posted in Anime | 9 Comments »

9 Shouts From the Peanut Gallery

  • Danny Choo says:
    October 6, 2007 at 8:35 pm

    I thought the first EP was good. Not amazing but enough to keep me coming back.

  • Genjitsu says:
    October 6, 2007 at 10:26 pm

    The appeal of giant robots fighting each other is different from other forms of shounen fighting. You’re not meant to empathize with the pilots per se – it’s all about the visuals. I mean, giant robots are COOL LOOKING, and even better when in motion. If you can’t relate to that concept, then yea, most mecha shows aren’t meant for you. Gundam has tried to be better about this, instilling all sorts of angst and drama into the pilots themselves such that the mecha’s still there, but again, only for visual effect.

  • saimaisama says:
    October 6, 2007 at 11:54 pm

    I agree with Genjitsu. XD. I’m not a huge Mecha fan either but I guess enjoy the fights because it looks neat too. Then again, if it were just fights between giants fighting robots, I’d probably not watch it … (which is precisely the only reason I like GS and GSD XD)

  • O.D says:
    October 7, 2007 at 6:26 am

    As much as ‘having no interest’ entitles you to a not so impartial opinion, I’m unimpressed with the comparisons between Bleach and Gundam 00. They are two different genres altogether, and fortunately, not all fans are that mindless to just simply cheer for the good side when it cuts off limbs of the opposing mobile suit. Think Gundam Seed Destiny’s Kira haters.

    Anyway, the show took off on a decent note. not a bad way to introduce the organisation Setsuna was working for.

  • Sheba says:
    October 7, 2007 at 7:51 am

    instilling all sorts of angst and drama into the pilots themselves such that the mecha’s still there

    But that’s also what the most successful shonen have done.

    Look at Hokuto no Ken (example), beyond the exploding heads, there were conflics of opposite ideals, etc…

    I can see what the blogger is telling. Myself, I have been NEVER impressed by the drama elements of Gundam, or its attempts to show horrors of war like some of its fans have chanted as top notch.

  • Sante says:
    October 7, 2007 at 11:41 pm

    Please don’t drag Hokuto no Ken into this Gundam mess.

  • Wasd1 says:
    October 7, 2007 at 11:42 pm

    Not as much of a impact in the first Ep, but over all I cant make an opinion. For that reason I will have to see the 2nd. :) I don’t like the save the world organization part; we seen it before all over the place and that speech about stopping all war reminds me of Outer Heaven’s (Metal Gear) propose. Not a negative thing but not an “Oh my god this is surprising and amazing” thing either.

    2cents

  • Abimael says:
    October 8, 2007 at 9:00 pm

    i love the intro!!!! where is the Op video
    L’Arc they rule
    on aside note, this is my first gundam series.
    i have to say it looks decent but the utopia plot eeeeh.

  • chibimon says:
    October 14, 2007 at 6:01 am

    I’ve only watched the 1st ep. but so far it have quite an impession on me. The artstyle here changes dramatically from other Gundam series, no more big eyes stuff but narrower ones. Its concept of Gundam being a one-of-a-kind stuff but not every-pilot-has-to-have-one concept like in GS or GSD but overused ones like “like a war to end all wars” or “the main character have some type of painful experiences with wars” or there’s at least 1 psychopath, pro-war guy.

    Many characters in 00 seem to have a Chinese or Asian heritage or something, especially the ones that are involve with Celestial Being. The intro. is really good.

    Maybe this one is a prequel to how Gundam is use in th other series, who first invented it or something like that????