gundam 00 14

BUT THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE! IF YOU WANT TO CROWN THEM, CROWN THEIR ASS!

image

My reaction to the new OP/ED, but you knew this one was coming: OH GEASS NO!

It’s almost like if Sunrise bigwigs went to the production team, “You know, even though this isn’t a halfway bad premise, you’re not selling enough toys, your ratings are getting creamed by a microbial anime, and you’re not attract enough of a female/non-traditional male audience.” And the production team decides to toss us a bishounen-enchanced OP/ED along with even more plunging necklines all the way around. Of course, this could also be because it’s the Loveless team, and they are exactly who we thought they were.

Nevertheless, this episode is just a setting up episode for the major beatdown to come next episode. The major factions want to capture the Gundams still, the Meisters are still idiots, and Sumeragi’s melonpan are still gravity-defying. We do get some much needed screentime for the bridge bunnies, and a bit of every plot angle. It’s like the sampler appetizer of Gundam 00.

Points of Interest

image

The ED reminded me of One Piece‘s fourth OP, Bon Voyage!, with shots of Robin and Nami in bikinis replaced with Lockon cutting Setsuna’s hair. Toss in the shirtless scenes with Setsuna and Allelujah and the angsty looks, and I think Friends is officially the most homoerotic Gundam ED of all time.

This whole ED just baffles me. Everything in this episode has been about the Meisters and Celestial Being not being friends and not hanging out with each other. Should I be imagining them having cookouts along the beach and cutting each other’s hair all of the sudden?

(I’m trying to think of the last time there was a hair cutting scene in anime, and it has to be Chidori and Sagara back in The Second Raid. Of course, there was some sexual tension between those two. My question, which I immediately regret asking: is the tension between Lockon and Sagara more or less than Chidori and Sagara? Oh well, at least it further fuels the Gundam 00/Full Metal Panic parallels.)

image

The OP, Ash Like Snow, isn’t bad and shows off the new mecha for Gauron. I’m a bit surprised that Saji and Louise got the sixth spot in the OP, right after Marina and right before Ms. Wang. Saji and Louise! What have they done?! At least Ms. Wang serves a purpose for Celestial Being and occasional contributes to the plot, but Saji and Louise?

image

I still don’t get Saji’s and Louise’s role, but it was hilarious seeing them drag Setsuna into their mess. I enjoyed Louise bitching about Setsuna, and I enjoyed Setsuna’s “Wait, when does this threesome start?” look. Though I was disappointed that we didn’t see a Pizza Hut logo and Louise clutching a Cheese-kun doll. Man, Saji is so whipped.

image

The three factions are still trying to capture a Gundam. What is this? Pokemon? I feel like I’m watching Team Rocket trying to capture Pikachu for the umpteenth time.

(I don’t think they’ll blow up any of the Gundams, as if any of the Meisters are getting a mecha change, the new OP would have given it away. However, there is a very good chance they’ll succeed in bringing down Setsuna. I was going to run a “Which Meister will get his ass kicked first in the upcoming battle?” poll, but I’d think Setsuna would run away with it.)

image

I’ve said this before, but the Celestial Being complex on earth sure looks like one of those pr0n pads in Malibu. And, actually, this pad is different from the earlier one. Honestly, if I stumbled across such a lush housing complex with the bridge bunnies in revealing swimsuits, I would have thought I stumbled across a Hustler shoot.

image
image
image

Woohoo! Ms. Wang in a bikini, but Sumeragi has to trump her with a swimsuit that shows off even more skin than the purple number back in episode 8.

(The Sumeragi shower scene was too blurred and wasn’t as good as Meyrin in a towel.)

image
image

And three outfits for Ms. Wang (even though she used the red angular look before in episode 4), with three types of hair decorations/styles. I think it would be hilarious if she kept increasing the number of ponytails every episode by one until she had six and started nibbling on Sumeragi’s ears. Well, maybe “hilarious” isn’t the right word.

image

Christina needs needs to bully Felt more. If there is a Kyrios, “shopping” is an euphemism for something.

image

When Tieria was complaining about everything that has gone wrong so far, he singled out poor Setsuna, for good reason. The boy can’t seem to go three episodes without doing something really, really stupid. I still wonder if that is part of Veda’s plans or not.

image

This episode’s dumb Setsuna act is that he goes and pays Marina a night visit. He flies his Gundam halfway around the world for a possible booty call? Okay, that’s not unforgivable, but he asks her a metaphysical question, and then bolts before she even finishes. What is he thinking? Why Marina? Why risk exposing yourself and Exia? Why not ask the other Meisters or any of the other members of Celestial Being?

(Yes, I was disappointed that Setsuna didn’t go, “I’m not gay, and I’ll prove it right here and now!” instead. That would have been epic and caused a huge uproar in the blogosphere.)

image

But Setsuna doesn’t win the worst decision award for this episode. Billy does. He shares the capture the Gundam plan with Sumeragi! “Here, we have this top secret mission, but since I want to get into your pants, I’m going to try to impress you with it.” Last time they met, Sumeragi covered up a bit, but, this time, she deploys her assets. (It’s a great strategy for poker as well.) Though part of me thinks that it might be a trap since if Billy knows Sumeragi’s style well and analyzed the HRL battle, he may have a hint and might be using this battle plan to confirm that Sumeragi is involved with Celestial Being. Though, I don’t think that’s the case. This isn’t exactly L and Light-o squaring off here.

image

Even though it’s a complete and utter trap, Celestial Being is going to intervene (as per the next episode preview). Celestial Being has to go for story reasons, but the logical course of action is just to skip this one and intervene in other places. There’s still wars and problems in other places of the world, right?

(Tieria’s pink sweater gets more and more comical each and every episode.)

image

It’s 2307, and even though fossils fuels have been exhausted, Lockon drives around in a car with a manual shift. (Electric and hybrid cars generally have continuously variable transmissions.) Shouldn’t they be driving around in hovercars or something by then? If they can make a Gundam fly, I demand a flying car as well.

image

And, finally, from last time

Jenx: I can even believe that Sumeragi breast are real. But I will never believe that any counrty out of the blue would elect a depressed teenager as monarch of there country.

I would agree with you, except the past two weeks, I’ve watched Kindergarten Cop, Predator, and Junior. If you told me back in 1997 that the star of those three movies would become my two-time governor, and that he’s actually doing better than the one proceeding him, I would have laughed in your face.

(Off-topic, but I’m enjoying the new Terminator series. They’ve re-written the continuity of that story so many times, it’s making Batman seem stable. Time jumping makes everything more confusing, but I think they need to incorporate the “can’t time jump with any object, including one’s clothes” bit into Haruhi Suzumiya.)

Sheba: It’s not like the show is Dune or something like that, Paul Atreides is a way more credible resistance leader figure than Lelouch can ever hope to be.

You apparently haven’t read any books after Dune or any of Brian Herbert’s works, have you? They make Gundam 00 seem like Crest of the Stars.

Epi: Not sure which subs you’re using, but as for the Conclave Mendoi subs go, DarkMirage (the translator) said in his blog that the official captions said ‘broading mode’.

If you’re talking about the CC, I think it’s a screw up. “Boarding mode” makes a lot more sense, and the CC system is not accurate by any means. Like, uh, “broading” isn’t a word. So isn’t “haruhigasm,” and, as usual, I have no point.

0utf0xZer0: Seriously, the good guys in this show are so overpowered that the fights seem completely pointless.

It’s the same problem with pretty much every Gundam series, and Wing was by far the worst. It’s the Superman problem, and I’ve written about it many times before. Full Metal Panic got around it by giving Sagara an ultra-powerful mecha, but it wouldn’t obey him 100%. (Though his new mecha, well, it’s like power overwhelming.) Gurren Lagann got around this problem by scaling everything up. Of course, having balanced mecha doesn’t solve the problem… Code Geass as an example. I should devote a 3,000 word post for this… maybe after thin slicing.

20 Responses to “gundam 00 14”

  1. Hey Coach! This commenter’s suggesting Sumeragi’s breasts are too big to be real, can you believe this guy?
    “THEY ARE WHAT WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!”
    Huh??
    “I HAD THEM WHERE I WANTED THEM, AND I LET ‘EM OFF THE HOOK”

    Sumeragi! Sumeragi! Care to comment on the rampant speculation about your breasts?!
    “They’re real … and they’re spectacular!”

    Coach Parcells! The Human Rights League keeps trying to steal one of our Gundams and we haven’t figured out how to stop them…
    “If you dont have a guy on him, he’ll hurt you bad, real bad.”

    Sorry, it’s 3:30 for crying out loud. Once I started I didn’t know when to quit.

  2. >Even though it’s a complete and utter trap…

    I lol’d hard at the implications. Which “trap” are we talking about here again? You really hit the nail on the head hard on that one.

  3. But Setsuna doesn’t win the worst decision award for this episode. Billy does. He shares the capture the Gundam plan with Sumeragi! “Here, we have this top secret mission, but since I want to get into your pants, I’m going to try to impress you with it.” Last time they met, Sumeragi covered up a bit, but, this time, she deploys her assets. (It’s a great strategy for poker as well.) Though part of me thinks that it might be a trap since if Billy knows Sumeragi’s style well and analyzed the HRL battle, he may have a hint and might be using this battle plan to confirm that Sumeragi is involved with Celestial Being. Though, I don’t think that’s the case. This isn’t exactly L and Light-o squaring off here.

    It reminds me of the Monty Pythons’ sketch “Hitler in England”, he was telling his politics in every brits’ plain sight.

    You apparently haven’t read any books after Dune or any of Brian Herbert’s works, have you?

    I read up to Heretics of Dune, not any of Brian’s Herbert. It’s hard to trust anyone continuing someone else’s work. Just like how Lovecraft universe in not the same when it is written by random authors instead of the master.

    but I think they need to incorporate the “can’t time jump with any object, including one’s clothes” bit into Haruhi Suzumiya.

    All-woman Mikuru knocking down her past self with a taser for a free school uniform? I am all for it!

  4. i dont know with u guys… but i aint complaining with sumeragi’s breasts… i think they are amzingly great…as in Haruka-neesame amazingly great.. i probably wud have dropped gundam on my anime to watch list if it werent for those breasts…

  5. >Oh well, at least it further fuels the Gundam 00/Full Metal Panic parallels.)

    Yes, except the roles of Sagara & Chidori are both played by a guy.

    Urgh…

  6. Oh, and Sumeragi’s breasts scares me. :(

  7. That was pretty much the most hilarious ED of the entire past year that I can recall. These guys all hate each other and now they are hanging out cutting hair and BBQing like good ole pals. And then it shifts to SUPER ANGST MODE and shows them in various states of undress and despair. I was laughing so hard it hurt.

  8. That was pretty much the most hilarious ED of the entire past year that I can recall. These guys all hate each other and now they are hanging out cutting hair and BBQing like good ole pals. And then it shifts to SUPER ANGST MODE and shows them in various states of undress and despair. I was laughing so hard it hurt.

    It need to be changed into something that’ll make the purists and people wanting it to be SERIOUS BUSINESS cry:

    Like the female cast doing a cheerful cheerleader dance in pompom girl uniforms.

  9. Yeah, the new ED, like, sucks. It is probably the worst one I have seen. I mean, others are boring, or the song sucks, but this is incredibly ridiculous (and I dont like the song either).

    Could someone explain to me this whole “It’s a trap!” thing? Thanks a lot :)

  10. Indeed, OP.

    The show needs Patrick Corlasawar to kick more @$$, Soma Peiris and her ridiculous hairstyle, Graham Acre looking cool, Saji-Louisse-Setsuna comedy, Shirin Bakhtiar being creepily sexy, and Tieria going “ZETSUBOU SHTAA!!”

    I had my doubts about Director Seiji. I would go “…………” every time I talk about Gundam 00. Since when does a terrorist group get a chance to relax on beaches wearing sexy swimsuits? And then there’s the overpowered Gundams plummeling regular mobile suits once again.

    I feared the worst: Overshadowed main characters who are otherwise cool. Re-used re-used animation. Characters with “Kira Yamato -esque invincibility” and “Athrun Zala style script immunity.”

    But that didn’t happen. This ridiculous rollercoaster ride is quite pleasant by far. It manage to combine Gundam Wing with Char’s Counterattack in terms of story-telling.

    Notice how the show always cuts back to Saji and Louisse; boring non-pilot, non-action characters who just happen to know the main character. That’s a revolutionary change from the “Oh lets focus on the popular characters” story-telling that those idiots Fukuda and Morosawa had introduced.

    So yeah. “…………………+”

  11. >> I’m trying to think of the last time there was a hair cutting scene in anime, and it has to be Chidori and Sagara

    TTGL with Yoko/Nia. Unfortunately that’s about all the input I can give for a gundam post.

  12. Don’t give up on Felt, Lockon! Don’t settle for Setsuna! Haro may be an oversized vibrator, but it doesn’t have a large gundam rifle!

  13. There is still a ‘Net connection by 2307 right? How come they don’t just google on “How to make a gundam?” Or better yet, they better buy some gundam for dummies just to get some real intelligence. The thing that really frustrates is that why their actions make no sense. Or maybe those from the production team doesn’t read the news anymore (because it is one thing to know the present real world and another one to create an anime base on a future “real” world). Maybe its because it’s the outside-looking in complex but even then, applied with realistic situational conditions, how come not one of them has been kidnapped, killed, raped or maimed at least? It’s supposed to be war out there but all they’ve been doing is shopping and getting some tan on the way (Hmm, I have no complaints of ms sumeragi’s and ms wang’s breast seeing that i’m bi. ^^)

    And oh, setsuna is dumb. If you are in the middle of night in a girls room and the girl has the hots for you then what is the most logical thing to do? Apparently for setsuna, it is to fly away. What in the world are they feeding teens for tomorrow? Maybe it’s the effect of eating genetically enhanced beef…^^

    And lastly, who needs gundams??? If a third world terrorist group can create a dirty bomb or can hit a political activist (Pakistan), what is the use of a humanoid mobile armor in their time? Lastly, how the heck do they maintained their gundams? I would reckon that it will cost upwards of a hundred million bucks (Seeing that the spare parts of an F15-C cost at least $500,000 depending on which). Bleagh…^^

    Gundam meisters suck, ms sumeragi and ms wang are pure win…^^

  14. lol POKEMON GOT TO CATCH THEM ALL

    you got 5 rare gundamon!!!

    and one legendary melonpan gundamon that not hold back by gravity!!!

  15. You might be right about the secret base looking like a pr0n location, but having not seen many of those and seen far too many sixties puppet shows…

    It’s Tracey Island! Celestial Intervention is living on Tracy Island! Where are they hiding Thunderbird 1, that’s what I want to know.

  16. I have no idea what his name is, but that guy who was filming Sumeragi and Ms. Wang… good for him! At least guy person on this show like girls… but then why the hell is he wearing that white and red stripped 1920s swimsuit?!?

    As for Tieria, I’m waiting for the eventual scene where he wraps his pink cardigan around Setsuna from the back and shows him his drill that pierces th…

  17. As for “shopping” being an euphemism for something, I wonder since Christine is 22 and Felt is 14, would it be illegal in the future? Does it matter since they are both female? And Christine sure likes them young, 14-year-old Felt and 19-year-old-at-the-time Allelujah.

  18. To be honest, I sorta stopped following Gundam 00 for a while, since it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. From a musical aspect, audio only, the new OP is pretty good though…

    Also, am I the only one who sees a Lacus shout-out in Felt? Long pink hair, frilly bouse and skirt, Haro, and she’s using Lacus colors (white top, purple skirt).

  19. Sumeragi’s breast is the best lol

  20. Gaydum Girls?
    Please… get the girls be gay as well?
    http://gelbooru.com/index.php?.....;id=141474

Leave a Reply