gundam 00 s2 1

The gang is getting back together.

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Everything old is new again. Watching the first few minutes of Gundam 00 S2, I was definitely discombobulated for a while. Wait, this is the same series that follows the series about solar power and the triple power centers? Somehow, it once again degraded into (I’m guessing) the space colonies vs. the planet earth. It almost feels like a completely new Gundam series with recycled characters, and the time skip is even more jarring than Code Geass to Code Geass R2 (and if Setsuna had a little brother following him around, I wouldn’t know what I would have done).

It’s a bit too early to pass judgment on S2, but the first episode just highlights how Sunrise delightfully tossed aside the plot and narrative of the first season. I’m definitely a bit disappointed that Gundam 00 started as a nice social commentary on solar power, and they really didn’t anything with the solar energy aspect. Now it just seems to have dissolved into yet another toy whoring commercial…

(Needless to say, I doubt I can write about this series objectively… oh wait, you don’t want me to? Makes it easier!)

Points of Interest

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New toys! Shiny!

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I see dead people… we have official broken the record for number of dead characters who have a halfway decent chance at being revived in an OP/ED sequence.

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This counts as bringing a dead character back, right? I mean… even the frickin’ car is the same. I like how Setsuna is going around rounding up the old Celestial Being members… it reminds me of Ocean’s Eleven or Gone in 60 Seconds when they’re assembling the gang for some reason. Of course, I was terrified when Setsuna mentioned only Lockon’s name during his infiltration sequence. I was hoping I didn’t have to use OH GEASS NO for a while.

(So Setsuna and Tieria didn’t talk for the past four years, yet Setsuna and Tieria are teaming up again, no questions asked? It didn’t work that well four years ago IIRC…)

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Sure didn’t take Celestial Being long to restock on bridge bunnies… I think they should have picked the purple-haired one from Code Geass R2 instead. Much hawter.

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What happened to Ms. Wong?! I like the curvier version better.

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Didn’t Louise refuse to get biological treatment for her hand? On the bright side, she might not make it on the Rukia All-Star squad this season.

(Isn’t Saji and Louise just a much sadder and more profound version of Allison and Wilhelm?)

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So Saji joins Celestial Being and Louise joins the A-LAWS or whatever they’re called… geez, lovers never get separated by two sides in Sunrise anime. AMIRITELULUXSUZAKU?

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If these things are so awesome, how did Setsuna take them out so easily by sticking plastic explosive on them? The robots from Ryoko’s Case Files are much more awesome plus the French meido trump anything Gundam 00 has come up with.

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I like how Exia has a Middle Eastern-styled cape. That’s going to be real effective in space.

(Kashim!)

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The rebels are wearing the old uniforms… ?

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Why does she remind me of Misato, specifically the Misato that did nothing but have sex with Kaji after she returned from that expedition? Why do I feel like we’re going to get a “Will Smith recruits Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black 2” scene involving Setsuna and Sumeragi next episode?

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And an emo facial distortion to tape off with.

31 Responses to “gundam 00 s2 1”

  1. Welcome back.

    And no comment on the fabulous outfits of Ribbons and his Innovators?

  2. By the way Jason, uh, I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type to complain at Wang Liu Mei, of all people. If anything, she’s MORE curvier now, 4 years later.

    Also, no wise-cracks about how ‘wild’ a bear Sergei was with Soma during that same time period? Sure, she’s around 22 NOW, but during the intervening timeskip…

  3. This new season is great. We don’t have evil Amuro narrating anything.

    Louise is the new Stella (from Destiny).

    How much you wanna bet we’re gonna hear “The world needs to change” next episode? I bet everything I have.

    And those Innovator uniforms look UGLY.

  4. … And wow, I didn’t even place a link in my previous post. Under moderation? I just commented on Wang Liu Mei and Sergei being a literal pedobear now (his ‘wild’ bear moniker having a WHOLE NEW MEANING during the time skip)…

  5. Ribbons if still FABULOUS and that’s all the matters. Also liked Terminator Exia and really can’t wait to see Char…I mean Graham’s new Zaku..I mean Flag. Hoping this either improves since season 1 ended in ‘WTF’ mode or just goes down with the ship.

    I just want to know how Sunrise keeps this QUALITY up…

  6. The doctors said that Louise’s hand cannot be implanted because the GN Particles prevented regeneration or something like that. She probably got an artificial hand a la Luke Skywalker…

  7. The doctors said that Louise’s hand cannot be implanted because the GN Particles prevented regeneration or something like that. She probably got an artificial hand a la Luke Skywalker…

    Not just an artificial hand, thanks to a certain couch potato Innovator.

    Fucking Ribbons.

  8. A Luke Skywalker hand, yeah that seems pretty fitting, seeing as they’re both blonde whiny little girls. Anyway, the fact that she’s laonding herself with pills only means fun times ahead.

    The new celestial being lacks melonpan. Until we see Sumeragi in tight white jeans again, this show just wont make sense.

  9. I don’t think we’ll have to wait long, Ruffles.

    I’m actually slightly more optimistic about Gundam 00, mostly because i’m one of those sad suckers who lap up the whole toy commercial thing. I mean, Giant Freakin robots! Its Tranformers logic, as long as you have delicious melonpan (or deliocious lack thereof) and giant robots, you have an instant winner.

    And oh jason, no sly digs at the shot of doublelujah in bondage?

  10. hmmmm I don’t think that’s emo distortion is enough….

  11. Jason, I like reading your blog… but I think I’m going to have to skip your S2 posts. You seem to be in a very negative place right now… It makes my insides sad. However, if S2 manages to achieve trainwreck status, I’ll be sure to come crawling back.
    (I did enjoy the FMP reference, though.)

  12. the gn drives on the 00 gundam look like they’ll break off pretty easily

  13. Soma is not a loli anymore

  14. Wow, man, why all the hate? Did you sorta get pissed coz Code Geass didn’t have the SuzaxLulu ending you were looking for? Or maybe it’s just the bad internetz :D

    I’ll agree with you that Gundam 00 has cast aside the solar energy concept to the sideline, but I think the whole “unity of the world” and “rebirth of the world” were the backbone concepts of the show, with the solar power concept playing second fiddle as the sort of background to those two conflicts. When you look at it this way, the whole “destroying the rebirth” concept falls almost squarely in place.

    I’ll be the first to say that the show has to be taken with a grain of salt, though. I mean, Code Geass season 1 and the first few episodes of R2 were great, but then something horrible happened. I’m hoping it won’t happen in Gundam 00, but you never know…

    Finally, I got one bone to pick with your “toy whoring” statement: if Sunrise uses its mecha anime to whore out toys and model kits, then where exactly are the Shinkiro and Gawain KMF models? Why are there 4 crappy versions of Lancelot out and no Shinkiro? That’s laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame.

  15. I believe the hate is mostly because this 00 S2-1 not only hasn’t showing anything new to expect, but stealing concepts from other series (eg: Louise as Stellar) Let’s just hope that Feldt survives the incoming trainwreck and for some decent weaponry on the Tolemy2.

    In 4 years Setsuna hasn’t the time or money to repair the Exia, but can buy weapons and follow the Titans… I mean, A-Laws? Yeah, right.
    The new GN-X’s are horrible, plain and simple. By the way, lances? Automaton mechs? Is this 00 or are we in a time rift to Wing?
    Tieria! Learn how to shoot and hit an inmobile target!!
    The only smart one (as always) seems to be Shirin: placed in the middle of the quarries between the fed’s and the colonies.

    Yes, we started with some BS thanks to Mizushima and his directors, let’s hope that we don’t end with a pile at the end of the season.

  16. “Soma is not a loli anymore”
    ;A;
    why do lolis keep growing up???…

  17. Your blog is my all time most favorite blog, but these posts are starting to sound like those crappy, negative ANN reviews. G00 has its flaws but it’s not that bad. I’m guessing that you won’t be blogging this season.

  18. I was so looking forward to read what Jason thought of the Wild Bear’s question to Soma. “Have you thought about THAT?” could mean so many things…

    And why is Ms. Wang being so modest now? Where is the dress from the first episode?

    It is hard not to make the comparison between 00 and other Gundam series. Gundam 00 is starting to look like an HD version of Zeta. And Sunrise isn’t even doing a great job of trying to mix series to throw us off. Crazy pilots from SEED/Destiny, oppressive secret government organization from Zeta, what’s next? The 3 super powers and the solar energy plots were the only original things and now they are gone.

  19. Please don’t write objectively about this series.

    Actually, if I had my druthers I’d rather you not write about this series…

    Wait what?!? Just hear me out on this, it would be a lot of work but I think it would be an awesome experiment.

    Take screenshots, much like the ones in this post and make up the story that goes along with it! It could be epic!

  20. Let me

  21. Write this down so I remind myself why I want to watch this season of gundam.

    Setsuna: got taller
    Tiera: nothing new here, even the possible yaoi moments with the New Lockon
    Saji: GET A LIFE!!!!! GOD!!
    Ms. Wong: WTF!!??? she was so much hawter in the first season. I still waiting for her’s Sexy back. :)
    Allelujah: if Hajulella come back. please oh please get a haircut.
    Lockon: rinse a repent lol.
    Felt: (Captain Falcon: “YES!!!!” ) like the new look n a actually possibility for LockonxFelt for real.
    Sumeragi: been n getting busy in the last 4 yrs :P
    Graham: NOT CHAR!!, NOT CHAR!!! TAKE THAT MASK OFF!!!
    Nena Trinity: Contender 1
    Louise: Contender 2 for the new ” emo face of the year” hopefully
    Sergei : pedobear alert o_O
    Soma: Otou-san or wife ?
    Patrick: the “Ace” is back. my ass

    on the side note, there was a female Tiera ? it would of be much better if she was in the first season. At less I can bear the pictures of what Jason show me with him in a wedding grown, ugh “shudders” :(
    .

  22. 4 years later…

    Saji becomes a girly emo loser, and Louise becomes a druggie rebel.

    …To think I had hopes for this season…

  23. >>>Saji becomes a girly emo loser, and Louise becomes a druggie rebel.

    Emo losers who have just survived being wrongly executed for suspicion of rebellion and spent significant lengths of time under high gravity don’t point pistols at hardass Middle-eastern child soldiers for their problems. They point it at themselves.

    Plus the A-LAWS aren’t the rebels, they’re the cops. Only they like their jobs a bit too much.

    Dammit, I feel like a Darkmirage slamming a Lolfang now. I feel dirty, gonna take a shower. Sorry for my hardassness, Rosegirl. Gundam does horrible things to people.

  24. Soma and Feltd grew up. wtf.
    Louise joined the opium gang from China.
    yep, this is Sunrise.

  25. Actually, what Jason has blogged/posted bout G00 even beyond the first season is true. They have deviated and disregarded the plot so much that it has now entered the train wreck zone.

    4 plots that can be observed from SUNRISE this days:

    1. Dawn of the Dead – the dead keeps coming back to life (in masked and not so masked form). Usually in an “unforeseen” wtf FUBAR moments of their lives.

    2. Power source – like how the power rangers never did explain properly how they got their stuff (It’s MORPHINE time!!! ^^) SUNRISE never did explain how they got their power source and the circumstances that arise on why, when and who.

    3. Hyper Mega Ultimate Particle Big Fucking Cannon – specially prepared in the midseason episode and grandly staged in the final episode. Combined with…….

    4. I wish I know how to penetrate you – brokenness combined with gayness combined with a sword (big ass or not) and impale your enemy with it (mobile suit/knight frame/otome powers/geass canceller is optional). It also comes with a free crap induced final statement before your opponent dies.

    All in all, not a bad series to watch if you want some shits and giggles in your life now and then…^^

  26. @ emotoaster:
    “Also liked Terminator Exia ”

    Funny you said that, because in the preview for episode two, they said that 00 GUNDAM is a Gundam to exterminate Gundams

  27. Sumeragi is like if she had sex too much and also umm who’s that curly hair guy that’s with Ms. Wong? He looks like Tieria but i’m sure it’s not him.

  28. “Sunrise Trainwreck” is like an established anime genre now…

  29. “Gundam 00 started as a nice social commentary on solar power” — damn… your right…for whatever awe the first episode gave me, the ‘respect’ and so much hard core sci-fi potential Gundam 00 had with solar power has totally disappeared.
    It’s just a terrorism/rebellion – dictatorship war again.

  30. “Myssa Rei (00:22:31, #166932) :

    By the way Jason, uh, I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type to complain at Wang Liu Mei, of all people. If anything, she’s MORE curvier now, 4 years later.”
    I think he means more revealing

  31. I totally agree with the blot writter. It seems that season 2 has been degraded. Sigh… I was so content with season 1. All the themes, dramas, dynamics, graphics, molded together into a masterpiece. Let’s see if it will become better

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