It's a great scene and makes sense, everyone involved believes they are doing the right thing, and all can prioritize preventing the devastation of the continent over their disputes.
While I do agree, it is a re-hash of the Axis Shock event, the climax of Char's Counterattack movie back in the UC. This one is extremely impactful as well but the Axis Shock was at the time the culmination of the Universal Century plot line so it hit way, way harder. Still, if you are going to steal something, better steal from the best and also do it justice, which I believe 00 does.
There's more to 00 Riser than just weapons and engines. It's main purpose is stabilization of Twin Drive sync - mentioned in the show, because both drives are not 100% compatible coming from different Gundams. To have 100% compatible GN drives they must be build specificially for this purpose which Celestial Being achieves only few years later in 00 Quanta. 00 Riser helps 00 Twin Drive system to achieve 100% sync. Also with 00 Riser 00 Gundam can achieve true TransAm, because again - 100% sync rate between both drives.
Fun Fact: Ribbons was voiced by Toru Furuya, the voice actor for Amuro Ray and as someone who's an old UC fan, it was fun to see that Ribbons' piloting suits that are references to the Guntank, Guncannon and original gundam (with reborns coming in somewhere in the middle)
Not only that, Reborns Gundam originally means to have 3 mode, referencing Gundam, Guntank and Guncannon with Reborns Gundam Origin, but the Innovator change it into Gundam and Guncannon only. This 3 reference concept is used for Reversible Gundam from Build Fighters Battlogue, including the change between Ribbons AI to Amuro AI, a nod to both of them have the same voice actor
And Ribbons ending in the 0-Gundam was basically just fanservice in the sense of "Amuro once again piloting the RX-78" being honest it was just a treat that moment.
Don't forget the Gundam build ova where they brought him back as Ribbons in Reborns Gundam and had him straight up face off against Char and his original VA in his iconic Red Zaku II. I love how these 2 have so many run ins with each other in their respective mechs be it Gundam shows, spin offs or even Gundam parodies (Gintama).
Not going to lie, Patrick "Immortal" Colasour was one of the highlights of the insignificant side plots meant to take us out of the depression that is the show's main plot. I was always rooting for him to get together with Kati. As dumb as he is, I always thought they made a good match. The sheer luck that man has was always amusing.
Honestly he is one of my favorite characters in anime. He get's his arrogance beaten out of him, yet demonstrates he does have skill to back up his boasting once he gets a GINX to close the tech gap. He finds someone he loves and does what it takes to persue her, growing into a better man in the process. (A better man, not a different man.) He is actually a good match up for her, helping her to loosen up and remain positive no matter how dark the situation gets. Plus the writers let the two of them actually get their happy ending, and that is just too damn rare not to appreciate. Patrick is there from the start of the first episode to the epilogue of the movie and it's a great set of bookends.
The scene of Setsuna's awakening as the very first true Innovator is one of the coolest scenes in 00, and honestly, you basically skipping over it so matter of factly did it dirty. The awakening of his true Innovator abilities being tied to as much of a mental as a physical change is beautifully done. His body is basically ready to go for a while, you can see the quantum brainwave effect in Setsuna's eyes in a lot of scenes before the awakening actually happens. The moment he, in his despair as the battle is being lost, realizes he can hear his friends and compatriots in a way that doesn't involve his ears, and thus opens the door to a much deeper comprehension, and yet comprehends that only a miracle can save them, is the moment that final link in his thought process is forged and he truly awakens as an Innovator. And the 00 Raiser recognizes that happening, and unleashes its ultimate ability: Trans-Am Burst. The miracle he needs happens. In that moment, the distinction between Gundam and Meister disappears, and together become the avatar of the future. In that moment, Setsuna becomes more than just the first Innovator. Setsuna truly becomes Gundam.
It was really cool if you don't mind the stuff many simply dismiss as "Newtype bullshit". If you're in that camp though, it just sounds like more of that. I understand both perspectives.
When I first watched Gundam 00, honestly, Season 2 felt like the "main season" so to say, with S1 feeling more like a prequel to S2 rather than S2 feeling like a sequel to S1.
My favorite joke of any Gundam is when Mileina asks Setsuna and Marina if they're romantically involved, and they both immediately say "no" in a super flat way.
I always flipflo between if they should or shouldnt have been involved like that. On one hand its interesting that theyre not and its just mutual respect
@@asimhussain8716 Haven't properly read the manga but I've seen images and yes Setsuna did use some sort of ELS power to make Marina young thus they married
@@asimhussain8716 Eh, sometimes the manga having a different chain of events is cool. Just not this time. I will never not stan for the manga versions of Evangelion and FLCL.
The Exia R1 in the first episode of season 2 is still one of the most striking scenes in Gundam period, that scene is amazing, just the music, the GN particles, the quick slash before the turn around and Ribbons remarking, "Its Exia, Gundam Exia", is one of my favourite viewing experiences with my brother and cousin to date we were so hyped even though Exia got wrecked after
Honestly I think 00 actually handles the metaphysical stuff better than the UC does with Newtypes. Mainly because unlike Newtypes it actually does what story insists it does.
@@ryanmoore6259 The problem is character's who the audience are meant to agree with often ramble about how Newtypes will bring a new age of peace. I think the issue is that newtypes were clearly intended to act as a metaphor for humanities potential to change for the better, but the metaphor fell apart once they had to continue the story with Zeta.
I thought Setsuna's "I am Gundam" was the most unintentionally funny line ever, but the "Louise. Saji. Mother. Colonel. Morie. Anew. Veda. GUNDAM." just might top it. Also, Smirnov was a real one
Exia Repair's entry was so badass, an older suit that was still deadly. And the way Lockon used trans-am for one second to destroy revive. Stuff like that made this particular Gundam memorable to me!
I was originally groaning when Lyle appeared in season two, but it wasn’t until re-watching season one that I realized that they had introduced Lyle as Neil’s twin, which then made Lyle, much more palpable in my opinion. It was a blink or you’ll miss it moment upon first viewing.
I'm still not a fan as I understood the Gundam Meister's to have a lot of personalized training and Intel prep which Lyle couldn't just...do, regardless of who he is Though it's Gundam so you kinda just gotta roll with it sometimes I guess
This still stands out to me. It felt extremely lazy. I wish maybe Lyle was a part of season 1 or something. It overall feels just like the same character. It feels like Lockon didn’t actually die.
@@alexanderkentopp3070 I mean he wasnt able to do those stuff well. Or at least anywhere near the level of his brother. He still had to have had training from Katharon, so he was somewhat capable.
@@casualnerdjason6678 I disagree, given the running subplot that Lyle is a totally different person than Neil. Both in personality and in skillset. The other members start off treating him as a revived Neil, and have to learn to treat him as his own person, even retooling his Gundam to fit Lyle's skills, turning it to an assault mech rather than a sniper spec. Meanwhile, Lyle has to reconcile himself to his brother's legacy, going from acting worse than he is to differentiate himself, to proudly wearing the Lockon Stratos codename. It isn't explicit, or constantly in your face, but that doesn't mean it isn't there for those of us that pay attention.
@@casualnerdjason6678I actually think it’s a pretty good concept, it’s an interesting dynamic to watch how the Ptolemy crew react to seeing a dead man’s face on a near completely different person, especially Feldt
Unsure if I said this in the s1 retrospective but Gundam 00 is what got me into Gundam... I ADORE it... And I sincerely want more of it.... As an aside... I think the 00 dub might be one of Gundam's stronger dubs....
By splitting Gundam 00 and Code Geas into two seasons each Sunrise made some mistakes and learned some valuable lessons. Lessons which have been heeded and well used in IBO and Witch From Mercury, lessons which should have been heeded but weren't during development of AGE and Reconguista. AGE particularly with it's multi-act structure could have benefited immensely from being split into three or four seasons. I personally never finished AGE because the third protagonist really didn't grab me like the Asemu had. Marina has a similar bit to Relena but without the benefit of nostalgia so her character arc doesn't hit for me. I honestly prefer Relena, Lacus, & Kudelia.
Fun fact: in the scene after Ali shots Setsuna with the gn particle infused bullet if look closely at the gun you can see red gn particles coming out of the barrel.
If I'm not mistaken, OO is the only Gundam series that takes place in A.D. still and not in some far flung off distance future where somehow they changed Date measurements, not counting the Build Series'. In any case, it's one of the best Gundams out there.
Honestly I think 00 actually handles the metaphysical stuff better than the UC does with Newtypes. Mainly because unlike Newtypes it actually does what story insists it does.
if gundam 00 S1 was a 9, S2 was an 8. not as good, but still pretty dang good. for the movie. I suggest watching more than once. it's easier to process.
Yes there were moments of weirdness where Ali just let Setsuna and Marina go when he could have just kill them upon arriving middle east in a transport ship. Also, you should have mention that 00 has the best ending song of all Gundam, still.
00 is a really great entry of Gundam, and I have never been able to decide if it is in spite of or because of its incredibly high density of non-sense. There are like half a dozen types of of super-humans in the story; some being related and others just being weird one-ofs. Like Half the plot revolves around Inovaders but there is a random cyborg that is revealed to be a cyborg seconds before he dies and nothing is made of that. But I respect the high level of "yeah that is what is happening" commitment and just rolling with the plot turns the series has, it was definitely not made by cowards and committed to the weird vision the creators had.
I've always considered Season 2 worse due to throwing away a lot of the multi-faction politics that made the first season so good and treating some characters really poorly, but Season 2 does pay off a lot of setup that the first does. You really can't get one without the other. It's why I still love both (and the movie despite its flaws) as a whole complete entity. Also, Season 2 is just such a spectacle that it really scratches that itch that Season 1 couldn't really do with its many lopsided battles.
The A-Laws are a more realistic take on the Titans, because unlike the Titans, A-Laws have near-enough full control of the media, which means that barely anyone knows of their evil deeds, where the Titans seemed to commit their atrocities entirely out in the open and nobody other than their opponents seemed to particularly care. A-Laws are also a tad less moustache-twirling about the things they do and have at least a tangible justification for their draconic methods and a couple of somewhat sympathetic members, rather than consisting entirely of genocidal maniacs. The scene of Luise breaking down after killing Nena might be the hardest hitting scene in all of Gundam for me, that never fails to get to me. The way she is extatic and laughing and then calls out to her parents and it transitions into anguishied crying is just heartbreaking. Absolute props to the voice actress here (of the original Japanese anyway, I haven't hear the English dub and the German dub is ABYSMAL).
If I'm not mistaken, Gundam 00 and Code Geass were created around the same time by Studio Sunrise. When a season of one show ended the season of the other show would begin, and the former would go into production while the latter show was running.
I always loved the innovator plot so much more than the "newtypes" plot for several reasons. First because what they can do and the purpose is solidly explained, and how they come about is exained enough. And second because its made cleare it's a guided evolution and that the proliferation of true gn drives in a post unity world will not only result in largely fixing the energy crisis of dont right but the use of them will help more innovators just OCCUR naturally.
Speaking of stargazer and the 00 movie I SUPER recommend checking out SD gundam G generation cross rays an insanly fun and fanservice filled SRW like that focuses on non-uc gundam continuities. Stargazer is there, as well as the actual best part of SEED, SEED astray. And a certain gundam from the movie is just one of the most insanely overpowered suits you can unlock in the game.
00 is my favorite non-UC Gundam series. It really is commendable; Saji makes it through 2 whole seasons and a movie of Gundam as a regular civilian, and not only does he live, but he achieves all the goals he had! Upon a rewatch I think Saji might be my favorite character.
My favourite Gundam series but agree with you about the 2nd mori, what they do with Marina and Wang Liu Mei a better backstory for her would be if she was kidnapped as a child and saw the horrors of humanity that's why she wants the world to change. Also agree it has some banger op and ed songs.
I think Season 2 is a little weaker than Season 1, with more obvious plot twists (Anew's a mole? SHOCK!!!) and more standard Gundam tropes (Clearly Evil Governmental Organization, Masked Rival, Doomed Love iInterest), but it's still a solid entry.
00 Season 2 is a different beast from the first season...and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It falls into more typical Gundam territory, which I personally am not usually a fan of, but it's no more egregious than other UC entries that employ the same things, and honestly I'd rather watch 00 again than most UC series anyways. Having evil Amuro and the final fight be somewhat reminiscent of the original in that they fight in their original Gundams was a nice homage to. (Other than Trans-Am just being one large Char reference among other things) 00 manages to eke out as one of the highs on the list of AC Gundam series, and serves as a better Wing in a lot of aspects, and while some of the magic from the first season is lost, their ultimate message is shown more eloquently than other series, and I respect that they're using the usual cliches to make their own thing, without just aping off what they are referencing.
When you say that Marina has little to do with the main plot I have to disagree, Marina is an integral part of Setsuna's development as a surrogate-mother figure, from as early as being a child we all know that Setsuna shot his parents as part of his indoctrination into being a child soldier and so lived out the rest of his formative years with no parental figures, and when seeing Marina be so quickly accepted by the war orphans (a scene that makes me cry every time) Setsuna also mentally decides of the acceptance of Marina as a replacement/surrogate-mother and her song becomes a reason for him to fight so those child will have a future free of conflict. Edit: Just want to add that i personally love that the fist person to kill an Innovator is Tierria, shouting out his defiance of their warping of The Plan and defining himself as a human being. Edit 2: Alleluyah has one of the best lines in the entire series in the final episode; when fighting Hilling Care he speaks the following quote that perfectly sums up The Innovator's, "You're all so dependant of Veda! you don't have what it takes to beat us anymore!", and Lockon finishes off Revive Revival with one of the most brutal finishers in Gundam as a whole by literally blasting the shit out of the cockpit point-blank.
Season 2 was a wild ride and in a very, very good way. I love how more things had their revelations and settled, whether from the last season or in the same season. Also Marina Ismail's song can be a tearjerker. Children singing their hearts out while Setsuna fighting Ali without any instrument will forever be etched in my minds.
I think the main issue with the second season for me is they had set up so many plot threads and character arcs to tie up that some of them didn't land with the impact they possibly could have. Other than that, I largely enjoyed season 2 though, especially as a fellow Zeta enjoyer. I think 00 was ulimately successful in keeping the spirit of Gundam while still being a pretty distinct entity in its own right in both narrative and mecha aesthetics. Coming directly from the heavy fanservice-oriented Cosmic Era was something of a relief. Other than that, really looking forward to your mecha retrospective. It's a subgenre I love, but I don't have much exposure to anything pre-80's outside of MSG.
Lyle was actually a better shot than his brother in the simulations, the difference in piloting style was because he hated being compared to him. This is especially apparent when he gets a suit designed with his feedback rather than his brother's.
@@ponquin Since they said it shortly after he was recruited. It was on if the red flags he threw up for CB but they ignored it because they were desperate.
I believe in either the SEED or Destiny vid, you mentioned how it was a poor attempt at paying homage to 0079. I think Ribbons in 00 is one of the good attempts at that with his suits, both Reborns and 0 Gundam reference 0079 along with the Japanese voice actor, which was already mentioned in another comment. In case of Liu Mei, while we are fed (too much) exposition that she wanted to change the world, I think it wasn't clearly explained why she felt that way, or maybe wasn't explained enough. It is a shame considering they had a lot of time to repeatedly explain why she's in that grey area but not why she felt that she needed to change the world right away. For Lyle, while I agree with most of the points mentioned, I still like how s1 was already building up on him a bit. It was as little as a brief appearance and a mention but it helps in not making him look like just a Neil clone slapped together in a rush for s2.
So the reason the show feels jumpy towards the end of episodes, like when Setsuna is flying over the burning city, is because they put small 10~15 seconds of the episode after the credits in some of them. It was a rather annoying thing anime did around this time, FMA:B is also guilty of this.
Yeah I made sure to watch those every time. Im mostly referring to situations like when Louise has the 00 in her big Mobile armor claws, and then there is a big explosion and when we cut back to them they are just fine. Weird stuff like that in the middle of episodes happened here and there on top of the weird after credits stuff.
A point about the music - its made by Kenji Kawai, who does a TON of movies, anime, and games. If you watch the IP Man movie series, you'll hear very similar songs/arrangements. Its kind of awesome actually.
A lot of ppl who liked 00 S1 absolutely hated S2. I never understood why. I thought S2 was a good an logic progression of the storyline and characters and enjoyed the show as a whole 🤔
It was because those people didn't like how it went into "gundam norm" elements but it is a criticism I personally find a little shallow because season 2 still carried the themes of the first season and did progress what it is building towards and developed the characters further.
Hearing about the Gundam 00 sequel back in what...2020? I was so happy, 00 was my first series back in 2015 after buying the 00 7sg HG Gunpla at a con and wanting to know the show it was from. Loved it, I've watched almost every Gundam show since then, and I'm STILL WAITING ON THAT SEQUEL HURRY UP (also, I heard you say "Bring Stabity" while writing this and it finally clicked that I think his name is supposed to mean Bring Stability xD)
@@ferhog7705 I'm sure I remember seeing a reference sheet art of Graham Aker after surviving the events of the movie, so I'd be surprised if they put effort into that to not make it at all
The movie is something else, CCA on acid. It also has the most ridiculous Mobile Armor in the Gadaleza, that fucker is almost the size of the White base, like a few feet smaller.
For me I really liked the first season but this season was a bit of a step down. They bring back characters that I felt like didn’t need to be there. But overall good show
hell yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa im glad you liked 00. it is my fav series of all of gundam right next to gwitch and uc as a whole.
Bro that PS2 sound at the beginning just opened all my nostalgia ports. I'm leaking nostalgia man BRO AND you are using Metal Arms Glitch in the System main theme!!!! I just wanna say thank you for giving us great mech content. Your smooth edits and even smoother voice helps make these 40 min videos fly by
00 feels like the writers of the show took a look at gundam wing and decided to improve upon it and fix the things that weren't given much thought even if they change the plot a bit.
Watching this (and your 1st season retrospect) before I play Super Robot Wars Z2.2 Saisei-hen to refresh me of Gundam 00 events. Yes, it's been years since I've watched the show.
While I do believe its implied the inovades are genderless like how biblical angels are supposed to be I do think they at least have mental genders, given the fact Anew and Lyle had a relationship, Ribbons while seeing himself as god is most likely in reference to Lucifer who while described as beautiful is still referenced as Male and while Tieria does crossdress he did have a voice changer to pretend to be female at the ball, while Bring Stabidy and the Bring clones are portrayed as male and everyone else are female including Regene Regeta
00 was a great series. To me Trans-AM is the super saiyan of mecha suits! I didnt understand the story too well when I first watched it but the action was great. This was the redeeming series to me for the mess that was Gundam Seed.
Trans-AM is one of if not the best super mode in a mecha show I've seen. It has a logical root in the tech as presented before it's reveal, it has a significant drawback to limit it's use and prohibit it being just the new normal, and it's applicable to any machine running on the GN reactor tech. (Such as Celestial Being's ship in S2.)
00 had one of the better endings and the movie while I have issues with it the end was nice seeing Setsuna meet the queen again as the mcs in Gundam can't romance well even mikazuki who had a kid. Setsuna saying there is no God every 10 seconds was so bad especially when the blame is a zealot warmonger who loves to zealot snd warmonger in his own words. Side cast colonel Sergei best older man in gundam period and his death was so sad especially to that rotton son of his but the movie makes up for it Issues with some deaths are they come quickly and honestly no weight like the Trinity siblings who had no personality aside crazy and the girl dying was totally a good moment as she deserved it for being a terror for no reason. Seriously someone explain why theh exist like ioix in ibo where we need crazy people in the cast so the main cast aren't looking evil by comparison
While I'll always love Gundam 00 and consider it top tier anime, I still liked season 1 more than 2. The leaning into transhumanism and the whole Innovator/Innovade stuff kinda dragged it down for me. The Anew and Lyle romance also felt kinda forced and silly, with them not realizing she is a "bad guy" while probably every viewer did the second they saw her purple hair, lol. While transhumanism has been a major part of gundam over multiple series, I still thought the pure geo-political and character driven storytelling of season 1 was stronger and grounded. That said, the animation and soundtrack were top notch throughout. "Ash Like Snow" was my favorite opening.
Honestly, I could never finish s2. I loved the unique worldbuilding of s1, and the very militarized MS and different faction styles. When they did away with that, it just seemed like they were trying to do what SEED tried to do. On top of that....not a huge fan of the GN particles looking like fairy dust or the beam cannons that for no reason look like fantasy knight lances. It was amazing, in s1, to see the struggles of Graham Aker and his team in developing and improving the Flag so as to see if it still held relevance on the battlefield despite being one of the most advanced MS of its time. That side story alone had more stakes to me than whatever Celestial Being and the power rangers were trying to accomplish. And sadly, s2 cans those unique stories in favor of a "corrupt world order that needs to be exposed" plot we've seen thousands of times over.
00 Gundam is probably one of the better non-UC shows after Turn-A and G Gundam in my opinion. It's story is still solid and it has good ensemble of characters. Main conflict is cohesive and ideas and themes are clear and understandable. It does have several issues but in general goals and reasons of characters are clear so it's definitely understands what it's doing better than Wing, its characters do feel like they actually mortal unlike in Seed and villains are definitely 3-dimensional unlike in AGE. And it definitely spends time to make sure that characters have proper motivations for their actions (even if they aren't always smartest and somtimes selfish, but it's still miles ahead of whatever the BS G-Reco had for character motivation).
In my humble opinion this is honestly the best gundam series they have fledged out characters you grow to love over time, the gundams were cool, ribbons was an amazing villain, and its really similar to code geass (which is one of my fav animes)
30:26 You neglected to mention that the reason this was so funny was because it was after we were shown the other pilots saying the names of their loved ones.
Love the review man!! 00 is my all time favorite, one battle scene that has always been my favorite was Lyle’s last fight with the innovator! Pushing his battle dmg gundam to the limit for a last “second” Hail Mary transam juke was pure adrenaline fueled badassry!!
Excluding the movie sequel, Gundam 00 is my personal no.1 favorite Gundam series, and quite possibly the greatest non-UC series ever made alongside the oh-so-fabulous Turn A Gundam. What do we have? We have... Setsuna as the "Gundam Himself" (even his birthday coincides with the Gundam franchise itself), Ribbons as essentially "Evil Amuro", Exia and its successors being "best girls" (no wonder Setsuna prefers them over Marina or Feldt), Immortal Colasour existing to make fun of Kira's plot-armor moments, Sumeragi being one of the best female captains in Gundam ever, interesting story, interesting characters (despite some annoying ones), Innovades having silly names, awesome soundtracks (including the incredibly epic Raiser Sword theme), amazing mobile suit designs overall, and... the first time Gundam really went bonkers with Newtype magics through Innovators - aside from the Unicorn novels which were already in publication at that time. 00 gave me a fun and sometimes wild ride throughout, and I'd happily rewatch it every time I feel the desire to.
That's always been my problem with Gundam as a whole. It's not enough to have cool robots fighting in space. Nah man, we need psychics and space Jesus to come and take the spot light. Who cares about the robots. It's all about the Newtypses, and Coordinators, and Inovators, and whatever the hell Wing calls the Zero pilots. Every UC spinoff has the mythical Newtypes as all powerful individuals. We need future prediction abilities and supersensory vision so we can talk to our enemies while naked.
Awesome retrospective 00 was one of my favorite gundam series being a straight up successor to gundam wing, curious if you plan on doing a retrospective for code Geass??;the care and keep up the good work
Gundam 00 is the one series out of the non UC ones that is brave enough to answer the question: How do you end the endless waltz? The destiny that war is inevitable and will never end? Albeit idealistic, 00 answers that it is done by truly understanding each other. It one ups itself by adding that upon attaining true peace we can then start and be ready for space faring and meeting other intelligent beings in the universe. Even better, it uses the very technologies featured in the series, GN particles, GN drives, quantum brain waves, and the newtype fill in of the show: Innovators, to resolve the issues, which is a good use of plot elements. On a separate note: Andrei Smirnoff remains as the most pointless, and most hated Gundam character for me
00 second season to me was even better than the first. For the reason you said much better pacing. There's always something going on in the story was a lot less political and less moving parts Similarly, I also thought the "Veda, Gundam!" Was the funniest moment in any Gundam TV Gundam 00 truly is easily the best. I wish I could say the same about the movie
