Mobile Suit Gundam 00
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| Mobile Suit Gundam 00 | |
|---|---|
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| 機動戦士ガンダム00 (Kidō Senshi Gandamu Daburu-ō) |
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| Genre | Drama, Mecha, Science fiction |
| TV anime | |
| Director | Seiji Mizushima |
| Writer | Yōsuke Kuroda |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensor |  Bandai Visual  Bandai Entertainment |
| Network | MBS, TBS |
| Original run | October 6, 2007 – March 29, 2008 |
| Episodes | 25 |
| TV anime | |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensor | Bandai Visual |
| Network | MBS, TBS |
| Original run | October 2008 (scheduled) – unknown |
| Episodes | TBA |
| Game: Mobile Suit Gundam 00 | |
| Developer | Beck |
| Genre | Action, Anime Robot |
| Rating | CERO A |
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Released | March 27, 2008 |
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (機動戦士ガンダム00 Kidō Senshi Gandamu Daburu-ō?) is the latest television anime of Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise.[1]
It is directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and features character designs by Yun Kōga. The series was first officially announced by Sunrise during a 15-second trailer on June 2, 2007.[1][2][3] Gundam 00 will consist of two seasons, with the first one containing 25 episodes. The second season is set to go on air in October 2008.[4]
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is the first Gundam series to be animated in high-definition,[5] as well as the first to be set in a non-fictional era (Anno Domini).
Licensing for a North American release of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 was announced by Bandai Entertainment at New York Comic Con 2008 on April 18, 2008.[6]
Contents |
[edit] Story and settings
[edit] Plot
- Further information: List of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 episodes
- See also: List of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 factions and List of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 technology
The series is set in the years 2307-2312 AD of the Gregorian calendar. During this time, fossil fuels became exhausted and the distribution of fuels became imbalanced. Humanity must rely on an array of solar power generation systems orbiting the Earth, and supported by three orbital elevators, each one pertaining to one of the three "major powers" on the planet.
The Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations (世界経済連合 sekaikeizairengō?, abbrev. ユニオン Union, lit. World Economic Union), centred around the United States and consisting of the Organization of American States, Australasia and Japan, control the elevator located in South America. The Human Reform League (人類革新連盟 Jinrui Kakushin Renmei?, abbrev. 人革連 Jinkakuren, lit. Human Reform Alliance), centred around China, Siberian Russia, and India, and including the member states of the SAARC (excluding Afghanistan and Pakistan) and ASEAN, Korea, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Taiwan, control the elevator located in the Pacific Ocean. The Advanced European Union (AEU), consisting of Iceland, the islands of the Barents Sea, Greenland, Turkey, European Russia and the entirety of the traditional continent of Europe, control an elevator built in the middle of the African continent.
With this infinite source of energy benefiting only the major powers and their allies, constant warfare erupts around the globe for fuels and energy. The nations that rely on fuel have plunged into poverty. Many believed that solar energy threatened the "promised land of God". The chaos lead to the formation of a private military organization, called Celestial Being (ソレスタルビーイング Soresutaru Biiingu?), dedicated to eradicating war and uniting humanity with the use of four humanoid machines called Gundams.[1][3] Mobile Suit Gundam 00 follows four mobile suit pilots termed Gundam Meisters ( ガンダムマイスター Gandamu Maisutā?), sided with Celestial Being. The protagonist is 16-year old Setsuna F Seiei (刹那・Ｆ・セイエイ?), a quiet, taciturn young man who grew up in the Kurdish Republic, and a Gundam Meister for two years. He pilots the GN-001 Gundam Exia, a high mobility mobile suit effective in melee combat.[7][8]
[edit] Characters
Setsuna F Seiei (刹那・F・セイエイ Setsuna Efu Seiei?)
- The primary protagonist of the show. Having been discovered by Celestial Being at the age of 14 for having special potential as a pilot, he is currently a Gundam Meister for their organization, piloting the Gundam Exia. Setsuna's real name is Soran Ibrahim; Setsuna is his Gundam Meister codename. He was a child soldier in the war-torn Kurdish Republic.[9] He murdered his own parents under Ali Al-Saachez's influence in order to prove his devotion to God,[10] and hence bears a deep hatred towards Saachez. Due to his previous religious brainwashing (and awakening from it), Setsuna no longer believes that God exists within the world. Setsuna believes that war can only be stopped through direct confrontation, and therefore has little tolerance for diplomats and politicians, believing that their "peace talks" only lengthen the conflict and cause more casualties.
Lockon Stratos (ロックオン・ストラトス Rokkuon Sutoratosu?)
- Lockon decided to join Celestial Being after losing his parents and little sister to terrorists in Ireland; because of this, he loathes terrorists. As the eldest pilot, he is considered the team leader of the Gundam Meisters, and sports a more easygoing, flamboyant personality as compared to the other Gundam Meisters. He owns an orange Haro to aid Gundam Dynames' defense and movement when sniping.
Allelujah Haptism (アレルヤ・ハプティズム Areruya Haputizumu?)
- Allelujah spent his childhood as an orphan in the Human Reform League as a Super Soldier experimental subject. While generally gentle and rational compared to the other Gundam Meisters, he has another harsher, unstable, and outright sadistic alter ego, named Hallelujah inside him.
Tieria Erde (ティエリア・アーデ Tieria Āde?)
- A boy with a rare kind of beauty, his history, nationality and origins all a mystery. Within his gentle tone, he can give a sense of cold intentions. He values the mission above all other issues, including life, and doesn't show any 'concern' for his teammates. Tieria seems extremely loyal to Veda, and will go to any length to ensure the secrecy of Celestial Being remains what it is, a secret, even if he has to kill other Gundam Meisters himself to achieve this end.
[edit] Production
| Planning | Sunrise |
|---|---|
| Original Concept | Hajime Yatate Yoshiyuki Tomino |
| Series Composition and Screenplay | Yōsuke Kuroda |
| Original character Design | Yun Kōga |
| Animation Character Design | Michinori Chiba |
| Mechanical Concept Design | Kanetake Ebikawa Takayuki Yanase Kunio Okawara Seiichi Nakatani |
| Animation Mechanical Design | Seiichi Nakatani |
| Science Fiction Consultants | Kenji Teraoka Tomohiro Chiba |
| Settings Cooperation | Isaku Okabe |
| Art Director | Tsuyoshi Satou (KUSANAGI) |
| Art Design | Nobuto Sue (KUSANAGI) |
| Color Design | Akemi Tejima (Wish) |
| Photography Director | Takeshi Katsurayama (Asahi Production) |
| Sound Director | Masafumi Mima |
| Music | Kenji Kawai |
| Sound Effects | Shizuo Kurahashi (Soundbox) |
| Editing | Yukiko Nojiri |
| Executive Producers | Seiji Takeda (Mainichi Broadcasting System) Yasuo Miyakawa (Sunrise) |
| Producers | Hirō Maruyama (Mainichi Broadcasting System) Hirōmi Iketani (Sunrise) Shin Sasaki (Sunrise) |
| Music Producers | Keiichi Nozaki (JVC Entertainment) Hirohito Shinohara (Sony Music Entertainment) Noburu Mano (Sunrise Music) |
| Production | Sunrise Mainichi Broadcasting System |
| Production Cooperation | Sotsu |
| Narration | Toru Furuya |
| Director | Seiji Mizushima |
[edit] Development
According to Hiroomi Iketani, one of the Gundam 00 producers, planning for Gundam 00 started in 2005, under the temporary name "Next".[11] Iketani approached Seiji Mizushima, the director who was initially reluctant about accepting the job due to his lack of knowledge regarding the Gundam series, for the first time at the end of 2005. The staff, consisting of over 300 people, spent roughtly 2 years planning the series.[11]Compared to other anime shows, Gundam 00 has more main staff members, probably because of the show's variety of mecha designs.
[edit] Release
The series premiered on October 6, 2007, replacing Toward the Terra on the terrestrial MBS and TBS networks, occupying the networks' noted Saturday 6:00 p.m. timeslot.[2][3] [12]
Season 1 of the series will be re-broadcasted across Japan on various television networks such as TBS, Kids Station, MBS and BS-i from April onwards.[13]
Currently, five DVD collections have been released,[14] with a sixth volume slated for June 25. [15] The DVDs performed well in sales, with the first collection selling approximately 22,847 copies on the first week, ranking third on the Oricon's overall weekly DVD chart.[16]
The Blu-ray disc collections have been confirmed, with the first and second volume slated for a August 22 release. [17]
[edit] Music
- See also: List of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 albums
The series' music was composed by Kenji Kawai. Two original soundtracks have been released so far, the first one on January 10, 2008, with the second OST being released later on March 26, 2008.
The first opening theme song, "Daybreak's Bell" was performed by the band L'Arc~en~Ciel[18]. The first ending theme was "Wana" (罠? lit. "The Trap")[19], performed by The Back Horn. Both songs were replaced in episode 14 with "Ash Like Snow", performed by The Brilliant Green, as the new opening and "Friends" by Stephanie as the new ending. The first opening song, "Daybreak's Bell" was also used as the ending theme to the last episode. "Love Today", performed by Taja, was used as an insert song in episode 19 and 24[20].
[edit] Reception
After a sneak preview of Gundam 00 on September 1, 2007, Anime News Network remarked "striking parallels" between the series and an earlier installment of the metaseries, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995): "Like Gundam Wing, Gundam 00's main story begins with hyper-powerful Gundam units appearing at various locales to execute slightly-less-than-Dynasty-Warriors-level mayhem in synchronized phases of a paramilitary operation."[5] Later, Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network suggested that just like Mobile Suit Gundam SEED adapted the original Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) for modern audiences, Gundam 00 may possibly be an attempt to do the same with Gundam Wing.[21] He also remarked that "its political flavour [...] is distinctly post-9/11".[21]
While critically acclaimed, the first season of Gundam 00 experienced lower average ratings than its predecessors Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Over its 25 episode run, it averaged a rating of 4.85% and peaked at 6.1%. On a more positive note, Gundam 00's average rating was higher than all other previous Gundam shows set in alternative universes such as Gundam Wing (which averaged 4.3%) and G Gundam (which averaged 4.1%).[22] Gundam 00's third DVD release also managed to top the anime DVD sales chart,[23] apparently selling 25,135 copies in its first week.[24]
In a top 20 anime poll published in the April 2008 issue of Newtype magazine, Japanese readers voted for Gundam 00 as #1 best anime, higher than its predecessor Gundam SEED which was voted #9. In Newtype's poll for top 10 male anime characters, Setsuna F Seiei was voted #2, Tieria Erde #3, Lockon Stratos #4, Graham Aker #5 and Allelujah Haptism at #7; and in its poll for top 10 female anime characters, Nena Trinity was voted #8 and Marina Ismail was voted #10.[25] Mamoru Miyano, the seiyū for Setsuna F Seiei, also won the "Best Voice Actor" award at the 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair.[26] Miyano and Tieria Erde's seiyū, Hiroshi Kamiya, both won the "Best Main" and "Best Supporting" Male Characters respectively at the 2008 Seiyū Awards.[27]
[edit] Media
A manga adaptation of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 has been produced, alongside three side-stories entitled Mobile Suit Gundam 00P (light novel), Mobile Suit Gundam 00F (manga) and Mobile Suit Gundam 00V (light novel). A drama CD prequel entitled Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Another Story: Mission-2306 is also being produced. Two original soundtracks have also been inspired by the series, along with a Nintendo DS game Mobile Suit Gundam 00 by Bec. An unannounced PS2 game will be coming out in October. [28]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c 機動戦士ガンダム００ [ダブルオー] (Japanese). Sunrise. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
- ^ a b MOON PHASE (Japanese) (2007-05-02). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
- ^ a b c Mobile Suit Gundam 00 TV Series Announced for October. Anime News Network (2007-05-02). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
- ^ Gundam 00's Second Season to Start in October of 2008. Anime News Network (2007-11-17). Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ a b Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Preview Screening. Anime News Network (2007-10-06). Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ Bandai Entertainment Gets Gundam 00 TV Anime. Anime News Network (2008-04-18). Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
- ^ Newtype Magazine, July 2007
- ^ Gundam Double 0 Mobile Suits Revealed. Famitsu (2007-06-14). Retrieved on 2007-06-14.
- ^ See Episode 1: Celestial Being
- ^ See Episode 7: Unrepayable Soul
- ^ a b 00 Production Info. Gunota (2007-10-10). Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
- ^ Japan's TBS Confirms Anime's Move from Saturday, 6 p.m. - Anime News Network
- ^ Rebroadcast Info. Gundam 00 (2008-06-08). Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
- ^ Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Products. Gundam 00 (2008-03-22). Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ Mobile Suit Gundam 00 DVD 6. Sunrise (2008-03-22). Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ DVD 1 Sales. Sunrise (2008-01-31). Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Products. Gundam 00 (2008-03-22). Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ L'Arc En Ciel for Gundam 00 theme. Gunota Headlines (2007-07-28). Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ ED theme by The Back Horn. Gunota Headlines (2007-08-19). Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
- ^ Taja for Gundam 00 insert song. Gunota (2008-1-30). Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ a b The Fall 2007 Anime Season Guide. Anime News Network (2007-10-21). Retrieved on 2007-10-22.
- ^ Gunota Headlines
- ^ Japanese Animation DVD Ranking, March 26–April 1 - Anime News Network
- ^ Gunota Headlines
- ^ Newtype April 2008 Issue Poll
- ^ Eva 1.0 Wins Tokyo Anime Fair's Animation of the Year. Anime News Network (2008-02-26). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ 2nd Annual Seiyū Awards Announced. Anime News Network (2008-03-09). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Gunota Headlines. Gunota Headlines (2008-06-01). Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
[edit] External links
- Official website (Japanese)
- Official MBS website (Japanese)
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 at TV.com
- U.S Gundam Official Site (English)
| Preceded by Mobile Suit Gundam 00P Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Another Story: Mission-2306 Mobile Suit Gundam 00F |
Gundam Anno Domini timeline A.D. 2307 – 2312 |
Succeeded by Mobile Suit Gundam 00F Mobile Suit Gundam 00V |
| Preceded by Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer |
Gundam metaseries (production order) 2007 – 2009 |
Succeeded by Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: The Movie |
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