Gundam 00 criticism is permissible but redundant.

Ah yes. If you want to, you are welcome to visualize the words “Code Geass” being added into the title of this post.

There is a place in this world that is always ravaged by furious battles. The neverending clashes have rendered resolution nothing but a faraway dream. It is a place of broken hearts for the innocent, and a revelry of madness for sinister knaves! That is right! We are talking about the Internet! In regards to the anime blogosphere, we have seen our fair share of epic battles in recent times. The most prominent disputes of recent have to be the ones about Sunrise’s juggernaut work Gundam OO. The gist of it is simple. There are those who have been spewing their disappointment at how flat the [Gundam OO] characters are, how uninspiring the story is, and the ABHORRENCE of gunpla promotion. In contrast, resolved defenders of the dignity of Gundam OO show have taken up arms to battle the infidels; their retaliation fights the impertinence by bringing up points that help in pointing out the qualities of the show. Going straight to the point, is there any point in the criticism of the show? The answer, in my humble and insignificant opinion, is no.

This is where I come into the picture! Relatively, I am a complete stranger to the Gundam franchise since I have not seen a lot of Gundam shows (and no my first show was not Gundam SEED lol, you snobbish Gundam veteren/fanboy); so you would expect my opinion of Gundam OO to be considerably neutral and almost absent of any trace of PATRIOTIC bias towards the venerated franchise. With that in mind, allow me to say that Gundam OO is pretty much… meh… not bad. It has an intriguing overall story, which I see as a way to potentially bring out the different shades of complexity in characters by observing how they response in the various situations that they are placed in. If I may point out, the first half of the first season was rather exciting since the resemblance to the real world presented feasible and relevant issues (somehow)  to viewers. Take the issue of the world depleting its oil reserves, that might alter geopolitical stands in the world. So Gundam OO has been engaging for me at times and what I really appreciate is the fact that some of the antagonists are not portrayed as being purely evil, like Cati Mannequin for example. But the show does has its weak points. There are times when I would facepalm when characters are put into really stiff and awkward conservations that can be considered as weak attempts to draw out complexity in them. My biggest and recent LOL from the show came from Saji and Soma’s conversation in the 2nd season’s 10th episode. Also, maybe it is just me, but the conclusion of the first season was not as stimulating as the show’s beginning was. It was probably because a surplus of emo frustration from the characters hindered my ability to enjoy what would have been a satisfying way to conclude the first season. I could go on but let us just conclude with my saying that Gundam OO was decent but not excellent, disappointing at times but not horrible. Such is the neutral opinion of a casual anime fan. What am I trying to convey? Simply, opinions vary and I would like to know why.

I do not think the “hate” towards Gundam OO is rampant since I have yet to stumble across any breeding place for such extreme negativity; but I am sure disapproval towards the show will always be around since it is such a popular show. I like the show, but I also agree with the criticism. Consequently, I would appear to be contradicting myself; it is as if I am saying, “Gundam OO characters are complex but superficial.” The rationality in this paradox lies in the fact that those who have been criticising the show have been judging its merits based on the capacity of their intellectual faculty. Without any doubt, Gundam OO would struggle to cling onto the attention of those who are more demanding than others in their expectations of story and character depth. Au contraire, that would sum up my sentiments towards those who have been unable to appreciate Gundam OO for what it is. Yes, Gundam OO is not the second coming of Jesus *sniggers*, but one does not simply walk into a math class in an elementary school and screams, “OMG! THE MATH IS SO EASY! THIS CLASS IS SO STUPID!” If you may permit my little act of audacity, then I shall say that most of the harsh critics of the show are too fixated on affirming the capacity of their intellect. The capacity of one’s faculty is a significant factor that determines a viewer’s ability to appreciate a show for what it is. If I had been few years younger before watching Evangelion, I would have been overwhelmed by it, resulting in my plunging into a state of delirious fanboyness for the Eva. I had the fortune (or misfortune?) of being exposed to Evangelion at an age that rendered me not as impressionable as younger fans, which allowed me to be able to appreciate the show for what it is in a composed state. Hence, you would not see me running off to some anime website and give it a 10 rating instantly.

Opposing popular belief is the stunning fact that Kira is not as imbal as we have thought him to be.

There is merit in the show, but it is not necessarily for everyone. The franchise has a long history and it is time for it to move on and attract newer fans to engage in it. But before that can be done, there must be a catalyst; however, it must be of a certain depth which new, younger, unchallenged fans are able to receive at first before they can move onto “bigger stuff.” In view of that, I am more than happy to give credit to Gundam OO for what it is; and I do not see the point in criticising it for something that it is not. You would not bring a team of lvl 70 pokemons and lurk around Ceruelean City to pwn lvl 18 Ratatas, would you?

So here I am, humbly ascertaining my circumspection that “critical reviews” of a work vary depending on the faculty of the viewer; and in this case, faculty refers to the intellectual capacity that has been realized hitherto. Anime works are stationary, humans are not. When you realise that Gundam OO is n00b to you, perhaps it is time to move onto something else like Naruto.

I HAVE THE POWER!

ID SOJOURNER: On the other hand, most Gundam loyalists are blinded by what I call patriotic fervence. Do not piss them off because Gundam is the greatest sh*t in the world!