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Series: Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 2 - Volume 2
UK Release date: 28 Mar 2011
Distributor: Beez
Certificate: 15
Running time: 200 mins
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Starring: Setsuna Efu Seiei, Rokkuon Sutoratosu, Areruya Haputizumu, Tieria Āde
Genre: Anime
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Japan
Language: Japanese
Review by: Jonny Roydon
Written by Yōsuke Kuroda, who wrote the 1992 classic Tenchi Muyo! and directed by Seiji Mizushima of Fullmetal Alchemist fame. This is the 7th incarnation of Sunrise Studio’s Gundam franchise; giant robot battle suits called Gundam that each story revolves around. It originally aired in 2007/2008 and is the first Gundam series based in our own universe. It incorporates elements of present day international conflicts along with fictional additions in a tense 2307A.D. setting.
Celestial Being are on the run, desperately trying to reach their hidden asteroid base at Lagrange 3. The A-LAWS are hot on their trail, however, and mysteriously seem to know their movements. After repelling the initial attack by employing their new weapon – The Twin Driver O Raiser – Celestial Being earn a little breathing space, but are quickly drawn back into the urgent worldwide conflict when The Innovators mastermind, and secret controller of the A-LAWS, Ribbons Almark, reveals a devastating new weapon – The Memento Mori – a satellite capable of wiping out entire cities from space. On a more personal level, Setsuna finally discovers who piloted the Gundam he encountered as a child.
There are even bigger problems ahead, however, as on top of their possible mole, the city destroying satellite, and the relentless A-LAWS, Celestial Being may have no choice but to enact another intervention. This time in response to a coup that aims to overthrow the worldwide dictatorship...
This section dives straight into the action. No time is wasted getting things underway - early on the Gundam are launched and a brief but intense battle takes place, paving the way for more close quarters Gundam battles. Overall, though, the balance is tipped more towards story than action during these episodes, with the focus on revealing intrigue rather than character development.
3D effects are used a great deal, some blending seamlessly with the cell shading – in particular with the O-Raiser Twin Driver Gundam – which is rendered beautifully, creating an eye popping contrast with the other Gundam. At other times, the use of 3D is jarring and obvious, but it is easily forgiven by the fast-paced driving storyline.
The pacing is further illustrated by the lack of background detail. The focus is clearly on the front of screen action with only very brief, sparse landscapes which makes the overall artwork and – in terms of narrative - vastly differing locations blend into one in a rather flat manner. Control rooms and flight decks across the various faction’s ships and bases all look very similar and the location can often only be told by the colour of a character’s uniform. This creates a feeling of blandness that the intricate storyline can’t quite make up for. The individual character detail goes a long way in filling this gap, however. Unique personalities, personal struggles and a multitude of different agendas, even within each faction, provide a sense of realness. The drama of the inter character relations and the often bittersweet outcomes makes for intense viewing.
The battles themselves provide a good amount of tension, thanks to the engaging and fast moving storyline, yet they feel cheaply animated. Similar shots of the respective pilots in their cockpits are used throughout a clash, often bouncing from one pilot to another with only very brief images of an explosion or a weapon being fired. The action is rarely pictured from out wide, which makes it difficult to follow just who is attacking who. It even becomes difficult to tell apart the different units and factions from each other. New units joining a fray are often only introduced by a close-up of a laser firing, which creates the assumption that it was one of the current groups of soldiers. There is further confusion then when a new voice is heard and another close-up of an obscured pilot in a similar looking cockpit is displayed. They seem to simply appear on the battlefield without any indication as to where from.
The voice cast further fills the gap left by some of the poor visuals. With a few exceptions, the characters are really brought to life by the voice acting, adding to the unique personalities and intense passions, making the characters’ unique goals seem that much more believable. Genuine care is felt for the heroes’ plight and compassion, understanding, and even deference towards the antagonists is experienced. The lines between good and evil are greatly blurred, nothing is clear cut in Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
Despite the visual and artistic complaints, this is classic Gundam at its best. The storyline is intricate and involved, the characters are lifelike and unique, the action is tense and exciting and the voice acting is superb. This section of the story ends with a genuine edge-of-the-seat climactic battle on an immense scale where, in true Gundam style, the outcome is far from predictable. JR
Film: Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror Of Shamballa
Release date: 17th September 2007
Certificate: 12
Running time: 105 mins
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Starring: Romi Pak, Rie Kugimiya, Shun Oguri, Kazuko Katô, Masane Tsukayama
Genre: Anime
Studio: Revelation
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Not to be confused with the 2009-2010 series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror Of Shamballa is the finale to the original 2003-2004 series, which told a very different story to its accompanying manga.
Following on a few years later from the conclusion of the series, alchemist Edward Elric has been dragged through the gate of Alchemy from his home world to our own. It is the year 1923, and in a world fundamentally governed by the laws of a science rather than alchemy, a powerless Edward researches rocketry in Germany alongside Alfons Heiderich (this world’s equivalent of his brother Alphonse) with the hope of one day returning home.
But Edward isn’t the only one with plans to pass through the gate – The Thule Society, led by Karl Haushofer and Dietlinde Eckhart believe Ed’s world to be the legendary utopia Shamballa, and tests to send humans through the gate to this world have already proven successful. Using weaponry and technology from the other side, the Thule Society plan to aid Adolf Hitler in starting a revolution.
With the society’s plan to conquer Shamballa coming to fruition, Ed must reunite with his brother Alphonse - now reunited with his body - to defend both sides of the gate from the threat of destruction…
Before analysing Conqueror Of Shamballa in more detail, it is worth noting that as a conclusion to the Fullmetal Alchemist series, it is extremely difficult to follow having not watch said series, and therefore isn’t recommended as a stand-alone piece.
One of the film’s main themes is the age old science fiction convention of parallel universes. Used by countless films and series over the years, the concept of parallel universes is that for every world there are a countless number of parallel worlds, each with a significant difference that sets it apart from the rest. Using such a contrived convention of a series as original as Fullmetal Alchemist may seem like an odd move, but a proper science versus alchemy debate is one thing the original series truly lacked. Their more fantastical version of alchemy comes across more like magic in the real world, so connecting it to the occult in this scenario feels right.
By making this parallel world 1920s Germany, Fullmetal Alchemist takes the leap from a fantasy/action series into a somewhat historically relevant tale that has to rely far more on the development and interactions of its characters. While the original series had engaging characters and development in spades, the new characters range from one-dimensional to stereotypical, making this for the most part a very difficult aim to achieve.
It is implied that every character from the Fullmetal Alchemist universe has a ‘real-world’ counterpart, several of which have a role in the film. Who these are in comparison to their anime counterparts is actually the strongest part of the parallel universe idea, given that most of them are almost polar opposites of the originals. The appearance of Austrian-American film director/producer and legend Fritz Lang is an excellent example of this, and remains one of the film’s highlights.
Back on the Fullmetal Alchemist universe side of things, the film does do a good job of explaining many of the questions the series left unanswered. The film’s star is undoubtedly younger Elric brother Alphonse, now freed from the suit of armour he possessed for the entirety of the series. Despite having no memories of the adventures he shared with his older brother throughout the series, how Alphonse’s path to bringing his brother back has led him to growing up into a young man almost identical to Edward shows how powerful the bond between the two brothers really is. Roy Mustang is another character receiving a fair amount of development, now a recluse in a remote outpost, and baring visible scars of the battle from the series’ finale. Unfortunately, due to the sheer amount of time the film spends on our Earth rather than theirs, most of the series’ other beloved characters are reduced to merely cameo status. And since the new characters are so thin, this makes the film really suffer.
In reality, Conqueror Of Shamballa could have benefitted more from being a sequel series, rather than a 105 minute movie. Little time is spent actually explaining the plot, and characters often appear out of nowhere in order to further the story. Most confusing, however, is that in a society where guns, rockets and bombs have already been invented, the Thule Society soldiers still walk around and fight in medieval suits of armour. While an obvious link to the series this may be, logically it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Perhaps most unsatisfying about Conqueror Of Shamballa, though, is that rather than fill the plot holes left by the series and wrap up Fullmetal Alchemist neatly, its ending only presents further plot holes – and despite knowing what the characters are heading towards, the viewer will undoubtedly be left with unanswered questions.
While a film that contains many interesting ideas, their execution feels incredibly rushed and so in turn none of them really feel like they belong in Fullmetal Alchemist. Couple that with a disappointing finale, and your left with what feels like a hollow ending to what is considered one of best anime series of all time. AJ
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 2 - Volume 1
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 220 mins
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Starring: Setsuna Efu Seiei, Rokkuon Sutoratosu, Areruya Haputizumu, Tieria Āde
Genre: Anime
Studio: Beez
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is the latest incarnation of Sunrise Studios popular mecha (giant robot) series and is directed by Seiji Mizushima, director of the original Full Metal Alchemist series. Sunrise Studios are the animation studio responsible for Code Geass, which is included on many all time top ten anime lists. The Gundam franchise has seen continued success ever since the original Mobile Suit Gundam aired in Japan in 1979. This is the first Gundam series to be set in our own universe, and is centred around Earth in the 24th century. The series tackles the issue of conflict; from personal disputes to global warfare, and focuses on what would be required to end such negative interactions and unify the world under a banner of peace. Ultimately, it asks if sacrifice is necessary and even warranted in order to achieve this.
This first of three volumes of the second series takes place four years after the end of the previous series. The world has come together, somewhat, as a result of Celestial Being’s actions, but things aren’t as peaceful as Aolia Schenburg’s plans implied. The three power blocs; The Union, AEU and HRL have indeed unified under a shared banner, but the rest of the world living outside of this vast super power are still denied access to the solar energy – necessary since the oil fields have run dry – that the member nations enjoy.
The creation of the A-LAWS, a vast forty million strong autonomous peace keeping force, with their heavy handed approach and distinct lack of morals has proven to be an even greater threat to the true unification that Celestial Being was created for. So members of Celestial Being emerge from hiding, and proceed to reassemble their ranks and restore their crew to its former glory with the intention of taking up their armed interventions once more.
The nine episodes follow the members of Celestial Being as they struggle to reinstate themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Aolia Scheburg’s plan is revealed to be more complex than first anticipated, and a new organisation who seem to be pulling the strings emerges...
This series, much like the first, wastes no time in getting into the action, perhaps even too quickly, as we are dropped straight into a conflict with very little information as to what is going on. There aren’t too many new characters, but the fast pacing and similarity of character models can make it hard to follow and distinguish who is who. The characters identities can be picked up once they have been on screen a few times, however, and the story then falls into place retrospectively. The distinct lack of introduction of new characters as well as the sudden transitions into completely different situations actually serves to paint the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 universe as a living breathing world where we are just seeing the key snapshots of what is a vast story involving the entire planet.
With minimal new characters, there is plenty of scope for building upon the back-story of those already in place, and this is done satisfyingly enough. The inter relations between characters, not only the heroes, is focused upon a lot more than in the first series, and a real sense of where they are all coming from starts to emerge. Where the first series focused more on the individual pilots and their interactions with their respective colonel, this series builds on the colonels’ relationships with each other, and introduces their own superiors, bringing with it a whole host of further morality and duty issues that have more impact on the surrounding world than the pilots did before. Unlikely alliances are formed, old characters re-emerge under new guises, and a lot of the loose ends from the first series are not only tied up but strung out further in ways that are far from obvious.
This series is a lot more violent than the first one. Previously the battles were depicted in a disconnected way - the giant enemy fighting suits would be shot down or buildings would explode, but until now, there wasn’t a sense of the scale of life that would be lost in such a conflict. Here the view is much grimmer, and is often pictured from ground level, following the people who are caught up in the battles running for their lives as opposed to solely from the pilots point of view in the air.
There is plenty of in air combat, though, and new Gundam’s are introduced, as well as more advanced enemy suits and ships that put them on a much more equal footing with the Celestial Being Gundam pilots. In fact, what makes this series standout is the blurred interpretation of good and evil. On the whole, the intent of some of the organisations can be seen as wrong, but many of the characters involved in their plans are good natured and are just trying to do what they see as right. It is an interesting social commentary on war in general when the big picture can be seen alongside the frontline clashes.
In terms of technology; new weapons and fighting techniques are introduced, which increases the scope for destruction on both sides. Interestingly, as well, the meaning of the 00 in the title finally comes to light. The battles themselves, however, are somewhat disjointed. They are animated in a comic book panel style, with almost static frames containing minimal movement or simple camera zooms and pans. This, along with the fast pacing means that the brief flashes of action, drawn mostly at mid to close up, is hard to follow. It is often not until a subject’s weapon blast hits its target that it becomes clear which target they were actually shooting at. When the characters are piloting their machines, they look very similar to one another, which makes the narrative even more difficult to follow. In particular, Tierie always removes his glasses when piloting his Gundam, so when wearing a helmet and only being able to see the interior of the cockpit it is often hard to recognise it’s him.
The artwork is perfectly acceptable; the intricate details on the machines are interesting and, at times, give an impression that these giant robot suits are real weapons of war and not just science fiction. The scale of the machines is often lost, though, and despite the wide shots of a pilot entering their thirty foot machine before a mission, when in flight, it can seem they are a lot smaller in size. These faults are easily ignored, however, as the outcomes of the battles are far from obvious. With the heroes having lost fights and allies in the past, each new engagement is fresh and exciting, with clear victories, losses and frustrating stalemates being standard fair for Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Because of this, it is very exciting when the Gundam’s launch, and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be just another battle that the good guys are bound to eventually win.
The story itself is very intriguing and watchable, deep relationships are formed and found along with the characters themselves receiving closure over certain issues in their own past. Moral dilemmas abound that feel closer to home than one would expect from this medium, not simply disconnected politics or science fiction, but real issues that affect us in the world today.
The basis laid down in the first series is expanded upon with more intrigue and double crossing, again a bit further up the food chain, where Celstial Being’s previous intent was quite cut and dry this time it throws up a lot of questions. The potential resolution of the story feels a lot more chaotic and uncertain with even greater and more devious plots being hatched and implemented. The plan that was being followed in the first series no longer seems that it might be the ideal the heroes thought it would be.
It’s disappointing that the real world politics used as plot devices in the first series, like mentioning the real IRA and including the United Nations, wasn’t continued in this one. There remains plenty of storyline around Azadistan (the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 version of Turkey) but only as a part of their wider universe - the specific clashes with the Kurdish – who are incidentally still called the Kurdish in this story – which brought a real sense of involvement are not mentioned. It seems it may have been used more for shock value than as a genuine part of the storyline, as this one dissolves into a more typical science fiction futuristic setting.
There is also little in the way of comic relief in this series, the tone is very serious throughout. Even the previously hilarious Patrick Corlosour, who does make an appearance, is not involved in any humorous antics. The other comedy pair, Louise and Saji, are now involved in serious matters of their own. This was a little disappointing as the jokes in series one were funny, if brief, and so these episodes do feel a little stiff.
The soundtrack is good and captures the mood perfectly, if perhaps a little repetitive, and the voice acting is of a high calibre, featuring many anime voice stars in the line up.
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is an interesting and extremely enjoyable take on war, struggle, camaraderie and ultimately humanity. It is not perfect but features fast paced and genuinely tense battles that are just the right length; a plethora of character development; and a enough intrigue to keep it interesting whilst not being over complicated. With a genuinely likable cast of characters who have plenty of faults of their own, this should appeal to fans outside of the mecha genre as well. JR
The first half of the second season of the Japanese anime series set in the 24th century.
It is now 2312 AD, and four years have passed since the final battle between Celestial Being and the UN Forces. Humankind has formed an elite peace-keeping force known as the A-Laws. But this new world is still riddled with corruption and conflict, and the Gundam Meisters now prepare to make their second advent which aims to do away with global oppression once and for all.
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 2 - Volume 1
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 220 mins
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Starring: Setsuna Efu Seiei, Rokkuon Sutoratosu, Areruya Haputizumu, Tieria Āde
Genre: Anime
Studio: Beez
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
