Never have I been more grateful for the existence of Tivo.
As I was scanning through the channel guide a couple weeks ago, I saw that the Sci-Fi Channel is airing “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ from 11 to midnight (eastern standard time) on Monday nights. Unfortunately, the show was already 11 episodes in (out of the 25 that make up the first season), so I’m a little lost. But what I’ve seen so far is fantastic!
First off, the quality is superb. According to the Anime News Network, this is the first Gundam series filmed in high-definition and in widescreen. It’s also the first season to take place in our current, non-fictional century. It’s still set in the future, of course, but it’s in 2307 CE as opposed to being set in, say, the fictional After Colony century in which “Gundam Wing” takes place.
Rather than give a synopsis of the whole story courtesy of Wikipedia, I’ll just say that it follows the general plotline of all the Gundam shows. Humanity is at war, everyone’s killing everyone, there’s a pacifist princess at the center of the conflict, and the Gundam pilots are fighting for peace by ruining all the bad guys’ plans.
However, in the very few episodes, I’ve seen, I can still tell you why this series is special. For one thing, there are far more female characters than in any of the other series I’ve seen. There is the strong princess, as usual (what would Gundam be without her?), but there are also numerous women involved in the parent organization (called Celestial Being) that controls the Gundams’ missions. And so far, their personalities seem to be more complex than just being a bouncing off point for the main male characters, as with many of the other Gundam shows.
The thing that really strikes me about the show, though–and it struck me immediately–is the show’s topical relevance. It takes place in the Middle East, in real countries that exist right now. Most of the countries have made-up names, but if you look at where they are on a map, it includes places like Venezuela, India, Kurdistan, and Iran. The pacifist princess Marina Ismail is actually the ruler of a country called Azadistan, which covers the territory of the real country of Iran.
And here is where things get serious. The entire show is mirroring post-9/11 politics. There is civil war and tribal warfare all across Azadistan and much of the rest of the Middle East. Kidnappings, suicide bombs, and foreign involvement are all prevalent. I’ve yet to see how real this plays out, but I’m absolutely interested in finding out, as I’ve never seen an anime about a war that didn’t directly involve Japan.
The show may be set in the future, but I still think it may prove to be a good look at a non-American, non-Middle Eastern take on the war.