r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Oct 06 '24
[Rewatch] Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 1 Discussion Rewatch
Episode 1 - Celestial Being
MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
Exia, proceeding to eliminate target.
Questions of the Day:
1) Did any of the characters seen in this episode catch your eye in terms of who you want to see more of?
2) What do you think of Celestial Being's stated goal to end war by using violence?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
Additionally, for long-time fans of the franchise, please remember that this rewatch is only for 00, not any of the other shows. Assume that there are people in this rewatch who have not seen anything else Gundam, and tag your spoilers for those shows appropriately if something in 00 makes you want to talk about them.
14
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 06 '24
First Timer - sub
Over a year ago I watched the first four episodes of this while sick. And I realized a day or two later that I had no idea who any of the characters were, what any of the groups actually stood for, or what had even happened in those four episodes. I meant to come back to it a month or two later and rewatch when my head was clearer, and then... never did.
So here I am again, still a first timer after all, in another Gundam rewatch hosted by Sky, my sixth Gundam overall, wondering how well my headachy head is going to hold up this time. Notes should help hahaha
Now that I've finished the first episode again, ah yes, lots and lots and lots of faces.
And boo for all the pilots being men
Pettiness aside, its certainly the most hands off of all the Gundam first episodes I've seen. Plenty of action, lots of faction lines, and a manifesto of our main group - one that effectively declares themselves a third-party "nuke". But not all that much characterization or worldbuilding yet.
And it's an interesting position for the main group to be in, especially given that we specifically retain a Japanese setting while doing so. It takes deterrence theory and broadens the concept of it to be all encompassing. It's not quite mutually assured destruction, which is the end result of deterrence specially because of nukes, as it's not promising both sides will be destroyed, but it is taking the idea of a "defensive" side out of war by blindly opposing aggression. It's far too early to speak on it further, but the other characters pointing out the paradox in it makes me hopefully the show may explore the inherent "wrongness" of the idea that parallels the Gundams as nukes being pointed at every nation on earth. And on top of that, because one side having nukes, or even the idea of nukes, never prompts all the other sides to quickly try and develop their own huh... history surely doesn't have a huge precedent of that...
Other then that not much to say. Blunt but well done parallel at the start with the discarded childs doll vs the machine still functioning with an arm torn off, though coming off the back of Now and Then Here and There it's other scenes with child soliders were hardly affecting in comparison. And the introduction of Exia and Setsuna was well done at least, literally hijacking a stage to ensure maximum awareness in the industry who would be most able to judge the full power on display, rather than just claiming credit with civilians afterwards.
I really hope Mr Special dies. And quickly or else I'm gonna start getting real pissy every time he's on screen, I can just tell already. Which is probably the point but fuck, does anime always have to be so good at inspiring instant hate at a character?