Gundam 00 — Episode 15
This is one predictable episode. I mean, the title “Broken Wings” pretty much spoils any element of suspense that Sunrise’s scriptwriters can possibly muster, assuming they try at all.
So yeah, the Gundams all get owned in a spectacular fashion, clearing the way for newer and better Gundams to take over the mess. G00, like most recent Gundams, is really just a series of 25-minute weekly commercials promoting Gunpla.
Also, Liu Mei in se-ra-fuku. :O
Episode Summary
The HRL chose Taklamakan for the location of the military exercise because it has information that terrorists are planning to attack its enriched uranium facility there, ergo Celestial Being has to go there to stop the terrorists. This utterly makes no sense because the combined might of the entire world’s armies is going to be there, and I don’t think there are any terrorists stupid enough to mount an attack under such circumstances.
Nevertheless, we have three mobile suits and three cute little trucks conducting a head-on suicide attack while the entire world’s armies try hard to act blind and pretend to not notice. As storyline goes, this is as contrived a plot as it gets. Any more and we will have to invent a new word to describe it.
And what’s even stupider is that Celestial Being actually takes the bait and sends four measly Gundams to destroy a small group of terrorists in the middle of a desert crawling with nearly one thousand Union, AEU and HRL mobile suits. I mean, seriously? I’m sure HRL would’ve taken care of the terrorists on their own if they realized that the Gundams weren’t going to show up after all.
If only Virtue could fly
Allelujah didn’t do much
Lockon should watch his back around Graham…
So anyway, the Gundams all get pwned after this. Kyrios is captured by the HRL, Virtue by the AEU and Dynames by the Union. Exia almost fell to the French thanks to Ali’s new mobile armor, but a timely deus ex machina intervention by one of those new Throne Gundams saves Setsuna’s day.
Enact is backwards compatible with a Solar Conflict relic
God is here
Screencaps
Whiny bitch
Obligatory airtime
Kyrios and Dynames mating
The new bitch
“They should really keep me informed beforehand about these traps.”
“Hold steady damn it!”
Dynames cheating on Kyrios with a Realdo
“We totally didn’t notice this huge row of Tierens as we rushed into this obvious trap.”
“Nope, didn’t notice these either.”
Man, Realdos look lame
“If my calculations are correct, we should be completely pwned by now.”
Is that her school uniform?
GN bazooka in burst mode
The perfect desert camouflage
“I will make you a man.” Actual quotation
The design makes no sense
By the way, Mendoi-Conclave’s episode 14 is super delayed because we are still finishing up the karaoke effects. Personally I don’t really care that much about karaoke, but I’m not the one making the decisions. It should be out soon together with episode 15. (Our new tracker is here.)
Probably.
January 21st, 2008 at 6:16 pm
So basically rather than like a.f.k and trying to make the translations more American friendly, you prefer to go for the most accurate translation possible. I see. I had no idea that “seduce” was a metaphor and took it to be literal. I’m guessing it means something to do with the rivalry he has with it in the early episodes. And the Ocean metaphor (As in Ocean of Stars) is not lost on me, don’t worry about that I trust you, you’re the one with the certificate after all.
And I’m going to go out on a limb and guess your biggest worry is that Gundam 00 is going to turn preachy on us and forgo logic for showiness right? I think it is starting to take more of a classic modern Sunrise approach as the series goes on, but I think what we are going to end up with is somewhere inbetween political/social/character commentary and the preachy showiness of Gundam Seed Destiny, hopefully leaning more towards the former. Whatever the case I don’t think we are headed for a trainwreck like Ascaloth claims is the standard of Sunrise (no idea if he’s actually aware of anything to do with Sunrise and really feels that way or if he is just taking a swipe at them because I’m doing the talking, as all I can say I know he’s keen and knowledgeable on is Kyoto Animation series). I have yet to see any signs that the series is even beginning to run out of plot like Gundam Seed Destiny was around this time.
As for the reason why he’s peeved, yeah it’s roots are in something to do with me not being a big fan of Kyoto Animation and once upon a time being very critical of them. As a result I’m sort of a troll for life to him, a stigma I am forced to deal with from time to time, but not entirely something I am truly innocent of in touching off (It takes two to get the ball rolling and two to get it to stop so to speak). I’d rather not talk about it much more as I hope that part of this back and forth is over with personally. I really don’t like arguing with him constantly but I’m seemingly always needing to defend myself when he makes a reply.
Anyway, maybe after this whole Trinity arc we’ll go back to some of the earlier political back and forth you enjoyed more. Me, I loved it too, I’m very into politics and such, so it’s injection into Gundam was very neat, but yeah, we’ve definitely hit an action arc right now, not that I really mind much.
If you’re ever looking for something more to your tastes I’m pretty knowledgable on a number of genres and series believe it or not so you could ask me via e-mail or something. I feel I kind of owe you a solid for your troubles in enlightening me more on your whole routine.
January 21st, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Interesting episode indeed. Well it IS a terrorist attack, celestial being has to act and anyway you got the thrones to kick ass. I’m thinking that each of the thrones are a beefed up version of each of the gundams(wheres vier?). Only those three will appear because only those three are needed. Thats my logic. H’mm i doubt any of the military will be able to capture the gundams without getting raped by that throne (looks like eins). Seriously that looks awesome though… wait a minute.
Eins = probably Exia replacement
Zwei = Most likely Dynames
Drei = Most Likely Kyrios
In the intro a hint of Virtue actually fighting any of the Thrones isnt seen. Which may mean that there is no replacement for virtue (and that might be Nadeleeh seeing how agile it is with those GN cannons). Those thrones fighting each other may just be displaying their true strength (and how the celestial being’s meisters will get their skill up to notch).
January 21st, 2008 at 9:57 pm
There may be hope for this show yet.
January 21st, 2008 at 10:14 pm
is it me, or does the flag serges is piloting looks alot like Dai-Gurren in TTGL?
January 21st, 2008 at 10:26 pm
RmX, you must not have noticed the :p sign at the back of my message.
Personally, I don’t give a damn anymore if he thinks lowly of anything Kyo-Ani, I was just winding him up in jest. But I’ll bury the hatchet and apologize to anyone out there if a flame war has been unexpectedly started.
After all, though we massively disagree, we have ACTUALLY pos-repped each other on ASuki, more than once.
So take that, all you neg-repping anonymous bastards who do so simply you can’t agree with my occasional defense of Kyo-Ani. You’re nowhere near our friend Kaioshin here if you decide to neg-rep a comment simply because you can’t agree with it.
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 am
@Kinny:
I did notice the :p. I just wasn’t sure what to do with it. ^^;;
As for the past bouts of Kaioshin vs. KyoAni, I held my opinion in favor of KyoAni, and viewed Kaio was just another naysayer for quite some time. But reading his posts versus everyone else, there was much more to it than simple trolling.
Something tells me that agree on things a lot more than you think we do. It’s just that I’m sticking up for Kaioshin and his expressed concerns for Gundam in this instance. O_o
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 am
I thought it was a good episode. As in, true modern Gundam-style haha. I enjoyed watching them get raped badly but I had Anger Max when the stupid new Gundams appeared. Spider Enact is very cool.
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 am
Hey, it’s better than Seed. I’m good. ^_^
January 22nd, 2008 at 3:37 am
It’s alright Kinny, I knew you were only kidding.
January 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
DM said:
“Therefore, most viewers actually seek a different kind of gratification from G00 than me, and they probably feel that G00 fulfils that requirement well, or at least well enough.”
Heheheh so full of sexual innuendo especially when I read it as ‘goo’.
Really DM, I think you are thinking about this show too much. I know as a blogger it’s easy to overanalyze. Oh god I remember the countless hours I devoted to translating Stellar’s blood results in GSD for a slaverying AnimeSuki public… but in the end just enjoy the explosions! Actually for someone who doesn’t enjoy explosions, and whom I don’t THINK is in it for the homoeroticism, I have no idea why you like Gundam at all, but to each his own.
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
What a mess. It only takes one plot hole to ruin a good story and this episode had several of them. Blegh.
Not that it would have been much of a story if they had just stayed away. But they should have. The story just doesnt work.
And im pissed about those new gundams. This episode is where it went from somewhat possible future version of the earth to brainless explosions, and there is no turning back now.
The mistake, i think, was trying to mix storytelling with mechas. They keep swinging back and forth between politics and power struggles, and magical plot devices.
Oh well, it was a good 14 episodes at least.
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Is it me or are there a few Gundam Seed references going on? The bald guy at the initial meeting (Phantom Pain commander in Stargazer) , Ms, Manekin (Natarle captain of the dominion) and the infamous shot that saves Setsuna in true Freedom saving Archangel style? Nonetheless its getting interesting.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 pm
With all the plot holes and Celestial Being’s ‘weird/illogical’ way of doing things, G00 is just asking for someone like Kyon to barge into the series and start telling them what’s wrong…
Better yet let Kyon join CB and become a Gundam Meister, now that is something to see…
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:08 am
Kyon being a Gundam Meister would almost work seeing as how boring and one note a character he is (and let’s face it, the Gundam Meister’s are pretty straightforward people). In fact, he would probably take the title as I think any of the Gundam Meisters had more character development in the first 15 episodes then Kyon has had in all the Haruhi novels I’v read up till now.
Face it, Kyon is doomed to play the eternal First Person Narrarator while all the other Haruhi characters are built up around him.
Though in all honesty I think Tieria is the Kyon of the series already, telling everybody else they can’t be Gundam Meisters and their choices are illogical because they don’t follow Veda’s advice to the T. No need to have two.
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:23 am
Sorry for the DP:
And to Guner who said it was a mistake to mix storytelling with mecha, why the heck should that be the case? Are you trying to tell me that Escaflowne shouldn’t have had a plot, or neither should Full Metal Panic try to develop a romance, or that we should take back that award that Patlabor got for best written manga?
I’m sorry but that is not a fair criticism at all and is basically just bashing the mecha genre. I suppose you’d also tell me that the only series that should try to have a plot are Slice of Life and Romance series and that Mecha series belong as nothing more than explosions and loud screams. I have a question, why do you think people like the real robot mecha genre in the first place? I’ll drop a hint, it isn’t the combat.
And one heavy action episode and you think it’s all of a sudden no turning back and they are no longer going to develop the setting, characters and the universe? What are you basing any of this on anyway? And where is this plot hole you are talking about? What plot hole?
What is with these unsupported attacks on this series coming out again now? They’re as unfair and as unfounded as my initial criticism of DM’s translations. I hope at least people do what I did and bring support for their criticisms now that it’s been requested, otherwise I’m going to do what DM reasonably did with me at first and suspect trolling of the series.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 am
Suspect whatever you want kaio.
The plotholes were already pointed out, courtesy of DM.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:52 am
The new Gundams’ are named after German numbers.
Eins = one
Zwei = two
Drei = three
Really original -.-
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Those aren’t plot holes, those are criticisms of the writing, and criticisms by one person. Ones that I don’t happen to agree with and seem nitpicky to begin with.
No these are examples of plot holes:
Durandal’s presence on the Minerva in a scene long after he had returned to the Plant (courtesy of a reused scene and laziness)
Mwu La Fraga suddenly being alive again in Gundam Seed Destiny after taking a fatal shot that blew his Mobile Suit to smithereens in Gundam Seed, leaving his helmet floating in the debris (later retroactively removed in the “Special Edition”).
Kira suddenly ending up at Lacus’ estate in the Plant while being unconcious on an island in the middle of nowhere on Earth in Gundam Seed (Later partially explained by an extremely contrived set of circumstances in Gundam Seed Astray).
So far I have yet to see any instance in Gundam 00 that can be called a plot hole. Plot contrivance maybe, but not plot hole. Yet all series have there tropes of one or another.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Good job talking about stuff i have never seen. Incidentally, its things like that that make me not want anything to do with the earlier gundams. What little i have seen of them was pretty bad.
Fine, not a plot hole if you really wanna be pedantic about it. Idiotic writing then. Bad enough to change what kind of show this is. It went from a political commentary wrapped up in mechas to good and evil mechas about to duke it out for whatever goddamn cliche villainous reason they come up with.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
You haven’t seen much other Gundam, but find what you saw of it to be bad, yet you somehow feel you can predict the course of events that are about to occur. Specifically you predict the worst possible outcome that could occur, one that the series is barely even hinting at as a fourth resort.
With that and the fact that you failed to bring up any evidence and just keep on hammering the same points, I’m going to do exactly as I said and say you are just trolling the series. Considering you seem to have no concept of what the show is actually like (Again you have not mentioned even one single event from the series you felt was poorly written in any three of the posts you’ve made) and are just arguing from points that are ripped from DM’s critique (and also very poorly intepreted versions of his critique which fail to highlight the actual problems he has) I wonder how anyone could suspect otherwise.
If you truly believe that the show can’t shift focus again (or in fact has, is or shouldn’t be allowed to) just because there was one large battle in it (One I thought was well set up and executed, if a bit prolonged) then I have nothing else to do but laugh at your argument. I have a hard time respecting arguments that clearly come from people who follow something just to complain about it. I mean at least if DM doesn’t like it he is watching it for the sake of his fansub hobby.