I have only a passing acquaintance with the Gundam franchise. My first encounter with it was Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, which I'm told is hardly a typical Gundam series (though it is exceptionally good, and one of my favourite anime series). A couple of years ago I watched Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, which was enjoyable enough but a little forgettable. So I had some slight idea of what Gundam entails, but no detailed knowledge and no experience of alternate universe versions like Gundam Wing.
So from that point of view, Gundam 00 is not particuarly Gundam-like. Clearly it has a more modern visual style but it also feels entirely different, and the Gundams themselves serve a completely different function. In many ways there's no reason for it to be a Gundam series at all. The Gundam mobile suits in 00 could just as easily have been an original creation; I can't help thinking that a famous name (and identifiable visual design) was attached to this in order to attract an audience.
Fortunately, Gundam 00 is very good regardless.
Having only recently finished watching the series, the strongest lingering impression about it is moral ambiguity. This is a theme that persisted throughout the whole series, though it did weaken towards the end. The Gundam pilots working for the Celestial Being organisation are narratively the protagonists - they are the characters we spend the most time with and get to know in the most detail. But in many ways they could just as easily be the antagonists: they perform violent missions that could easily be (and frequently are) considered acts of terrorism, knowingly getting civilians killed in the collateral damage. Many of the supporting characters are on the other side of this divide; they are soldiers protecting their homelands from this erratic terrorist threat, or civilians who just happen to get caught up in events larger than themselves. Main character Setsuna F Seiei explains it very well himself when he remarks that it's hard to say who is right because both sides are justified. He's talking about a small civil war, but the sentiment can just as easily be applied to the whole series. Every faction does things that could be considered reprehensible, yet every faction also has good and understandable reasons for its actions.
There is no black and white in Gundam 00.
This determination to paint all deeds in shades of grey necessitates quite a large cast for perspective, and with many names and abbreviations to keep track of, sometimes it can become confusing. After 25 episodes I know the Union is based around the US, but I couldn't tell you which out of the other power blocs (the AEU and the Human Reform League) is where. Similarly, I have no idea which of the anti-Gundam commanders is affiliated with which authority. In many ways, the three power blocs that govern most of the world are interchangable. Still, while this makes it hard to follow the political manoeuvring, it also means that you don't really need to. It doesn't really matter which government is which, just that all of them fear and resent Celestial Being.
The characterisation continues this ambiguity. People do bad things in order to prevent worse things, or they do good things for bad reasons. Because we get the points of view of various characters with different affiliations and agendas, almost all the recurring characters are sympathetic, which leads to an interesting situation where (at least for me) it's impossible to root for one group or person. I wanted Setsuna to win his battles, but at the same time I wanted Graham Aker to win his - and the two of them often come into conflict. It's testament to the quality of the writing that I felt symapthy and support for so many characters with such different personalities and incompatible agendas.
There is still room for improvement in the characterisation though. I never particularly liked Saji and Louise, the token innocent high schoolers who we follow periodically. Saji is meek and inoffensive, but eventually his inoffensiveness itself becomes annoying. Louise is just an obnoxious brat, and I that felt any woe that befell her was largely deserved - probably not the reaction that was intended. Mercenary captain Ali al-Saachez seemed a bit of a caricature, gurning and snarling his way through his scenes as though in pantomime, though he could have been interesting if we'd learnt more about him. There is also a group of characters introduced halfway through, who never really get any development at all, and as a result come across as quite two dimensional and incidental. I neither supported nor opposed them; they were just there.
Still, these are the exceptions. While no character is explored comprehensively, the main ones do get distinct personalities, and backgrounds that shape them in believable ways. In many anime series, the traumatic pasts of many of these characters would lead to endless bouts of dreary introspection or petulant outbursts, but they're mostly handled with maturity here.
Of course, being a series about giant robots used in war, there are plenty of combat scenes. These are generally well done, though at times it can be hard to tell which mobile suit is which, particularly with the non-Gundam types. These scenes are energetic and well-paced, and they never seem to drag. Nor does the series indulge in the common anime practice of abusing action scenes; not once did I feel a particular confrontation had been crowbarred in just to keep the action content high.
I think it's worth noting that, as I mentioned earlier, some of the series' qualities trail off in the final few episodes. The shades of grey become more clearly defined and we start to see some elements of a black and white/good and evil dichotomy appearing, but the troubled characters largely keep things on track. We also get the odd deus ex machina popping up as time goes on, but still far less than in many series. Combat understandably becomes more frequent as the series approaches its conclusion, but fortunately it remains fast-paced and compact. On top of this, the gradual development in the way the war is waged lends each action scene an additional draw. With each new battle I was eager to see how the military would attempt to counter the Gundams, and how far they would be able to succeed this time.
Crucially, at no point does the series become a chore to watch. Even in its weaker moments it's still a high quality series, and aside from one reasonably short recap montage halfway through it never feels padded or slips into filler, nor does it wander off into rambling asides. The writing remains tight and focused, and ensures the series is an engaging watch to the very end.
Gundam 00 Second Season will pick up the story four years later, but I still have that ahead of me. Perhaps some of the weaknesses I mentioned in this series, particularly some under-developed characters, will be addressed there. Regardless, Gundam 00 is a series that is definitely worth watching. Gundam fans should be prepared for this bearing very little resemblance to traditional Gundam (at least the main/UC continuity), but it doesn't suffer for that. With plenty of action that doesn't outstay its welcome, troubled characters who don't overdo it, and a delightful moral ambiguity that makes a refreshing change from black and white conflicts, Gundam 00 is a well written series that should appeal to a broader audience than just mecha fans. Give it a try; it probably has something you'll like.
