Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (機動戦士ガンダム00) is the latest television anime of Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise. The series premiered on October 6, 2007 on MBS and TBS's noted Saturday 6:00 p.m. timeslot, replacing Terra e.... It is directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and features character designs by Yun Kōga. The series was first officially announced by Sunrise during a 15-second trailer, which aired during Terra e...'s June 2, 2007 broadcast. Similar to the Sunrise anime Code Geass, 25 episodes of Gundam 00 will be shown before the series takes a break and is resumed at a later time.

Plot
The series is set in the year 2307 AD of the Gregorian calendar. During this time, fossil fuels became exhausted and the distribution of fuels became imbalanced. Humanity must rely on three large-scale solar power systems that are in the hands of the three "major powers" on the planet: the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations (ユニオン; based on the United States Of America), the Human Reform League (人類革新連盟; comprised of China, Russia and India) and Europe's Advanced European Union (based on the European Union). Constant warfare around the globe for fuels and energy lead to the formation of a private military organization, called Celestial Being (ソレスタルビーイング), dedicated to eradicating war with the use of four humanoid machines called Gundams.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 follows four mobile suit pilots termed Gundam Meisters (Meister is Master in German.) ガンダムマイスター (Gandamu Maisutā). The protagonist is 16-year old Setsuna F. Seiei (刹那(せつな)・F・セイエイ), a quiet, taciturn young man who grew up in a war-torn Middle East, and a Gundam Meister since two years ago. He will pilot the GN-001 Gundam Exia, a high mobility mobile suit effective in melee combat.

Production
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 became the first Gundam series to be animated in high-definition.

Reception
Early in the series' run, the viewers remarked multiple parallels between Gundam 00 and an earlier installment of the metaseries, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. By the start, both series feature an independent group of Gundam pilots, challenging the world's powers for the sake of obtaining peace for all mankind.

Staff

 * Planning: Sunrise
 * Original concept: Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino
 * Series composition and script: Yōsuke Kuroda
 * Original character design: Yun Kōga
 * Animation character design: Michinori Chiba
 * Mechanical design: Kanetake Ebikawa, Takayuki Yanase, Kunio Okawara, Seiichi Nakatani
 * Mechanical concept design: Hitoshi Fukuchi, Kenji Teraoka, Nobuto Sue
 * Animation mechanical design: Seiichi Nakatani
 * Sound director: Masafumi Mima
 * Music: Kenji Kawai
 * Setting cooperation: Isaku Okabe
 * Executive producers: Seiji Takeda (Mainichi Broadcasting System), Yasuo Miyakawa (Sunrise)
 * Producers: Hirō Maruyama (Mainichi Broadcasting System), Hirōmi Iketani (Sunrise), Shin Sasaki (Sunrise)
 * Director: Seiji Mizushima
 * Production cooperation: Sotsu
 * Production: Sunrise, Mainichi Broadcasting System

Cast

 * Setsuna F Seiei: Mamoru Miyano
 * Lockon Stratos: Shinichiro Miki
 * Allelujah Haptism: Hiroyuki Yoshino
 * Tieria Erde: Hiroshi Kamiya
 * Sumeragi Ri Noriega: Yōko Honna
 * Alejandro Corner: Yasunori Matsumoto
 * Wan Ryūmin: Kei Shindō
 * Hon Ron: Kenji Takahashi
 * Lasse Aion:Hiroki Touchi
 * Felt Grace: Ayahi Takagaki
 * Christina Sierra: Arise Satō
 * Lichtendahl Caeli: Masataka Azuma
 * Haro: Arisa Ogasawara
 * Billy Katagiri: Yuji Ueda
 * Graham Acre: Yuuichi Nakamura
 * Patrick Corlasawar: Kenji Hamada
 * Saji Crossroad: Miyu Irino
 * Kinue Crossroad: Aya Endo
 * Louise Halevy: Chiwa Saitō
 * Marina Ismail: Ayumi Tsunematsu
 * Sergei Smirnov: Unshō Ishizuka
 * Ioria Schuhenberg: Chikao Ohtsuka
 * Narrator: Toru Furuya.
 * His first and (currently) only casting involvment of Gundam other than the imfamous Amuro Ray, it is believed his Gundam 00 involvment is inspired by one of his best friends Shuuichi Ikeda (casts Char Aznable, rival of Amuro), who had casted Gilbert Durandal in Gundam SEED Destiny.

Theme songs
The first opening theme of the series will be performed by the band L'Arc-en-Ciel, while the ending theme will be performed by The Back Horn.

Opening: Ending:
 * 1) "Daybreak's Bell" by L'Arc-en-Ciel (episodes 1-?)
 * 1) "Wana" (罠) by The Back Horn (episodes 1-?)

Other media
Like the Gundam SEED series, the story of Gundam 00 is expanded with official side-stories in different medias. They aim to look at the main story from another angle. It will feature prototypes and other original mecha in the main story, setting up the Mobile Suit Variations for Gundam 00.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00P
Serialized in Dengeki Hobby Magazine, it features events before the main story. Story by Tomohiro Chiba, model conduction by Dengeki Hobby Magazine.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00F
Serialized in Gundam Ace, it is a manga adaptation of the main story with art by Koichi Tokita.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00V
Serialized in Hobby Japan. Short stories of the characters from the other organizations (except Celestial Being).

Trivia
Team-Kraft Racing, participant in GT500 class of Super GT with Bandai as one of their main sponsers, replaced their 2006 model of Lexus SC430 "Bandai Dunlop SC430" with 2007 model painted in Gundam OO Colour Scheme since SUGO 300km in 2007 season. And the car is renamed as "Bandai OO Dunlop SC430" which will be used for the remaining season.