Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer Review

2001’s Gundam Seed introduced aliens to the Gundam franchise with its fossilized space whale, but this film features the series’ first alien invasion.Though it begins by reintroducing the main cast and where they have ended up In the time since the show ended, It's nit long before the film’s biggest surprise feature-- aliens called ELSes (Extraterrestrial Livingmetal Shapeshifters)-- come into play. These creatures are unlike any enemy seen In a Gundam story to date, and it takes the combined efforts of most of the returning cast to deal with the menace. From the moment the ELSes encounter humans, the movie picks up a a breakneck pace with explanations and battle both folded into a race against time. Very little of the political tension from 00 remains in this entry, though there is still more government involvement than typically seen in a mech anime.

Visually, A Wakening of the Trailblazer is at least on par with the series it follows. Character and mechanical designs mesh perfectly as successors to those seen previously, with the exception of the ELSes, which still fit into the universe adequately and even offer some stylistic nods to certain remote weapons from older Gundam incarnations. The animation itself is crisp and colorful, and the use of CG throughout doesn't detract at all from the impressive 2D presentation. Action scenes are fast and furious, and I didn't notice any glaring drops In quality or over-use of recycled animation. The biggest complaint to be made would be that some of the new mechanical designs are underused, in particular the refit Gundam Dynames, which appears in only one scene, and the 00 Quanta. Fans of non-Gundam designs like those used by the Earth Federation will be happy to see that new models such as the Brave, Gadelaza, and GN-XIV do get a significant amount of screentime. There is even a new variant of Season 1’s Union Flag used prominently at the beginning of the movie.

Characterization In the film skews on the weak side. The new characters Introduced here have little depth or impact, while the returning cast sees little growth. Their character arcs were mostly concluded over the course of the two TV seasons, so Trailblazer instead seems shows how these mostly-developed characters handle the imminent threat posed by ELS. The movie is a fitting conclusion to the 00 saga and demonstrates the growth the characters have undergone, especially Setsuna and Tieria, who have struggled with their natures and roles, and Feldt, who has grown from little more than a child into a more mature young woman. Some minor characters from throughout the series also get the chance to return for a final appearance, though not all see significant roles or their story’s conclusion-- Patrick Colasour, for instance, is the same comic relief character in essentially the same place he was when season 2 drew to a close.

Overall, A Wakening of the Trailblazer is a good film. It gives fans a last chance to see their favorite characters from their series and brings the story of Celestial Being to a close. Everything flows smoothly from 00 to this movie, from plot to to the mehcanical designs, which are clear evolutions to the models used in the series. There's even a little bit of an open ending with room for future stories In the universe, though I wouldn't bet on that happening any time soon. If you're a fan of Gundam 00, check the movie out. It's a decent conclusion and overall a pretty good watch. If you didn't like 00, there's nothing here that will change your mind. The movie is essentially a cap, an epilogue, to the series-- and as just that, it excels.