Gundam 00!

[RedX1z]

I like the color scheme for the first one, and the designs aren't bad at all for the rest. Though, first one looks like it has some sort of bird mode..

[masamuneehs]

High Grade Collection figures OF Real Entertainment (HGCORE)





nothing we haven't seen before... I'm liking the Kyrios Gundam more and more, and the fatboy (Virtue) doesn't look so bad either. I still don't like the weird ass rockets on the Dynames, but a good looking mech otherwise. Excia still is too blaise for me to really care for it... and it has that weird penis guard that looks like it should belong on a Gundam's head...

[Illrenmazou]

New Gundam 00 trailer!
Excia looks sexy in action. Woot~!

Edit: An interview with Mizushima from Animage Mag.:

Mizushima Animage interview
This month's anime magazines had interviews with Seiji Mizushima, the director of the Gundam 00 series. Below is a translation of an interview from Animage magazine. A Newtype magazine interview will be up tomorrow.

Q: Tell us how the title "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" came about?
A: It started as a temporary title, but it ended up being the official title. Originally I wanted to have a cool name, but we all forgot about it. Besides the obvious reason of starting from zero, there are other reasons. Right now it is a secret, but it will become a keyword as the story progresses.

Q: Reason behind why this series is set in the future of our world?
A: I personally have no deep knowledge about UC or CE so jumping into their worlds would be inappropriate and offensive to the staff who worked on those series. To me, it made perfect sense to make this series connected to our world. By doing this, it is easier to reflect our history and blend it with the series. At this moment, I am not focusing too much about making this ultra real or serious. This is entertainment after all so I'll mirror some of the real world issues in this series like I have with the anime I worked on in the past.

Q: What kind of Gundam story are you aiming for?
A: Don't know if this is a good or bad thing. I haven't watched a lot of the previous Gundam series. When I was first offered this job, I thought to myself, "Aren't there more Gundam-minded people than me?" Sunrise told me "We want to create a new Gundam so the director doesn't have to know a lot about Gundam." I have staff like Yousuke Kuroda and mecha designers, who are Gundam fans, so they will make sure it is Gundam while I will try to create without thinking too much that this is a Gundam series. Perhaps, this might be the theme, but I will bring my own Gundam-ness to the series.

Q: What is your Gundam-ness?
A: One is writing about war. Gundam is a weapon after all. This doesn't mean I'm going to be devoted to battles scenes. Instead I believe it is important to approach the war theme straightforward. (Gunota note: from here he tries to be funny) Other than that, a mobile weapon walking on 2 legs using beam sabers and a beam rifle. Then the basic stuff like Gundam is red, blue, yellow, and white. *laughs* This time, we are being more adventurous with the designs. If you have these 4 colors, they look like Gundam. *laughs*

Q: The pilots of the Gundams belong to a group who are trying to end war. What are you trying to say with this?
A: Let's take this one phrase, "Using force to end wars" and see what happens when someone carries out this contradicting act. "What do you start to see?" is one of things I want to write. Since this is a drama involving these characters, you will see "What happens to the world when they pilot the Gundam? What will these pilots do and how will they change?" This will be the gut of the series for sure.

Q: How will the MS designs and battle action turn out?
A: We hope to bring 2 styles: one is the super action style from SEED, second are actions that take advantage of the MS. When the plot of Gundams entering the conflict was being setup, we had a conversation saying "It might be all right for the Gundams to be super mecha." Therefore, the antagonist's MS was designed reflecting today's weapons and the Gundams were designed to confront them. It will feel like super mecha vs real mecha. The concept of the Gundam being far superior is one concept I had from the beginning. I don't know how much of that you will see, but the staff will follow along and hopefully you might see some odd looking scenes.

Q: Lastly, a message for the fans of the upcoming series.
A: While this will be a drama connecting people with people or people with the world, I will not be forcing answers on them. I'm hoping this series will motivate viewers into thinking. A Gundam novice like me is working real hard creating a new Gundam so I hope the previous fans and new fans will support us.
¶ 9:51 PM

This one's from Newtype:

Newtype had an interview with Mizushima which covered different topics from the Animage one.

Source: Newtype
Q: A 15-second long promo video appeared after Toward the Terra on June 2. Any response from the public?
A: They were a lot of responses and they were fast, too. A day after the promo, my friend who was eating at a restaurant overheard young people talking about the next Gundam by watching it on their mobile phones.

Q: This Gundam doesn't take place in ___ Era, instead it takes place in Seireki (anno domini aka AD) 2307.
A: I wanted to do it in AD. Since my knowledge regarding UC and CE is very low, doing it in AD would be a lot easier and allow me to bring in real world agendas.

Q: Was bringing a real world agenda the start of your concept?
A: Since this is Mobile Suit Gundam, I believe you are placed in a situation where you have to write something about war. If that is the case, it could be on something like a conflict or terror we see today. In a Gundam series, the Gundam serves as a weapon which allows me to do these things. It is possible to make this story a fantasy, but I didn't want to do that with this Gundam. I wanted an era based on today's world.

Q: Setsuna F. Seiei, the main character, is a former soldier from the Middle East. This smells like the ethnic and religious clash we have today.
A: 300 years from now, I don't think this problem will be solved. However, I don't want to present a solution to this social problem. If young people ended up searching on the net, it would be worth making the series. Instead of just watching the events, I'm personally hoping we can approach it more closely. For us, it is hard to understand the thoughts of people who are living under war conditions, but we can know a little bit by studying. I want to absorb them and express them on film. I do believe this is a hard thing to do.

There is another challenge. I'm aiming for a new innovation as far as MS action goes. Each group will have their own MS, unique in shape and movement as well. To put it simply, a normal MS will have realistic behavior. Since Gundams are super weapons, they will have super mechanic movements. These differences will be purposely put in place and I'm looking forward to how much variety of actions we can express. I want everyone to look forward to this because I am, too.

Q: Setsuna is described as a cool person who hardly reveals any emotion. Does this mean he is keeping his feelings inside himself regarding why he fights?
A: That is still a secret. *laughs* His past is difficult to understand which probably makes him look cool. Once people see the facts, they will understand.

Q: Why did you decide on him as the main character?
A: At first, I wanted a character that doesn't fit a typical Japanese person. Then I went through the process of what this young person and I would do if I were placed in these circumstances. I believe this is an important step when you develop a story.

Q: This is far away from the viewer's standpoint.
A: Yes, it is. Which is why I asked Yun Kouga for character designs. If this wasn't Kouga-san's designs, people might have been afraid, grossed out, or not even empathize. It may sound like this is all we're doing based on my conversation, but it is only part of it. This is an entertainment show so we'll have those other elements, too.

Q: Will there be any romance?
A: There will be plenty of romance even under these harsh circumstances. *laughs* Yousuke Kuroda is going to include lots of romance in the story.

Q: Which means a heroine character is going to appear?
A: We haven't made that public yet? There is one, a 24-year-old heroine. She's been through a lot of difficulties.

Q: Will she be Setsuna's primary interest?
A: Umm, we haven't decided that yet. Again, she's been through a lot...

From Gunota

[masamuneehs]

hmm.... some of that interview distressed me, but some of it was very encouraging!

i personally don't like the idea of Gundams being 'super-mecha' that all the regular MS can't even scratch. Parity on the battlefield is part of what makes watching battles entertaining (at least for me) and it's annoying to think that the only time the Gundam pilots will be in any sort of real danger is when they're up against another Gundam...

I like how he almost flat out says, "I wanted the character to be something different, but was afraid viewers would reject that character; so that's why Yun Kouga was hired to make the character a bishounen" From the looks of the trailer, some of the girls look pretty hot too.

[Meehlimo]

Yea well lets hope its a long and good series i need my gundam fix its been a while...
Speakin of been a while im back and good to see most of u i know r still around :d
Just pray for sum kick ass battles and lots of exploisions xD