Gundam 00 Episode 10

[Kraco]

I believe that Saiji will end up representing those who believe that as bad as things were, they would've been much better off and less peoples would've die if CB never existed. I can see that kind of sentiment growing considering the civilians casualties from the terrorist bombing.

What good will that do? As it is, the major powers are powerless against the deus ex Gundams, so what good will one Sanji do? Unless he learns some indentities of meisters or the CB agents by accidents I can't see much role for him. That is, unless he forms a political faction that succeeds in convincing the goverments to employ nuclear weapons in their fight.

[Ryllharu]

I had always thought the whole concept of Mobile Suits from the very first Gundam series was a way for the Japanese to employ massively destructive weapons of war without ever touching on the issue of nuclear warfare (being the only country nuked, ever, makes it a sensitive topic). Mobile suits had in theory, rendered nuclear weapons "obsolete."

Whether that assumption is really true, the writers being Japanese, we're don't see nukes in anime unless
a) The enemies are using them
b) Americans are using them (or threatening to do so), and they prove harmless to the enemy. As a result, the American forces get destroyed. And the president pisses his pants (see R.O.D.)

EDIT: That brings up another point I've been thinking about. Nationalism, in my Gundam? We've got terrorists, Setsuna being a jihadist, the European Union being a bunch of selfish greedy morons, the President of the "American" Union manipulating with the countries contained within the Union territory for political and economic gain...

And then we have the only Japanese civilian, little Saji. Saji advocates peace, and that everything all the other characters are doing is wrong. Perhaps that is his purpose.

Still, it's very different from Code Geass, another mecha series known for it's fervent Japanese Nationalism, but on the totally opposite side.

[Kraco]

Hmm... I have a feeling I've seen nukes or the effects left behind in a few animes, though I can't immediately recall names other than Eva, where they were used rather freely, and the results of the international community using them were also in Sky Girls, for example. Maybe they were used in some real space opera scifi series as well.

Of course nukes are always risky business so I hardly expect to see them in this series. I'd rather see the aces of the Union and AEU fight the Gundams using their special prototype suits (as well as the Chinese enhanced soldier but she still needs a better suit. I think it was demonstrated well enough the current one won't do it, after all).

[masamuneehs]

i'm willing to put money down that we see nukes used, or at least the serious threat of nukes used, before this series is over. If the Solar Ray gets introduced into the story early (like episode 20 or so), then it's possible that'll just be the 'weapon of massive destruction' type for this show, since all 3 power blocks have enough solar energy to make a devastating weapon, and their people might be more acceptable of them employing that than starting a nuclear war.

But solar WMDs or nuclear WMDs, whichever it turns out to be, I can't expect a show that's been trying to portray a world viewers can relate to to not include one of these.

[fireheart]

I don't know isn't one of the plot lines that we're facing energy shortage? So it feels strange somehow that they'd be using nukes on each other but can't have any nuclear power plants. Or is it just me

[animus]

Earth used nukes against Zaft in Seed.

[DeathscytheVII]

Hallelujah.
Now that's a man who enjoys his job. Impressive voice acting work and some seriously screwed up psychotic badass shit. His crazy monologue and even the somewhat mocking conversation he had with his little pussy bitch Coward persona were the best written segments of the show so far, in my opinion. I particularly liked how 'real' he was with his softer side, simply accepting that the Coward is the prime personality and his role of coming out when bitches need to get torn in half. Not every day you can see someone have such a harmonious sado-masochistic relationship with themselves. (Are you yaoi artists reading this shit? Get cracking!) Seriously though, that scene saved the otherwise weak second half of this episode.

Yeah gotta agree, the psycho stole the whole show. It was kinda chilling how he told the soldier he'd kill him slowly, and you wonder how you can do that in a mobile suit battle, then had pulls out the claw of death :S. crazy, awesome character.

I also wonder, now that the HRl realizes their resources and manpower can't capture the gundams, how long will it be before they start going to Graham Acre's squad for assistance? Two heads are better than one.

[Ryllharu]

At this point, I can't see any sort of unified effort to capture/kill CB. Later on in the second season, that will most likely be the case, but not now.

Earth has been divided into pretty much the same nations that Orwell's 1984 is. Eurasia is the AEU, Oceania is the Union (minus Britain and Greenland, which are in the AEU), and Eastasia is the HRL (with a bigger chunk of Russia).

Africa, of course, is left over to be fought over and exploited.

These three nations in either book or series fight each other, politically, economically, and on occasion, militarily.

[Buffalobiian]

I don't know isn't one of the plot lines that we're facing energy shortage? So it feels strange somehow that they'd be using nukes on each other but can't have any nuclear power plants. Or is it just me

It says they're running on a fossil fuel shortage. Nuclear power would provide electricity, but even that's limited. It makes sense that they've gone to use solar energy since nowadays they're looking for the near infinite power of fusion technology. Also have the environment to think about.

[Phoenix20578]

i'm willing to put money down that we see nukes used, or at least the serious threat of nukes used, before this series is over. If the Solar Ray gets introduced into the story early (like episode 20 or so), then it's possible that'll just be the 'weapon of massive destruction' type for this show, since all 3 power blocks have enough solar energy to make a devastating weapon, and their people might be more acceptable of them employing that than starting a nuclear war.

But solar WMDs or nuclear WMDs, whichever it turns out to be, I can't expect a show that's been trying to portray a world viewers can relate to to not include one of these.

Most Gundam series have had a WMD in some way, shape, or form.

0079: A colony
0083: An accual nucular warhead
Z: Take your pick
ZZ: Nothing really, except Psycho Gundam
V: That giant, floating, mind-controling fortess of DOOM
X: Again, a colony, or one of the beams to kill everything
Wing: Wing Zero Buster Rifile, and again, a colony
SEED: Nukes
Destiny: Nukes, Destroy Gundams, and AGAIN, GUESS WHAT, A COLONY

What have we learned, droping a colony or giant mass from space is a big Gundam cliche

[Death13a]

I go and guess this time giant mass will be TOWER.

[KrayZ33]

i liked this episode... for one moment i thought the gundams get owned!
the character development was good too...

"OMG it transformed! I am suddenly unable to perform basic combat abilities!"
Dudes, you know they can transform. You saw the Kyrios do it. You know the Dynames can be customized with different guns. You know you should probably run the hell away when they do stuff that you don't have a contingency plan for.

well but neither kyrios nor dynames were entangled and immobilized by gel-patches and other thingys. so i can understand this "wow i m shocked" moment

its not a big problem... its happening all the time in every anime series i've ever watched... and at least this is a situation where i can understand the pilots... this is actually rare