Nevertheless, the main conflict remains coherent and tackles a recognisable sci-fi question about the evolution of the human race. Gundam 00 S2 may set the standard for raw machismo, but its action still lacks the stamina to entertain solidly across twenty-five episodes. The clichés become distractingly evident, the highfalutin speeches do not stand up to scrutiny, and there are simply no big surprises to make up for the hours of ‘wait for it’ build-up. Inevitably, however, just when Gundam 00 S2 should escalate the political conflicts in the last handful of episodes to bring events to a satisfying climax, the narrative wheezes and strains instead. While such insubstantiality would cripple an average-looking show from the onset, Gundam 00 S2’s action manages to excite for a remarkable length of time. Luckily, Gundam 00 S2 seeps eye candy out of its very pores. On the other hand, delicate dilemmas regarding the effects of war and terrorism are manhandled or quickly bundled out of the way before they can raise eyebrows, and the character developments are, frankly, as thin as Setsuna’s spandex. It offers genetically superior human beings (tick!) a couple of tragic deaths (tick! tick!) and I vaguely remember some cobbled-together stuff about everyone fighting for world peace (tick!). Despite the mighty promise of the first season, the plot here turns out to be the lowest common denominator, solely constructed to facilitate the battles and comprising the default menu of political mecha ingredients.
The bad news is that Gundam 00 S2 struggles to matter in almost every other sense. Indeed, the show’s entrance is explosively potent and, with more ‘bang bang’ per minute than a machine gun, the action hits home again and again – constantly, persistently, awesomely. Gundam 00 S2 means mecha bigger than ever, careening across the screen in angled close-ups, swerving, whirling, dazzling acrobatics, and an eye-boggling, mind-melting style that would make even Van Damme break out in a sweat. StoryPay attention, all you slavering mecha junkies - there’s a new Gundam in town, and it just smashed down the door, did your mum, and plundered the deepest recesses of your intellect without so much as a smirk.
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