Critical reception

After a sneak preview of Gundam 00 on September 1, 2007, Anime News Network remarked "striking parallels" between the series and an earlier installment of the metaseries , Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995): "Like Gundam Wing, Gundam 00's main story begins with hyper-powerful Gundam units appearing at various locales to execute slightly-less-than- Dynasty-Warriors -level mayhem in synchronized phases of a paramilitary operation." ^{[ 8 ]} Later on October 21, 2007, Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network speculated that just like Mobile Suit Gundam SEED adapted the original Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) for modern audiences, Gundam 00 may possibly be an attempt to do the same with Gundam Wing . ^{[ 69 ]} He also remarked that "its political flavour [...] is distinctly post-9/11 ", noting the political and cultural similarities between the series and our modern society. ^{[ 69 ]} Critics have praised the series for the smooth, detailed visual effects and animation. After a sneak preview of Gundam 00 on September 1, 2007, Anime News Network remarked "striking parallels" Between the series and an Earlier installment of the metaseries , Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995): "Like Gundam Wing, Gundam 00's play Story Begins with hyper-powerful Gundam units appearing at various locales to execute slightly-less-than- Dynasty-Warriors -level mayhem in synchronized phases of a paramilitary operation." ^{[ 8 ]} Later on October 21, 2007, Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network speculated that just like Mobile Suit Gundam SEED adapted the original Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) for modern audiences, Gundam 00 may possibly be an attempt to do the same with Gundam Wing . ^{[ 69 ]} He also remarked that "its political flavour [... ] is distinctly post-9/11 ", noting the political and cultural similarities between the series and our modern society. ^{[ 69 ]} Critics have praised the series for the smooth, detailed visual effects and animation.

"As for the production values, they're top-notch: the mecha and character designs are attractive, and the fights—especially the opening chase scene—are fluid and composed with an eye for maximum impact."

—Carl Kimlinger, Anime News Network ^{[ 69 ]}

Following the end of the first season, Gundam 00 has received much critical acclaim. Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network gave the first season a B+ rating, praising the second half of the season for its "unstoppable narrative momentum." He stated that its "sheer momentum is breathtaking, and even as coldly detached as the series is, the catastrophic fates in store for its cast make for compelling viewing," and concluded that "being swept up in the coalescing second half, the abrupt drop-off at the end only raises a raging thirst for season two." ^{[ 70 ]} Chris Beveridge of Mania.com gave the first season a B rating, stating that as "this part of the series comes to a close, events become bigger than they were before and nobody is safe from change – or death." He concludes that the "culmination of this season does give me all that I like from a Gundam series as it tries to change the world and then throws you for a loop by moving everything ahead four years." ^{[ 71 ]} Ross Liversidge of the UK Anime Network gave the first season a 9/10 score, concluding that it is "Everything Gundam should be - huge cast, lots of politics and big battles. Fans should be pleased." ^{[ 72 ]}
Mamoru Miyano , the seiyū for Setsuna F Seiei, won the "Best Voice Actor" award at the 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair . ^{[ 73 ]} Miyano and Tieria Erde's seiyū, Hiroshi Kamiya , both won the "Best Main" and "Best Supporting Male Characters" respectively at the 2008 Seiyū Awards . ^{[ 74 ]} In the United Kingdom, Gundam 00 has been nominated for the 2009 NEO Award for Best Anime. ^{[ 75 ]}

Popularity

While critically acclaimed, the first season of Gundam 00 experienced lower average viewer ratings than its predecessors Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny . Over its 25 episode run, it averaged a television viewer rating of 4.85% and peaked at 6.1%. On a more positive note, Gundam 00's average rating was higher than the other previous Gundam shows set in alternative universes such as Gundam Wing (which averaged 4.3%) and G Gundam (which averaged 4.1%). ^{[ 76 ]} The viewer ratings for the second season of Gundam 00 had improved, reaching ratings as high as 6.3%.
The series was also a commercial success, with the DVDs showing consistently high sales figures. The third and seventh DVD release topped the anime DVD sales chart. ^{[ 77 ] [ 78 ]}
In a top 20 anime poll published in the April 2008 issue of Newtype magazine , Japanese readers voted for Gundam 00 as the best anime, higher than its predecessor Gundam SEED , which was voted ninth. In Newtype's poll for top 10 male anime characters, Setsuna F Seiei was voted second, Tieria Erde third, Lockon Stratos fifth, Graham Aker sixth and Allelujah Haptism at seventh; and in its poll for top ten female anime characters, Nena Trinity was voted eighth and Marina Ismail was voted tenth. ^{[ 79 ]}
At the Anime News Network website, the first season of Gundam 00 has an average rating of 8.4/10 and ranked #129 in its top 250 anime poll as of October 18, 2008, ^{[ 80 ]} while the second season has an average rating of 9/10 and ranked #14 in its top 250 anime poll as of December 13, 2008. ^{[ 81 ]}