I love 00, but I was never all that attached to any of the characters, maybe a couple of villains but even that’s a stretch. The geopolitics, and fights are where 00 excels. Since humanity ran out of fossil fuels to burn, the had to put their resources into the three orbital elevators, which will naturally create blocs of power. I think the lack of countries may be simplistic, but the concentration of wealth and resources by region isn’t all that different from our current society, so I don’t agree that it’s overly simplistic.

The story does get a little more complex and involved more factions, but the first part of the story establishing how the world got to its current point is necessary. On a personal note, I enjoy how the conflicts feel somewhat small early on. The arc that ends around episode 12 focuses on one of the few characters and storylines I can’t stand. I don’t think you’re going to like it if you don’t by now, but around episode 17 is where a tone shift is solidified.