Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

This time I’m reviewing another mecha, and I think this one is one of the most brilliant mecha productions out there. Gundam SEED. No… no it’s not about Gundam jerking off and releasing his seed. SEED refers to some kind of evolution, but I will let you reveal that for yourselves. At first it seems kind of standard, kind of ,,been there done that”, nothing special… but as you continue, each episode gets more and more interesting and the story gets more intense. If you haven’t changed the screen yet, then I think you might be interested in what I have to say, so here are my thoughts on this one.

The story is set in the Cosmic Era. The series begins with the Bloody Valentine War between Earth and the colonies. On one side is the Earth Alliance, and on the opposite are the space colonies that form ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty). Mankind is divided over human genetic engineering, with normal humans known as "Naturals" and the genetically altered humans known as "Coordinators", which have enhanced physical and mental capabilities. While ZAFT has a head start on mobile suit design, the Earth Alliance quickly catches up with its five prototype Gundams. With ZAFT having stolen four of the prototypes, young Coordinator Kira Yamato pilots the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam and is forced to fight his old friend Athrun Zala. Little do they know that there exist sinister forces working to bring events that go far beyond their worst nightmares. One thing that I complain about in most mecha anime, and it’s nothing major, but… why in the name of holy fuck do they have teenagers pilot giant-ass robots, and kill a lot. I mean it’s not something rare in mecha anime, to have teenagers pilot mecha suits, so it gets old and you’re like ,,Well that’s a fucking surprise… haven’t we seen this already?”. It also makes me think that anyone can do it, even I. Imagine I just go in one of those things, pull something and the robot will… play… frigging Mozart or something like that. And the pilots instantly go from ,,I can’t handle this” to ,,I’m a fucking expert”. There is nothing in between; they get accustomed to it so quick that it’s almost ridiculous. But anyway, that doesn’t mean that this is a big complaint, it’s just a minor detail I encounter a lot, and I’m sure you encounter it a lot as well. Still this thing influences the story a lot cause it shows how Kira gets troubled about many things (e.g. Can’t protect someone) since he is at an age that doesn’t have much life experience, and it also helps at character development and how he interacts with others.

So there are enough plot twists and drama to make an intriguing story, but it’s the war, the epic battles and the awesome action that attracts you to this. Cause that’s what you expect from it, right? Giant robots with guys inside piloting them, pushing God knows what to make them tango if they have to, and battling each other to the death. If you expect mind numbing action and great battles, then Gundam SEED delivers exactly what you expect. One minor problem is that the battles sometimes get too repetitive. You see the same bad guys fighting the same good guys and the outcome is always the same… bad guys flee, good guys win. And when somebody actually gets hurt or killed (yes, we have such moments… we must have such moments), the pacing changes a bit and you feel like you get a breath of fresh air. Sometimes the enemies change as well, and the battlefields (it’s not always in space), and you get something new. But repetitiveness remains an issue. Imagine you play basketball with the same friends, with the same outcome… 10 TIMES IN A FRIGGING ROW. But aside from that, the battles are awesome, and even if it gets repetitive, you’ll still watch every one of them.
The character cast is big, but not so diverse. It has a lot of characters that don’t influence things much (e.g. Kira’s friends) and are there just for shits and giggles. Sometimes they help for character development, sometimes they actually do something worthy, like helping Kira in battle, but most of the times you get the feeling like you can do without them. And worst is that they don’t have anything worth mentioning and act the same, like they all do and say the same things. Also some of them feel like they were copied from other anime. But at least they don’t interfere much, and the story focuses on what it’s supposed to focus… Kira and Athrun: the 2 friends that have to battle each other. These 2 you focus your attention the most on, and the other characters feel like they are there just to help these 2 progress. It’s hard to explain, but… it’s like if you think about your life as an anime series, then all the other characters in your life are there to help you progress in the story. But even though I think that some characters are useless, I also think that they did a good job with the cast, and I’m sure that very few (if at all) share my opinion about uselessness.
Presentation is flawless. You have to remind yourself that it’s 2002, so naturally if you watch it now it will feel outdated, but for 2002 it is well done. Character models are good, but feel copied while some feel like they are the foundation for future models. At least they are distinct amongst each other, and don’t get repetitive. But what makes this one good is the coloring. Not just special effects but also characters and objects get the same coloring treatment, which reflect personalities and make things eye pleasing. Voice cast (I’m talking about dub) is believable, even though sometimes feels forced, and sound effects are realistic. The opening(s) and ending aren’t memorable for me, but the music that accompanies the action always feels in-place.

Overall, this is a must see for all of you mecha or sci-fi fans, and I promise that you will not be disappointed. And if you don’t believe me, as proof, look at its ratings and read forums. It’s not just a winner for male viewers, but also has a lot of girl fans. So if you’re busting your balls (or something else if you don’t have balls) on what to see next, you should give this one a try.