"I can't exactly fight a war with a big smile on my face." - Athrun Zala
Gundam SEED (Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED) is an action, drama, mecha, military, romance, sci-fi, and space anime. It was originally released in October 2002 by Sunrise with 50 episodes. It is part of the Gundam franchise and has a second season as well as additional OVAs and specials
General Rating: 7.9/10
My Rating: 10/10
Gundam SEED was a great addition of the gundam franchise. It's got epic mechas, cool characters, and a typical gundam world plot. If you are looking for a good gundam anime, this is a great one. Sitting around my third favorite of the franchise, after 00 and X, SEED is a great watch. It's got great action, quite a bit of politics, and even some good romance. If you are a fan of mechas, the gundam franchise is an absolute must watch. SEED is one of the strongest series in the franchise, sitting up there with 00. It is a great start to the series for new fans as well. The gundam franchise does not have a particular order they must be watched in, so if you aren't interested in watching them chronologically, SEED or 00 makes a great place to start. They are both great gateways into the franchise.
In the year of Cosmic Era 0071, the space colony Heliopolis remains neutral in the great war raging across the galaxy between Coordinators (human beings whose biological traits have been altered before birth) and Naturals (unaltered people who remain on Earth). The Naturals' deep hatred of the Coordinators drove the advanced beings into space, seeking shelter in man-made colonies. Kira Yamato, a coordinator attending university on Heliopolis, soon has his life thrown into disarray as ZAFT, the military organization composed of rebellious Coordinators, attacks the colony in an effort to steal a set of state-of-the-art military mobile suits known as Gundams. As ZAFT manages to make off with four of the five mobile suits, Kira takes control of the final Gundam, the Strike. After the battle, Kira and his college friends join the crew of the Archangel, a ship run by the Earth Alliance, and soon experience the terrors of war and tragedies of loss.
Story: I've heard it said by fans and haters alike that all the gundam stories are the same, and to an extent they are. However, while the stories share similarities, thy are not repeats. SEED has a story that's top tier for a gundam franchise. It's exciting, fairly fast paced, and has a lot of constant developments you'll need to keep up with. Something I strongly felt with SEED was how much it reminded me of real war dynamics: intel was constantly being revealed that turned the tides in friendships, loyalties, and the course of battle. This was something that strongly led the entire story of Gundam SEED and made it a success.
Characters: The reason SEED falls as my #3 favorite Gundam anime and lets 00 and X beat it is because, its characters aren't as strong. Th character designs aren't as interesting as a lot of others in the franchise, and the characters themselves do not interest me as much. However, this is only comparing them with other Gundam franchise characters. They are not bad characters, just weak among the franchise. This anime is still my third favorite Gundam of all time with a 10/10 rating, so it makes up for it.
Soundtrack: The Gundam franchise has a pretty interesting soundtrack, although its hard to tell one from the next. Gundam SEED has a some seriously good battle music, however, and is enjoyable. There is nothing unique or masterpiece about the soundtrack or most of the voice acting for that matter. It was above average, but not exceptional or notable.
Art: I really do love my 2000s anime art. For an anime that was released in 2002, SEED has some really modern looking art. More of a 2008 feel. It has a lot of work put into it an has really nice animation. Character designs are kind of bland compared to some other gundams in my opinion and I would have liked to see them have done more and with more variety. The mechas have some really cool designs however. I am not the hugest fan of the mecha genre, but my mecha-loving friends love the Gundam designs a lot, and I have to admit they do look pretty dang cool.
Fans of the Gundam franchise will definitely enjoy this anime, and I also recommend it to fans of animes like Macross, Code Geass, Expelled from Paradise, Gurren Lagann, Giniro no Olynsis: Tokito, Guilty Crown, or Eureka 7. This is a definite must watch among the Gundam franchise.
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