Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

Gundam SEED is the latest series in the long-living Gundam franchise, directed by long-time Sunrise staff member Mitsuo Fukuda. While many tout it the be either the best ever, or the worst ever, I would have to say it falls squarely in the realm of mediocrity with Gundam ZZ. While the second half of the series is rather good, the first half is more or less a rehash of the early portion of its predecessor, Mobile Suit Gundam. While most sequels and spinoffs have used the original series as a building point, SEED tells one of the most blatant copies of the plot of "First Gundam" in Alternate Universe proper. While it is understandable to a degree-- SEED is aimed at those who have not watched anything from the Universal Century-- it is bound to anger the core fanbase that Bandai and Sunrise have pleased for 20 years...

Which is the main problem with the show: In its attempt to garner a new generation of fans, it alienates the older generation's tastes with a rather generic plot and character designs. Even after the second half, when the writers move Gundam SEED into a completely different direction, the damage has been done in the eyes of the adults who watched Gundam as a child.

The saving graces of Gundam SEED are the interesting fight scenes-- there is even a Mobile Suit which resembles another popular mecha franchise in the U.S., "Zoids"-- and the catchy Japanese pop openings and endings. Even the improved writing seems to be pointless for the story in the long run, as 21+ episodes of absolutely high-quality story are ruined by probably one of the worst cop-out endings I've seen, a total rush job that answers none of the questions people wanted to know. And, judging by the fact that Bandai seems to have scrapped any plans for a SEED sequel next year, the continuation people longed for may never come....

Overall: A run-of-the-mill mecha anime with the Gundam title slapped on it, great fighting scenes and music, a mediocre plot, and atrocious character designs: 6/10.

When I first heard about a new Gundam series coming from Japan to the United States in April 2003, I didn't know what to expect. But, what I got didn't reach my expectations, Gundam SEED SURPASSED my expectations. My favorite character by far is Kira Yamato. When I first saw his "SEED mode", I thought that one day, that could become reality. My favorite mobile suit by far, is the soon to be introduced ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam, Kira's new suit, built by ZAFT, and equipped with a N-Jammer Canceler, allowing it to use nuclear energy. Kira steals it quite soon, and uses it not to kill anymore. It has all these CIWS guns, railguns, plasma beam cannons, beam rifle, beam sabers, and a mobile armor weapons system that is remenisent to RX-78GP03 Gundam "Dendrobium" from that has-been Gundam 0083. So, it's the best Gundam show I have ever seen out of three(1. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, 2. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, 3. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing) Gundam series that I love. I give it a 10 out of 10 on my scale. GO GUNDAM SEED!!!!!

Gundam SEED isn't terrible. It's actually quite good and I do recommend people to watch it. Like any show, there are a couple of flaws and annoying things about it, but I'd rather not pick at them.

I do agree with some of the complaints that the battles drag out for too long. But hey, they have 50 episodes to fill. So it's a bit of a downfall if you're not into the whole Gundam fighting scenes. The thing that I enjoy most about this show is the characters and plot. The ending is phenomenal. The series is packed with twists and turns. Character development doesn't just focus on the few main characters, but also the supporting characters as well. The music is also an A+. And I'm not just talking about the catchy J-Pop openings and endings, but the score itself is so well done.

Kira Yamato is your stereotypical, invincible television hero. That's to be expected, isn't it? He's very kind and likable. I'm really REALLY glad he's not one of those angry, violent characters who spends half the show swearing and being moody for no apparent reason. Le Creuset, the antagonist, is rather one-dimensional. His whole history and motives are crammed into one episode near the end, and you're like, "OHH now I get it... too bad the series is going to end soon."

(And props to the team for perfecting Flay as "the character everyone hates".)

The English dub is very well done. There are a few awkward dubbing moments, but it's better than a lot of other anime. If you don't want to read subtitles, watch the dub. You're not going to miss a lot.

In a few final words, Gundam SEED is not flawless, nor the "best Gundam show ever", but it is definitely watchable and enjoyable.

For some people this show is the "best Gundam series ever!", for some it's the worst. But for everyone who has a split decision, that's who I am here to talk to.

I have never seen any Gundam series before, but I have read all my history to know that the franchise started in the late 70's (about 1979). It is a very popular series, but with the same storyline throughout every show. It always starts out about some type of war.

For me this show was the show that got me into the world of anime. The storyline, (which was new to me) got me hooked, I had never heard of such an idea for an animated show. The characters had an interesting way about them, you could easily pick out who you liked, and who you didn't. The animation is good, but not outstanding. Some shots of the ship look faker than fake mountains. There is not a lot of humor, but it has its good points. Tons of memorable quotes. This is an easy show to say, I like it, I don't.

I have to say the last 10 episodes were the best, and I wish the series was more like that, but it was still enjoyable. The two recap episodes, -can get annoying after seeing them twice- are a bit uncalled for especially when you've been watching every week and know the story off by heart, but can be helpful if you missed some episodes. But there only 12 episodes apart!

For a show that started in 2002, and only had 50 episodes (which is a lot for some animes), it is still highly talked about. Seed in Canada is in high demand, people just can't get enough. When on Adult Swim, ratings weren't good for it's run. But in Canada, the uncut version skyrocketed and was the 6th most popular show on YTV,Canada. Even more shocking was that the reruns were still holding strong, proving, everybody loved Seed.

I haven't seen the sequel Gundam Seed Destiny, so I can't compare. But again it seems to be another show that has mixed reviews. And the music, is some of my favourite anime music ever, and some of the most popular!

If I were to watch it again -for the 3rd time- I would consider watching the Japanese version, to see it uncut and to get the ultimate Seed feeling. But the dubbed version is just as good, and I was fortunate to see it uncut.

This show always keeps you busy thinking what will happen next. It's exciting, emotional, thrilling, and just plain fun. It has a good message. It is my personal favourite anime. I can't say this is the best of the Gundam series, but I think it helped save the Gundam series by bringing it back into the world of anime. So check it out!

Well first of all many people said that some of the episodes were dragging on. To clarify this,this series contains all emotion including Drama. So some of the episodes were made exactly for those who enjoy Drama. Anyway almost of the series was sad , however , it was gripping too! I must say 40% was Drama and the rest 60% was Action/Adventure/Thriller/Sci-Fi. The story was very excellent. (More reasonable than GundamW--and based on the truth that could possibly happen). The musics are very well-composed. The drawing was the greatest from all Gundam series. You'll get full enjoyment if you watch this one in Japanese,cuz Im not sure about the English Dub. Oh yeah,and the characters are interesting and attractive too. Finally,hope you guys enjoy watching this BEST GUNDAM EVER!!