Mobile Suit Gundam Seed (2002–2003) User Reviews

A goshdarn good Gundam series

[peppermint-hotcocoa · 8/10 · 19 May 2010]

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.

A roller coaster of emotions...

[anime_queeny · 9/10 · 3 July 2017]

This is my first Gundam series that I've ever sat through and it was a pretty outstanding series.

There is a war between two types of humans in this series - the earth forces and then you have the coordinators who were genetically altered to excel at certain abilities.

In comes, Kira Yamato who is in high school; the coordinators start to attack the earth forced alliance and his destiny is set when he meets a young commander by the name of: Murrue Ramues who is defending a mobile suit gundam. Kira is immediately drawn into this battle by using his special abilities to over write the operating system of the gundam and use the machine to his own abilities.

During defending the people involved in this battle at the beginning; he comes into contact with his best, school friend: Athren and from there the story takes off between the battles of 2 worlds.

I won't go into too much detail; the above sums up where it's headed. This is a really great battle, drama, war series that really makes you think. I know I did...

I gave it a 9 rating because the story is very long - it's 50 episodes long but every single episode from 1 to 50 builds up and the very last 10 episodes are bringing you to tears and you are the edge of your seat.

When Japanese animators put their heart and soul into a anime you get stories like Gundam Seed. Nowdays, there is a lot of weeboo type series that are really hard to enjoy but this series is not one of them.

I gave it a 9 also because there are a couple of filler episodes...you can kinda predict it because a series in Japan will either go for 26 episodes or 12 depending on how much screen time they have.

From episode 27 to 50 it's where it picks up a bit. So the first half its really getting to know the characters and getting a fill for what's going on and then the second half of the series is where...things really escalate quickly.

All in all, if you have time to sit down and give a Gundam series a go, this is my recommendation. The series, music, animation and overall feel of the show is well worth.

Japanese anagrams gone crazy!

[lawwellsy · 8/10 · 27 November 2006]

To be blunt, this is a very good series. Compared with the other Gundam series I've seen (Gundam Wing), this one is far superior. The characters are believable, as is the plot, there's some good sci-fi in there, and there is character development.

I'll give as little of the actual plot away as I can, but given the guilt and remorse shown by the main characters when team mates and enemies get killed, I'll say its incredibly human. Unlike what you'd think watching James Bond, Kill Bill, et al, killing someone IS a big step, even in war. The regret, remorse, and yes, boys crying, does demonstrate this. And yes, it is OK for boys to be emotional. We just don't usually do it all that often.

The sci-fi is good too - genetic enhancements increasing our abilities (represented by the coordinaters) is an obvious extrapolation of modern science and research. The mobile suits that are the mainstay of the series also have some interesting ideas - phase shift armour, mirage colloid, etc.

The plot is all about right and wrong, and what falls into each category. Is vengeance against a whole race right just for your loss? Is killing ever just? And so on. Pretty meaty stuff. And the way the plot falls is reasonably logical and easy to understand.

Characters do actually develop. The main 4 - Athrun Zala, Kira Yamato, Cagalli Uli Attha and Lacus Clyne - all develop through loss of friends, family, and the turn of events. Even the minor characters do this; Yzak and Dearka make some decisions that you wouldn't've expected looking at their initial characterisation.

And through it all, there is Rau le Creuset. Mask? Check! Sadistically evil? Check! And that makes it even more Gundam - there's always some guy in a mask.

The revealing of certain characters pasts, eg Mu la Flaga and Rau le Creuset, does add a certain depth. Not everything is known at once, and their emnity is revealed to be deep-seated, as are the character relations throughout the series.

Also, as an side, I'd like to say that I have not seen the Japanese version of Gundam Seed, only its English dub. Given I don't know Japanese vocal expressions and don't particularly like subtitles, I think I probably get the best out of the English version, at least orally. However, in terms on animation and sequences, there are some extra in the Japanese versions that were edited out of the English dub, and so I have not seen these. Just so you know though, there are some extra sequences to it.

Although it could have had some plot tweaks, better animation in some sequences, and possibly less of the ZAFT-rules-all attitude that seems rather prevalent (some battles are almost farcical in how powerful ZAFT mobile suits are), it adds together quite nicely overall.

8 out of 10.

Just the Basics

[GundamForever · 10/10 · 27 August 2006]

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!

Gundam at its Best

[TheVintageArchive · 10/10 · 19 November 2004]

This has got to be one of the best Gundam shows out there today. The animation is everything modern technology can offer, amazing choreographed fighting sequence and perhaps, one of the most intriguing plots.

The basic plot to Gundam SEED is a war has broken out between the Earth Alliance (Naturals or normal human beings) and ZAFT (Coordinators or genetically enhanced human beings), and two friends, Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala are pitted against each other. Mobile Suits come into play when the Earth Alliance secretly begin to produce Gundam Mobile Suits, to which Zaft is intent on obtaining. The attack on Heliopolis not only allowed Zaft to capture four of the Alliance's mobile suits, but reunites Kira Yamato with his childhood friend, now enemy, Athrun Zala. Kira like Athrun is a Coordinator and his decision to help the Naturals deem him a traitor and pit him against his fellow Coordinators. Kira must now fight in the Strike Gundam against Duel, Buster, Blitz, and Aegis Gundams as the seemingly never-ending war continues. Casualties will amount on both sides, forcing both Athrun and Kira to battle relentlessly.

One of the first things that drew me into the show was the vibrant colors and the character development. You have the protagonist, Kira Yamato, who is a conflicted and emotional teenager. And though he is extremely skilled at piloting a Gundam, he rather live peacefully rather than fight. Every time a death occurs on or off the battlefield, he feels it's his responsibility, thus the toll of characters that die throughout the show, effect and burden him immensely. He is extremely sensitive to other people's feelings and does not like taking the life of an other. Some may accuse him of crying too often, but I view his breakdowns as human, which is a reason I like his character so much.

His relationship with his old childhood friend, Athrun Zala, is extremely heartfelt, because it is obvious the two don't want to fight each other and care immensely for each other, yet they're forced to fight against each other. Notably, the supporting characters in this show are extremely memorable. Athrun's teammates, Yzak, Dearka, and Nicol have interesting character developments, rare in a lot of anime shows. We see Nicol as an aspiring pianist with hope for a piano playing future. He looks upon Athrun as an older brother and is very kind and supportive of Athrun. Both Yzak and Dearka's personalities are further developed later on in the show when we see them both make surprising decisions and completely different sides to their characters. There are also characters on the Naturals side like Mwu La Fllaga, Murrue Ramius, Sai Argyle, Fllay Allster, that are memorable, especially in their relationship with Kira and how they affect him to fight.

For once, the main female leads are not annoying. Lacus Clyne and Cagalli Yula Attha actually have important roles in the series. Lacus as the emotional and physical healer and supporter for Kira, while Cagalli is the tie between Kira and Athrun. The awesome aspect of this show is that it has characters worth caring about and excellent voice overs. The only disappointing factor is, if you're watching the Cartoon Network version, a majority of the more violent and graphic scenes are completely edited out and makes the events happening in the show, lose it's full potential and true effect.

The music for Gundam SEED is extremely compelling and perfectly accompanies the show. In my opinion the best songs you hear are "Invoke"

by T.M. Revolution, "Meteor" by T.M. Revolution, and "Anna ni Isshodatta no ni" by See-Saw.

Overall, Gundam SEED is an excellent anime show with compelling characters, and fantastic animation.

Awesomeness.

[soulthiefs · 27 August 2005]

I absolutely love Seed. It's one of my favourite series, and though I have heard from a lot of people that they found it slow at the start, I did not find this a problem. I would advise to watch it in the original Japanese with subs, as quite frankly the dub is nearly as bad as the Evangelion dub, which pretty much batters my ears with a very large hammer. Lacus and Fllay under the dub become awful, they are given voices that do not suit their characters imo, and the way they are voiced makes me think that the voice actors looked at the hair and thought, pink hair = bimbo :rolleyes:. I think the storyline is good, the characters are interesting, and it all looks great. The only problem is scene reuse, but I'll live with it. So I recommend highly with a whopping..... 9/10

Amazing

[coolmunky88 · 10/10 · 26 April 2010]

After watching all 50 episodes I have to conclude it is one of the best drama animes I have ever seen. The series is focused around the characters whilst including spectacular battle scenes. I watched the dubbed but have been advised that the subbed is even better. Even though the English voice over is supposed to have missed parts, the story still gripped me for an emotional roller coaster which made me want to watch more and more. The constant barrage of well animated fight scenes creates an excitement that never ceases to impress throughout the whole series. The finale is a must see! it concludes the epic plot with a display of visually explosive scenes that compels you to involve yourself within characters.

I acknowledge that the views of this series is split in half, one side claiming it is the best Gundam series, and others claiming it does not do the franchise justice. I personally think it is a must watch for those who love drama, with the incredible blend of the never ending imagination universe that is Gundam. To put it simply, one of my favourite series of all time. A 10/10 easily.

My Fav, but Perhaps Not For Everyone

[orvisfc · 10/10 · 2 April 2014]

Whether or not you enjoy SEED (or ultimately Destiny) relies solely on whether or not you can stand an OP Pacifist lead. The biggest argument I see against SEED is that Kira is a god, even so brashly being titled "Jesus Yamato" by some of the shows primary haters. I personally don't see this as an issue, as the OP Pacifist lead is one of my favorite tropes (see Vash and Kenshin).

The next argument I see is that no one reaches any level of interesting development. This is only really half true, as Athrun and Cagalli don't really reach their full development until the middle-end of Destiny. However, Kira does reach a fair level of development in SEED, especially after the stuff with Flay. Lacus is very likely the least developed character, but she doesn't really need to be. Her role is not one of a deep character, but rather the perfect mascot of sorts. Asking for development out of Lacus is like expecting Haro to change.

For me, the biggest selling point of SEED is all of the plot twist. None of them are surprising, per say, but it's the accumulation of all the little ones that made the show interesting. Needless to say, I was addicted to SEED when I watched it, and then again to Destiny 6 months later (note, I did not watch it when it aired). Similarly to the plot twists, the side in the conflict that the audience is supposed to sympathize with switches at least three times throughout the show. The rather shallow villain, to me at least, fits just fine, seeing as neither side of the war is without fault. For the story to work the way it does, there needs to be a straight up "bad guy," and while Rau is perhaps not the greatest villain, he serves his purpose in both SEED and Destiny.

The last point I'll make is that I believe the story and themes in SEED/Destiny are deeper than in a lot of other Gundam. The series that SEED is closest to is definitely the UC time line, and you can see much deeper levels of thought engagement throughout the SEED. The conflicts are real and relatable to life today while still keeping a fantastical element and warning of possible future events.

Gundam SEED is my absolute favorite anime, like it or not (and I am not a newbie to the medium). I recommend it highly to everyone with a strong warning to not take it just at face value. I No other season of Gundam has made me think so hard about its story.

Horrible "farmers" killed a potentially great "Seed".

[xamtaro · 6/10 · 30 August 2009]

Over-hyped, overly long, over-the-top and overboard in every single aspect.

The "seed" that would eventually sprout into "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed" had so much potential. It was produced from a pedigree of award winning repute, combining the successful elements from the previous Gundam series into one show.

-The familiar premise of the original Gundam 0079 following a rag tag bunch of refugees and military personnel in a ship. Among them is the main character who pilots the titular Gundam with uncanny know-how.

-The strong character drama and a fully developed romantic subplot of the OVAs like 0080, 0083 and 08th Ms team.

-Philosophical ramblings, catchy J-pop and beautifully attractive character designs from Gundam Wing

-Flashy mecha from G Gundam

-intense combat sequences of Zeta Gundam and Char's Counterattack.

My list could go on. They even threw in some 9/11 terrorist attack analogies and the ongoing debate on genetic engineering. Cool.So how did a show combining all the great elements of its predecessors turn out so flat and uninspired?

For starters, the "farmers" in charge of nurturing the seed into the full grown plant, aka the creative team, pushed those elements too far. For example, They wanted "character drama", and they pushed the "drama" to the point of absurdity where every episode would have at least one character breaking down into tears. After a while the "sadness" starts to feel "forced"; like the director is trying his darnedest to FORCE the audience to cry and feel sad for the characters short of sticking an onion into the viewers' eyes.

The characters are rather "give and take". You got some really likable ones in the form of Muu Laflagga and Athrun Zala, some stock one dimensional characters like Rau le Creuset(which BTW is a huge disappointment in the history of masked Gundam antagonists) and then you have the downright terrible characters like Fllay Alaster and Kira Yamato. The characters do develop but in a way that defies logic. I lose count of the many "huh?" moments in regard to the characters' courses of action. This show seems to sacrifice the political and philosophical aspects of a war story in order to tell a more character centered tale, which i found to be another huge disappointment. Too much "heart" and not enough "head".

Apparently their idea of "character development" is to put the characters into as many heartrendingly sad situations as possible. Once is great, twice is fine, three times is pushing it a little but every other episode is GOING OVERBOARD. Honestly, the only redeeming characters plots was the relationship between Muu Laflagga and Rau le creuset. I could have been entertained if the show focused on them but sadly, it chose to focus on others.

The designs for the characters also do not help much. It is like the designer picked out what he thought audience would regard as an attractive male and female face and then just switch the eyes and hair color around to create the different characters. Honestly, 90% of the teenage cast HAVE THE SAME FACE. Yes they look attractive, but they all look the same; like every teen in Gundam Seed underwent cosmetic surgery to have the same attractive face.

Created in 2002 by a veteran animation studio and drawn and colored digitally, one would think that more time and effort would go into the animation thanks to the cost and time saving convenience of doing the art via computer. But NO! Character movement is stiff, mecha hardly move as much as "float about in a cool pose", and the series is plagued by repeated scenes and overuse of stock footage. The art, though detailed, is covered in some of the most bright and gaudy looking colors ever seen in a mecha anime. Everything from the spaceships to the backgrounds and even the weapons of war is rendered in a cheerful pastel color palette that clashes jarringly with rather mature storyline and themes. The combat scenes seem more obsessed with giving flashy displays of power than actual combat.

BUT GUESS WHAT? The creative team apparently thinks that Teenagers seem to like all this stuff. Teenagers like overly sappy tear jerking drama. They go ape over their attractive character designs that they can fantasize over no matter how stale or derivative they are. Oh and they absolutely love flashy colorful things. Hence gundam seed's obsession in making its superficial features as attractive as ever and downplays the deeper aspects of storyline and underlying themes.

In the end, Gundam seed is like a plant that only produces beautiful lush leaves but no flowers or fruit at all. It is great to look at on a surface level but everything else gets buried under all the fluff. Your casual superficial teenage viewer would no doubt regard this as the best gundam series ever. There is even ample amounts of catchy J-pop to bob your head to.

I would have given the series only 5/10 but seeing as it was the first Gundam series i ever watched, an extra 1 point is in order. Just a grateful gesture to Gundam seed for showing me that there are better Gundam series out there.

One of the top ten...

[ultimatezetafan · 10/10 · 14 January 2007]

I'll be honest, I am UC fan all the way, but unlike most I can still enjoy this series. I love Gundam SEED and it's unique story telling. Does SEED match show's like Zeta and Turn A, maybe or maybe not, but it's definitely better than others. The character's in this show are fun to watch and interact with each other and that's all that really matter's, isn't it? The battles are also some of the greatest and the seiyu's do a great job with the material they are given. The soundtrack contains some of the best music in anime history and each of the openings are catchy and great to listen to.

Try it, it's pretty good.

Review after watching IBO and Witch

[wind-88077 · 8/10 · 30 January 2023]

I've watched the original seed when it was first released and back then I would have given it a 10. My expectations have definitely grown over the years and recently I rewatch Seed after the seeing the absolute trash which is called "Witch from Mercury".

Honestly, I never expected the video animation and audio to still hold up. The plot is a bit cringy, but its still a decent plot overall. Watching Seed all over again made me wonder what is going on at Sunrise as their most 2 recent gundams simply just do not click with me. Both Iron Blooded Orphan and Witch from Mercury just seems to be way less interesting than Seed even though Seed was made 20 years ago...

Possibly the Best Gundam Ever...

[gohmifune · 4/10 · 2 August 2003]

I'm going to keep this short. Seed is essentially what all the other alternate universe series based heavily on the original gundam, should've been like. It has everything that is necessary for a sucessful story. Animation is done well, and at times the story drags on, but it's all worth it come toward the end. One of the best shows out there. Now go enjoy what will be 52 eps of goodness.

GundamW was awesome BUT this one is PERFECT !!

[SkullMcCaleen · 4 October 2003]

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!!

great stuff

[andrewrrrr · 9/10 · 14 January 2012]

really enjoyed this show. bought the dvds and watched through it several times. i've never seen any of the other gundam series but this show made me want to check them out. the two highlights for me were that the battles here are really entertaining, and the characters really work and it's always interesting when they're killed off or have disputes with each other. the only negative things i have to say about the two big pluses are that there is a lot of noticeable recycled footage during many of the battles and i was disappointed that the conclusion of the kira/sai/flay relationship just kind of fizzled out at the end as to me, it was the most compelling in the show. i always felt sai should have died instead of tolle. highly recommended for anyone looking to get into a fairly intelligent anime with entertaining action, a compelling story and engaging character arcs. there is a follow up series call gundam seed destiny that picks up where this one left off but i feel that it's not quite as strong. it essentially tells of another war but we follow from a zaft ship's point of view. good but i think the characters are more interesting in this show.

Drags for about forty episodes, finally gets decent too late.

[danmanultra · 5/10 · 9 July 2009]

The last ten episodes are good. Freedom and Justice are sweet Gundams. With that said, SEED is not the best Gundam series or the best alternate universe series. The Cosmic Era actually has some good ideas, such as Coordinators, some of their technology, anti-ship swords, and other random things. But as a show, it is just poorly executed.

Characters: Kira is apparently a god. Because he can literally beat anyone without even a single scratch. I like it when the main guy's a good pilot, but even the legendary Amuro took his fair share of beatings. Then you have characters like Athrun who do nothing but stutter for half the series until he becomes a "good guy". Then he can kick all kinds of rear. Cagalli never grows up, Le Cruset never becomes more than a one dimensional villain, and the King of Orb sacrifices himself for almost no reason at all. Fllay sort of developed over time, but than she was removed from the main cast for many episodes, until she showed up again just to get blown up. In the end, these characters are very stagnant, something no good Gundam show should be guilty of.

Mecha: Some designs, such as Freedom, Justice, and the Providence are pretty cool. But most of the designs are just underused, seemingly created to sell more model kits. And I do not welcome Zoids.

Plot: The first bunch of episodes basically ripped off MS Gundam, without the cool White Base crew. Then it got horrendously bogged down by flashback after flashback. I kind of wish I could have just watched the last ten episodes only, but only for the cool fights.

Conclusion: Poor excuse for a Gundam series, and poor excuse for an anime series in general. Too bad.

Best Gundam Ever

[Bernd_Wolters · 17 August 2003]

This series is by far the best Gundam series ever. The original Japanese version that is, it's been licensed by bandai who will probably censor it and dub it into English to make it as crappy as the English version of say Gundam Wing or Dragonball Z.

However the current Japanese version is awesome, the story doesn't drag on. It isn't as repetitive as series like Gundam Wing were, and there's a lot more going on. Plus the animation is top notch.

I recommend this series to everyone, it's awesome.

Wasted Potential

[happyakazukin · 5/10 · 1 May 2009]

I think the reason Gundam Seed fails is because the creators weren't too sure of what they wanted it to be. Do they aim to please mecha fanboys or focus on the deeper story? When you strip Gundam Seed to it's bones, the key ideas are very decent. They're interesting, intriguing and ultimately entertaining. The execution of these ideas aren't half bad either. Where Gundam S fails is in focusing on Mecha battles too much. It's not that Mecha battles are something I dislike, the ones in Eureka Seven and Neon Genesis Evangelion prove to be entertaining. Why? Because they are relatively short and animated with detail, fluidity and with a motivation to get a specific response out of the viewer (fear, excitement...). It's also clear they want to work each scene to it's potential. Gundam Seed fails because it has WAY too many Mecha scenes- mostly irrelevant to the progression of the story- and they go on for WAY too long. 80% of an episode would be spent on these fights, and people at desks going "People firing at so and so location" "Fire!" and "Evacuate situation" .... it becomes repetitive, TEDIOUS, annoying and plain boring!

The characters and story are the best part of the show. Kira, Cagalli, Lacus, Flay are all unique and posses their own backgrounds. The side characters also prove being likable. They're generally well developed and well rounded. I found the character interaction scenes a lot more interesting and entertaining than the fight scenes. HOWEVER, the show focuses on these interactions and relationships 20% of the time.

It's so FRUSTRATING because if the creators thought through each episode a bit better, it would have been 24 or 13 episodes long- but each scene would add something. Each scene would be interesting. The fight scenes would be a LOT better. They could have spent more money improving the animation and sound with this too. Overall, you would have something that deserves 8/10. Sadly, Gundam Seed is just a lump of wasted potential.

The artwork is very strong. Each character looks different to the other. The backgrounds are passable. What I thought was disappointing was their use of color. The colors are generally too bright and detract from the scenes. They don't set mood very well. If the colors were a little duller, like Evangelion, it would have came off a lot darker. The characters don't move around too much, so the animation is flat in that department, but this can be blamed on the length of the show. Cells are repeated in fight scenes- soon enough you see the SAME fight scene over and over... it's just like: GET ON WITH IT.

The music for opening and closing credits are EXCELLENT! It's a lot of JPop, but well composed (Yuki Kajuira is a genius)... it's not fluffy pop, but well sung fast paced numbers. See Saw has beautiful music, and all the theme songs are incredibly catchy. 9/10 What else? The dub is decent enough- nothing sticks out as being awful, besides maybe the wooden quality of the performances, but this is because of the dubbing process in general. Go for the Japanese.

Overall, I would love to see someone edit the show into something shorter and see what happens to the entertainment and re-watch value.

THIS IS THE BEST GUNDAM SHOW I HAVE SEEN IN AGES!!!!!!!!!!

[inviolet_now · 23 November 2004]

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!!!!!

2017 redub sucks the life out of it.

[metalcactus-08139 · 4/10 · 29 September 2021]

The original dub had voices that stood out separating the characters, the new dub has out of place casting and some voices sound too similar. It adds to a more dull experience. The singing from lacus sounds constantly like its about to go out of tune. So if you've already seen the original, beware.

It's a shame they released the new dub on hd and re-released the original on sd. Makes sense now as to why the ultimate boxset includes both. Surely they could have just included a voice track switch option on the hd version... watch Gundam 00 instead.

thoughts

[doggy_dogg09 · 26 March 2006]

well personally i believe Gundam Seed as well as Seed Destiny to be 2 of the greatest anime Gundam or non, of all time however for someone to go as far as to say that Seed is superior to Wing is taking it a little far and saying that its more realistic and best drawn...ultimately i'd have to say that after watching all the other Gundam shows i'd say this one was the one (seed) is extremely well drawn however this depends on how old you are...Gundam Fans tend to be a bit older but the first thing i noticed about this particular one is that it was drawn FOR KIDS...to fit a younger audience although the characters are well thought out ultimately this show can't be superior to Wing due to the fact that unlike Wing it comes down to the machines over the pilots...this is easy to see considering that they keep getting upgrades...as for comparing the drawing styles well to be honest i'd have to say i'd be prone to believe the way the Gundams as well as mobile suits were drawn in Wing more realistic than in Seed, Seed is way too super futuristic, you can barely see the wires in the suits when they get cut, half the time they just explode....also its confusing because some...or most of the characters in Seed are made out so mature but yet look and give off the feel of so cartoon-like its hard to explain really unless you've seen the show...will there ever be a scene like the one in episode 10 of Gundam wing when Hero comes out of his Gundam "mssion accepted" and self destructs without a second thought... The point i'm trying to make is not one sided because i somehow enjoy Gundam seed just as much as Gundam Wing...but i'm sick and tired of people comparing those two shows...it seems pretty obvious to me that everyone should be able to see that Gundam Wing was clearly aimed at an older audience while Gundam Seed was made in traditional Gundam complexity but drawn out and for a younger crowd...same with the character development(not too young) the fact of the matter is that Gundam Wing and Gundam Seed...they represent 2 different generations which shouldn't be compared so readily. nonetheless i love Gundam Seed

"The best" only to those who have seen very little Gundam...

[zaphdash · 9 December 2003]

It's fantastic that people like to throw around phrases like "best Gundam series ever" in reference to one of the worst, and many -- but, granted, not all -- admit to having seen very few other Gundam shows.

Nothing in Gundam SEED is new or original. The Natural vs. Coordinator conflict may be a bit closer to real life, but at its base it's not much different from Oldtype vs. Newtype. Everything in this show, right down to some minor details, can be traced back to some past Gundam series. It's one thing to reference old shows here and there, to pay them homage like that, but it's something else entirely to just build a new show completely out of old ideas. Actually, I should clarify. There was one original idea in this show, but it was promptly dropped after episode 20 and never acknowledged again; according to interviews with the show's director, there were *never* any plans to take it anywhere, it was just thrown in for no real reason.

The characters aren't very good. There was one character in the show I liked, and -- surprise, surprise -- he bit the dust. Other characters ranged from underdeveloped to boring personalities to downright irritating, and all things in between. Furthermore, the show's masked villain, Raww Le Klueze, is easily one of the worst Gundam villains ever. He's just a psychotic nihilist and nothing more. At least past villains had some sort of motive in whatever they were trying to accomplish, but this guy just wants to destroy for the sake of destroying.

The character designs are absolutely awful. Character designer Hisashi Hirai should put out a book on resourcefulness, because that's about the only way I can see that he still has a job. He can only draw one or two different faces and two or three different hairstyles, and he puts them together in various combinations with various different colors to create an entire cast. No joke here, Japanese fansites were actually taking screen captures from the show and replacing the hair of characters in the scene with that of other characters, with hilarious consequences. After all, they all looked exactly the same, so you couldn't even tell the difference if the hair was replaced.

The show hosts some of the worst mecha designs ever to grace the Gundam franchise. There are four in particular, Gundams which appear late in the show, which are just horrendous. The rest of the designs in the show range from decent to bad, and many of them are just taken from old shows and given some extra junk on the backpack (anyone else have the feeling they'd seen the Freedom Gundam before? Yeah, that's because it was originally known as the Gundam Double X back in 1996).

The animation is pretty bad too. Ship and mecha movements are all done with computers, and they look terrible. Character animation isn't quite so bad, but people could stand to move a little more. They float down corridors stiff as a board, not moving their limbs at all. This problem isn't unique to SEED, though, as it occurs in several other Gundam shows as well.

With the exception of one track which was only played twice, the background music in the series is pretty bad until the last ten episodes. At that point, they suddenly introduced a few new tracks which were actually pretty decent. So the music is a mixed bag -- most of it's not very good, but some of it is all right. The openings and endings were much the same; early songs were bad, later songs were a little better. The second and third endings (known as River and Find the Way, respectively) were both quite good. The third and fourth openings, Believe and Realize, were decent. However, the first and second openings, Invoke and Moment, and the first ending, Annani Isshodattanoni, are terrible, bad, and below average, respectively.

Overall, SEED wasn't the worst Gundam series ever. It is, however, nowhere close to the best. If you want to see a good Gundam series, a real contender for the "best Gundam series" title, check out First Gundam, Victory Gundam, or Turn A Gundam, but steer clear of Gundam SEED.

Only Average.

[Newtype_Maikeru · 22 November 2003]

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.

Gundam Seed

[nicholai441 · 25 April 2004]

I wonder on if the English VAs are fans of the anime they act in.. I am a die hard Gundam Seed fan.. and i have to say that i could have done better on the VA casting.. maybe because i live in hawaii or what.. i just know that the Gundam seed english dub is one of the worst gundam dubs i have heard yet. almost all the characters sound the same.. the guys sound the same as each other..EI: Tolle sounds like Ssigh. and the girls don't sound right.. Mwu La Fllaga sounds too old. and the pronounciation of the names are all wrong.. IE: Athrun is pronouncd Asran in the japanese verson, Tolle is pronounced To-lle long o in the japanese verson. It's just so painful to watch the english verson.. i know i could have done better.. heck any gundam seed fan could have done better. I wonder if the VAs watch the original product before recording.. cause no one sounds similar to the japanese verson.. the only person who sounds somewhat close to the orginal is Kira(Matt Hill)although he sounds too much like Ryo of Ronin Warriors/Samurai Troopers. I really hope Lacus sound closer to the japanese verson.. although it is really doutful. and i hope that did not dub Lacus' insert songs.

Best Ever? I think not...

[sg_hikari · 24 October 2003]

When I heard Seed was going to be a remake of the original Mobile Suit Gundam. I was a bit interested in seeing what would be done. Sadly, all I got was another Gundam Wing...

Most of the characters are gundam character cliches and highly annoying, especially Shinji Ikari wannabe Kira Yamato. All he does is whine about not wanting to fight, then goes into Seed rage killing everyone. Kruze isn't even worth calling a Char Clone, he's a Zech Merquise clone which is much worst...

The story of the series and the plot were the biggest failing points. For the first 13 episodes, were treated to A long boring, dragged out fight through space. What took the original 5 episodes to get down to Earth, it takes Seed 13 episodes. The for the next episodes, 14-28 we're treated to not only THREE CLIP SHOW EPISODES. But alternating episodes between ACTION! ACTION! FIGHT! and Boring, nothing happening... supposited character development episodes. And then Seed takes it's big turn for the worst, trying to be unique, by being violent, and action packed and killing off secondary characters in all out unrealistic combat that makes Wing look Tame.

This is one of the three worst Gundam shows i've seen. Why can't they make better AU series like Turn-A, Gundam X, and even G-Gundam? Those shows have much potential for continuity. But alas, Sunrise and Bandai are milking Gundam the best they can with this flashy animated, full of bad J-pop, overrated and over-hyped Gundam series. Just like Wing, I don't see how people enjoy this show. I guess most people only care about flashy animation and big explosions over good characters, and original plots these days.

The Weakest Gundam Show I've Ever Seen. Bleech!

[pip-7 · 15 April 2005]

Honestly, the first time I saw this Gundam-themed show, I didn't really expect it to be better than the previous ones (only a few of them are worth noticing) and I was right. Unexpectedly, after watching several episodes, its major flaws seem to flow deeper than I can recall of. Or maybe my own senses are making a fool of my consciousness.

First of all, the story is pretty generic and old: the conflicts between the colonists and the so-called 'Earth' people have been explained a thousand times in this long-running series despite different settings and timeline. Gundam Seed, in this case, is no different from the earlier Gundam shows. I guess that the Gundam crews attempt to attract newer generations who have no idea of the series before. Veterans, however, may have to look elsewhere since there's nothing completely original in this latest incarnation.

Character designs are actually decent, if not really state-of-the-art. However, facial expressions are rarely shown on their faces as they are mostly drawn in a rather eye-catchy and yet sterile appearances, therefore they fail to convince the audience to feel anything from them (a few intense scenes do manage to pull that out, just not much). Character development and believability are mildly effective but not in its entirety, even if you try to make believe of it.

Animation, on the other hand, proves to be very disappointing and almost amateurish compared to other anime; jerky movements and some really, really dreadful frame continuity spoil the show's overall quality (in fact, that's the only obvious part of the whole production that bugs me a lot). Alas, that same goes to CGI as well! Also, is it a necessity to put some irritating, little flying balls (not a pun) whenever a princess-like character makes a appearance?!! I fail to see their main purpose, really...

Despite these drawbacks, the only saving grace is its double theme songs at both the beginning and the end of the show. They all sound phenomenal and awe-spiring (I only refer that to the earlier episodes, not the rest) but not even these can save this show from being monotonous and horribly bland.

Really, this has to be the weakest Gundam show I've seen so far (ok, I admit I'm not a big fan of Gundam and don't really care much of that but quality assurances are important if you want a particular show to be successful). Why some fans claim this to be the finest show in the entire series is beyond my comprehension. Maybe they are all influenced with anything anime or mecha-themed or whatever that no longer makes senses, I don't know. Anyway, if you seek for a completely different Gundam show with incredibly high originality, you won't find it here. Just wait for a few years and that will be a dream come true.