Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

Otaku Evolution is back, baby! 2024 starts with me finally getting to a particular anime bête noire of mine, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. I just do not understand the popularity of this fizzless, lifeless drudge of a show. The "characters" are bland, the plot is largely recycled, the production values are average at best, and there's just no joy or magic to it. It's frankly one of the most soulless anime I've ever watched in my life. But it's so popular! Why?!

Well, anyway, I'm back, and it looks like I got into a little trouble over the Putin thing. Ah well.

Welcome to part two of my four part series on Gundam SEED! My goal with this series has been to rewatch Gundam SEED for the first time since it originally aired back in 2002. It’s a rewatch with open arms and an open mind after almost a decade of seemingly universal SEED hatred within the North American Gundam community.

So far my experience has been mostly positive. There are some rough parts, not really with the characters, but the weak plot and setting. Certainly nothing to justify the vehement hate.

If this is your first time seeing a Revisiting Gundam SEED article please check out Part 1 Here.

If you asked me my thoughts on Gundam SEED I would quickly tell you I don't like it. If you asked why I would respond with, "the characters were awful," then proceed to give some vague remembrances from years past before mumbling off. Chances are I'd also mention how much I loath Hisashi Hirai's character art while I was at it. The short of it is, I don't quite remember much about Gundam SEED.

I can tell you that I watched it when it first aired almost a decade ago. I watched it for a long time, just how far into the series I don't remember. My memory tells me that the characters were pretty unlikable even as the story pretty much took its plot points straight from Mobile Suit Gundam. The suits I remember a bit more, especially the Strike Gundam, which I consider to be one of the best all time Gundam designs (I have two PG Strike kits). There was also the four legged suit which I liked the design of until I saw how poorly it was used in the series. The enemy grunt units though, man how I hated them (and still do). Where the Strike was a classy remake the want-to-be Zaku's and like looked as though they were styled by a child. "Eh, here ya go. We just messed with the shapes and added some spikes here and there. Oh, you want more? Well here it is with a horrible mohawk contraption." With such fragmented memories I thought it appropriate to reintroduce myself to the series and rewatch Gundam SEED. Is it as bad as I recall? Was I looking at it too much through rosy UC glasses? Will I discover anyone in Northern America who actually likes the program?

I'm going to start the new "remastered: series. If Bandai/Sunrise felt the need to go back and redo everything then they must have done a horrible job (and why subject myself?). Really though, the entire thing was just a way to squeeze more cash out of a successful (in Japan, at least) program.

Shall we begin?