Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer

Cosmic Era 73.  The Junius Seven colony falls to Earth, plunging the planet into disaster and ZAFT and the Earth Alliance into another war.  As many struggle to recover from the chaos, a black ops Alliance unit known as Phantom Pain is dispatched to capture data regarding an AI meant for a long in development deep space exploration experiment, codenamed Stargazer.  One beautiful Coordinator scientist is determined to see this project through, taking on the role of pilot of the projects Gundam Stargazer.  In the end it will take her efforts and those of a Phantom Pain pilot bred for combat since childhood to see it through.

While technically our time in the Cosmic Era should be through, I decided to throw in one more review to officially close out Gundam Month Mark IV-THE GAUNTLET.  You don’t hear too much about Stargazer in most circles and after watching it, it’s easy to see why.  This three part Original Net Animation (ONA) is incredibly short, each episode clocking in at about 15 minutes each, and, in the end, has nothing to do with the events of Gundam Seed Destiny (the show during which this little side story happens).  That’s not to say there aren’t any good things about Stargazer, it’s just not enough to justify its existence in the end.

From Losers to Glory-A Gundam Wing Special-Part 9

Previously:

The flawless Duo Maxwell got a volume pretty much all to himself: got to meet his kind of sort of girlfriend from the Anime (Hilde), got to unleash Deathsythe Hell on Wing Zero (While Deathsythe H channeled it’s inner unleashed Evangelion Unit 01), and it looks like the next volume of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz-Glory of the Losers is gonna see Duo getting to do something he never got a chance to in the Anime: take a shot at the former Lightning Count himself, Zechs Merquise.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 10 Episodes 46-50

As Kira, Athrun and Lacus mourn a tragic loss, Gilbet Durandal announces his plans for the future of humanity, as well as the price for not siding with him.  With Shinn, Rey and the Minerva at his side, Gilbert feels the war is as good as won for ZAFT.  But the Archangel and her allies have returned to space and, once again, the future falls to the hands of Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala.  As they face the rage of one man who has lost everything and another who has realized his own horrific origins, Kira and Athrun blaze a path towards a new future, one with a hopefully longer, lasting peace.

Annnnnd it’s DONE!!!!!  And it feels…about as disappointing as I’d expect it.  I got maybe one moment of enjoyment out of five episodes and that was about it.  The funny thing is, the final scenes of Seed Destiny feel like they could’ve had more of an impact had the road to get there been worth it…but it wasn’t.  And weirdly enough, I think I hate this series more than G-Saviour, how the hell is that even possible?  No one should hate anything Gundam related more than G-Saviour?  I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let’s do this right and get this over with.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 9 Episodes 41-45

Fully healed and stronger than ever, Kira and Athrun return to the battlefield with new Gundams of their own.  As Cagalli battles Shinn to protect her homeland, Meer Campbell, who has been impersonating Lacus, is brought to the forefront to promote the peaceful intentions of ZAFT.  As the real Lacus steps in to dispel the illusion, all eyes look to the stars as the final battle of the Second Bloody Valentine war nears ever closer.  With renewed resolve, will Kira, Athrun, Cagali and their friends be able to stop Durandal and his loyal pilots Shinn and Rey?

Well, the goodwill couldn’t last and that should not shock me.  While the Second Siege of Orb turned out to be one of the shows better moments, Gundam Seed Destiny sank back into that pit of pure confusion afterwards.  Characters seemed a bit lost with what their priorities should be and everything just became a lot of noise that kind of matters little at this point…kind of sums up my thoughts on Gundam Seed Destiny as a whole.

T5W#250-Top 5 Things Id Do Differently With Gundam Wing

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.  If it isn’t clear to anyone yet, this is one of my most favorite Anime of all time.  It introduced me to Gundam, got me to really stick with Anime and opened the door to one of the biggest and best times of my fandom in the early 2000s.  It’s been 20 years since Gundam Wing ushered in the Golden Age of Toonami.  Since then, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and think on this title that changed my life.  I adore this show.  I love the characters, the mecha, the action, the story, it’s just a very special show to me.  It is not perfect.  I know this because I have seen far better Gundam shows since then and it’s made me think about Wings shortcomings.  Once the nostalgia goggles come off, there are a few things that could really make this show just…better.  I’m not crapping on a classic, if anything I offer these opinions because I love the show so dearly and happily shelled out a couple hundred dollars just to get the Special Edition Blu Ray box set cause I’m that kind of a fan.  So, to celebrate my 250^th Top 5 Wednesday, I’m sitting down to discuss the Top 5 Things Id Do Differently With Gundam Wing.  Agree, disagree or agree to disagree, I hope someone will find these “What if’s” a little interesting.  Onwards.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 8 Episodes 36-40

With his friends seemingly dead, Athrun deserts ZAFT but is pursued by Shinn and Rey, both armed with two brand new Gundam Mobile Suits.  Gilbert Durandal, now in a position of total control and able to strike as he sees fit, turns his attention to Logos and a desperate Lord Djibril.  As Shinn, Rey, Lunamaria and their elite Gundams push the tide in ZAFTs favor, the Archangel and her crew continue to recover from a devastating battle.  But will they have the strength to strike back against a powerful enemy with relentless and ruthless intentions?

The end begins and by normal standards I shouldn’t be happy about that.  But Gundam Seed Destiny has been that kind of a trial, probably why I decided to refer to this overall Gundam Month Mark IV as THE GAUNTLET.  Nevermind doing twenty Gundam Seed reviews, try handling ten belonging to this travesty.  And yet despite that, somehow Seed Destiny managed to surprise me.  I still hate it but it finally took steps to rectify lots of character issues and even deliver a cheer worthy moment towards the end.  Better late than never? (no way it saves this series from getting anything less than a 5 or 6 if im being generous).

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 7 Episodes 31-35

 

Back in the hands of Neo Roanoke, Stella is revitalized and given control of a powerful new Mobile Armor, one that can destroy cities in a single shot.  As Shinn desperately tries to reach his love, tragedy strikes in more ways than one.  Murrue discovers a captive Neo might very well be her long dead love Mu La Flagga.  And tired of the Archangel’s constant interference, Gilbert Durandal orders the Minerva to eliminate the famous battleship.  Fueled by revenge, Shinn faces Kira, whose abilities might very well dwarf those of the legendary Gundam pilot.  Is this the end for Kira Yamato and the Archangel?

This was probably the busiest and most important set of episodes in Gundam Seed Destiny so far.  Allegiances change, crushing defeats are had, and Shinn gets to have his cake and eat it too.  But oh, he loses Stella, that should make me feel bad for him, right?  I guess I have a lot to unpack here so let’s just jump right into it.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 6 Episodes 26-30

With Stella onboard and her condition worsening, the Minerva hurries to a ZAFT facility to get her medical attention.  However, a blockade of Earth Alliance and Orb ships stand before them and the Archangel again tries to stop the fighting without fighting themselves.  Chaos and confusion erupt as Kira and Athrun end up facing each other in battle and Shinn, determined to save Stella, carves a vicious path of destruction through anyone who gets in his way.  But as his love nears death, will Shinn abandon his post on the Minerva to save Stella?

You know, I don’t know if Gundam Seed Destiny was this far along that it opted not to listen to any negative reactions.  But then again, this show was apparently just as popular as Seed so it managed to finish its 50 episode run intact.  And every passing second I wonder how?  How did this show ever succeed and yet the original Mobile Suit Gundam and After War Gundam X get taken out before their time?  We’ll be getting to Gundam X later this year.  For now, we’re back to Gundam Seed Destiny and if this set of episodes is any indication, the next five days are gonna be a pure pain to sit through.

From Losers to Glory-A Gundam Wing Special-Part 8

 

Previously:

Trowa sacrificed himself to save Heero’s life and Quatre’s soul.  Meanwhile, Duo and Wufei escaped captivity in newly upgraded Gundam models that look eerily similar to ones they’d use in a certain OVA this manga shares part of a title with.  Everything else played out about the same since Volume 7 of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz-Glory of the Losers only covered 2 episodes of the Anime.  But it looks like Volume 8 has a bit more ground to cover on both ends.  So let’s see where everyones gotten to now that the second half of the Anime and Manga have both begun.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 5 Episodes 21-25

The Minerva is attacked by Earth Alliance forces who ranks include Orb battleships.  Determined to make her country see reason, Cagali and the reassembled crew of the Archangel, including her brother, Kira Yamato, arrive to try and force a peace between both sides.  As Athrun tries to make contact with the Archangel to assess the entire situation, elsewhere, Shinn meets Stella, a beautiful girl who is far more dangerous than Shinn could ever expect.  But Shinn’s brush with romance is halted when he and fellow pilot Rey Za Burel discover a facility that might hold the secret to Stella’s origins.

And I thought I was going nuts ragging on the lack of progression of a new cast of characters and the fact that the main character is a time bomb waiting to go off.  Nope, turns out Gundam Seed Destiny wasn’t ready to go fully off the rails yet.  It still hasn’t and there’s still half a season to go.  But “Destiny” feels like an inappropriate title.  This originally should have been called Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Land of Confusion.  Cause “There’s too many men, too many people, making too many problems.  And not much love go around.  Cant you see this is a land of confusion.” Ahh…thank Phil Collins and Genesis.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 4 Episodes 16-20

Still Earth side, the Minerva becomes the frontrunner of ZAFT many counterattack operations against the Earth Alliance.  Shinn Asuka’s abilities continue to excel but so does the young mans bloodrage.  Athrun attempts to mentor the unstable Shinn and learns about the young mans tragic past and the fate of his family two years ago.  Though victory might be coming easy to the Minerva thanks to Shinn and his Gundam, the question of who the real enemy of this war is lingers in the minds of many.  And it’s Gilbert Durandal, the leaders of the Plants, who might know the true answer to that question.

This is it.  This is where Gundam Seed Destiny is beginning to try my patience.  For once, the show decides to give itself some distance from the old guard and focus almost exclusively on the new cast.  It’s finally a chance to get to know everyone better beyond their skills in battle or being relegated to Shinn’s support group.  Instead, this set turns into “Let’s show Shinn at his absolute worst and try to justify his actions and make him likeable”.  It…does…not…WORK!!!  If anything, this set made me hate Shinn Asuka more than ever before and I firmly believe he’s worthy of a Redux Top 5 of my least favorite characters in all of Gundam.

T5W#249-Top 5 Gundam Franchise Nods in Gundam Seed

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed was the first Gundam series of the new millennium, debuting in 2002 and 23 years after Mobile Suit Gundam first aired in Japan in 1979.  A franchise that old being able to churn out new series with new characters, ideas and amazing mecha is pretty awesome.  However, there comes a time when going back to the well and rehashing or making directs omages to popular ideas of the past can happen.  And man, Gundam Seed definitely dips into that well a few times.  From poking fun at old concepts to directly lifting old storylines and giving them a Seed facelift, todays Top 5 Wednesday covers the Top 5 Gundam Franchise Nods in Gundam Seed.  Do they work?  Do they not work?  Well let’s find out.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 3 Episodes 11-15

It is a time of uncertainty for all.  Cagali desperately tries to keep Orb from siding with the Earth Alliance in this new war though she finds herself outmaneuvered and forced into an uncomfortable compromise.  Athrun returns to ZAFT, intent on making sure the crimes once committed are not repeated.  And Kira and Lacus find themselves targets for assassination by an unknown group.  Shinn, however, finds his star on the rise after a battle sees him showcasing skills that rival those of Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala.  The time may come for those who wished to avoid battle to return to the front lines, where newer and deadlier foes await.

It looks like I might’ve been right about this series peaking so early.  Not that good things haven’t happened but Gundam Seed Destiny is having a little bit of a balancing problem with its cast.  New characters aren’t getting their time to shine or grow and old favorites are being treated kind of unfairly.  Much like the world after the Junius Seven drop, things are a little chaotic all over the place right now.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 2 Episodes 6-10

The unthinkable has happened.  The remains of the Junius Seven colony have been dropped onto the Earth, signaling the beginning of a second Bloody Valentine War between Naturals and Coordinators.  As both sides scramble to prepare an effective response, the Minerva travels to Orb for repairs.  Here, two generations of warriors meet and old friends are reunited for the first time in years.  Some, like Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne, wish for a peaceful solution, while Shinn Asuka, who blames Cagali for the death of his family in Orb two years prior, is ready to make the Earth pay.  And so the stage is set for a new conflict to beign.

When it comes to sequels, taking what worked about the original and expanding or improving on it is paramount.  Gundam Seed Destiny didn’t have the smoothest launch, I’d dare say it was pretty disappointing to say the least.  However, it’s second outing proved surprisingly superior, or at least very improved.  The stakes have definitely been raised and, once again, the Earth and the PLANTS are at war with one another.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Part 1 Episodes 1-5

Cosmic Era 73.  Two years have passed since the end of the Bloody Valentine War and an uneasy peace has been reached between the Earth and the Plants.  While inspecting a ZAFT Mobile Suit factory with new ZAFT chairman Gilbert Durandal, Cagali Yula Athha and Athrun Zala are caught up in a surprise attack that results in the theft of three new Gundam Mobile Suits.  ZAFT’s latest battleship, the Minerva, is given orders to pursue, along with her compliment of fresh new recruits, including Shinn Asuka, an Orb survivor who also pilots the new Impulse Gundam.  It seems the era of peace is about to come to a crashing halt once again.

Alright, this is it, the moment I’d been kind of dreading since thinking up this crazy plan.  While Gundam Seed was a shaky but passable attempt to launch the Gundam Franchise into the 2000s, Gundam Seed Destiny has a far less positive air about it.  It’s not like this is hasn’t happened with Gundam before.  Zeta Gundam made big strides for the franchise, including covering some very dark and heavy subject matter…then came Gundam ZZ, which traded the drama for slapstick comedy in the first half of its run.  Seed’s sequel doesn’t look to be repeating the same mistakes as ZZ…no it looks like its set to make all new ones.  And I’ve got ten reviews to write about it.  Sigh, here we go.  This is Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny.

From Losers to Glory-A Gundam Wing Special-Part 7

Previously:

For the second time in two volumes, we skipped over a ton of Anime material to get to the next big event.  This time, it was the arrival of Quatre and the Wing Zero.  We never got to see Wufei and Duo get captured by OZ or the destruction of their respective Gundams and Heero is shuffled into combat with Trowa the second Wing Zero appears.  This culminated in a 2v1 battle with Quatre against Heero and Trowa.  So far, despite some hopscotch with the timeline, events have been playing out just as they have in the Anime for a little while now (Trowas secret insertion into OZ happening sooner not withstanding).  But now we arrive at both the midpoint of the Anime and the midpoint of this new Manga.  Let’s see if the Manga rocks the boat a bit in the next volume of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz-Glory of the Losers.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 10 Episodes 46-50

The final battle between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance has begun but a much more personal battle is being fought in the middle of it.  Now united, Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala depart on separate missions to stop the insane wishes of Rau Le Crueset and Patrick Zala.  Murrue faces her former first officer Natarle.  Mu risks everything to protect the woman he loves and Flay, Lacus and Cagalli all make their final decisions about where their hearts truly lie.  The battle for peace begins…and it wont end without the sacrifices of those closest to the hearts of Kira and Athrun.    

Still reeling from a bunch of major last minute turn bombshells, Gundam Seed entered its final five episodes with a lot of ground to cover even though the premise was simple enough: Azrael and Patrick Zala had to be stopped.  It was a Gundam finale though.  And that means epic battles in space, a lot of bloodshed, characters lost, philosophies being shouted back and forth…and more extra shouting because that’s all certain characters were made to do.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 9 Episodes 41-45

Orb has been destroyed and Uzumi Nara Athha has died…but not before leaving a photo for Kira and Cagalli that changes everything for the two youngsters.  Elsewhere, Athrun’s father, Patrick Zala, seizes total control of ZAFT and the PLANTS and declares his own son a traitor.  But Lacus Clyne, backed by a very much alive Andy Waltfeld, stands ready to strike back with a voice of peace.  Old enemies become surprising allies and old friends are now gunning for the Archangel.  In the middle of it all, Rau Le Cruset drops the biggest revelation of them all, one that will change Kira and Mu’s lives forever.

Ok so, there’s A LOT to unpack here and I’m not sure I fully understand it all.  At best, it’s a brilliant twist that sets up things to come and is a powerful look back at the chaos that’s come even before the war started.  At worst, it’s one last desperate excuse to give on particular character a position of grand importance when Gundam Seed was already covered in the “psycho’s who want to end the world” department. 

T5W#248-Top 5 Best Looking Gundam Entries of the 1990’s

One of the more divisive aspects of Gundam Seed (and trust me that is a long list) is the look of the show.  The early to mid 2000’s was the era of Digipaint in Anime, when computers were being used more and more to animate new shows rather than handdrawn animation.  Shows like Gundam Seed, Full Metal Panic, Hellsing and X-1999: The Series were all children of this era and their successes varied between projects.  Gundam Seed looks…ok but it isn’t as spectacular looking as the era of Gundam that preceeded it, the 1990’s, which is also home to some of the more popular entries of the franchise.  On this weeks Top 5 Wednesday, were taking a step back to that decade to talk about the Top 5 Best Looking Gundam Entries of the 1990’s.  We’re not talking about how good these shows or movies are overall, God knows ive done that plenty.  We’re looking at how pretty they look compared to one another and thus made them memorable even if the stories for one or two might’ve been a little lacking.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 8 Episodes 36-40

The game has changed.  The Archangel barely survives the Alliances attempts to leave it to die, thanks to the timely arrival of Kira Yamato and the Freedom Gundam.  But the Archangel crew aren’t the only ones on the run.  Lacus Clyne has been branded a traitor for letting Kira go with a state of the art new Gundam.  It falls to her fiancée, Athrun Zala, to bring her in but is Athrun capable of pulling the trigger on Lacus?  Tensions rise once more as the Alliance puts pressure on Orb to release the fugitive Archangel battleship.  It looks like Orbs neutrality might not save it from joining the war as it enters its final stages.

“What are you fighting for?” One could say that’s a question asked in every single Gundam series.  And it was about time Gundam Seed took a step back and took a look at that same question while also gearing up for the beginning of the end.  I’m happy to say this set of episodes was both reflective and action packed.  It leaves a little to be desired with a few characters, old and new, but the show hasn’t let up on the momentum of the last ten or so episodes and I’m very happy for that.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 7 Episodes 31-35

The heartbreaking battle between Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala has resulted in the destruction of two Gundams and the apparent deaths of Kira and his friend Tolle.  Athrun finds himself facing Cagalli’s wrath as the Archangel crew grieves and travels to Alaska with Dearka in tow. But Kira is alive and in the safe hands of Lacus Clyne.  Much has happened since the calamity at Heliopolis and now everyone must face the things they’ve done and how they’ve changed.  While the Alliance has plans for the Archangel crew, Kira must face the fact that he tried to kill his best friend…and if he has the right to live or return to the battle.

So uh…Gundam Seed has suddenly gotten really, really good guys.  The cliffhanger from last time got followed up with the right amount of emotional fallout before throwing us into yet another twist that changes the playing field quite a bit.  All in all, Gundam Seed has finally started to pull away from its many omages to the shows that have come before and is trailblazing its own way (not that the odd familiar ring doesn’t slip in but otherwise, it’s going really good).

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 6 Episodes 26-30

A storm is coming.  Their stay in Orb over, the Archangel and her crew proceed to Alaska, headquarters of the Earth Alliance.  Determined not to let the Archangel reach enemy territory, Athrun Zala and his team of Gundam Pilots prepare for their biggest operation yet.   But when things go horribly wrong, both sides suffer serious casualties.  The time for peace and talk is over.  Now Kira and Athrun face each other full of rage and sadness in a battle one of them wont be walking away from.

WHOA!!!!...WHOA!!!!  Major revelations, new mysteries and the main event the series had been building towards since Episode 1.  Yes we had to endue 2 back to back clip shows before the good stuff but Gundam Seed fired on all cylinders to kick off its next chapter.  The ship had been rocking a bit but this set proved it might’ve been worth it.

From Losers to Glory-A Gundam Wing Special-Part 6

Previously:

Trowa snuck himself into OZ, and his Gundam and a comatose Heero onto an OZ carrier.  Meanwhile, we only glimpsed at everyone elses story but still got a good fight between Heero and Zechs.  Now everyone scrambling to get back into Space before OZ begins its takeover.  Will our “losers” find their “glory” in an epic homecoming?

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 5 Episodes 21-25

Determined to reach the neutral nation of Orb, the Archangel launches an all out blitz attack against Andy Waltfeld, forcing Kira to battle a man he has come to admire.  Meanwhile, tensions are riding high on the Archangel.  Kira and Cagalli’s growing closeness threatens the hold Flay has over the fragile Gundam pilot.  But Kira isn’t the only person Cagalli is having an impact on.  Following a brief skirmish, the young freedom fighter ends up stranded on an island with Athrun Zala.  With Orb in sight, will Kira and his friends finally find a measure of peace in this long war, or might the battle secretly follow them across Orbs borders?

It looks like we’re back to that familiar retread dance once again.  When Gundam Seed was nodding and paying omage to the original series in the beginning, it was fine so long as they did their own unique spin on things, which they did very well.  Recently though, it hasn’t stuck the landing as well and it doesn’t help that last time characters were starting to act like idiots thanks to the plague that is Flay Alster.  So did things get any better here at the halfway mark? 

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 4 Episodes 16-20

An elite ZAFT unit led by Andrew Waltfeld, the Desert Tiger, begins launching precision strikes against the wandering Archangel, which finds its own assistance with a small resistance group.  Among their members is a girl whose life Kira saved on Heliopolis, Cagalli Yula.  Together, Kira and Cagalli come face to face with the enemy and must decide if theyre truly as villainous as they’ve been led to believe.  Meanwhile Athrun Zala is reunited with his fiancée, Lacus Clyne.  Will knowing Lacus met Kira shake Athruns loyalty to Rau Le Cruset and ZAFT?

The moment Flay kissed Kira at the end of the last set of episodes, it was only going to go downhill for Kira and yep it did in multiple ways, big time.  There was still some good sprinkled throughout this set but considering much of it was spent on Kira losing it and turning on one of his biggest supporters was unsettling.  But if you look past that, we got some good character progression and not so subtle setups for double crosses and larger games being played, you know the stuff Gundam is really good at besides the action part.

T5W#247-Top 5 Gundams That Could be Statues in Odaiba

They say some dreams never come true.  Well for me, one of my greatest lifes wishes got brought…half to life.  In 2009, to celebrate the Gundam Franchise’s 30^th Anniversary, a full scale model of the original RX-78-2 Gundam was unveiled in Odaiba, Japan.  It was eventually moved to Shizuoka in 2010 before returning to Odaiba in 2012 following the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.  It stood in place for the DiverCity Gundam Tokyo Front when it opened in 2012 and proudly guarded the Gundam themed attraction hall until it was eventually taken down for good in 2017.  But this was not a one time deal.  Later that same year, the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam took its place and has remained there ever since.  Both Gundams featured special lighting features, particularly the Unicorn which was custom made to chance from it’s regular form into it’s NTD mode (in both red and green variants).  It’s pretty epic and the closest we’ve come to true giant robots…save for the not moving bit.  It’s been a while since the RX-0 was christened.  So the question is: when and if the Unicorn comes down, what Gundam could be the next in line to take over it’s guardianship duties?  Well I’ll be listing my Top 5 Gundams That Could be Statues in Odaiba today on Top 5 Wednesday to kick off a month of new Gundam themed Top 5’s for GUNDAM MONTH MARK IV-THE GAUNTLET.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 3 Episodes 11-15

Flay Alstar’s decision to fully enlist with the Earth Alliance, following her fathers tragic death, spurs Kira Yamato and the others to follow suit.  As the Archangel descends to Earth, Rau Le Cruset is more determined than ever to capture them and his hot headed team of Mobile Suit pilots are tired of constant defeat at Kira’s hands.  The trials of Kira Yamato continue to burden the tired Gundam pilot as the battlefield moves from the distant stars to the unpredictable sands of the Sahara desert.  Little does Kira know, there are those willing to take advantage of his pain and desire to protect…and they may be more dangerous than any Mobile Suit pilot he has faced so far.

In Star War: The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker infamously said “This is not going to go the way you think.”  Anyone who thought that The Last Jedi would be a near carbon copy of The Empire Strikes back just as many thought The Force Awakens was that for A New Hope, were proven very wrong.  The same could be said of Gundam Seed.  While it looks like it will again retread familiar ground akin to Gundam 0079, it takes a sharp turn and ups the ante in some unexpected and occasionally twisted ways.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 2 Episodes 6-10

With Heliopolis destroyed, Kira Yamato and his friends are conscripted to join the depleted crew of the Alliance battleship, the Archangel.  As Kira questions whether or not he can continue to pilot the Mobile Suit he has come to call “Gundam”, the Archangel gains another new passenger: Lacus Clyne, daughter of one of the most powerful members of ZAFT.  As Kira and Lacus begin to bond over recent experiences, Rau Le Cruset continues his mission to seize the Archangel and the last of the five Mobile Suits from Heliopolis.  In the rapidly changing battlefield of space, friendships are formed and tested and the battle is only just beginning.

If the debut of Gundam Seed seemed very familiar, then it’s sophomore outing proved this show might have potential to be a true standout in the franchise.  We’re a long way from the One Year War now as we get to see both sides have their own shady ways of doing business.  Oh and there’s a heaping helping dose of racism from the shows absolute worst character to show that even in the future, all humans can be their own worst enemy.  But we also got some good action, tragic progression for Kira and company and the debut of the character who may or may not be the breakout girl of Gundam Seed.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Part 1 Episodes 1-5

Cosmic Era 71.  What was supposed to be a swift conflict between the Natural Humans of the Earth Alliance and the genetically advanced Coordinators of ZAFT has stretched into a year long war.  A young Coordinator named Kira Yamato was far from the chaos until the war came to his colony.  A ZAFT strike team attacks a secret Alliance facility developing next generation Mobile Suits to compete with ZAFT on an even playing field.  Through a twist of fate, Kira ends up in the cockpit of one of those Mobile Suits, taking his first steps towards a battle that wont only pit him against his own people, but his childhood best friend, Athrun Zala, as well.

So this was supposed to be the big project that bookended 2020: one series in January and one series in December.  But things change.  New titles ive never seen before arrive.  A worldwide epidemic takes over.  Eventually, my mind returned to this little project and now it has been reborn, even more ambitious than ever.  For the next four weeks we’ll be looking at over 100 episodes of Mobile Suit action, the era that brought Gundam into the new millennium, for better or worse.  This is the big one everybody, Part One of a Two Part project that kicks off today.  Welcome, dear readers, to Mobile Suit Gundam Seed.

From Losers to Glory-A Gundam Wing Special-Part 5

Previously:

For whatever reason, Square Enix decided to push back its release of Final Fantasy VII Remake by a month and disrupt this special, forcing me to start it in March, instead of April, so it could run uninterrupted.  But now that the Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective is complete, we can get back to the big Gundam Wing Project…right…that was more “real world” stuff than where we actually left off.  Let’s see um…right, Heero blew himself up in an act of defiance and we left Glory of the Losers on a bit of an ironic cliffhanger.  So now that Heero’s had about a month to rest, let’s see what he and the others have gotten themselves into in the next chapter of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz-Glory of the Losers.

Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Part 7 Episodes 25-27

As Neese fights for her life against the Goddess Kardiss herself, Spark and his friends race to free her from Wagnard and prevent the total destruction of Lodoss.  Many obstacles stand in their way, least of which is the Grey Witch, Karla, who finds their strength a threat to the balance of Lodoss.  As the final battle draws closer, Parn splits off to settle his own affairs with Ashram once and for all.  As the spirits of evil begin crossing over to the main continent, Spark stands defiantly before the Goddess of Destruction herself to save the woman he loves.  The end of this battle will mark the birth of a new legend in the long, dark history of Lodoss.

Finally reached the end and I am glad I finally made it.  No, I don’t mean that in a good way.  This show has been a trial to get through and every decent idea, scene or fight that has popped up is easily overshadowed by annoying characters and dump truck loads of lore and exposition that drag on and on and on.  Hell, at least Fate/Stay Night, at it’s worst, is always pretty to look at.  Yeesh, I feel like I started right on my final thoughts already.  Let’s go over what went down in the final three episodes of Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, and get this over with.