It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since Mobile
Suit Gundam SEED first brought the Gundam franchise into the new millennium in
a big way. Love it or hate it (me it’s
fine, it’s nowhere near as bad as Seed Destiny), SEED had a popularity so
massive which hadn’t been seen since the days of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (at
least in Japan anyway). This was all thanks
to a mix of impressive mecha designs,
high flying action, pulse pounding music and iconic Jpop OPs and EDs, and,
maybe most importantly, the character drama surrounding childhood leads Kira
Yamato and Athrun Zala, who’s handsome character designs were beloved by a legion
of female fans (not unlike the Gundam Boys of Wing). So with Gundam SEED turning 20 today, a
Wednesday of all days, I’m gonna use todays Top 5 Wednesday to look at my picks
for favorite moments from this mega milestone in the Gundam Saga. It’s my Top 5 Moments from Mobile Suit Gundam
SEED.
Like that moment in Spy X Family when Anya wakes up from
a disturbance, thinks it’s a bomb or the apocalypse and goes right back to
sleep, this is a minor moment but man I love it.
After spending her first episodes on the
Archangel, Lacus Clyne is taken by Kira to be escorted back to ZAFT by
Athrun.
Lacus, this early on in the
series, is wearing very Disney esque poofy outfits and it doesn’t easily fit
into a standard space suit. So when Kira hands Lacus over to Athrun, Lacus has
a bulging belly, almost like she’s pregnant.
The look on Athrun’s face when he looks right down at it is priceless.
At this point in SEED, Athrun and Lacus are
engaged and it’s been an indeterminate time since they last saw one
another.
The hundreds of ideas running
through Athrun’s head, God so many jokes.
It’s brief but it is easily the funniest moment in the entire show,
especially considering how dark and heavy it is.
#4-Gundam Rising
Gundam SEED is seen by many as a new rendition of the
original Gundam Series from its basic premise of Earth Federation vs. ZAFT (aka
Zeon) to the reusage of many familiar OG series events.
Nothing exemplifies this claim more than the
very beginning, which sees ZAFT attack a neutral colony housing a not so secret
Federation Mobile Suit development operation.
There are elements of Gundam 0083 and Zeta Gundam with several Gundams
getting Gundamjacked (not a played out trope yet but then Seed Destiny happened
next and did the same thing all over again).
Still, the quintessential launch point for Gundam SEED was at the
conclusion of it’s first episode, where Kira took the helm of the Strike, like
Amuro with the RX-78-2 before him.
And
as the base hanger burned down around it, we saw the Gundam rise once again…pretty
damn epic moment in the overall franchise.
#3-The Destruction of JOSH-A
Up until now, Gundam SEED was playing the two major
warring sides much like the old Federation and Zeon feud, Feds were more or
less the good guys and ZAFT as the bad guys.
But once the Archangel got to JOSH-A, the Earth Alliance showed their true
colors.
Not only did they anticipate an
all out invasion of their main Alaskan HQ by ZAFT, they had their own double
cross in mind.
They lured the entire
attack force in and vaporized everything in the immediate vicinity and when I
say vaporized, I mean vaporized.
Several
ZAFT and left over Alliance Officers are literally puffed up and popped like
balloons (Akira style) by electrical discharges and that’s before the entire
JOSH-A base goes up in a fireball of death.
It’s arguably one of the biggest and bloodiest
sequences in the Gundam franchise and proof that if you unless you were on the
Archangel or were Athrun, Lacus or Cagalli, neither side was the one to be on
in this war.
#2-Kira vs. Athrun-No Holds Barred
It was the moment the entire series had been building
itself towards since the moment Kira and Athrun reunited in Episode 1, since
before the series even aired and they were announced as the series leads.
Kira and Athrun had squared off a few times
before now but theyre long standing friendship always kept those fights as
skirmishes than all out brawls.
But when
both lose very close friends and teammates at each others hands, enough is
enough.
Under a stormy sky, Kira and Athrun
clash in one of the most emotionally driven duels in the entire franchise and
neither is gonna stop unless one or the other is dead.
While the pair do survive (Kira’s presumed
dead for a bit though), both of their Gundams are truly and utterly
destroyed.
Well better them than the
pilots.
Personally, save for our #1
choice, this was definitely the high point of Gundam SEED for me.
#1-The Reveal of the Freedom Gundam
I’ve talked about this moment in the past and not only is
it my favorite moment in SEED, it’s one of my favorites in all of Gundam.
After taking some time to heal, Kira decides
to head back to Earth to help his friends and Lacus, who’s been taking care of
him, is more than happy to help.
She
sneaks him into a secret Mobile Suit hanger and presents him with, the ZGMF-X10A
Freedom…or as a surprised Kira calls it, “A GUNDAM?”
This is such a great moment as Lacus is
totally taken aback by Kira’s strange name for the Mobile Suit but quickly
decides that “Gundam” has a far better ring to it.
From this point on, every Gundam Mobile Suit
made in the Cosmic Era bears the name.
Plus,
it’s the Freedom, arguably the best suit of the series, this should be the
first suit to officially be designated a Gundam.
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