Alternative Titles
Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 50
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 5, 2002 to Sep 27, 2003
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.091 (scored by 7648 users)
Ranked: #1972
Popularity: #101
Members: 11,374
Favorites: 640 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action drama mecha romance |
SynopsisC.E. 71: In the midst of war between the Naturals (OMNI) and Coordinators (ZAFT), a unit from ZAFT is dispatched to hijack the Earth Alliance's newly developed mobile suits on the neutral colony of Heliopolis. Orb Civilian Coordinator Kira Yamato attends the technical college on Heliopolis. After ZAFT hijacks 4 of the 5 mobile suits, Kira stumbles upon the last one, Strike, forced to pilot it to save his and his friend's lives. During this confusion, Kira also reunites with his childhood Coordinator friend, Athrun Zala, who ironically turns out to be a ZAFT soldier and one of the hijackers at Heliopolis. Having control of Strike, Kira joins the Earth Alliance boarding the ship known as Archangel, to protect his friends while despairing over becoming the enemy of his childhood friend and people. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
Spin-off: Mobile Suit Gundam, Seed Supernova: Tanekyara Gekijo
Side story: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed MSV Astray
Summary: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Movie I - The Empty Battlefield
Sequel: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: After-Phase Between the Stars
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Recommendations
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If you're like me and adored all of the character interactions in Gundam SEED, then you will certainly love the ones in Code Geass. Admittedly, the stories are very different. But hey, they both have mechas, and they both pit best friends against each other. Always a fun conflict to see, right?
you'll see a lot of similarities between these 2 series like the plot, character roles, etc.
With the same studio, and the same 'friends on opposite sides' dynamic these two mecha series share obvious similarities. Take Gundam SEED and inject extra intrigue, supernatural powers ala Death Note, make the hero cleverer and much more morally dubious, and you have Code Geass.
Gundam Seed and Code Geass both have the same relationships between the characters. Lelouch and his best friend are fighting for opposing causes and end up fighting each other. They are both Mecha anime and have really Twisted story lines. But thats what makes it so good :)
In the last few weeks I've been singing the praises of Code Geass, and when people ask why I always end up comparing it to Gundam Seed. Both series have a similar plot, you've got a character who is silly smart, and decides to 'save the world'. Through both series you'll find you'll have yourself pondering about which side your really on. While Code Geass has Lelouch doing questionable things, you'll find half the characters in Seed lost themselves trying to decide who are the good guys. Although there is obviously a little more fighting and Mecha in Seed there is still a strong storyline and you'll find yourself wondering how each episode will conclude, although there's never much doubt on who will win.
Gundam Seed and Code Geass has too many similarities! You want details? See for yourself!
When I first began watching Code Geass, the plot immediately reminded me of the first episode of SEED. The only thing that was different was the personality of the protagonist. Other characters seem similar too.
Later on it's quite obvious that parts of the plot are extremely similar, you if you enjoyed SEED, you would like Code Geass, or the contrary.
Both of these shows focus on the ongoing battle between two childhood best friends on opposite sides. They also both have mecha has a pivotal focus point in combat. While their settings are different, there are many similar character relations and plot points that viewers of both of these shows will probably enjoy.
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Gundam Original is what Seed is based on! The story of seed is almost a carbon copy of Gundam the original! The background story of Gundam is very deep and well developed. The only flaw for today's viewer is that the animation for the original Gundam is very dated. But the story does not cop out (like Gundam Seed Destiny). The reason that Gundam Seed doesn't cop out, which is the tradition that came from the classic gundam TV series. The characters who are forced to be involved in the conflicts in the story because of the circumstance are wonderfully developed. Do take note that the original Gundam TV was cut short.
They more or less follow a very similar story line - Seed is simply better animated, longer, and tackles the problems of genetic engineering - along with providing an entertaining experience. Both are great and although Seed is most likely the better of the two - either is a great watch.
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Reviews
| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
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Jun 6, 200850 of 50 episodes seen 25 of 37 people found this review helpful Gundam SEED started off as just another Gundam series for me. I watched it because it was airing and convenient... I didn't expect it to become my favorite Gundam series of all time.
STORY - At this point, you'd have to stretch pretty far to find a Gundam series with a mindblowingly different premise, so there's no point in really focusing on the fact that yes, this is another series about teenagers in giant robots fighting a war that's pretty pointless. There is ...nothing new about Gundam SEED, but then, it deserves points for being able to stand out despite that very fact. For me, one of the most appealing things about SEED was its very easy-to-understand plotline. The root of the war, while decidedly trivial to some extent, is simple. I'm sure more than a few people were confused, and subsequently put off, by the political madness that ravaged the plots of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, as well as newer classics like Gundam Wing, so it was nice to see something so simple come along.
In addition to the war, one of the strongest story points for me was the conflict between Athrun and Kira. The cruelty and tragicness of pitting friend against friend works very well here, and I know I've said before that I'm just a sucker for this kind of stuff. For SEED, this conflict was well done, progressed smoothly, and resolved rather satisfactory. It was pretty neat to see the same conflict mirrored later with Dearka and Yzak too. Also, this series was one of the first in a long time to surprise me so much with things happening in the story. People died. People you really didn't expect to die died. So many people die that at some point, you kind of started wondering if anyone was actually going to live! But despite the number of deaths, you never got the feeling that it was overdone, or that any of the characters' deaths didn't have some significance or meaning, and that's definitely a feat.
Those two aspects of SEED made up for all the cliches that came with being a Gundam series -- white mask's ulterior motive was nothing amazing, and the ending to the war wasn't anything special either. But by the end of it all, it isn't the basics of the story that's important, it's all the progress you've made with the characters and their own personal resolutions.
CHARACTER - The characters in SEED probably contributed the most to gaining my favor. All of them are exceptionally well done. Yes, even the minor characters, which is definitely a rarity in anime. All of them seem like real people; they're complex and have emotions, motives, flaws. Both of the protagonists are split between a side that has to fight and a side that hurt because of everything that's happening. After all the stoic personalities in Gundam Wing, it was incredible for me to see characters that would actually cry. On several occasions, even. In fact, for the first half of the series, it seriously surprised me just how much of a crybaby Kira was. But it worked for his character, so even though he kind of turned into a godmodding, self-righteous bastard later on, it was okay.
Kira aside, for me, Athrun was the most interesting character and had the most depth. Throughout the entire series, he was in conflict. And as soon as one conflict was resolved, another would present itself. The poor guy was in constant turmoil, which was really great to see. He was easy to relate to and never grew out of reach like Kira did. Secondary characters like Cagalli and Lacus were also refreshing to see -- female characters that had strength to stand up on their own. Indeed, one might venture to say that our male protagonists depended much more on their female counterparts than the other way around, as is traditionally the case.
It would be exhausting to go through the list of other characters, though many of them are also important and very relevant. Suffice to say that there are almost NO flat characters in SEED. All of them have dimension and depth and develop throughout the series. I don't really think this happens in many other anime.
ARTWORK & ANIMATION - I rather like the art style of SEED (the same people also did Sokyuu no Fafner); it's pleasing to the eye and works well for the content of the series. The animation itself is pretty average, and I'm still waiting for the day when explosions in the distance graduate from looking like Pacman, but oh well. There's nothing else really worth noting, but it certainly isn't an ugly series.
MUSIC - I... adore the music for this entire series. All three instrumental soundtracks are well worth getting! The battle music is strong and epic! The introspection music is interesting and intriguing! The tragic music makes the already tragic scene ten times more touching. It's just fantastic all around. After the bigshots Yoko Kanno and Yuki Kajiura, it's Toshihiko Sahashi that makes it on my playlist the most! And the OP/ED themes are pretty much all top notch as well. I've been a fan of T.M. Revolution for a long time, so "Invoke" was perfect for the first opening. SEED introduced the world to Nami Tamaki, and I must say I've definitely become a fan since her debut. SEE-SAW and Mika Nakashima are always good as well, and even the lesser known artists in the lineup are pretty awesome.
DUBBING & VOCALS - I saw the first half of this series in English but ended up seeing the second half subbed (because SEED was, for some reason, so unpopular that CN shoved it in a death slot). The dub was nothing spectacular certainly, but it was decent. None of the voices were up to par with their Japanese counterparts, but the only one that seriously annoyed me was Richard Cox, and that was mostly because the man can't seem to change his voice between characters (and thus, the character he voiced sounded like Inuyasha to me). The Japanese cast, on the other hand, is top notch. Akira Ishida as Athrun remains one of my favorite performances ever, and Souichiro Hoshi as Kira was pretty great too. And of course, you can't forget Rie Tanaka as Lacus -- Lacus has several songs she performs within the series and Tanaka is the one singing all of them. It always pleases me when they're able to do that and helps reaffirm the fact that the Japanese seem to take their voice acting much more seriously than we do.
OVERALL - I know I haven't seen all of the Gundam series out there, but of those I've seen, this is definitely my favorite. The characters come to life and everything else falls into place behind that. A lot of people cling onto Mobile Suit Gundam as the only good one because it's the original, but though it was a good series that obviously propelled the creation of all subsequent Gundams, for this generation of anime fans, it's sorely outdated. I really feel like Gundam SEED should be the series taking its place for the post-2000 generation of fans. That statement may bode well in Japan, as this series was wildly popular, but I'm disappointed to see that it failed miserably in the States. Chalk that up to other factors though, 'cause this series is damn good. read more
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
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Mar 20, 200850 of 50 episodes seen 11 of 18 people found this review helpful Story:
No other mecha captivated my heart other that this one. It is very exciting and suspenseful-- characters are forced into difficult situations where any decision they made will always include sacrifices. Frankly,at first I didn't have any idea on how this series will progress. What I love the most is the drama; characters meeting, fighting and dying in a very sad and surprising way. Another thing is that it focuses on the effect of war and death and its causes to young peop...le who are fighting for the reason adults gave them-- racism, genetic manipulation, genocide and hatred.
On the negative side, it is not very original since it borrowed a lot of element from earlier gundams. Viewers may find SOME things too coincidental and assume that it is "not deep" because of its story. Sometimes there were situations created just to "make this a difficult situation" even though they were too cliche or coincidental.
Art:
Animation is eye-candy--many cute and lovable boys and girls. Fashion of both uniforms and casual wear are lovable and cool. Ships and mobile suits of course are cool looking. A lot of character(or mobile suit) posing or movement are memorable and produces dramatic and artistic effect.
However, the animation is inconsistent and the characters tend to look like each other at that times. Lots of scenes are re-used--some trademark moves should have been shown at different angles.
Sound:
Sound is amazing. Because I heard the first ending "Anna ni Issho da atta no ni", I watched this show that I don't even plan on watching. Thetechno- background music are nostalgic, heartwarming: the characters have their image soundtracks which are very helpful. Voice acting is also superb and each character's voice is memorable and unique to him/her.
Character:
For me, Gundam Seed has portrayed its themes pretty well; it is not a "trying-hard to be deep" anime. It is true to its purpose: to show war and and its effect on teenagers' teeny problems. This anime is the first one to show me tons of crying scenes with boys--which may seem sissy to others. Overall, the worst things about this series are the unnecessary flashbacks, super unnecessary nudities(though only few of them) and an adult scene(only an implication) and overreaction of some characters. But lastly, I love here the most is that there are no presence of an evil or good side, it just shows that in war, all are victims
In my opinion, GS' characters are nothing new (but of course the main protagonists have something special in them). They are just teens with different personalities and unique traits that are strangled by the horrors of war, continually fighting for their lives, their friends, idealistic immature beliefs or for a reason they have not defined. They learn, and mature as the series progresses. Fans may not love all of them, but they are certainly memorable and almost each of them contributes to the overall drama of the anime.
Enjoyment and Overall:
I enjoyed it a lot.This is a must watch for mecha fans and gundam enthusiasts though some may compare it too much to its predecessors; I really don't believe that it is a very evil thing that many things were borrowed from earlier Gundam series and they are running out of ideas, this show gave the new generation the experience that the older generation enjoyed (and also, creators say they "pay tribute" to the earlier series) This Gundam series was also hailed as the first one that was loved by fans outside the Gundam realm and liked by many non-mecha fans. BUT though it is very good, I believeit could be an insult to the lasting tradition of Gundam, with all the borrowing and fanservice.
This is very gender friendly and the characters are very addictive. Yet Lastly, I don't recommend this to kids. read more
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
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Jan 10, 200850 of 50 episodes seen 37 of 61 people found this review helpful Story: I thought the plot was outstanding. The story-line is usually one of the biggest things in an anime for me, and is a big deciding factor in whether I choose to watch it through to the end or not. I've only dropped an anime if the plot really starts to bother me, but this one kept me wanting more. There were many things that unfolded and the conflicts seemed very real.
Art: What can I say here. I thought the character designs were very interesting and I noticed a lot of the... style uniqueness in the hair and eyes of the characters especially. These are important things I look at in real human beings and they usually tell a lot about a person. Just the same in the anime, the design for the characters was very suiting. As for the mecha within the anime, I felt it was superb. I love the designs of the gundams and the battle ships as well. Weapon and such are also nicely done.
Sound: I thought the music and sound effects were perfect. Each song conveyed the proper emotions to fit the story, even the opening an closing. I especially like the editing near the end of most of the episodes where it leads into the closing song. It seems to always fit.
Character: I felt each character had a deep personality and was thought up with care. I was really able to connect with the characters in this anime even though I've never experienced anything like them at all. I really did enjoy getting familiar with these characters.
Enjoyment: If it isn't already obvious, I thoroughly enjoyed this anime to the very end. I watched every second of every episode and even decided upon watching it's sequel, Gundam Seed Destiny.
Overall: By now you know that I am truly fond of this anime and it's entirety. I wish any and everyone that watches the same joy that I experienced while watching this masterpiece. 10/10 read more
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Opening Theme#1: "INVOKE" by T.M. Revolution (eps 1-13)
#2: "moment" by Vivian or Kazuma (eps 14-26)
#3: "Believe" by Nami Tamaki (eps 27-40)
#4: "Realize" by Nami Tamaki (eps 41-50)
Ending Theme#1: "Anna ni Issho Datta no ni" by See-Saw (eps 1-26)
#2: "RIVER" by Tatsuya Ishii (eps 27-39)
#3: "FIND THE WAY" by Mika Nakashima (eps 40-50)
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