STORY: 7/10
The story of Gundam Seed explores in depth the racial issues between genetically enhanced humans (referred to as Co-ordinators) and normal humans. The story itself revolves around Kira Yamato, who is a co-ordinator living as a student in neutral territory. The war between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty), the alliance governing the co-ordinators has escalated tremendously and tensions build up as the result of the war is uncertain and with no sight in end. Early forecasts had initially believed that the Earth Alliance would have a complete victory and win the war with sheer numbers, but years have passed and there is no end in sight. Kira Yamato and his friends are involved in a ZAFT attack on neutral territory under the suspicion of developing weapons for the Earth Alliance. Leaving him with no choice, Kira Yamato is forced onto the battlefield in order to protect his friends. During Kira's journey, he discovers the consequences of his actions and that in order to protect his friends he has killed many people who also have friends and family. Gundam Seed magnificently explores the terrible effects of war and the weight of death is regarded highly as the viewer also experiences grief along with Kira along the journey. Gundam Seed's backstory is intriguing but the actual journey should not be underestimated. Overall, the story is satisfying and well thought out, demonstrating aspects of ethical issues and racial differences.
ART: 4/10
The art style in Gundam SEED takes a unique approach, differing from conventional anime of it's time. Despite the lacking art clarity (due to being a fairly old series and airing in 2002), Gundam Seed manages to incorporate high level of details that are noticeable even in the background, particularly in battle scenes which more than makes up for the old art. The character designs are fairly standard, and the civilian clothing can be considered somewhat strange, but the actual mecha design and uniform were excellent. The most disappointing factor in Gundam Seed's art was that it recycled scenes to the point of the audience noticing. Many battle scenes were reused over and over again, appearing many times throughout the course of the anime.
SOUND: 9/10
One of the strong factors in this anime was the sound. The opening and ending songs were not particularly special but nevertheless accomplishes it's job. The music was particularly effective during battle scenes, and the viewer can feel the emotions of the music, excitement as the battle was raging, or melancholy as the anime explores the death of a character. The music involved an entire orchestra and are well deserving of the effort developing the music. There is a very large amount of soundtracks used in Gundam SEED, and it never gets too repetitive as there are many variations of each theme and the anime constantly changes between them. Find the Way, by Mika Nakashima became one of my favorite songs, and this song was incorporated into one of the final ending themes. This song had a particularly large impact as the anime was reaching it's climax and already so many people have died in the war, I feel that his song expresses the feelings extremely well.
CHARACTER: 7/10
Another strong point of this anime, the audience is introduced to a wide variety of characters, some of which are particularly lacking in present anime. The main character himself encompasses a charisma that uniquely defines him and differentiates him from other characters. Other characters, despite being supporting characters also display a characteristic that is rarely seen in other anime and the viewer is able to empathize with both sides of the war. Gundam Seed was explored through the views of many characters, and not just through the main character. Furthermore, the characters in Gundam Seed actually felt like real people, they had a presence which showed that they had emotions and flaws in their characters. Every character had emotions, and flaws, even the minor characters.Through the course of the 50 episodes, the viewer finds himself/herself attached to many of the characters in Gundam SEED.
ENJOYMENT: 9/10
I found myself to enjoy this series greatly, and have rewatched the series several times. Being the first anime I have watched it pleases me to say that I was glad that it was the first anime I have seen.
OVERALL: 7/10
A great anime that has become one of my all-time favourites. The art may take a while to get used to, but a splendid anime nonetheless. The series has been Remastered in HD, but it looks mostly the same.
