gundam seed

Overview

Directed by Mitsuo Fukuda (Future GPX Cyber Formula and Gear Fighter Dendoh), the series is the first set in the Cosmic Era universe. This series begins with a war between Earth and the colonies that is similar to the One Year War of the original Gundam series with certain traditional elements from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing and After War Gundam X such as the presence of five multicolored gundam mobile suits and the threat of an apocalypse. On one side is the Earth Alliance, and on the opposite is the space colonies that form ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty). Mankind is divided over human genetic engineering, with normal humans known as "Naturals" and the genetically altered humans known as "Coordinators". Like the original series, ZAFT has a head start on mobile suit design, the Earth Alliance quickly catches up with its five prototype Gundams. With ZAFT having stolen four of the prototypes, young pilot Kira Yamato takes the Strike Gundam and is forced to fight his old friend Athrun Zala. Little do they know that there are sinister forces at work that go far beyond their worst nightmares...

Themes and reactions

Despite an average beginning, once the series took off, the series was widely acclaimed among certain fans, and has left a great legacy upon the mech otaku community of Japan and abroad. A handful of major characters consistently top the favourite character lists of Newtype magazine, and the merchandise sold in the thousands.

The series was intended to be Universal Century updated for a new generation of fans, and the similarities between the original Mobile Suit Gundam and this series are numerous. To fit the tastes of 21st century teenagers, the series focused heavily on the interpersonal relationships between the characters, resulting in well-crafted and many layered romantic friendships. The traumatic friendship between Kira and Athrun guides the series, but the old-school romance between ace pilot Mu and captain Murrue won the hearts of many. Moreover, the series featured a villainous presence in Rau Le Creuset, who evokes such notorious video game adversaries as Sephiroth, Kefka, Kuja, and Liquid Snake, as well as memories of the original Gundam villain, Char Aznable himself. This is something which many Gundam series lacked in such pure, nefarious form. The drawing style was also updated to a modern style, characterized by bright colors, big eyes, small mouth and noses, and unique colored and often eccentric hair styles. The protagonists are also for the most part very young, to cater to the younger audience that has always been the primary target audience of the majority of Japanese animated shows like Gundam.

The inclusion of issues such as racism, with desires of genocide, further updated the series and provided food for thought as well as social commentary. The genetically altered Coordinators provide a vision for the future in a world fraught with talk of GM food and cloning.

Many old school Gundam fans were upset with how much the series took from the original Mobile Suit Gundam, saying that it was nothing more than a ripoff of the original. Other criticisms revolve around the fact that Gundam SEED focuses a lot of chara-moe, or moé of characters rather than the bigger picture of war, and that the animation style is flashy and disjointed compared to all previous Gundam stories in terms of atmosphere. Other old school fans are pleased however, stating that Fukuda was able to adapt the premise in a new direction, as a possible "What if?" situation and like the new direction that Fukuda took with the already established story and archetypes.

Airing information

The series is licensed by Bandai Entertainment, and was released on DVD in North America in uncut bilingual format. On April 17, 2004, an edited version of the English dub premiered at 10:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network's Toonami block, which ran on Saturday nights. On October 23, 2004, it was moved to 1:00 a.m. on Saturdays starting with Phase 27 due to below average ratings.

The majority of the series was aired with a TV-Y7, apparently, at the insistence of Bandai who were desperately trying to push the new Gundam SEED toy line. However, since most retailers had stopped carrying the Gundam line due to over-saturation from the G Gundam series, this soon became a lost cause. Only the final episode was given the TV-PG-SV rating rather than the usual TV-Y7 rating.

Things that were edited out on Cartoon Network include mature content (e.g. most references to the sexual relationship between Kira and Flay — though the initial scene presenting this was left partially intact); scenes of intense combat violence (e.g. almost all shots of pilots, including main characters, in their cockpits before having their machines destroyed); cold-blooded or brutal murders that are non-mobile suit related (e.g. Siegel Clyne getting shot by ZAFT soldiers loyal to Rau Le Creuset and Patrick Zala); all references to the fact that the "Living CPUs" need to take performance enhancing drugs; and most notoriously, handguns being sloppily and inconsistently transformed into neon-colored lasers, dubbed "Disco Guns" by fans, for the majority of the show's run. Also, there was little to no use of the words "kill" or "die" in the middle of the series airing.

Since most of the series had been edited by Williams Street before broadcast, Cartoon Network changed very little in terms of content allowance. However, the airings of the final two episodes were left mostly unedited, with only a few elements being affected — namely the guns used by Muruta Azrael, Patrick Zala, and one of the ZAFT soldiers (which was given neon-colored lights in certain but not all of the image frames), airbrushing the naked Flay's body in the final episode to avoid showing her cleavage, reducing the amount of blood shown, editing the character's lines to remove either inappropriate language or controversial lines, and the removal or altering of flashbacks of graphic assassinations.

The Canadian version debuted on YTV's Bionix programming block on September 10, 2004 at 9:30 p.m. where it got a better reception and aired comparatively uncut, with almost all of the material listed above intact. After airing the entire series three times through, YTV broadcasted the show for the last time on September 2, 2006.

In Japan, it occupied the Saturday 6 p.m. timeslot on MBS and TBS, widely considered a prime timeslot; the anime and its subsequent successor to the timeslot (Fullmetal Alchemist) went on to do very well.

In the Philippines, the show began airing on ABS-CBN on December 20, 2004. First shown on the 6 p.m. primetime block on weekdays (Mondays-Fridays), it was later moved to the 5:30 p.m. slot on the same dayframe until it's end on March 4, 2005. As of September 2006, it airs on ABS-CBN's cable anime channel, Hero TV every Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. and The Midnight run on Thursdays at 1:30 a.m.; and on Cartoon Network every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 p.m. (all times in Philippine Standard Time [GMT+8]).

Adaptations, spinoffs, and sequels

A three-part compilation of the TV series has been released as Gundam SEED: Special Edition.

An adaptation of the TV series, authored by Mizuho Takayama, was originally a supplement of Comic BomBom. This version comes with folding color posters of the mobile suits, and a bonus Gundam SEED Destiny episode 0 comic. The stories were eventually published into 2 volumes by Kodansha. The 2 volume version is available in Chinese, published by Rightman Publishing Ltd. in Hong Kong.

The TV series was also turned into a series of novels by Riu Koto, published by Kadokawa Shoten.

Also running with the TV series was a series of manga called Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray that told a side-story to the anime series. This proved popular enough to generate two more side-stories: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray R and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED X Astray.

The English manga, authored by Masatsugu Iwase, is published in North America by Del Rey Manga and in Singapore by Chuang Yi, while Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray is published in North America by TOKYOPOP.

On July 6, 2004 the sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, was announced after over a month of rumors. It started airing in Japan on October 9, 2004 on the network Mainichi Broadcasting System and ran until October 1, 2005. A third Gundam SEED production, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer, an ONA side-story to Destiny, is currently being streamed on Bandai Channel. A film was recently announced to complete the trilogy.

Cast and crew

One striking fact of the series is that the voices of characters, both major and minor, were done by many veteran seiyu. The cast list reads like a "Who's Who" of Japanese voice actors and actresses. This is also carried over to the sequel, Gundam SEED Destiny. While there has always been scrutiny over the dubbing of many anime series, the mispronunciation of several character names in the english dubbing has angered many die-hard Gundam SEED fans.^{citation needed]}

Japanese cast

• Aisha — Vivian Hsu, Fumi Hirano (Special Edition)
• Andrew Waltfeld — Ryotaro Okiayu
• Arnold Neumann, Ledonir Kisaka — Isshin Chiba
• Athrun Zala — Akira Ishida
• Cagalli Yula Athha, Eileen Canaver, Birdy (Torii) — Naomi Shindou
• Clotho Buer — Hiro Yuuki
• Dearka Elsman, Martin DaCosta — Akira Sasanuma
• Erica Simmons — Michiyo Yanagisawa
• Flay Allster, Natarle Badgiruel — Houko Kuwashima
• Kira Yamato — Souichirou Hoshi
• Kojiro Murdoch, Tad Elsman — Toshihiko Nakajima
• Kuzzey Buskirk, Romero Pal — Yasuhiro Takato
• Lacus Clyne — Rie Tanaka
• Miguel Aiman — Takanori Nishikawa (T.M.Revolution)
• Miriallia Haw — Megumi Toyoguchi
• Mu La Flaga — Takehito Koyasu
• Murrue Ramius, Ezalia Jule, Haro, Narrator — Kotono Mitsuishi
• Muruta Azrael — Nobuyuki Hiyama
• Nicol Amarfi — Mami Matsui, Romi Paku (Special Edition)
• Orga Sabnak — Joshida Ryohei
• Patrick Zala — Kinryu Arimoto
• Rau Le Creuset, George Allster — Toshihiko Seki
• Sai Argyle — Tetsu Shiratori
• Shani Andras — Shunichi Miyamoto
• Tolle Koenig — Takayuki Inoue
• Uzumi Nara Athha — Toru Ohkawa
• Yzak Jule — Tomokazu Seki

English-language cast

• Aisha - Saffron Henderson
• Andrew Waltfeld, Reverend Malchio - Brian Drummond
• Arnold Neumann - Philip Pacaud
• Asagi Caldwell - Jocelyne Loewen
• Athrun Zala - Samuel Vincent
• Cagalli Yula Athha - Vanessa Morley
• Clotho Buer, Yuri Amalfi - Ted Cole
• Dalida Lolaha Chandra II - Simon Hayama
• Dearka Elsman - Brad Swaile
• Erica Simmons - Sharon Alexander
• Ezalia Joule, Narrator - Alison Matthews
• Flay Allster, Birdy (Torii), Haro - Tabitha St. Germain
• Fredrik Ades - Michael Dobson
• Gerard Garcia, Captain Koopman - Scott McNeil
• Jackie Tonomura - Matt Smith
• Kira Yamato - Matt Hill
• Kojiro Murdoch - Ward Perry
• Kuzzey Buskirk - Keith Miller
• Lacus Clyne - Chantal Strand
• Lacus' singing voice - Jillian Michaels
• Ledonir Kisaka - Adam Henderson
• Lewis Halberton - Richard Newman
• Martin DaCosta - Brian Dobson
• Mayura Labatt - Rebecca Shoichet
• Miguel Aiman - Tony Sampson
• Miriallia Haw - Anna Cummer
• Mu La Flaga - Trevor Devall
• Murrue Ramius, Eileen Canaver - Lisa Ann Beley
• Muruta Azrael - Andrew Francis
• Natarle Badgiruel - Sarah Johns
• Nicol Amalfi - Gabe Khouth
• Orga Sabnak - Andrew Toth
• Patrick Zala - Andrew Kavadas
• Rau Le Creuset - Mark Oliver
• Romero Pal - Brendan Van Wijk
• Sai Argyle - Bill Switzer
• Siegel Clyne - Don Brown
• Tolle Koenig, Shani Andras - Richard Ian Cox
• Uzumi Nara Athha - John Novak
• William Sutherland - Ron Halder
• Yzak Joule - Michael Adamthwaite

Theme songs and soundtrack albums

Opening Songs (OP):

• INVOKE by T.M.Revolution (ep. 1-13) (Toonami Broadcast: ep. 1-26), (YTV Broadcast: ep. 1-50)
• moment by Vivian or Kazuma (ep. 14-26)
• Believe by Nami Tamaki (ep. 27-40)
• Realize by Nami Tamaki (ep. 41-50)

Ending Songs (ED):

• Anna ni Issho Datta no ni (あんなに一緒だったのに; We were so together, but) by See-Saw (ep. 1-26)
• RIVER by Tatsuya Ishii (ep. 27-39)
• FIND THE WAY by Mika Nakashima (ep. 40-50)

Insert Songs (IN):

• Shizuka na Yoru ni (静かな夜に; In the Quiet Night) by Rie Tanaka (English version Jillian Michaels) (ep. 7-9, 14, 20)
• Akatsuki no Kuruma (暁の車; Wheels of Dawn) by FictionJunction YUUKA (ep. 24, 32, 40)
• Meteor by T.M.Revolution (ep. 26, 29, 35, 47)
• Anna ni Issho Datta no ni (We were so together, but) by See-Saw (ep. 28)
• Mizu no Akashi (水の証; Token of Water) by Rie Tanaka (English version Jillian Michaels) (ep. 36, 41)
• FIND THE WAY by Mika Nakashima (ep. 46)

Gundam SEED Related Albums :

• Original Soundtrack I (by Toshihiko Sahashi and Yuki Kajiura) (2002.12.04)
• Original Soundtrack II (by Toshihiko Sahashi and Yuki Kajiura) (2003.04.23)
• Original Soundtrack III (by Toshihiko Sahashi and Yuki Kajiura) (2003.09.21)
• Original Soundtrack IV (by Toshihiko Sahashi and Yuki Kajiura) (2004.12.16)
• OP1 Single - invoke (by T.M.Revolution) (2002.10.30)
• ED1 Single - Anna ni Issho Datta no ni (by See-Saw) (2002.10.23)
• OP2 Single - moment (by Vivian or Kazuma) (2003.01.29)
• OP2 Single - moment Remix (by Various artists) (2003.04.23)
• ED2 Single - RIVER (by Tatsuya Ishii) (2003.03.26)
• ED2 Single - RIVER －Gundam SEED Edition－ (by Various artists) (2003.05.21)
• OP3 Single - Believe (by Nami Tamaki) (2003.04.23)
• OP3 Single - Believe Reproduction ～Gundam SEED Edition～ (by Various artist) (2003.05.21)
• ED3 Single - FIND THE WAY (by Mika Nakashima) (2003.08.06)
• OP4 Single - Realize (by Nami Tamaki) (2003.07.24)
• OP4 Single - Realize Reproduction (by Various artists) (2003.09.26)
• IN Single - Akatsuki no Kuruma (by FictionJunction YUUKA) (2004.09.22)
• Suit CD vol. 1 Kira Yamato × Strike Gundam* (2003.03.21)
• Suit CD vol. 2 Athrun Zala × Cagalli Yula Athha* (2003.04.23)
• Suit CD vol. 3 Lacus Clyne × HARO* (2003.05.21)
• Suit CD vol. 4 Miguel Ayman × Nicol Amarfi* (2003.06.21)
• Suit CD vol. 5 Athrun × Yzak × Dearka* (2003.07.23)
• Symphony Gundam Seed (2004.05.08)
• Gundam SEED Complete Best (Contains some songs from OP1-OP4 and ED1-ED3) (2003.09.26)

Each Suit CD usually contain songs sung by the seiyuu of the characters featured, and audio drama clips of these characters in situations during their "typical" day. While most are comedic in nature, they help to flesh out the characters as well, often offering an insight at their behaviour in the series. (e.g. in Volume 5, Yzak talks about his rivalry with Athrun.) Also, do note that there are only 10 Suit CDs in total for GS and GSD (The numbering for the GS CDs are from 1 to 5).

See also

• Preceded by (in production order): ∀ Gundam

• Followed by (in production and chronological order): Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny

External links

• Official Website (Japanese)
• GundamOfficial Gundam SEED: US Official Website
• Gundam SEED Genesis: Resource Website
• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Nintendo DS
• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED at the Internet Movie Database
• Gundam SEED: Australian Official Release
• Gundam Seed Nova: Online Rpg