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| Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny / Vol 5 & Vol 6 : 3 of 5 | |
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12.18.2009
6:25 AM | Link0 comments |
 Although I don't think this series has a chance of being as good as Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, these two DVDs do a great job at the attempt! Lots of storylines are going on at this point, crisscrossing each other and making it necessary to really pay attention (especially when many characters look so similar!). One plot involves Lacus Cline and her attempted assassination, while a fake Lacus is doing concerts to boost troop morale (and definitely being used to control people's loyalty!). There's a lot of focus on the Phantom Pain group, especially Stella, who is saved by Shinn when she almost drowns, causing her to form a bond with him (not knowing they are on opposite sides of the war, of course). Later they fight each other in their Mobile Suits while Stella tries to protect the place she was "born" - a diabolical laboratory where Naturals (humans) are "enhanced" with drugs and memory wipes to become perfect soldiers (which really casts an evil spin on the Earth forces). There are a couple of the usual recap episodes, but these are some of the best I've seen, since they are constructed as flashbacks for Shinn in order to reveal a much deeper level of his character (finally!). There's also a tense meeting between Kira and Athrun, who find they have lost each other's trust and seem to be on opposite sides of the conflict yet again. Of course, there are also some cool extended battle scenes featuring all sorts of Mobile Suits and other craft, plus there's a switch to a new opening theme song and beautiful title sequence. Whenever I finish watching one of these DVDs I always wish I had the next one ready to pop in the DVD player, so that's definitely a good sign!
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| Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Vol 3 & Vol 4 : 3 of 5 | |
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10.19.2009
12:26 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm still really enjoying this Mobile Suit Gundam series, and it moves so quickly that a DVD full of episodes is over before I know it! Although SEED Destiny is certainly cool, it's definitely not as moving as the original SEED, but it seems this sequel is becoming more and more like the first series all the time, especially since most of the original characters have returned, and they're even on the old Archangel together now. Volume 3 focuses mostly on Cagali, who is being politically manipulated to the point of allowing Orb to break their neutral ways and join an alliance, and she even agrees to marry a total weasel for the sake of her country. Thankfully, she's rescued (or kidnapped, depending on your point of view) by Kira piloting the classic Freedom Gundam, and she joins her old allies (including the Dessert Tiger, Lacus, Kira, and the original Archangel captain). They also introduce an awesome new opening theme by High & Mighty Color, which has been in my iTunes collection for years already! Volume 4 is full of battles, which are particularly exciting this time around, since they include some underwater action as well as some great cinematography as the mobile suits maneuver in and out of thick banks of clouds. Some of the best character development so far occurs when Athrun (who has now rejoined Zaft as an elite FAITH member) has a serious conversation with Shinn, and this series certainly needs more of those moments! Unfortunately, the super-long Impulse Gundam launch sequence animation gets reused a few times too many (even though it's definitely cool to watch), which comes across as filler to me. But SEED Destiny has just started to warm up, so I'm totally looking forward to watching it to the end!
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| Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Vol 1 & Vol 2 : 3 of 5 | |
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9.30.2009
11:50 AM | Link0 comments |
 It's time to start my second Mobile Suit Gundam anime series, and since I just finished Gundam SEED, there's no other choice than the immediate sequel Gundam SEED Destiny. Although I've read a few ho-hum comments on this series, I know I'm going to enjoy it simply because I already have a feel for most of the characters and the background of the Cosmic Era in this particular Gundam universe. The new main character is Shinn Asuka, whose family was killed before his eyes in the previous war, leaving him with quite a grudge to bear. Shinn carries around his deceased sister's cell phone so he can hear her voice message, which is a great example of the kind of tragedy than Gundam seems to express so well. This series begins a lot like the previous one with the theft of some new technology mobile suits (called Chaos, Gaia and Abyss), and at first it's very difficult to decipher what nations are fighting and who is to blame, but this only adds to the tension and uncertainty of the conflict! Athrun is kind of undercover as "Alex", acting as Cagali's assistant, and his association with Orb later sparks some animosity from Shinn, who thinks Athrun should be fully on the side of ZAFT and the Coordinators. Shinn pilots the amazing new Impulse Gundam, which can assemble itself in mid-flight and even change equipment, making for some cool launch sequence animation (that I'm sure I'll see again and again throughout the show!). The real problems begin when some Coordinator terrorists force the Junius Seven memorial to fall to Earth, causing catastrophic damage and prodding the Earth forces into declaring war against the Coordinators once again. It's sad to see a time of peace drawn inevitably into conflict, and even Athrun begins to be swayed to fight. So far I'm loving the opening and closing themes and animation (although Shinn and Athrun look extremely similar, making you depend on their uniforms to tell them apart at times), and I can't wait to keep watching this saga until the end!
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| Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Vol 9 & Vol 10 : 4 of 5 | |
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8.04.2009
7:20 PM | Link0 comments |
 The last two volumes of this awesome anime series contain the final 10 episodes (which brings the total episode count to 50), but the time absolutely flew by while watching them since I was glued to the TV! The plot completes the move from Earth back to space, which means lots of zero gravity tears and blood (as well as cool character floating that I enjoyed in the early episodes). The war is fought between three sides at this point: the Earth forces (the Naturals), ZAFT (the Coordinators), and the rebels, now lead by Lacus Cline who has transformed into an incredibly strong person, inspiring her soldiers to fight for true peace. Athrun decides he has to talk to his father (who happens to lead the ZAFT army) about his new understanding of the war (not a pleasant conversation), and at the same time Mu La Flaga discovers some devastating news about his relationship to Le Creuset, who totally becomes the ultimate villain with the one goal of wiping out humanity (he even uses poor Flay to deliver data that causes the war to escalate to horrific lengths)! These episodes are jam-packed with huge battles between giant fleets, thousands of mobile suits (including the reckless Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider), as well as monster-sized weapons, but the series still manages to keep the intimate emotions of the main characters in the forefront. Unfortunately, there's quite a bit of animation recycling going on in these battles - normally this doesn't bother me, but there was one particular sequence of a mobile suit pilot that kept showing up over and over! But that's only a minor complaint - Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is so much more than animation alone. It tells an incredible tale of how love can survive in the midst of war, eventually making a way for peace to reign. This anime was so cool that as soon as the last episode was over I had to order my first Gundam model kit (a new level of geekdom for me), and I can't wait to move on to the next Gundam series!
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| Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Vol 7 & Vol 8 : 4 of 5 | |
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7.20.2009
11:39 AM | Link0 comments |
 It's so great to get back to this awesome anime series, and I watched both of these two DVDs really quickly (usually in one five-episode sitting!). This show was already incredible, and now the story is even more interesting, so I can't wait to watch the rest of it (two more DVDs to go). Kira and Athrun finally face off in a huge battle, leaving both of them wounded and recovering in unusual places - Kira ends up at ZAFT under the care of Lacus Cline, and Athrun is back at Orb with Cagalli. Both of them have some dramatic scenes as they brood over the fact that they tried to kill each other, which is the kind of emotional moments that this series does so well. There are some tense scenes involving some hatred of a ZAFT prisoner, but these are soon interrupted by ZAFT's huge "Operation Spit Break", which unleashes a horrible betrayal on both sides of the war! Now the main characters rightfully question the judgment of those calling the shots in the military, and a new kind of alliance against the war itself begins to form. The best part of this is that Kira and Athrun slowly end up on the same side, and when they are fighting together and protecting each other the action is so awesome! Of course, they both have new Gundam suits now (called Freedom and Justice), which are equipped with N-Jammer Cancellers that allow them to be nuclear powered. A nice side effect of this is that La Flaga gets to pilot Kira's old Strike Gundam after it's repaired! These volumes complete the long arc of battles on Earth, since at the end the neutral nation of Orb returns to space, setting up the last set of episodes. During this exodus, the truth about Kira and Cagalli is revealed (not what I was expecting, but a nice turn), so I'm looking forward to seeing how this affects what happens next!
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| Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Vol 5 & Vol 6 : 4 of 5 | |
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5.15.2009
6:58 AM | Link0 comments |
 I'm really enjoying this awesome anime series, and I can easily see how so many fans have been obsessed with all the amazing technology - everything has a intricate design and a cool code name (and new vehicles and weapons are introduced in almost every episode!). But along with the action, the character development on this series is stellar, since they always manage to focus on both sides of the war, showing the conflict inside each character doing what they feel they must do, even though they may be a kind soul with no desire to kill. That point is made clear in two key battles: first with Kira's defeat of the Desert Tiger (it was a shame to see this interesting character go so soon), and next with the huge face-off between Kira and Athrun, during which two of the most likable personalities are killed (Nichol's death at Kira's hands is particularly sad, since Nichol's sensitive and artistic nature is brought out in the previous scenes). On the female side of things, Flay (I still don't like her) is jealous of Cagalli, who befriends Athrun while they are stranded on an island, and we also learn of Cagali's connections to Orb, the neutral nation who made the new mobile suits in the first place. There's also some big news mentioned by Kira's parents about his sibling, but it's no surprise to me (I'm just waiting for the inevitable to be revealed!). Action-wise, I loved the undersea battle, and the Archangel's huge barrel roll was pretty spectacular! Although Volume 6 has a few obligatory flashback episodes, they're definitely well done (and the switch to Nami Tamaki's new theme song is pretty awesome!). I'm really looking forward to seeing where this series goes next, but I have to take a break to complete my Godzilla goal!
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| Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Vol 3 & Vol 4 : 4 of 5 | |
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2.16.2009
12:01 PM | Link0 comments |
 After enjoying the first two volumes of this series so much, I had intended to continue watching it right away, but for some reason Volume 3 was delayed on Netflix for a long time! Finally it became available, and I immediately watched the whole thing, as well as Volume 4, and this series just keeps getting better (no wonder it has so many fans.). Of course, there are tons of amazing Mobile Suit battles to enjoy, both in space as well as on Earth, since the plot takes the Archangel back home. The huge confrontation during the reentry into Earth's atmosphere is unbelievably exciting (some of the best battle anime, which can sometimes get boring and predictable, that I've ever seen!), and the tragic destruction of the civilian shuttle was totally shocking. That brings me to Gundam SEED's next strength, which is the intense emotions and character development! Kira begins to be consumed by his obligation to protect everyone, fueled by the bizarre manipulations of Flay, who I'm beginning to trust less with each moment. Even the rest of the child crew of the Archangel really begin to grow when they decide to officially join the military because they feel the need to help end the war. This excellent characterization also carries over to the ZAFT side of the conflict, as we begin to understand Le Creuset a little more, as well as the new enemy on Earth, the Desert Tiger (who seems to have a conscience, plus an obsession with coffee!). I'm really enjoying the music, too - a second opening theme is introduced in these episodes, and I like how the closing theme begins before the last scene ends. So far Gundam SEED has succeeded in being thrilling yet "serious" at the same time, so I can't wait to see what happens next!
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| Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Vol 1 & Vol 2 : 4 of 5 | |
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12.18.2008
5:49 AM | Link1 comments |
 It's time to start a new anime series, and after looking through my "watch someday" list, I decided to take on Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (even though it's a long 10 DVD series that will keep me cranking for a while). The Gundam genre is a true staple of anime fandom, but this is my first time to watch one of these popular mecha shows, so I was worried about getting into this huge universe and understanding what's going on. I had read lots of comments praising SEED as a favorite series of the bunch, and fortunately the show is just so cool that it doesn't really matter if the background story is a little fuzzy (and it was easy to educate myself with Wikipedia anyway)! There's no point into trying to explain the plot here, except to mention that the main character Kira (who pilots a cool Gundam with phase shift armor) often has to face his childhood friend Athrun, who is fighting on the other side of the war. There's actually a lot of semi-philosophical moments about the purpose of war, how it affects both sides and no one is truly "right", which fleshes out the characters well, but for now I just want to mention the cool battles and machinery! The mobile suits themselves are really detailed, and I love how they launch on foot sleds kind of like Battlestar Galactica Vipers. The space battles are really exciting, with lots of attention to realism and devices like maneuvering jets, and it's interesting to watch the characters move around in the zero gravity interiors of the giant warships (I also like the naval terminology such as "sinking" an enemy ship). Unfortunately, this series was completed before most anime was produced in 16:9, even though it's not that old, but at least the visuals are so stunning (with surprisingly few CG crutches) that it doesn't matter. I'm really excited about continuing this series and watching the further battles between Earth and ZAFT!
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