Search - Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny (+ Series Box) (Limited Edition) on DVD

A Guilty Pleasure

noname-san | 04/30/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As you read this I would like you to keep in mind that this is my impression from one viewing of the series which ended about 6 months ago. This review is a review of the original Japanese airing as I have no interest in the English dub. Thus, the English version will not be mentioned.



Gundam Seed Destiny is not a well made show. However, Gundam Seed Destiny is a great guilty pleasure. It's almost as if Sunrise went, "what if we let the fans dictate the direction of the series?" This is pretty evident, given the development of character relationships, direction of events in the plot and the shift of the main hero to the old series' hero halfway through.



In effect, it's fanservice. 50 episodes plus one special (and movies, soon) worth of fanservice. It's pretty much a soap opera for teenagers. The good part about this is, once you're done with all the Ideons and Evangelions out there you can sit down and watch this mindless war/love/drama story without it taxing your mind too much. It's a good show just to chill out to and enjoy.



There are some flaws that cannot be tolerated, though. While the actual animation is a big step up from the cel-sliding of Seed; the over-use of recycled animation is off putting. The fact that they dug up footage from the original Seed to use in the final episodes just made those episodes come off as extremely weak. I hear a number of animation mistakes were changed in the Japanese DVD release, I hope this carries over to the American DVDs. There are also far too many flashbacks and full-on recaps. One can only see a certain death so many times before it loses its impact. The painfully uninspired mechanical designs don't help anything either. The character designs are hit and miss with most people-- I like them. They're just the same as the original Seed, so fans pretty much know what to expect.



I think one thing people can all agree on is that the voice acting and the music are all well done. The background music is a lot more polished than the original Seed and provides good dramatic backing for certain scenes while each theme song sets the tone for the series. The voice acting is very well done. Each seiyuu pulls off their roles very convincingly, no matter how ridiculous the story is. I am a fan of Rie Tanaka's work on Lacus, my self.



If you're looking to start Gundam, I feel the Seed series is probably a good way to ease the kids into it. However, if you're looking for a mature and compelling war story, I highly suggest you pick up First Gundam (the 1979 original, a Japanese boxset is due out soon) and then Zeta Gundam. Actually, watching the entire Universal Century series will probably fill you with enough "mature war stories" to last you lifetime. Honestly, when compared to the UC classics that have stood the test of time for 20+ years, one really wonders how the Seed series will fare.



I will still buy these DVDs (I am actually looking forward to it), but for anyone who isn't familiar with the show, be ready to get what you've paid for-- an animated fanfiction."

Simply amazing

09/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I've got to admit, Gundam Seed Destiny is one of the ones you put between your Blood+ and Rahxephon. GSD has AMAZING CGed footage, intense battles, and alot more. Not only that, but it's been in the #1 anime spot in NEWTYPE for 9 months now.[caption from it= "NEWTYPE JAPAN readers share their favorite characters and anime..."]



My friend had to MAKE me watch the whole season, and I'm so glad she did.

You see, the thing about GSD is that if you like one character, you'll hate another. Thats why sometimes its seen as a "terrible" anime, but the truth is, I'm glad it's like that. The characters are based off of real personalities- they have FLAWS. In alot of series, you love almost everyone thats around the main character. It's not the same with GSD.



PLOT-

The plot basically revolves around Shinn Asuka [my personal favorite], Athrun Zala, and Kira Yamato. 3 new people [to be precise- Stella, Sting, and Auel] steal three gundams that ZAFT has been developing secretly [HM, THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR] and escapes from PLANT, with Shinn Asuka and Rey chasing them. The story immediatley explodes into action after that event.



Music-

Lets not get started on the music.

I don't need to say anything at all, the music is STUNNING.

With music from T.M Revolution, See-saw, Nami Tamaki, you just HAVE to watch the opening and ending every time it plays.



All in all, this anime is not one you should miss. If you like funny, cute, halarious anime, and absolutley cannot STAND serious animes with battles and arguments, this is not something for you. But if you like some seriousness sometimes, packed with action and finding yourself on the end of your seat after every episode, then pick up GSD and watch it. It's so worth it.



I give it a 9 out of 10."

Starts good, ends weak

Kyle | 04/20/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I have to admit, this show started well....alright. I was alittle ticked on the unoriginality of reusing old MS designs like the Zaku, Dom, Gouf, etc. But besides that the show started just as strong as any other anime would have. But, as many others agree, it goes on a steady decline into the "Its just not worth it zone". Don't get me wrong, I stuck with this to the end, and my expectations weren't very high, but repeated animation to its upmost extreme, a crappy reused script, and poor character development really overshadows all the fighting and cool beams flying in random directions. So to conclude, the animation is appealing (as limiting to new drawings as it is), but the story slowing declines into a 3rd grade fiction english paper. It really could have been better. *And yes, their are scenes copied from Zeta as exact as the angle the characters are looking, its kinda sad, even if this is abviously a new gen. zeta remake*"

I'm quite pleased with the box...but

Kamen Rider GATACK | USA | 03/31/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have NEVER seen Gundam Seed Destiny until now. So pretty much, I'm a first timer. According to what I'm hearing from friends and critics like you, Destiny has a love hate reputation (SEED in general, actually) among Gundam junkies. Some say it's just good all-around, including the story and the characters. Some say it copies Zeta Gundam and that it isn't very interesting at all. Based on what I've seen on the first volume, the story is deep and engaging. Just like the original SEED and the other original Gundams, except for G and Wing, it showcases the harsh realities of war and the hardships of maintaing freedom and peace in the universe. So far, I'm impressed with Destiny!



I have yet to see what the flaws are on this series overall. I did notice that it does mimic Zeta Gundam. The only flaw I can name right now, are the same horrible english voices featured on the first Gundam Seed. I personally hated Kira's english voice with a passion. What the heck am I saying? I hated all of the english voices featured in this anime, period! If you're looking for an anime with a good English dub, check out Cowboy Bebop!



As for the box, I'm quite pleased with the way it looks. The design is neat, and the idea of a magnetic seal to protect the content from being damaged, is not half bad at all. And plus, it's cool to look at. You'll know what I mean, once you unfold it. The design is original, but there's only one problem with the box, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize what the problem is. This box only holds six volumes of the series. Seriously, I don't know what the heck Bandai was thinking while they were making this box. But it seemed to me that they were just focusing on the design of the box, and never thought of putting more slots for the other four volumes. Instead of 10 slots, we get six.



Unless Bandai either...



a) ...release a second collectors box for the other volumes, which would be just plain ludicrous (more likely to happen)...



b) ...put more episodes on the next volumes, rather than putting five episodes per DVD or...



c) ...just like the individually released Zeta Gundam DVD releases, put two discs on one single case...



...this box is somewhat a disappointment. It would be a damn shame if they did stop at 30 episodes or have us collect another box. It would've gotten five stars if they had stuck with the basic concept from the original Gundam Seed Limited Edition Box. It's cool that we have a foldable art box with hidden magnets to keep the box closed. Not to mention, a soundtrack with a fair amount of good songs featured in the anime. But I know Bandai could do better than that! However I wouldn't be surprised if they did Option A (look above). I mean, after all an extra box is needed for the other volumes. It wouldn't make any sense if they just made one box especially for the six volumes.



I'm very sure I'll be impressed with the series as a whole. I'm already into it! But like I said, I have yet to see what the flaws are on this series. Gundam SEED, to me, was a masterpiece. I have high expectations on Destiny. That does sound biased, but I'm just loving this series overall.



Hope this helps..."