Customer Reviews

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, Vol. 1

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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 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...

Fans of the Gundam Seed series will be happy to know that the sequel to the popular series has finally made it arrival here in the US. First, a review of the actual anime:

1- This DVD contains the first five episodes and is quite frankly some of the best episodes of this series. The animation is nicely drawn, the colors are sharp, vivid, and the details is crisp and clean. The Japanese VA's sound perfect with the characters they portray, their emotions are conveyed very well and believable. The English dubbing, done by Ocean Group, actually wasn't all that terrible. After listing to the amateur acting of the first season, I'm happy to report that the English VA's seem to have improved when portraying their respected characters. Grade A

2- The menu puts you in the pilot's seat of a mobile suit, allowing you to interact with various cockpit controls and panels, switching from the main menu to the extras. This seems typical of some of the previous Gundam series that's been released by Bandai in the past. The main menu features some nice video clips playing inside a display screen while music plays in the background. The only DVD extra is a textless opening video, which plays one of my favorite songs by TM Revolution. Grade A+

3- The main extra for this box set is the soundtrack CD which includes song sung by the six of the eight artists who did the opening and endings song for the series, T.M. Revolution, High and Mighty Color, Hitomi Takahashi, Chemistry, Nami Tamaki, Rie Fu. This is cool addition to have, unless you already own the CD. Grade A

4- Finally, the art box that comes included with the first volume, which is suppose to hold six standard DVD cases, is very cool in design. It can unfold completely and lie flat and magnets hidden inside keeps the flaps in place when the box is folded up.

The artbox features some of the best artwork I've seen. With images of the Impulse and Chaos Gundam posing. The box itself is made from sturdy card board, but tends to be flimsy when empty. Grade A.

Overall, this is an excellent start for a relatively decent series. Definitely worth spending extra just to get your hands on the artbox and the CD.

The first thing that struck me was the strange and interesting box for the series. It folds out flat and has slots for six DVD's. That's the weird part- this series is supposed to be 50 episodes long, with a 45 min OVA. How is that supposed to fit 6 DVD's and the first one only has five episodes on it? Anyways, the box is nice and sturdy and has great art work on the outside and on the inside.

The CD was a bit of a disappointment, though the songs are great, it only has six of the ten or more openings and endings along with a good 5 or 6 insert songs.

Now on to the episodes. The very first scene is one of the best opening scenes I've seen. Shin Asuka and his family are trying to evacuate the main island of Orb while a battle is going on around them. A shell from one of the flying mobile suits explodes on top of Shin's family. He survives because he gets back his sister's dropped cell phone. The scene definitly left an impression on me, in fact I was actually stunned for a moment (especially after seeing the results of the blast).

This sets up some great action sequences as Shin ends up becoming a soldier and helps with Zaft's new top secret Gundams. After a couple of earth forces soldiers steals the new Gundams, Shin and a team of elite Zaft soldiers have to go after them. On top of that, Orb's princess, Cagalli Ula Atha and the Zaft chairman, Dullindal (the English dub pronounce it Durindal) end up in the crosshairs.

The action is fierce and heavy along with some great dialogue in between, that makes gundam Seed Destiny look like its going to be a promising series. The voice actors are great, i especially like Lunameria's English VA, she gives the character some added spunk.

I give the DVD 5 stars. The five episodes are almost nonstop action and has a super-speed pace that left my head spinning for a bit.

The box is great design, yet only has six slots I hope they won't stop at episode 30... so the box gets 4 stars.

The CD has great J-pop songs but only has 6 of the many that included in the soundtrack (Gundam Seed Destiny Greatest Hits. It gets 3 1/2 stars.

Over all I thought that Bandai did a great job in producing the english version of GSD, but because the box is a little suspect and the CD does not have a great amount of songs on it the grade is 4 stars. Otherwise id give it a 5 star rating.

First off please note that I am NOT reviewing the DVD itself, but the show. This review holds no bearing on Extras, or DVD quality! With that out of the way we may continue to my review of the show itself.

Gundam SEED Destiny, the show that’s love to show itself over and over again, and by this, I mean recap episodes and flashbacks. Mitsuo Fukuda, the director, is famous for that it seems. Although if you can see past that this is a great show… unless you like a show that doesn’t feel like its changing main characters every ten episodes. I forget, is Shinn the main character? Or wait, no! It was Athrun right? Oh no! Now it’s Kira! Oh wait, its Shinn again, oh now it’s Kira. Destiny should have taken a tip from Zeta, don’t let old characters over shadow the new main character! With all the importance placed upon Shinn’s past it seems weird that the show is handed over to Athrun after a short amount of time. The show soon becomes Athrun and his sidekicks on the Minerva.

Another problem is the show is how it changes gears in a manor that creates confusion in a bad way. I like most other fans of anime, like some mystery in my show. I like it when there is a person who you don’t know what to think of. Is he good? Is she good? Wait, he’s bad now? Is he really who he says he is? Yes, those are the kinds of mystery we all like, the shady organization who seems like its doing good, but is really doing bad, but in the end are they really on the same level as the good guys? Yeah, that’s anime for you, it’s a little tricky and fun to try to figure out. I’ll tell you what’s not fun, a show jerking you around with plot change and choppy story telling. Some of this has to do with flash backs, and some of it has to do with not giving answers. Both are major problems.

I’ll say this about the show is it starts off amazingly! The first 10 to 14 episodes are really great stuff, full of the things that make those of us who love Gundam really remember why we love it so much, its action packed, suspenseful, dramatic, and has great story telling. As the show goes on it has its ups and downs, but over all it is in the middle to lower ground with a few episodes here and there really standing out as “Good”.

As far as the shows animation goes, its good quality, but that really doesn’t matter if you’re watching the same mobile suit explode over and over again. Then, to take it a step further, they actually use stock Gundam SEED footage and try to pass it off as new by throwing in a new mobile suit or two. Of course you wont notice this so much early on in the show but as time goes on you realize every battle is pretty much the same, just a change of background or mobile suits. Although this happened in Gundam SEED as well, rather sad that as the animation gets better, the quality truly goes down.

All in all if you really liked Gundam SEED, then by all means WATCH THIS SHOW. If you’re a casual Gundam fan then watch something more worth while, such as Gundam SEED, 08th MS Team, Gundam 0080, or if you can get your hands on it Turn A Gundam. Gundam SEED Destiny is a weak follow up to SEED, but for those of us who just cant get enough, Bandai is throwing you another bone and hoping you’ll come back for seconds. And no matter how bad the show, us die hard fans always do come back for more.

For those of you who don't know Mobile Suite Gundam Seed Destiny is the sequel to the popular series Gundam Seed. The story takes place 2 years after the first alliance, Zaft war. Unlike Gundam Seed , Destiny put you on the side of Zaft for the first half of the series and then reintroduces main characters such as Kira Yamato and the rest of the archangel crew. It has new mech better animation and like its predecessor an awsome soundtrack. This series is a must get for anyone who liked the original Gundam Seed.

I came into the whole Gundam universe with the Gundam Wing Series. Personally, I'm a hugh fan of Gundam Seed and Seed Destiny and I'm looking forward to Gundam Seed Stargazer. I have both the Gundam seed series and well as the Zeta Gundam series so your the opinion of someone who has both. Personally I thought Zeta Gundam was good but I think Seed is a whole lot better. Unlike the previoue Gundam series, Seed makes most of the science in Gundam as well as a lot of the war aspects real. Zeta seems like it was more for kids than anything. Seed and Seed Destiny show what tends to really happen in a war and how people respond to it. Other Gundam series seem to have Gundam's with unlimited ammo and energy. At least seed shows you the reality of it. Also people complained that the series kept switching from main character to main character. Obviously the series main characters were Kira, Athrun and Shin. Even I noticed that. Focus was shifted to show what personal problems each one faced. When you look at each character in depth, Kira has a higher understanding and knows what must be none. Athrun tends towards following what he's told but then figuries things out. Shinn is basically a Kira with Athruns trait to follow. When you look at it, Kira's a brain, Athrun's strenght and Shinn is a gun. I don't think to bad mouthing people been giving SEED is fair. The only thing I agree with is that I do think they reused animation a bit too often. I noticed to reuse watching to show just one time. I hope then don't do this in Stargazer.

Being new to the anime scene this was the first anime I ever bought, and I must say I am thoughoughly impressed. I've since bought volumes 2 and 3 and have plans to buy the rest, in increments. Great series! My only suggestion is, go buy the series Gundamn Seed first, as there are events that Destiny refers to that might confuse you if you had not seen the series before.