Revisiting Gundam SEED - Part 1
Written By Team GG Falldog
I can tell you that I watched it when it first aired almost a decade ago. I watched it for a long time, just how far into the series I don't remember. My memory tells me that the characters were pretty unlikable even as the story pretty much took its plot points straight from Mobile Suit Gundam. The suits I remember a bit more, especially the Strike Gundam, which I consider to be one of the best all time Gundam designs (I have two PG Strike kits). There was also the four legged suit which I liked the design of until I saw how poorly it was used in the series. The enemy grunt units though, man how I hated them (and still do). Where the Strike was a classy remake the want-to-be Zaku's and like looked as though they were styled by a child. "Eh, here ya go. We just messed with the shapes and added some spikes here and there. Oh, you want more? Well here it is with a horrible mohawk contraption." With such fragmented memories I thought it appropriate to reintroduce myself to the series and rewatch Gundam SEED. Is it as bad as I recall? Was I looking at it too much through rosy UC glasses? Will I discover anyone in Northern America who actually likes the program?
I'm going to start the new "remastered: series. If Bandai/Sunrise felt the need to go back and redo everything then they must have done a horrible job (and why subject myself?). Really though, the entire thing was just a way to squeeze more cash out of a successful (in Japan, at least) program.
Shall we begin?
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Episodes 1-13
After finishing the first 13 episodes I'm not quite sure where where to begin. For starters, that was actually... rather... epic. Okay, maybe epic is a bit too strong. Gundam SEED started off fun and engaging. Having no idea what to expect aside from years of reading SEED bashers online I was greatly surprised how good SEED started off. While certainly not up to Gundam Unicorn standards it still felt greater than any fading memories of Gundam AGE, which I struggle to remember.
From the start SEED picks up a lot of familiar Gundam tropes. Guy meets girl, guy meets Gundam, guy proceeds to be the savior for a small group of otherwise inexperienced shipmates... Protagonist and friends spend some time in space/on Earth then make a narrow escape to Earth/space. I’m sure that if I went back and watched Mobile Suit Gundam (it has been a while) I would bitch about them ripping off the original. Instead I’ve found myself pulled in by the storyline, the characters, and to some extent, the awkward setting. This, I believe, is what attracted so many to the original series.
Thus far all but one character (wait for it) fits right in and is a welcome addition to the series. Kira is well balanced and any mental anguish resulting from piloting is quickly dealt with in a reasonable fashion. The crewmembers of the Archangel are unobtrusive and surprisingly effective at their jobs. Captain Murrue Ramius, while not as bitching as most Universal Century captains, goes a pretty good job considering the circumstances. I was pleased to see that she didn’t give Kira any shit and treated him with a good deal of independence. Her issues with Ensign Badgiruel had the potential to be over dramatic and annoying but that never came to be (or, perhaps, hasn’t yet come to be).
The most annoying character, no not Flay like you’re probably thinking, was actually Lacus. Her incessant singing and ‘I don’t know what the fuck is going on’ innocence was annoying and completely out of place compared to everyone else in the show. Her random stand-up-and-take-charge moment during her transfer was completely out of left field. It’s obvious why everyone wants to keep her locked away by herself. Flay, on the other hand, serves as an important foil to Kira and his group of friends. Her xenophobia and general irrelevance make Guy/Guy with Glasses/Girl/Asian Guy standout as strong individuals (even if I can’t remember their names). While it would’ve been better balanced to have some of the others go over Flay’s hurdles, I’m currently enjoying her descension into psychopathy (even if I know I’ll rue it later).
Why don't you hate me yet?!
Mu La Flaga serves as a nice father figure (to an extent) on the Archangel but doesn’t really stand up against most other mentors throughout the Gundam franchise. I don’t really remember what happens to him but I have the sickening suspicion it’s nothing good.
On the other side of the conflict there’s the ZAFT antagonists lead by the Char clone Rau Le Creuset. While not nearly as dynamic as the original, Le Creuset is refreshing as a competent opponent. The minor X-Suit pilots, Dearka, Yzak, and Nicol seem to be well balanced amongst themselves (Nicol being passive and Yzak aggressive with Dearka in the middle) despite being rather one dimensional. To be fair they get significantly less development time than anyone else. It would’ve been nice if they were expanded on more and I hope that happens as the series goes on.
Athrun, I realize now as I write this, I have no real opinion on. He’s very flat, very bland. Follows orders (aside from taking the Aegis out that one time), respects everyone, and is pretty boring. He seems to lament fighting Kira more than Kira does about fighting him.
The setting is probably the worst thing about Gundam SEED. The factions are pretty boring and generic. The Earth Federation (or whatever it’s called in SEED, OMNI right? Or is that something that pops up later?) and the terribly named ZAFT which is the military arm of PLANT which is not to be confused with a “plant” which is their term for a space colony. At least, I think that’s what’s going on. Naming confusion on my part aside, both parties seem pretty balanced and nearly every time a supporting character shows up they’re likable or otherwise understandable in their actions. Folks on Artemis, whom I think the writers wanted us to hate, didn’t seem particularly worthy of having their shit blown up.
The conflict between Earth and the colonies is, at this point in the story, seemingly pointless. They’re at war with each other after the Bloody Valentine incident which, as far as I can tell, made both sides sad and has been widely regarded as a bad idea.
Then there’s this “Coordinator” business. At first I thought, “Gee, they’re letting the whole Newtype cat out of the bag pretty early,” when it’s nothing but genetic modification. There’s some talk of Natural v. Coordinator but it just seems pointless at this point. For all the big talk it seems the only thing Coordinators can do is rewrite operating systems and pilot mobile suits (and if the mobile armor pilots could do a half as decent job as La Flaga then this wouldn’t be an issue).
I completely forgot about the whole bouncing/exploding seed thing until I saw it again during Kira’s brief awakening in episode 11. I have zero recollection on what that was all about but I’m pretty sure I’m going to get sick of that animation sequence during the next 13 episodes. Episode 11’s awakening and battle was pretty awesome so I suppose I could also come to appreciate Kira actually hitting something with his beam rifle.
Most of the battles have been pretty exciting, more than I thought going in. It helps that combat situations have some purpose behind them and most of the participants are Gundams. The climatic battle at the end of episode 13 was great even if the reused animation started to become painfully noticeable.
I have mixed feelings about the animation and the whole “HD remastering” nonsense Sunrise did doesn’t help. It appears that they didn’t remaster everything, just segments here and there. The resulting contrast is pretty awful. Updated animation sequences (bear in mind I haven’t gone back to compare to the original) are generally pretty solid and are most noticeable when it’s a character’s face. Frankly, they look great. Then it cuts to some of the original animation which has thicker lines and considerably less detail and definition. Battle animation that’s been updated looks okay, but hasn’t really stood out that much to me. I’m not terribly fond of the style or the apparent elasticity of the mobile suits.
An example of the thick lines mentioned previously
I am curious as to whether the Archangel was predominantly CGI in the original series or if it’s new to the “HD Remaster.” It’s not particularly good, not particularly bad, nor is it too out of place because the ship is rarely seen interacting with anything else but the blackness of space. It’s just, there. And odd, since it’s the only thing CGIed other than a few explosions, namely a couple in episode 13, which look awful.
I won’t go into how terrible Hisashi Hirai’s designs are (both in general, and how their eyes tend to be animated in SEED) but anyone who likes them has terrible taste.
The Gundam designs look pretty awful as they’re animated in SEED, something I was pretty shocked at. As I mentioned earlier I love the Strike design, particularly in Gunpla form, but hated in the show. The same goes for the Buster, Aegis, and Duel. The Duel with Assault Shroud in episode 13 looked particularly awful in most of the sequences. But, I suppose that’s all a moot point for Bandai. See, because of this I now have the terrible urge to out and get the Buster, Aegis, and Duel Master Grade kits. Then I want to buy the MG Strike version 2 which is slated to come out later this year. Besides the two PG Strikes I mentioned earlier I already have one MG Strike variant built and another still in the box. Not to mention Astray kits and the RG Strike. Thus, my wallet condemns you, Bandai and Sunrise, to hell! (Psst... if anyone has a MG Aegis they don’t want to donate to the cause I’d be happy to take it off your hands).
Probably the best part is how few GINNs there were. Everything about them is awful, from their look, to their combat ability, and even their shitty name. I thought there were a billion GINN variants and I presume they’ll be popping up more and more once the Archangel lands on Earth. I'm not looking forward to that.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the music (aside from Lacus’ singing of course) and the opening/ending tracks. They’re pretty catchy and brought back fond memories from the silver age of anime. The sequences that go along with them are pretty solid as well.
When I mentioned on Twitter that I was reviewing Gundam SEED, and that my experience was generally positive, I got some interesting responses. One friend said he’d be “pleasantly surprised” and another, “I'd say you're drunk, go home. Gundam SEED is a soulless husk.” That last comment made me stop and think a bit. I don’t completely agree with his comment, but I don’t really disagree either. There’s something there, a soul of course, but not nearly as substantial as it would need to be placed high in the pantheon of great Gundam series’. Granted, I’m only 13 episodes in, and that could change as things go on.
It’s almost as if the show anticipated a review like this. A quarter into the series and a climactic episode ends with one hell of a cliffhanger. Gundam as a franchise has had a long history of civilians dying otherwise preventable deaths (something Gundam AGE would’ve benefited from). It helps focus the narrative about the nature of war and define key characters. I know that Kira, at some point, turns into a nonkilling pacifist. As I look forward to taking on the next 13 episodes I can only hope that this apparent turning point isn’t a negative one.
As always, please let us know your thoughst on this article and your opinions about the Gundam SEED Episodes 1-13.
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Thanks for writing this review! I am a fan of the show and heard lots of knocks against it before i watched it, while some, like the overuse of already done animation are prevalent, i feel the story comes into its own near half-way. I also agree that the airheaded Lacus can be ANNOYING. Do enjoy getting the GAT-X MG's they're insanely fun to put together, despite the Aegis also being frustrating, but thats due to the transformation design of the suit. Look forward to reading the rest of the reviews.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, Hirai's designs. I've seen a picture before that had most of the main character faces on it with stuff like hair removed and they all have the exact same face template.
ReplyDeleteFor a series that introduced digitally aided animation to gundam it is pretty damn lazy in the design and animation department.
The series is ok for the first part but once the freedom appears it goes downhill a bit with a ridiculous amount of extra stock footage use.
I like your detailed review although i would like to comment on an article that reviews all the episodes because i can speak more freely then.Anyway here is my opinion.I think the Cordinator thing is handeled better than the Newype in the series.This time we are actully seeing both sides of the same coin (Naturals,Cordinators),their feelings for each others,their fears and their thoughts.Sunrise putted more emphasis this time unlike with the original Gundam and the newtypes.
ReplyDeleteLacus Clyne is maybe the worst character in the series.In the first episode she starts like she has no idea of what is happening but in the end she ends up pulling the strings from nowhere.Really undevelopment character here.
Le Cruset has an interesting past but i cannot tell he is a Char rip-off except only the mask.Turned out more interesting than what i thought he would be and that was something good.
I would call Mu La Flaga like a ''big brother'' than a ''father figure''.He tries to be understanding to Kira and in the most part he succeds.
Arthur and Yza,Nicol and Deakra are getting character development in the coming episodes and having watched them all i think that Sunrise did a good job.I was pleased at least(and many others as i read when the series was broadcasted)
Long story short i think Sunrise did a very good with Seed and created a good Gundam show after many failures since Zeta.In my opinion it is the best show after Zeta Gundam and original Gundam.
Looking forward for your impressions for the other episodes.
I forgot to comment about the HD part.Only some scenes were HD and most of the show used the original scenes with upscaling and minor changes.Sometimes i would call it blurry but this was expected.
DeleteI use to think that Gundam Seed was awful until I gave it another chance. The first time I watched it, I wasn't able to watch the whole series. Yet after I watched the whole thing from beginning to end, I can say that it is not inferior or superior to the other series, but an equal. People need to realize that every Gundam series has its specific strengths and weaknesses, and even the great Zeta Gundam that so many bitch about has its fair share of flaws as well.
ReplyDeleteHaters gonna hate
ReplyDeleteOne of the main things that grates me about the whole series is the weird rapid advancement of Mobile Suit tech in the show, odd as their research and testing cycles seem to be anywhere between mayfly life span to none existent (how did OMNI make the transforming X303 Aegis, without showing the necessary developmental milestones, as Zeta Gundam did?). As well as the absurd nuclear capabilities of the Freedom and Justice.
ReplyDeleteTech development cycles are a key part of the Gundam metaverse; the Universal Century has it by default, and the subsequent continuities of Wing, 00 and AGE had sensible development cycles for their tech.
Characterwise, Kira and Lacus' whole pacifist run ideals are grating and very naive, compared to other main cast members from other shows. Side characters end up more interesting by comparison.
Unlike the every other Gundam series before or since, the entire universe of Seed seems to bend itself around the main characters, so much so that any tech or world building comes second place in its list of priorities. That's probably why you see so little of it.
DeleteI think this can be explained in series.
DeleteThe coordinators made ng N-Jammer to prevent nuclear attacks. Naturally, they'll have an easier time making a counter-device compared to he OMNI.
Meanwhile, the OMNI with ORB was experimenting with MS technology and came up with the Gundams that had beams and PS Armor.
Since ZAFT stole 4/5 prototypes, they've had enough time copy the frame and weapons of the GATX series and create their own, just in time for their first prototypes of the N-Jammer cancellers.
Eventually, the Naturals were given the exact blue prints of the N-Jammer canceller and only had to manufacture them to use them as weapons.
I agree that the shift in technology is quite fast, even with those explanations but we have to remember that there are superhumans on both side, coordinator or otherwise.
Actually I though them making aegis was a no brainer because OMNI was predominantly making Mobile Armors before they made those Gundams Right so they could have easily tried to mix up those designs.
DeleteAs for freedom and Justice. I think those two are pretty much a copy of the Gundams they stole then got them equipped with the N-Jammer Canceller which they have already been previously using. Of course because Freedom and Justice are nuclear powered, they also had the freedom to attach all those powerful armaments (which if I remember correctly are just miniature versions of existing weapons from ships) since the suit could power them.
I make it a point when I watch any new Gundam series to completely flush everything I know about Gundam out of my mind. The worst possible thing I see people do is to start out with preconceived notions of what Gundam should be rather than judge a show based on its own merits.
ReplyDeleteGundam Seed is not a bad series when viewed as newcomer to the franchise. It had a decent plot, the characters were consistent and the music was great. The show had enough elements to keep me engaged the first time I watched it so I didn't care about things like robots defying the rules of physics, stock footage, or that it ripped off UC plots. Looking back, yes Seed isn't the best Gundam series but it was a perfectly ok Anime series.
It should also be noted, that both Seed and Seed Destiny were made as "Love Letters" to the 0079 and Zeta series. While I found Seed a little flat, Destiny was in my opinion every thing Zeta should have been. It was more epic, the characters more conflicted, and the over all plot more engaging than Zeta was back in the day. ... I'm not Jabman025 ... But I stand with the Defender of Destiny.
ReplyDeletelove your review... Gundam SEED is awesome... and then came SEED Destiny which add more awesome to the awesomeness Destiny
ReplyDelete"awesomeness Destiny"
DeleteCan I buy pot from you?
LOL gimme some of that high-end hash too.
DeleteWhile the writing for the the show was weak I still find enjoyment from it, the mech designs are great and the characters could easily be salvaged,All and all its an average series in my book.
ReplyDeleteImo, Seed is not a bad series, but not a good one as well. I find the story somewhat week, with very unlikable characters, especially the main one, who I find extremely poor and Mary Sue-ish and Lacus, who is just a ridiculously contradicting character... This is balanced by a very good soundtrack and good Mecha designs that lend themselves to some pretty good action scenes. Where the show falls short is on technical aspects. I agree, whoever finds these character designs appealing has really bad taste, and the shows over use of flash backs, recaps, more flashbacks, recycled animation and flashbacks is way too distracting.. Even Sunrise knows about this, because they felt the need to address these problems with the HD edition, like Falldog said. Oh, and the sighing.. This show invented sighing as a way for two characters to express themselves in a scene way before Twilight ever thought about it...
ReplyDeleteOn the whole, I find it average, but worth a watch, at least for the MSs... Unfortunately, it will only go downhill with Destiny...
You know very well that SEED remastered is meant to appease JesusYamato cultists, especially after how AGE couldn't attract audiences older than 9 years old.
ReplyDelete...Sure
DeleteEh, not sure why people always have the need to justify their hate to something. If you hate things, then just ignore it. It's like you hate seeing dog shit, but instead of avoiding it, you eat it and yell to anyone about how you hate it.
ReplyDeleteYou have my salute bro
DeleteSo we can all just agree that Gundam 00 is better than SEED is a whole.
ReplyDeleteWe're done here.
Speak for yourself, 00 wasn't anything special.
DeleteAgreed. the only thing i liked from gundam 00 was the design of the 00 raiser.
Delete00 broke a lot of new ground for Gundam which wasn't to everybody's taste hence its lower popularity in Japan. Seed played it safe by rehashing a number of Gundam tropes while turning up the soap opera to extreme levels. While I certainly prefer 00 overall, I can't deny that Seed appeals to much wider audience such as women.
Delete@#2~3~ At least 00 fans don't suck dicks all day long like the SEED fanboys do. You know this to be true.
DeleteCarry on.
@anon 7:38 That's why they always praise their God Setsuna? and the rest of the gay boy band
Deletehmm, SEED was good, but I can't remember much.
ReplyDeleteI was still in school back then, watch in partial, missed some episodes.
overall was good, from my perspective as highschooler,
kira lacus etc and ally were good, no problem with their personality.
flay was annoying, yeah you might said otherwise, but my limited knowledge as kids back then didn't see that far, lol. ^^
the best thing I can remember about SEED is the bgm soundtrack on final episode, as kira in freedom vs guy in mask (forgot his name) in providence. I like the music that plays on that moment. still remember till now.
other things I like from SEED is it had lots of good mecha design, model kits, and video games.
I haven't seen SEED again since. not interested with hd remastered.
A lot of the time i see people talk about seed/seed destiny and other AC gundam series, they always mention how the show is ripping old story lines etc, BUT when i watch these series i can clearly see that the 'ripping' was intentional dudes. It was done like that to pay homage to original gundam anime. Example I bet a lot of u didn't realise that Strike/freedom/strike freedom as the main MS, is the only gundam(s) in the entire seed/destiny series with yellow eyes (just like original gundam). If you are clever you will spot all the deliberate homages, which for some reason people come to relate to as ripping off.
ReplyDeletethats not the reason ppl uses, yes there is those small details that pays homage thats fine its not noticeable unless u really look into it, but the fact that the entire 1st quarter of the show is basically rerun of the 1st quarter of 0079 is what ppl r using as argument. U cant deny that the entire sequence of colony attack - escape to space - on the run - visiting some friendly colony / station - get attack - run again - atmosphere battle - land on desert - run towards the sea is the same as 0079. It was not until halfway into the series that it branch off and became its own show. U can pay homage yes, but to use the entire 1st quarter of the show sequence for sequence thats not called homage, thats just lazy. Dont get me wrong Seed by its own was ok, the last half was enjoyable to me but the 1st half u cant deny its a copy of 0079.
Deletei love the grunt suits! cgue is very cool imo. gundam fans might hate seed because of the character design and the soap opera, which is contrary to their taste, the bad ass warmonger full of explosions and politics standard brought by UC timeline. on the contrary, seed successfully appeals to people other than gundam fans because of the moe feel. that is why it's so popular in japan and in some fanbase, because there are people who likes gundam and moe at the same time, and for the japanese if it's not moe it's not anime lol.
ReplyDeleteit's not better or worse, just different. you don't like it don't watch it. people who bash on some series calling their fans fags are stupid
I agree wholeheartedly! Seed was one of the few Gundam series that managed to appeal to non-mecha fans with its focus on character relationships rather than war and politics. I know I would never have gotten into Gundam if it wasn't for Seed even if I feel the show was mediocre looking back today.
Delete..fag
DeleteToo busy to reply to everyone here, but you guys have made some great quotes. Expect to see your thoughts considered in part two!
ReplyDeleteI would laugh if the reviewer bashed Seed with another Gundam series in Part 2.
DeleteAs if he isn't already.
That image of Flay is avatar worthy LOL.
ReplyDeleteYour Mom is also avatar worthy LOL.
DeleteBrilliant sir! you should a career in comedy.
DeleteSo we need 4 or 5 different versions of the same TV Series with revisions to try and be better than it was? What a bunch of nonsense and fail.
ReplyDeleteBy the time we're all dead, future generations aren't going to know what version is best to watch.
Gundam SEED should just stay dead already, because nobody likes it.
/fact
Tell that to the hoards of Japanese fanboys and fangirls riding Kira's d*** more than ten years on since the show ended. Seed is like crazy popular so I don't know where you get the idea nobody likes it.
DeleteYou should get those facts straight. In the latest Japanese poll for the most popular Gundam Series. SEED has dropped since 2005ish polls.
DeleteYou lose.
"So we need 4 or 5 different versions of the same TV Series with revisions to try and be better than it was?"
DeleteI though that's what all UC is all about... you know the Original is the same with Zeta, ZZ F91, Unicorn
In my humble opinion I would have to say that Seed is prob my least favorite of the Gundam series. Not to say that it does not have things that I do like. There is just so much that I dont that it over rides the things I do. Mostly I hate the ideas of the Archangel crew and Lacus. "I dont want to fight. Fighting is hard. All we want is peace." Its so unrealistic that its hard to swallow. Peace is a beautiful thing and worth fighting for and worth trying to acheive! That being said, the evils of the world are all ways going to be there. Those that do not want peace and will prey on those that do. The rabbit can tell the wolf all day long that its evil for wanting its life but in the end the wolf is still going to do what the wolf does. Refusing to fight against evil is embracing that evil. Secondly the MS designs. There were a few I liked. Strike, Freedom, and a few others, but mostly the designs were only bested by the horrible designs from AGE. It looked like some of them were just thrown together parts that had no flow, no structure, and no point. The Chaos, the Abyss, and the Calamity are great examples of this. There were just basic MS designs that had odd angled attachments put on it. Then there is the fact that all the "badass" pilots are freaking pre-teens! 15 year olds besting military pilots that have been going at it for years! even the cordinatiors! Seriously do they not have adult piliots! It was a poorly done series in my opinon that could have been much better.
ReplyDeleteFalldog you have my thumbs up for willing to revisit a controversial series that is bashed irrationally by haters and write out a rather neutral review of it. And I do agree that the main reason SEED received so many biased opinion is because they tend to look at it with preconceived notions of what Gundam should be rather than judge a show based on its own merits. haters gonna hate
ReplyDeleteHi, nice review; i´m a SEED fan (i hate SEED DESTINY though xD) and watched it when i was like 13-14 y.o.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point in many ways all around your opinion, i made myself aware of some details as i grew up; but i still like SEED as itself.
Without comparing with UC (unicorn rules!!!) SEED is to me one of the best altern universe sagas from 2000 to today (with the 1st season of 00, the second is so so; and the movie can suck my #$&/%$%$%%&$%) and yeah sunrise just bended the series a bit in the remaster but still is good i think, is more pleasant to watch the styled animation where it is than the rough one in the original.
Anyway, keep the good work!!!
Hope you find something when you finish SEED that makes you see it in a new light; after all is not the best saga.....BUT AT LEAST IS NOT "AGE"!!!!!!!!
Since Falldog's watching the remaster I wanna see his reaction to the Lucas-worthy retcons: Nicol swings first and removal of Mu's helmet ;)
ReplyDeletei've got to say the story line was barely passable at best. characters were...mehh, athrun might have helped a bit..but kira and lacus..LACUS..come on. i've got a believe that the anime were written to attract a bigger, wider audience, u know..kids and people who love the happy endings, the 1 good guy who does all things right and save the world kinda thing. but i would think the mech design of the series was what kept some of us from totally abandoning the series. idk how you guys felt about AGE, but i couldnt get past the 3rd episode. the mech was "whatt....wait what?..tts it?"...and its so much more kiddish than seed.
ReplyDeletei watched seed only couple of years back..the previous gundam series i watched was wing and endless waltz and stardust memory..for me the reason why i watched gundam series was really because of the mech designs (purely design, not taking into consideration what their capability is in the anime) - kinda no brainer..gundam looks nice..gotta watch it in action. what i liked about seed was tt the design of the suits had a good mix of realism and fantasy - kinda like the inbetween of those from wing and stardust memory. wing was awesome for me largely due to the 5 amazing suits, but to think of their practicality..then you go hmmmm... stardust memory's GP01 - 03 were not superfluous, ok gp-02 was kinda..but they had the sense to make the size of the thrusters plausible.
seed and destiny's mech design were trying to reconcile both i feel, the clean, simple but sharp looking strike. i thought the impulse was nicely designed as well. then there were some suits trying to be fanciful - the aegis, the bucue.. but done in good taste imho. so for me the conclusion is...SEED had one of the best mech designs, one of the worst storyline and characters would give it a solid 6/10. haha.