Gundam Seed Recommended

Publisher
BEEZ
Director
Mitsuo Fukuda
Production
Sotsu Agency, Sunrise
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
50 Episodes/25 Minutes Each
Year
2002

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Volume 7

By Joseph (Joe) Wood
2nd Dec 05

After a highly dramatic cliffhanger at the end of volume six, volume seven of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED continues to delver blow after blow. This review will contain spoilers for those who have not seen volume six yet.

Episode 31 “Grieving Skies”, unable to make contact with Kira or Tolle, the Archangel is forced to flee, but sends and SOS to Orb to search for survivors. Kira and Tolle are marked MIA, and the crew of the Archangel try to come to terms with this. Cagalli and Orb searching the battleground come across the unconscious body of Athrun, who appears to be the sole survivor of the battle. Cagalli questions Athrun about Kira, and learns of how they were once friends, before releasing Athrun to ZAFT. The following episode sees the Archangel finally reach the Alaskan base of JOSH-A, only to receive a less than warm welcome. Meanwhile Kira (who we should all know wasn’t really killed) wakes up on the PLANTS in the heart of ZAFT, to see Athrun’s Fiancé Lacus. “Gathering Darkness” and “Seen and Unseen” see the ZAFT forces attack JOSH-A which the Archangel, without the help of Kira or the Strike must try to defend with minimal support, but the truth surrounding the battle is even more difficult to believe. Kira tells Lacus that he believes that fighting to stop the war is his choice from now on, she allows him to steal one of ZAFT’s new models the “Freedom”.

To expect the episodes following the aftermath of the end of volume six to be as intense is certainly asking much. The first few episodes deal with exposition and emotions. Although there are some generally heart racing moments when Cagalli confronts Athrun and aboard the Archangel between Kira’s friends and the captured ZAFT pilot of the “Buster”. Kira awaking aboard the Plant’s was a rather unexpected twist, yet he seems to have gotten their awfully fast after the battle, so fast it seems rather forced like the shows makers wanted Kira to run into Lacus again but couldn’t come up with a decent enough explanation. This is not something you might expect compared to how well other plot devices have fitted together.

Gundam SEED seems to be starting to take a different route to it’s previous one, rather than still focusing on the relationship between Athrun and Kira. The show is beginning to enter its final leg and this shift of direction may be a way of injecting some new life into the series (not that it needed it). It seems the series still has a number of cards up its sleeves.

A bit slower in the aftermath of the extraordinary events of volume six, but this is far from poor. Gundam SEED seems to be sowing the er…um…seeds that will grow into the conclusion of the story. Things look to get even better in the final few volumes

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English French Japanese Dub, English French German Polish Subtitles, Trailers, BEEZ Catelouge

Release information: Publisher: Beez Released: December 5th 2005 Classification: 12 Running Time: 125mins

Notes: There's little on this DVD, but the episodes are strong enough to make up for this fact.

-- Joseph (Joe) Wood 2nd Dec 05

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