❗️ SPOILER ALERT ❗️
If you have the interest to watch the series, you can stream the movie on aniwave.to but I recommend watching the Gundam Seed series first to understand the movie. I doubt anyone would watch the anime or read this article without being a Gundam Seed fan.
To summarize The Gundam Seed series portrays a conflict between regular humans (Naturals) and genetically modified humans (Coordinators). Naturals oppose altered humans and attempt to eliminate them, while Coordinators fight back to either defend themselves or pursue their goal of world domination. The main characters, Kira and Lacus, are Coordinators who, along with their friends, believe that Naturals and Coordinators can coexist peacefully by ending the war. Obviously, they use gundam as their weapon.
WHAT MADE ME LOVE GUNDAM?
I got into Gundam because of all the drama. It feels pretty realistic, except for the Gundams, obviously. Not gonna lie, I was intrigued by the nudes in their opening song (if you scroll further you can see the image of it). I swear, I'm all for the characters' love life, I was touched with every emotional and romantic scene the series has, and not to mention the OST, like it's so catchy it made me love it even more! I was really into anime romance back when I was a teen, so this is one of those anime romance that I loved.
FROM RIVALS TO ALLIES
Athrun Zala and Kira Yamato were rivals in Gundam Seed, but they had to deal with Shin in Gundam Seed Destiny. In Gundam Seed Freedom, the three became allies, fighting a common enemy.
Other than my excitement witnessing them as allies, the more I got excited when there was a rescue scene for Lacus from the enemy's grasp, I never would have thought their strategy would involve using each other's Gundams. When I saw Athrun Zala piloting the Freedom and Shinn piloting the Justice, I was so surprised and excited at the same time. I mean, who would've thought? It was so exciting that I couldn't contain my happiness during the movie! But the surprises didn't end there; more unexpected moments gave me goosebumps along the way.
ANIMATION DRAWING COMPARISON
The first thing I noticed in Gundam Seed Freedom was the artwork. I was expecting well-drawn characters, but looking back, I think Gundam Seed Destiny has more beautiful drawings than the 2024 movie. The 2024 movie seemed to focus more on the beauty of the Gundam's animation rather than the characters. see gif below for sample
MORE SAMPLES
I'm really happy I'm not the only one who feels this way. A fan noticed it and made a comparison, and everyone agreed that GS Destiny has the best animation.
Check out this drawing! The first picture is from Gundam Seed year 2002, and the second picture is from Gundam Destiny year 2005 which clearly shows that destiny has improved and the anatomy looks okay compared to
THIS! YEAR 2024! LIKE WHAT THE FUCK? EITHER BANDAI WAS IN A HURRY TO DRAW THE CHARACTERS OR THEY CHANGED ANIMATORS!
I understand that the characters grow over time, which is why they change how they look, but I still believe they need to work on their drawing skills. It seems like they have the budget to upgrade the Gundam machines' animations, but they don't put as much effort into their human characters.
WARSHIPS USED
So, I noticed a few things. It seems like there was a specific reason for the destruction of the famous Archangel (the white ship). I think the creators decided to replace it with a new warship, as it's already 2024 and changes are needed. It was replaced by the Millennium, which is the grey one above it. I also think the design is up to date. Either way, I still love both. Back when I was a teenager watching Gundam Seed, I used to imagine what it would feel like to ride one of these. If the world could be this techy, I would love to be a Gundam pilot!
VILLAIN
When I saw the trailer for "Gundam Seed Freedom" last year, I thought the character was Cagalli because they looked so similar. But it turns out this guy is named Orphee, and he's one of the bad guys causing trouble for Kira and Lacu's relationship. It's kind of funny how the villains in Gundam Seed always have blonde hair. I was even expecting this guy to be wearing a mask, like other blonde villains in the Gundam series. But then I remembered that this is a sequel to Gundam Destiny, and Neo or Mu La Flaga was the masked villain.
DE JA VU
Bandai also introduced a new character named Agnes to shake up the relationship between Lacus and Kira. Interestingly, Agnes bears a striking resemblance to Flay Allster, Kira's ex-girlfriend (refer to gif kiss). and whats more funny they have the same Voice actor! HAHAHAH I saw a comment on youtube, that joked saying "YOU CAN'T FOOL US FLAY"
I couldn't help but notice that Agnes' hairstyle looks a lot like Quess, one of the characters from "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack." The way Agnes switched sides in GS Freedom reminded me of what quess did. It seems like agnes is a mix of flay and quess. HAHAHA
COUPLES IN GUNDAM SEED
Kira and Lacus are totally my favorite couples in Gundam Seed. Their slow-burn romance got me all hyped up whenever they had their moments. In Gundam Seed Destiny, they were so close that I thought they were already a couple. I was really hoping for a kiss, but they didn't have any! I mean, come on! All the other couples in GS were kissing on the lips! and all Kira and Lacus got was a hug and a peck on the cheek! I was like "are we just supposed to imagine it from there?"
ATHRUN AND CAGALLIE
athrun and cagallie have kissing scene in both GS and GS destiny and it was clear they are a couple
SHIN AND LUNAMARIA
shin had a kissing scene with Lunamaria with just a brief moments
MU LA FLAGA AND MURRUE RAMIUS
mu and captain ramius also have so many sweet moments and kissing scenes! and there was also a sex scenes in other characters!
AND YET!
all bandai can give to these two people are just hug and cheek kissing?!!!
i was so frustrated that time hahaha and now that the 2024 movie came and upon seeing the trailer I thought yes! finally more moments with my favorite couples and to which I hope they will have a kissing scene!
Bandai totally gave me what I wanted though but! IT TOOK THEM 20 YEARS TO GIVE THEM THIS? HAHAHAHA also I still want to complain about the drawing. Like, hello?? All those kissing scenes from other characters are well drawn, but what is this? Can't you properly draw the main characters kissing just like the others? Is it really that hard to do for the main characters? Aren't they the main characters for a reason? Is Bandai playing favorites? Hahaha
that "intertwined hands" 😏 we know full well that's not the only part that got intertwined! hahaha! I love how the creators put an after image of what happened to the characters after the war!
anyway!
I have been sulking for years because Bandai didn't give Kira and Lacus more screentime or moments together in Gundam Seed and its Destiny. All the things I had hoped Bandai would do before were finally given to me this year a total fan service!
I just want to say that Bandai created a true masterpiece by ending the Gundam Seed series with this movie. As a long-time fan, I am happy to say that I am satisfied with this movie. Bandai justified the ending.
My heart is already happy with the outcome and I'm planning to rewatch from gundam seed to destiny and again! the freedom ❤️