Gundam SEED is the latest series in the long-living Gundam franchise, directed by long-time Sunrise staff member Mitsuo Fukuda. While many tout it the be either the best ever, or the worst ever, I would have to say it falls squarely in the realm of mediocrity with Gundam ZZ. While the second half of the series is rather good, the first half is more or less a rehash of the early portion of its predecessor, Mobile Suit Gundam. While most sequels and spinoffs have used the original series as a building point, SEED tells one of the most blatant copies of the plot of "First Gundam" in Alternate Universe proper. While it is understandable to a degree-- SEED is aimed at those who have not watched anything from the Universal Century-- it is bound to anger the core fanbase that Bandai and Sunrise have pleased for 20 years...
Which is the main problem with the show: In its attempt to garner a new generation of fans, it alienates the older generation's tastes with a rather generic plot and character designs. Even after the second half, when the writers move Gundam SEED into a completely different direction, the damage has been done in the eyes of the adults who watched Gundam as a child.
The saving graces of Gundam SEED are the interesting fight scenes-- there is even a Mobile Suit which resembles another popular mecha franchise in the U.S., "Zoids"-- and the catchy Japanese pop openings and endings. Even the improved writing seems to be pointless for the story in the long run, as 21+ episodes of absolutely high-quality story are ruined by probably one of the worst cop-out endings I've seen, a total rush job that answers none of the questions people wanted to know. And, judging by the fact that Bandai seems to have scrapped any plans for a SEED sequel next year, the continuation people longed for may never come....
Overall: A run-of-the-mill mecha anime with the Gundam title slapped on it, great fighting scenes and music, a mediocre plot, and atrocious character designs: 6/10.
