To be blunt, this is a very good series. Compared with the other Gundam series I've seen (Gundam Wing), this one is far superior. The characters are believable, as is the plot, there's some good sci-fi in there, and there is character development.
I'll give as little of the actual plot away as I can, but given the guilt and remorse shown by the main characters when team mates and enemies get killed, I'll say its incredibly human. Unlike what you'd think watching James Bond, Kill Bill, et al, killing someone IS a big step, even in war. The regret, remorse, and yes, boys crying, does demonstrate this. And yes, it is OK for boys to be emotional. We just don't usually do it all that often.
The sci-fi is good too - genetic enhancements increasing our abilities (represented by the coordinaters) is an obvious extrapolation of modern science and research. The mobile suits that are the mainstay of the series also have some interesting ideas - phase shift armour, mirage colloid, etc.
The plot is all about right and wrong, and what falls into each category. Is vengeance against a whole race right just for your loss? Is killing ever just? And so on. Pretty meaty stuff. And the way the plot falls is reasonably logical and easy to understand.
Characters do actually develop. The main 4 - Athrun Zala, Kira Yamato, Cagalli Uli Attha and Lacus Clyne - all develop through loss of friends, family, and the turn of events. Even the minor characters do this; Yzak and Dearka make some decisions that you wouldn't've expected looking at their initial characterisation.
And through it all, there is Rau le Creuset. Mask? Check! Sadistically evil? Check! And that makes it even more Gundam - there's always some guy in a mask.
The revealing of certain characters pasts, eg Mu la Flaga and Rau le Creuset, does add a certain depth. Not everything is known at once, and their emnity is revealed to be deep-seated, as are the character relations throughout the series.
Also, as an side, I'd like to say that I have not seen the Japanese version of Gundam Seed, only its English dub. Given I don't know Japanese vocal expressions and don't particularly like subtitles, I think I probably get the best out of the English version, at least orally. However, in terms on animation and sequences, there are some extra in the Japanese versions that were edited out of the English dub, and so I have not seen these. Just so you know though, there are some extra sequences to it.
Although it could have had some plot tweaks, better animation in some sequences, and possibly less of the ZAFT-rules-all attitude that seems rather prevalent (some battles are almost farcical in how powerful ZAFT mobile suits are), it adds together quite nicely overall.
8 out of 10.
I'll give as little of the actual plot away as I can, but given the guilt and remorse shown by the main characters when team mates and enemies get killed, I'll say its incredibly human. Unlike what you'd think watching James Bond, Kill Bill, et al, killing someone IS a big step, even in war. The regret, remorse, and yes, boys crying, does demonstrate this. And yes, it is OK for boys to be emotional. We just don't usually do it all that often.
The sci-fi is good too - genetic enhancements increasing our abilities (represented by the coordinaters) is an obvious extrapolation of modern science and research. The mobile suits that are the mainstay of the series also have some interesting ideas - phase shift armour, mirage colloid, etc.
The plot is all about right and wrong, and what falls into each category. Is vengeance against a whole race right just for your loss? Is killing ever just? And so on. Pretty meaty stuff. And the way the plot falls is reasonably logical and easy to understand.
Characters do actually develop. The main 4 - Athrun Zala, Kira Yamato, Cagalli Uli Attha and Lacus Clyne - all develop through loss of friends, family, and the turn of events. Even the minor characters do this; Yzak and Dearka make some decisions that you wouldn't've expected looking at their initial characterisation.
And through it all, there is Rau le Creuset. Mask? Check! Sadistically evil? Check! And that makes it even more Gundam - there's always some guy in a mask.
The revealing of certain characters pasts, eg Mu la Flaga and Rau le Creuset, does add a certain depth. Not everything is known at once, and their emnity is revealed to be deep-seated, as are the character relations throughout the series.
Also, as an side, I'd like to say that I have not seen the Japanese version of Gundam Seed, only its English dub. Given I don't know Japanese vocal expressions and don't particularly like subtitles, I think I probably get the best out of the English version, at least orally. However, in terms on animation and sequences, there are some extra in the Japanese versions that were edited out of the English dub, and so I have not seen these. Just so you know though, there are some extra sequences to it.
Although it could have had some plot tweaks, better animation in some sequences, and possibly less of the ZAFT-rules-all attitude that seems rather prevalent (some battles are almost farcical in how powerful ZAFT mobile suits are), it adds together quite nicely overall.
8 out of 10.