Today, I finished watching Gundam Seed Destiny, aka The Worst Gundam Show Ever. A lot of things still need to sink in, but my current after-thought of the series is just a sense of disappointment and meh. I really liked Gundam Seed for being about a young teenager thrown into war and conflicts against his will, and how his comrades and he try to move through in a situation of uncertainty. Despite how it never had a strong conclusion when it comes to what must be done and so forth, it felt straight to the point and far from being overtly pretentious. However, Gundam Seed Destiny has somewhat ruined my enjoyment when it comes to the original Seed. Before I go on, Id like to reflect on the (few) positive aspects of Destiny: + Despite it being an ass-pull, I like how they made (SPOILER ALERT) Mwu La Flaga survive Seed even though he was a brainwashed yet manipulative dick in the first 3/5. + In the first 2/5 a 3/5 of the show, Shinn Asuka felt refreshing because he was something different compared to Athrun or Kira. Although I didnt like how we was a complete dick to others, especially Cagalli, I like his hotblooded attitude and the fact that hes in a sense a Super Robot pilot thrown into a Real Robot show. + I really loved the various Mobile Suit designs. My favourites were the Akatsuki, Destiny Gundam, Infinite Justice Gundam, Strike Freedom Gundam, Impulse Gundam, Legend and the Murasames. And here comes the shit-fest: - Kira and Lacus were complete Gary and Mary Stus and ruined not only the direction of the plot and main character focus, but also themselves. I really liked Kira back in Seed and Lacus... err, well she was pretentious, but she wasnt that bad. But oh boy, Lacus really takes her Mary Stu to an extreme level. Anyone who calls or tries to call out on her is immediately an enemy, and everybody sees her as some all-knowing leader who knows the true path or some shit. Same goes to Kira as well, and anyone who says shit towards Kira gets either wrecked or antagonized. - When they made Kira the new protagonist, they pretty much destroyed anything character developmental that went on with Shinn. Shinn ended up as some puppet soldier in the hands of Durandal and Rey. - The romantic relationships of Seed Destiny were just shitty. No, Im serious. There was more chemistry going on between Athrun x Cagalli and Kira x Lacus compared to Shinn and Stella. Shinn x Lunamaria was kinda better than Shinn x Stella, but it wouldve felt less half-assed if the direction made more effort in the MANY episodes before to establish and highlight the bond between Shinn and Luna. - They demolished and damselfied Cagalli to the point that it feels inconsistent with how she was back in Seed. Sure, she was emotional and conflicted as well back in Seed, but at least there she was more willing to actively fight (and unlock her SEED Mode). Also, wasnt the voice actress of Cagalli pissed off at the director of Destiny? - Speaking of inconsistency, the same goes to Athrun and Durandal. It felt very out of place when Athrun smacked Shinn for disobeying orders EVEN when he did it for a just cause (i.e. saving enslaved people). And to me, it felt as if they forced Durandal to make evil decisions to make him more appropriate for the role as villain. Durandal had some good points back in the beginning and he was an overall cool guy - and it just felt a bit forced with how they made him the villain. - The animation was half-assed. Most of yall already know what I mean (THAT stock footage). Overall: Seed Destiny was this big disappointment. It ruined what was good with regards to Seed and it ruined the story and characters who were overall pretty cool for the sake of MUH JESUS YAMATO AND LACUS SUE. Its just meh to me and it gives me this nasty after-taste. To be fair, I do agree with Kira and Lacus stance towards the Destiny Plan, but how Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny eventually came to be the last half just feels very forced due to the whole switching the character focus. https://youtube/watch?v=g0kZx_R88y4
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 16:07:38 +0000