Kira Yamato - Tumblr Posts
I gotta say, while I am, I suppose, looking forward to Gundam SEED Freedom, after having thought about it for a little bit I am curious as to where they’re gonna go with this.
So, we know ZAFT’s probably gonna be the main villain again, since they’re what’s shown in the trailers (and honestly if it gets us a new HG Ginn I’m not gonna complain too much).
Anyway, putting that aside, we do know that Kira, Athrun (because of course) and Shinn (we see a clip of the Destiny in the trailer) are gonna be in the new movie. We also can guess that Kira’s gonna have a shiny new mobile suit/upgrade to the Freedom, since he’s got a new Helmet, and presumably a new cockpit, AND they specifically didn’t show us any shots of a mobile suit barring the Ginns or old footage, implying that it’s a whole new machine.
This is interesting, because I’m really, really curious about what it might be. Perhaps some sort of Perfect Strike Freedom? Or Amazing Strike Freedom? Or perhaps it’ll take influence from the Stargazer and be star themed? Like some sort of Freedom Galaxy Cosmos?
Honestly though, I imagine it’ll stick fairly close to the Freedom and Strike Freedom (I’m imagining a strike freedom covered in Witch From Mercury-style drone weapons in addition to the funnels), but I am distinctly curious how they’ll model it. Bandai’s been really pushing the Seed revives since they made them, like the Impulse and Strike Freedom get used for parts a lot, so I’m wondering if it’s going to be an entirely new mold, or if they’re just gonna make a few new runners for the Strike Freedom.
I am probably going to be interested in Athrun’s new suit though, since I do very much like the Infinite Justice.
Alright, new Gundam Seed Freedom Trailer (and other materials)
We now know what most of the new Main Character Mobile suit designs are - we have the new Rising Freedom Gundam (shown above) and Athrun’s new suit, the Immortal Justice Gundam, which seems to be patterned more off the Aegis this time around (the red colour scheme and it’s a little bulkier).
I’m going to wait until the movie actually comes out for my full opinions on the designs, but notable features are:
The Rising Freedom seems to be based at least partially on the Destiny Gundam, as seen with it’s forearms, chest and shoulders (makes sense).
The Gelgoog Menace, which is almost certainly Lunamaria’s new suit, appears to be a directly upgraded Zaku Warrior, presumably with a greater emphasis on close-combat.
Shinn’s apparently back in the Impulse, almost certainly so they can reuse the model design.
I think that the Immortal Justice is going to be a transforming unit (the Rising Freedom kind of is already).
While the Gyan Strom certainly appears to be *checks notes* Agnes Gieberath’s new mobile suit, I should call out that there were two of them alongside the Immortal Justice in the trailer, so it might be that it’s a limited-production suit handed out to ZAFT’s best? It’s possible that Yzak and Dearka might also be piloting them.
The Shi-ve and Rud-ro of the Black Knight Squadron (boring name) *seem* to be patterned after the Crossbone Vanguard? Though that might just be the head fins. Otherwise, I find the Rud-ro’s rather generic looking.
From what we can tell, the Black Knight Squadron is going to be backing ZAFT (we see DINNs in the background in the trailer) and is composed of these characters (going off the matching colours and approximate numbers):
(I would go through them all but honestly I think only two at most are going to matter).
My final point is; What’s with everyone using old equipment? All I’m seeing in the trailers is GINNs, DINNs, ZuOOTs and 105 Daggers. The Impulse is maybe excusable, but it’s odd. I’d buy that ZAFT reproduced an upgraded GINN after the second Bloody Valentine War, but if they’re all using outdated equipment then it really doesn’t sell them as actual threats to the Protagonists. Yes, they should still be stopped, but it makes it feel like the conflict between the two forces is background, when the Tragedy of War is kind of Gundam’s whole thesis statement.
(Though again, I’ll probably complain a lot less is this gives us new kits for the GINN and DINN)
SEED Destiny, while not in itself a bad show, has the tendency to magnify a lot of SEED’s flaws as a whole, so stuff that was infrequent enough in the original series (like the stock footage) can become a lot more noticeable in hindsight. In addition, Destiny affects the ending of the original in such a way that it can lead the original series to feel less satisfying overall (particularly since Destiny’s ending is - very broadly - quite similar to the original’s).
SEED is also very character-driven (the line I hear a lot is that it was basically written as a soap opera), which is something of a two-sided sword. If the characters work for you, then all the better, but if they don’t then it can be difficult to summon the enthusiasm. It can also lead to the feeling that the series comprises of “The Protagonist and his Allies” and “everyone else”, so Gundam’s vaunted grey-and-grey morality becomes less so. I’m given to understand that SEED’s character focus is a big reason of *why* it was so popular when it came out, but it wasn’t expected to become THE big AU, at least domestically. SEED Destiny was greenlit shortly after the first with a view towards being to the original what Zeta was to 0079, but this meant that the creators then had to them unpick the (pretty damn good) ending of the original, so Destiny has a difficult time reconciling that.
I also see a great deal of criticism aimed at the character dynamic of Kira and Lacus (which again, becomes more pronounced in Destiny). Lacus is an ardent pacifist with strong personal convictions and a lot of influence (soft power, if you will), Kira is, by the end of the original series, an ace pilot par excellence, who can shoot down enemy mobile suits without killing the pilots. So it creates the dynamic of Lacus,being the character who hopes and dreams for a world free of conflict, and Kira, who’s the biggest beatstick in the Cosmic Era. Kira also spends much of the series trying to find a solution to the cycle of conflict perpetuated in the series, and the numerous deaths weigh heavily on his conscience. Becoming a pilot so good that he can non-lethally carve his way through entire fleets isn’t really an actual solution to that problem, it just enables Kira to be a one-man army.
Lastly (and this is likely just my personal bugaboo), the existence of coordinators in the cosmic era is a massive thing that spurs many practical and philosophical questions, and there’s a lot of emphasis put on it throughout the original series. But all SEED seems interested in answering is “Genocide: how much is too much?”
In a nutshell, SEED is fine by itself, but Destiny, while not particularly bad, has a tendency to accentuate its flaws.
Okay now that I’m like, 7 episodes from the end of SEED, can someone explain to me why exactly it’s so insanely maligned among English-speaking circles? Because it’s pretty good/okay, so either Destiny royally fucks things, or you all are filthy liars.
Here we go, ladies and gentlemen! One of my few Het Ships!
My I Introduce:
Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne
From Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Destiny
This is my favorite Gundam Ships, period. Don't get me wrong, I like Heero Yuy and Relena Peacecraft, but these two are just...better!
Kira comes out as more human. He didn't start out as a warrior nor was he trained from a young age to be one. He was just a college student living in Heliopolis. He simply wanted a peaceful life. He was thrust into the war mainly to protect his friends. He lost his home and at one point, questioned his own identity. He is soft-hearted and gentle but is dedicated to protecting his loved ones and, despite the war, he maintains his gentle and loving nature. He does know that although he hates war, sometimes it is necessary to fight for what you believe in.
Now Lacus is like Relena in certain ways. Both have a father in a political role and have had a cushy upbringing, with Relena going to a high-class private school, and Lacus becoming a pop-princess. The main difference between them is the idea of sacrifice and how much they are willing to give up for their cause. Relena doesn't seem to sacrifice much, whereas Lacus in the end, is willing to give up the lifestyle she grew up in, her popularity/status of being a symbol of the PLANTS, her home, and ultimately her own freedom. She literally committed a crime by stealing the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam and giving it to Kira so he could continue to protect his loved ones and try to end the war.
Kira and Lacus' relationship, from friends to romantic partners, is more consensual throughout their story than Relena and Heero's relationship. Relena's affection and care for Heero were initially one-sided, as Heero originally wanted to kill her in order to keep his identity a secret, whereas Kira and Lacus quickly became friends during their first meeting, with Kira willing to threaten his freedom aboard the Archangel to keep her from being used as a bargaining chip for Earth.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I just love them SO much! Lacus is also my favorite woman in all of the Gundam series! (NOTE: I hate the color pink with a passion! However, I overlook that particular trait with Lacus because I love her as a character!)