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View Full Version : Gundam Seed Destiny (or "Popularity Really Doesn't Mean A Thing")


Tyrenol
03-03-2006, 06:39 PM
I keep hearing news about how GSD sold like hotcakes in Japan; ending up in the top 10 charts in their first weeks. This badly done, poorly written mess of a show that is Mitsuo Fukuda's growing child; said child's actually being raised by Chiaki Morosawa (Fukuda's wife).

I guess my main gripe over this series is that it couldn't do a thing with the new characters. It may be due to either the fear of losing their audience (and the following cashflow) or the so-called complaints over the characters not being as fanbase-friendly as the old ones from Seed.

But when you have one of the new characters looking like the old one (ala Meer = Lacus), the spotlight shifting from the new male lead to the old ones (thereby taking away any chance to develop said lead's character correctly), and basically re-using the old mecha designs and every other scene (as Fukuda is famous for); what does that tell the open-minded about this guy's ability to tell a story using a popular name? <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>That he has none. The ability, that is.</span>

And so, Bandai / Sunrise will start on a 4-part "Special Edition" of Seed Destiny. (http://aeug.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_aeug_archive.html#114075697681836926)

As if these guys over there can't just restart from scratch; without bringing in their cash-cows (Kira, Lacus, Asuran, Cagalli, and Mwu). When the original MSG had their sequals, only Char and Bright came back to share the spotlight with the newer characters. Atleast Amuro didn't become some invincible God like Kira (aka Jesus Yamato) did. (Sure he had cold feet before going back in to fight the Titans, but the beef he had with Char was more human than what's considered beef in anime now.)

And it's still a show about war and its consequences. That's a fairly large percentage of what "Gundam" is about besides the plastic models and toys.

I maybe a fanperson complaining, and of course GSD is about as popular as Seed. But there's a need to be really serious here. The guys over at Sunrise wanted to release a "Gundam" show that touches the fanbase outside of Japan (but they also want the same show to be as popular in Japan). I believe that they need to stop talking about the "core audience" and actually pay attention.

Doing an anime show about war is nothing when you do it right. What's the point of selling the non-Japanese audience a dumbed-down version of it (ala Superior Defendor) and heavily editing their shows for TV?

Or is Sunrise's studios spread so thin that nobody's available to be the brains behind the production of said popular / Gundam shows? /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

I wonder what Jerry Chu is doing now? /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Fencedude
03-03-2006, 06:51 PM
/images/graemlins/horse.gif

I'm really sick of Destiny, and people bitching about Destiny.

Lego
03-04-2006, 01:44 AM
Not to hijack the thread, but...

I'd really like to see a Gundam series like Wing again. Sure everyone might not like Wing, but you had characters that kept you interested. People like Trieze, who really reminded me of the US general Patton(WWII).

While I'm sure GSEED and GSD are decent in their own right, I guess it's one of those things where it isn't for everyone. What I'm saying is that I wish they would move on to a different series, namely a AC one with a new character designer /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Fort Max
03-04-2006, 05:44 AM
Eureka Seven was the cure to my Destiny sickness. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Tyrenol
03-04-2006, 08:14 AM
[ QUOTE ]
Fencedude said:
/images/graemlins/horse.gif
I'm really sick of Destiny, and people bitching about Destiny.

[/ QUOTE ]

You know... To just sit there in silence while horrible things went on usually means that you'd actually accept it. /images/graemlins/relief1.gif

[ QUOTE ]
Lego said:
I'd really like to see a Gundam series like Wing again. Sure everyone might not like Wing, but you had characters that kept you interested. People like Trieze, who really reminded me of the US general Patton(WWII).

[/ QUOTE ]

My first Gundam show was Wing; it's been a gateway "Gundam" show so I can watch other titles like ZZ, the original, Victory, and Turn-A. The UC shows that happened in between MSG and Zeta were cool for their mechanics as well. And I had my thoughts against Relena Peacecraft. But after Cagalli, I forgave her. (Relena's a bored rich girl, but atleast she's stern and not a crybaby.)

[ QUOTE ]
Fort Max said:
Eureka Seven was the cure to my Destiny sickness.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Mai-Otome series was a cure to mine. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

Fencedude
03-04-2006, 08:36 AM
[ QUOTE ]
Carlsbad Reynolds said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fencedude said:
/images/graemlins/horse.gif
I'm really sick of Destiny, and people bitching about Destiny.

[/ QUOTE ]

You know... To just sit there in silence while horrible things went on usually means that you'd actually accept it. /images/graemlins/relief1.gif



[/ QUOTE ]

The hell does that mean?

BurtKenobi
03-04-2006, 08:43 AM
Admittedly Destiny wasn't as good as Seed, but I've been sitting through Zeta and Double-Zeta recently and they had their problems too. For a time there in Zeta (and Tomino's Dunbine, now that I think of it) there was a stupid fight with the enemy where nothing was resolved *every episode* - so half the episode was the story moving forward, then pause for pointless battle, then end the episode. At least the pointless battles in Seed and Destiny are story-driven.

Every Gundam has its problems - its the nature of the 50 episode fan-pleasing beast. If you don't like one, pick another, and wait for the next one to come along.

J

Aiia
03-04-2006, 09:28 AM
Hmm...I've watched the first Seed series, and from time to time caught the re-broadcast of Destiny (which looked promising) but since I've seen a lot of people being disappointed with this one, maybe I should leave it be. I watched GS for the drama, not the robots, and if that doesn't work there is no reason for me to watch it I guess.

I'd like to see a new mecha anime as good as Rahxephon again. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

battra92
03-04-2006, 10:04 AM
I couldn't get into the first Seed show, which probably either means I'm not a serious Gundam fan or I just think that the first one was the best.

Funkatron
03-04-2006, 12:09 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Carlsbad Reynolds said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fencedude said:
/images/graemlins/horse.gif
I'm really sick of Destiny, and people bitching about Destiny.

[/ QUOTE ]

You know... To just sit there in silence while horrible things went on usually means that you'd actually accept it. /images/graemlins/relief1.gif

[ QUOTE ]
Lego said:
I'd really like to see a Gundam series like Wing again. Sure everyone might not like Wing, but you had characters that kept you interested. People like Trieze, who really reminded me of the US general Patton(WWII).

[/ QUOTE ]

My first Gundam show was Wing; it's been a gateway "Gundam" show so I can watch other titles like ZZ, the original, Victory, and Turn-A. The UC shows that happened in between MSG and Zeta were cool for their mechanics as well. And I had my thoughts against Relena Peacecraft. But after Cagalli, I forgave her. (Relena's a bored rich girl, but atleast she's stern and not a crybaby.)

[ QUOTE ]
Fort Max said:
Eureka Seven was the cure to my Destiny sickness.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Mai-Otome series was a cure to mine. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Why pic 1?

Hime and Eureka forever! Seed who?

DiGiKerot
03-04-2006, 01:26 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Carlsbad Reynolds said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fencedude said:
/images/graemlins/horse.gif
I'm really sick of Destiny, and people bitching about Destiny.

[/ QUOTE ]

You know... To just sit there in silence while horrible things went on usually means that you'd actually accept it. /images/graemlins/relief1.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Its been moaned at at length here, every other month, for the last year or so. Frankly, most of us are pretty sick of it. Then there is the assumation that everybody hates the show - personally, I think its cracking up until it hits the last third, and even then its only the last two episodes which are revoltingly craptacular. Hell, it probably has the strongest opening run of episodes of any Gundam series.

As for Fukuda, I've seen a fair bit of his previous work, and to be honest I actually think hes a great director. His only major problem with GSD was his inability to rein in the scriptwriter, which had a negative impact on pretty much every other aspect of the show.

Personally, I'm up for more Seed.

DiGiKerot
03-04-2006, 01:51 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Carlsbad Reynolds said:
The Mai-Otome series was a cure to mine. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I find it amusing that you complain about re-use of character and mecha designs in GSD then mention ZHiME.

Tyrenol
03-04-2006, 07:18 PM
[ QUOTE ]
DiGiKerot said:
I find it amusing that you complain about re-use of character and mecha designs in GSD then mention ZHiME.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's because you have it all wrong.

The people behind Mai-ZHiME took characters from the Mai-HiME series, took their time in reworking them, and focused on the new characters. (The light lesbian themes and running gags had also helped. And Bandai / Sunrise had proved that they can seriously do a show if they want.)

Fukuda and the rest behind GSD were basically getting high of the whole Gundam popularity and thought they could do a sequal. Unfortunately; it was done too sloppily, it lacked creativity, and the ending had been "misunderstood."

ayareiko
03-04-2006, 09:09 PM
Now that I think of it... Shouldn't the alternate title of this thread be "Quality Really Doesn't Mean A Thing"? Given we're talking about GSD here.