August 23, 2004:

Having purchased the first DVD, I've started re-watching Gundam SEED. This time around, I've noticed a few elements that I've either forgotten or failed to notice the first time around.

First, I had forgotten how little Kira and Flay knew each other at the start of the series. Kira is clearly in love with her, but his love is not only unrequited, it is unnoticed. Flay doesn't even know his name, and recognizes him only as "Sai's friend."

Kira and Flay

Likewise, I didn't notice how young Sai and Flay's relationship was. Once on the Archangel, Flay and Sai leap straight into couple-mode. However, if you note Flay's exchange with her friends in the first episode, it becomes apparent that Flay and Sai effectively begin their relationship only once they both board the Archangel.

Sai and Flay

I also didn't appreciate how important it was that Kira unilaterally decided to retrieve the damaged lifepod. As Flay observed, and Kira subsequently reaized, by bringing the lifepod onto the Archangel, Kira probably put the civilians on board into even greater danger. This underscores Kira's obligation to protect the ship, and is one of the reasons why he offers almost no objection at being effectively drafted. He's the only one who can operate the Strike, and if he doesn't, not only will his friends die, but so will the girl he loves and all the civilians he decided to bring on board. This becomes even more important not much later during the tragedy involving Yzak, and punctuates a recurring theme in Gundam SEED: Kira's need to protect people, and his struggle with failure.

Ensign Natarle Badgiruel and Lieutenant Murrue Ramius

In other news, Nicol must be a total badass, being able to scare Yzak and Dearka away with merely a stern lecture, keeping them from pummelling Athrun.

As for the box itself, it's huge. It also comes with a CD containing a "best of" compilation of the series' music. The DVD looks and sounds great, as you can expect from Bandai. However, I did notice that they spelled "lieutenant" incorrectly at least once in the subtitles.

August 21, 2006: Gundam SEED

Oh, Goddammit. I just learned (the hard way) that the DVDs for the compilation movies of the original Gundam SEED are non-anamorphic. What manner of faggotry is this, Bandai? Hell.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since the complilation movies are technically "shortscreen," not widescreen.