Anime Review: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom
- Very Average Joe
- 6 minutes ago
- 4 min read
English Title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom
Japanese Title: 機動戦士ガンダムSEED FREEDOM
Director(s): Fukuda Mitsuo
Screenwriter(s): Morosawa Chiaki, Fukuda Mitsuo & Goto Liu
Studio: Sunrise, Bandai Namco Filmworks
Released: 2024
Runtime: 2h 4m
Starring: Hoshi Soichiro, Tanaka Rie, Ishida Akira, Suzumura Kenichi, Mori Nanako, Sakamoto Maaya, Mitsuishi Kotono
Fans have been waiting for a sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002) and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2004) for too many years. As good as SEED is, and it is admittedly a lot to live up to, SEED Destiny is somewhat dissatisfying. (No point beating that dead Zaku here.) Sadly, the delay to this sequel was partly due to the death of writer Morosawa Chiaki in February 2016.
SEED Freedom is set about one year after the end of SEED Destiny in which our heroes fought in a second war that ended in the death of Gilbert Durandal and his “Destiny Plan”. Despite that, there is still no lasting peace with at least one Earth faction attacking PLANT interests. Meanwhile, Lacus is the president of Compass, something like a peacekeeping organization, with Kira and Shinn being two of the pilots.
The plot is straightforward. It is essentially a faction of genetically engineered humans called the “Accords”—they are basically an enhanced version of Coordinators—who aim to implement a version of the Destiny Plan by force, so Kira and Lacus with their allies have to deal with them.
One could consider the plot to be generally predictable but not in such a way that ruins the film. It is a plausible continuation of the unresolved issues of SEED and SEED Destiny and the film is able to maintain one’s attention throughout.
The first apparent problem is the timing. There is nothing wrong in itself with setting it one year after SEED Destiny but given the years since its release, it may be more fitting emotionally to insert a time gap of at least a few years to reflect the gap in real life. The plot would still work as the politics and the threat of war are essentially the same.
Also, some of the voices have aged as expected. This doesn’t ruin anything and it is great to hear the original cast but, again, an in-story time gap to reflect the gap in real life would be better.
Some of the good things about SEED are the characters and their relationship. This film mainly focuses on Kira and Lacus and does so well enough.
Lacus maintains her stance that people must be able to choose and Kira is frustrated that all his fighting doesn’t seem to achieve anything. This is consistent enough with their characters in the series, although there are moments Lacus comes across as a little weak by her standards because she often maintains her grace and composure.
Athrun Zala does thankfully appear. Although understandably not having as much screentime as Kira, I wish he would play a more significant role.
There are no few love triangles and conflict pairings. However, with only two hours, these other characters and relationships do not get the attention they need.
For example, Agnes Giebenrath is a new character and one of the pilots under Kira’s command who can’t get over herself and thinks guys should be in love with her. She throws herself at Kira in a way that just comes across as forced. And although she does not think much of Shinn, she is envious of the way Lunamaria treats him, thus forming a sort of triangle with them. It is difficult to understand such a prideful character; there could be some complexities worth exploring there but a feature-length film simply does not allow it.
The structure is typical of the franchise: opening battle, then more battles problem develops, then finishing in a big fleet vs fleet and mecha vs mecha battle that also needs to take care of some weapon of mass destruction. In other words, there is no shortage of action.
The pacing is generally steady. Some events occur too quickly and conveniently; for example, the appearance of spare mobile suits and some of the (political) intrigue that should take time to develop. This is partly expected for a feature-length film, and at over two hours it is already not short, but a few more scenes would benefit. Despite some things happening too quickly, the final act can be tightened given that it is one big battle.
The production is excellent as expected. The style replicates that of the series but with the benefits of 3D and a much cleaner look. The designs, details and rendering are great, both mecha and the environment.
In a few shots, the motion of the characters can be more organic but it is not jarring. As for the military action, although some influence is taken from the likes of Top Gun, some of it is still too fast and could slow down a little. This is understandably done to be consistent to the spirit of the series, but it is one of its relative weaknesses that could have been improved on.
Also, Lacus’s lips are drawn differently at times. Generally, women’s lips are fuller than in the series as if they have had some sort of procedure done. It would be harsh to state that these are jarring but it is definitely noticeable.
The sound is sharp and clean, indicative of great mixing and editing. The sound design is cool too, although the flying mobile suits sound just like modern fighters with too little variation.
The music production is also solid. Although it is great that composer Sahashi Toshihiko returned as composer, the score lacks the more memorable themes of the past, whether it is the grand pieces or the moving pieces.
On balance, it is a decent film in every respect. Some things could be done better but the weaknesses do not ruin the work. As is common for this franchise, which is another weakness, it lacks an epilogue. A film trilogy or a series of about twelve episodes would allow the plot to develop more organically and give the other characters the screentime they need.
However one looks at it, I am just grateful this film was finally made and released; it is good and necessary for the SEED storyline and characters as well as to honor Morosawa’s name and legacy.
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