Ah, Gundam SEED. Few anime are as divisive as this one. In fact, any time it's mentioned, scads of pseudo-intellectuals seem to crawl out of the woodwork to tell you why you should feel bad for enjoying it. With an all-new SEED movie on the horizon, there's no better time for a retrospective of the anime that got me into anime in the first place. This "review" will be filled with subjectivity and some sarcasm, so you've been warned.

Long ago, I stumbled across this show during its original airing on Toonami. At the time, I wasn't even into anime. I was just a youngster that enjoyed cartoons. But something about SEED immediately drew me in. The characters were unique and flashy. The music was captivating and different from anything I had heard, being a total non-weeb at the time. The atmosphere of the show was decidedly more mature than any of the other cartoons I was into. And as shameful as it is to admit, all it took was one look at Lacus Clyne for little YamatoTheGreat to fall in love. But is this show even any good? Is it worth watching as we enter 2024, almost 20 years after its original airing?

From the perspective of a first-time anime watcher, Gundam SEED had it all: violence, suspense, political intrigue, romance that pushed the boundaries for its time (even including a sex scene of all things), giant robots, and an edgy, emotionally-conflicted MC that almost any troubled young man could self-insert into. This show was cool. But as the years went by, time wasn't kind to SEED. A show that was once a pioneer became trite, and the hate train left the station.

I won't completely discount that viewpoint, either. SEED definitely has many flaws. It has the cable-TV edginess of a prime-era Nickelodeon teen drama wrapped up in the backdrop of a brutal nuclear war over the future of humanity, and some would say it does neither well. The animation is decent, but stock footage is commonly reused, to an embarrassing degree at times. Kira Yamato is an interesting MC, sometimes for the wrong reasons. This seems like a textbook case of nostalgia bias: a show that will never have the appeal that it did back in 2004.

However... I can't bring myself to hate it. In fact, I love it.

Gundam SEED succeeds in many ways that it shouldn't. The characters have surprising depth, and their relationships develop in unpredictable and fascinating ways. The war plot is compelling, filled with twists and turns, and doesn't shy away from showing the dark side of humanity. It toys with the idea of what gives a person value, and drives home the point that some things are worth fighting and dying for. Cliche? Perhaps. Enjoyable? Absolutely.

Across the 50 episodes of SEED, there are some truly prime moments. Characters switch sides, beloved friends are mercilessly slaughtered, and unexpected pairings develop. At the center of it all is one of my all-time favorite villains in Rau Le Creuset, a man whose twisted ideals make just enough sense to make you question who the real villain of this story is. To this day, the last 10 episodes of SEED are some of the most hype in all of anime to me. In fact, from episode 35 onward, this show never lets up, throwing haymaker after haymaker all the way up until the (admittedly sudden and unsatisfying) ending.

To the me of 2024, SEED is a time capsule: a warm reminder of a long-gone time when Toonami on a Saturday night was something to look forward to all week, and the only real worry on my mind was whether or not I'd get to stay up late enough to watch it all. Back then, SEED somewhat stood out among its Toonami peers: a fairly mature, thoughtful look at war, filled with character drama and brutal storytelling. Perhaps that wasn't entirely a good thing, as SEED was demoted from primetime Toonami before it ever finished airing.

Despite its shortcomings, though, it was the spark that ignited my love of anime. Even 20 years later, that's still true. And even though I'm twice her age now, Lacus Clyne is still lovely.

So, is Gundam SEED actually any good? My subjective answer is a resounding yes. It's easy to fall into the trap of only watching what is "objectively" good, and in the process, we can lose the very joy of this hobby. Anime, like any art form, has the power to affect people in borderline magical ways. Don't let anyone ruin that. Watch what resonates with you, and enjoy the time we have here on Earth. Life's too short for anything less.

...Unless it's Gundam SEED Destiny. Please don't watch that.