Gundam Seed Destiny, Part 1, Episodes 1-26 (Anime Legends) [DVD]

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The follow-up to the popular Gundam Seed (2002), Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny (2004) takes place two years later, in year 73 of the Cosmic Era. Hot-headed Shin Asuka, whose family was killed during the previous war, becomes the pilot of the Impulse, the latest and most complex Gundam, which assembles itself in midair. Athrun Zala, the hero of Gundam Seed, has given up combat duty, but by the end of Episode #5, he's back where he belongs: in the cockpit of the aptly named Gundam Savior. The conflict between the Naturals and the genetically enhanced Coordinators remains the underlying cause of the political conflicts. Renegade Coordinators disturb the orbit of the asteroid Junius 7, positioning it to strike the Earth. Shin, Athrun and other Mobile Suit pilots destroy as much of Junius as they can, saving the world from complete destruction. But the enormous devastation precipitates a declaration of war from the Earth Alliance against ZAFT and the satellite worlds of the PLANTs. Characters and mecha from Gundam Seed join the new cast in a complicated series of political and military maneuvers, highlighted by the rip-roaring Mobile Suit battles. Director Mitsuo Fukuda skillfully blends CG and traditional animation to give the fights in space, under water, and on land their maximum pizzazz. The endless flashbacks and the clips from Gundam Seed occupy so much time that when Shin and the ZAFT forces find the secret biological lab where children were mutated into the cyborg pilots Sting, Auel, and Stella, it feels like an afterthought, rather than the climax of the first half of the story. Gundam Seed Destiny reflects contemporary political issue more clearly than any other entry in the long-running Gundam continuity. The revolt of the indigenous people of Western Eurasia against the Earth Alliance Forces; the mounting chorus to purge Coordinators from "our pure and blue world;" and ZAFT Chairman Durandal's lengthy denunciation of defense contractors who foment wars to increase profits have a disquietingly familiar ring. (Rated 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, minor risqué humor, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon (1. Angry Eyes, 2. Those Who Call for War, Those Who Call for War, 3. Warning Shots, 4. Stardust Battlefield, 5. Scars that Won't Heal, 6. The End of the World, 7. Land of Confusion, 8. Junction, 9. Bared Fangs, 10. A Father's Spell, 11. The Chosen Path, 12. Blood in the Water, 13. Resurrected Wings, 14. Flight to Tomorrow, 15. Return to the Battlefield, 16. Struggle in the Indian Ocean, 17. The Soldier's Life, 18. Attack the Lohengrin, 19. The Hidden Truth, 20. Past, 21. Wandering Eyes, 22. Sword of the Blue Skies, 23. The Shadows of War, 24. Differing Views, 25. The Place of Sin, 26. The Promise)