Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny

...there is finally an "alternate universe" worthy of the Gundam name - that was founded in "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed", and now carries on in "Gundam Seed: Destiny".

Both Seed and Seed: Destiny take place in the "Cosmic Era", as opposed to the original series' "Universal Century". Still, despite the imposition of *this* universe's legal and creative realities, the CE draws much of its appeal from a similar vein as the UC.

To my mind, the Seed series has brought back much of what made Gundam a legendary franchise in the first place: technical realism (within its own framework, of course - I unfortunately still cannot buy my own Quebeley or Freedom); fun, interesting characters and attention to their development; and the underlying obscenity of war. (but mostly I just like the floating pink robot with funny semi-random phrases)

Bind this up in a glossy, model selling package, complete with newfangled animation techniques (a little cg, some cool motion effects and camera work), bitchin' JPop goodness and a commanding budget, and Seed and Destiny have brought Gundam BACK.

At the time of this writing, just over half of Destiny has aired:

Destiny picks up a few years after Seed. It wastes no time in establishing a new protagonist, but also re-acquaints us with old friends.

There are those who have complained that Gundam Seed moved too slowly. (please, kids, take your Ritalin. It's called a 'story'.) Destiny has a quicker pace; the action to episode ratio seems to have increased.

While the underlying story may seem painfully familiar at first, it does gain intriguing (and addicting) twists along the way, and the new faces keep you watching.

While it remains to be seen if this sophomore series will truly live up to Seed or its Universal Century predecessors, it's off to a damned fine start - and I'm glad to know that there are still producers and directors who care enough to *try*.