Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (or "Gundam SEED") is an anime television series from Japan. It is a part of the Gundam franchise that started in 1979, but takes place in an alternate universe called Cosmic Era. The series has 50 episodes, aired in Japan from October 5, 2002 to September 27, 2003.
Directed by Mitsuo Fukuda (Future GPX Cyber Formula and Gear Fighter Dendoh), the series is set in an alternate universe to the original series, the Cosmic Era universe. This series begins with a war between Earth and the colonies that is similar to the One Year War of the original Gundam series with elements from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing and After War Gundam X. On one side is the Earth Alliance, and on the opposite is the space colonies that form ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty). Mankind has evolved into new forms through genetic engineering, with normal humans known as 'Naturals' and the genetically altered known as 'Coordinators'. Like the original series, ZAFT has a head start on mobile suit design, the Earth Alliance quickly catches up with its five prototype Gundams. With ZAFT having stolen four of the prototypes, young pilot Kira Yamato takes the Strike Gundam and is forced to fight his old friend Athrun Zala. Like Gundam Wing, Gundam SEED also started with similar plot lines to the first Gundam series. But later on in the series Gundam SEED took off into its own original plotline.
The American edition is currently being broadcast on Cartoon Network as of April 2004 at 10:30 pm on Toonami. Although things that were edited out on Cartoon Network are violent images (ex. all references to the sexual relationship between Kira and Flay); almost all shots of pilots, including main characters, in their cockpits before having their machines destroyed as well as cold-blooded or brutal murders that are non-mobile suit related (ex. Signel Clyne getting shot by ZAFT soldiers loyal to Patrick Zala); all references to the facts that the Living CPUs need to take performance enhancing drugs; and most notoriously, all handguns being transformed into neon-colored lasers, dubbed "Disco Guns" by fans, for the majority of the show's run. The Canadian version debuted on YTV's Bionix block in September 2004 at 9:30 pm where it got a slightly better reception and aired comparitively uncut.
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