Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is the TV anime series that began airing in 2002 as the first Gundam series of the 21st century. The Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series, which includes the sequel TV anime “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY” that began broadcasting in 2004, has sold over 4 million units in total, and its theme song has been on the music charts all over the place. gained fans.
The movie version, which was reported to be in production in 2006, has not been followed up on for a long time, but it has been announced that it will be produced again in 2021 as part of the “GUNDAM SEED PROJECT ignited” project. About 20 years after the TV broadcast, the latest work, “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM”, was released on January 26, 2024. Like the TV anime series, it was directed by Kizuo Fukuda, and featured many of the original cast. Takanori Nishikawa joined Tetsuya Komuro to perform the theme song, and See-Saw was featured in the ending song, making this a reunion of many fans who are familiar with the TV anime series.
Comic Natalie has set up a roundtable discussion with Kotoko Sasaki, Aozora Sorano, and Umi Shinonome, girls who love “Gundam” and have been waiting for such a new work. Three people who are active in different genres, such as voice actors, idols, and gravure idols, hit it off over the topic of “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series.” We will deliver the overflowing thoughts of three people who can’t stop loving “SEED”: “Shoujo manga lovers will be addicted to it,” “Marieu is a true heroine,” and “I admire strong women.”
Interview and text / Photography by Shikyu Nakanishi / Masakazu Takeda
“Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM” preview
Encounter with the “SEED series”
Kotoko Sasaki: The first Gundam series I encountered was SEED.
Aozora Sorano (ARCANA PROJECT) Hey!
Shinonome Umi: That’s right.
Sasaki: When I was little, my brother and father were watching it next to me…I didn’t understand the content at all (lol), but I remember thinking the characters were cute. That’s the first one.
Sorano: Now that you mention it, maybe I was also a “SEED” person at first. I’ve been doing solo activities for quite some time as a “single combat type idol,” and around that time I once received a Gunpla as a gift from a warrior (fan).
Sasaki: Wow, that’s good. A wonderful present.
Sorano: That was my first introduction to Gundam, and when I thought about it, the first Gunpla I received was a Strike Gundam. So I guess you could say my first Gundam was also “SEED”.
Shinonome: I see. I first fell in love at first sight with a plastic model of Z Gundam (which appeared in “Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam”) that I happened to see in Akihabara when I was a university student. That was 6 or 7 years ago, and up until then I didn’t know a single thing about Gundam.
Sorano: Well, Z was the trigger.
Shinonome: I like variable robots (lol). So I first got hooked on Gunpla, and then I started to wonder, “What kind of background does this kid have?” So I started watching them in order, starting with the first movie in the series, “Mobile Suit Gundam.” Ta. So I watched them all at once when I was in college.
Sasaki/Sorano Amazing…!
Shinonome: I thought, “This time, I’ll watch everything” (lol). First of all, I thought the Freedom Gundam in “SEED” was really cool, so I had been paying attention to it even before watching the anime. So I was excited when Z and Freedom came up in the story. It’s like, “This is where it comes out! You’re so cool!”
Sasaki: It wasn’t because of the characters or the story, but because of the mobile suit.
Shinonome: That’s right. I’m the type of person who is really drawn to the visuals of mobile suits.
Sorano: I also got into Zaku because I like Zaku, so in that sense it might be close. There is a person called “Colonel” who managed us during the solo combat era.
Colonel Shinonome Sasaki (lol).
Sorano: The colonel recommended me a game called “Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Bonds,” which I played at an arcade, and the game I got into was Zaku II Kai (which appeared in “Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket”). It was an aircraft. At that time, I fell in love with the visuals and thought, “Zaku II Kai is so cute…!”
Sasaki: It’s not “cool”, it’s “cute”.
Sorano: That’s right!
Shinonome: Isn’t it cute… Well, it’s true, it’s round.
Sorano: It’s round, it has a muddy look with something like that gas hose attached to it, and the mono-eye is really cute! After that, there was a period where I thought, “I don’t know anything about the work, but I love Zaku.”
Shinonome: It’s certainly quite similar. I thought it was rare for a woman to enter from a mobile suit, but…what about Kocchan (Sasaki)?
Sasaki: In my case, the character was the entry point. I started liking watching anime when I was around junior high school, but I suddenly remembered that the anime I watched when I was a kid had some really attractive characters, so I watched SEED again. When I saw it, I was hooked.
Sorano: Are there any characters in particular that you were drawn to?
Sasaki: This may be a bit strange, but the halo is cute…
Shinonome/Sorano Haro is cute!
Sasaki: So at first I watched it thinking, “Hello, it’s cute,” but when I watched it after I was old enough to understand things, I realized that there were some really strong women in SEED. Lacus, Cagalli, Murruu…I felt a sense of admiration for them, thinking, “I want to be a strong woman like them too!” and I got more and more into them.
Sorano: That’s an incredibly clean perspective…!
Gundam that people who like girls’ manga will be addicted to
Sorano: Haro also appears in various colors in SEED, right? Including that, I think SEED is a work that falls into the pop category even within the Gundam series.
Sasaki: Indeed…!
Shinonome: I understand. First of all, the character designs are pop. I think the appeal of “SEED” is that there are so many beautiful characters, and I wonder if that’s because it’s a coordinator? Something like that (laughs). Because it has been beautifully customized through genetic manipulation…
Sorano: In fact, there were depictions like that. There’s a scene where they adjust the face of the unborn child (lol).
Shinonome There it was! (Laughs) That’s why “SEED” is so popular among girls. It’s wrong to say “girls” and “boys” though.
Sasaki: But it’s true that all the characters are cute and cool.
Shinonome: I’ve always really liked girls’ manga, and I was surrounded by a lot of girls’ manga geeks, and it was through SEED that they first got hooked on Gundam. That’s why I think “SEED” is a Gundam that people who like girls’ manga can get into.
Sorano: I understand!
Shinonome: The romance elements are also portrayed quite carefully. I was like, “Are you really going to draw that much?” “Is this kind of scene okay?”
Sorano: Frey’s love scenes are amazing.
Shinonome: Frey-san (lol). That person is a bit of an evil woman… Lacus is also quite an evil woman, but I think it’s interesting that “SEED” is unique in that it depicts not only cuteness but also real humanity.
Sasaki: Lacus isn’t exactly trying to manipulate men, but she did give away Freedom, which belonged to ZAFT, to Kira without permission…
Shinonome/Sorano Ahahahaha! (lol)
Sasaki: He is a person who is able to objectively understand what is appropriate to do at the moment and act appropriately, without getting caught up in his own or the other person’s position. I think women who can think like that are amazing, so I think what attracted me most was the inner charm of that character.
Sorano: That’s a refreshing perspective…it’s wonderful.
Shinonome: By the way, I like Mia, who played Lacus’s Kagemusha, the most visually.
Sorano: Yeah! A Mia fan!?
Shinonome: It’s pretty sexy, isn’t it? That’s what I yearn for. Also, Mia’s original appearance looked a bit like me… plain, black hair, and freckles. That’s why I felt a sense of kinship with her, and I thought to myself, “If I try hard, I too can become Lacus, like Mia.”
Sasaki I want to be like this! That’s what I admire.
Sorano: When it comes to visuals, I think Luna Maria.
Shinonome: That’s because Aonyan (Sorano) likes Zaku (lol). Isn’t there a buff saying “Because he’s riding a Zaku Warrior”?
Sorano: That’s one thing, but it’s still knee-high! After all, you’re wearing knee highs to go to battle, right? Isn’t knee-high military uniforms amazing?
Shinonome: Ah, that’s true (lol). If she were a girl, you’d understand, but she would always go back and forth in the middle. It should only be a hindrance in battle.
Sasaki (laughs). For me, if I were to choose visually, Frey would be the best…
Shinonome/Sorano Yeah! Surprising!
Sasaki: She has a look and personality that seems to be aimed at appealing to men, but I think her feminine side is attractive.
Sorano: It certainly looks really cute at first glance. The inside is all mushy (lol).
Sasaki: That’s right. Personally, I’m like, “A little scary…!”
Shinonome: I didn’t include her as a candidate from the beginning because of her personality, but if you think about it calmly, Frey’s visuals might be at the strongest level.
Sasaki: If it’s just the looks, I like Frey the most. …Oh, I said “only” (lol).
Shinonome: Hahahahaha (lol).
Sorano It’s okay! It’s not a gaffe because it’s what everyone thinks.
Sasaki Ufufufu.
I think Marie is the true heroine.
Shinonome: In terms of relationships between characters, I’m already a big fan of the couple Athrun and Cagalli.
Sasaki: That’s good…!
Sorano: Are you a big fan? What is “geki”?
Shinonome: It’s intense. Athrun is a bit weak or indecisive, but Cagalli is the type who pulls him along like, “You should be here!” And not only is he pushy, but he also worries with him. I’ll cry with you.
Sorano: She’s a good woman (lol).
Shinonome: Both Athrun and Cagalli need each other. I think it’s great to have a relationship like that where you feel happy just being together. Too precious. Athrun was originally engaged to Lacus, but I thought she would never be compatible with him.
Sasaki and Sorano (lol).
Shinonome: Don’t you think so? There was a scene where Athrun was flustered when Lacus asked him questions like, “What do you believe in and fight for? Is it a medal? Is it your father’s orders?”
Sorano: When people come at Athrun strongly like that, Athrun gets “wow”. I’m also indecisive so I totally get it (lol).
Shinonome: Hahaha (lol). Athrun gets like this when Lacus approaches him, and Cagalli worries about it with him.
Sorano: Indeed! There’s a part of me that guides me.
Shinonome: That’s right. Does Kocchan have a favorite couple?
Sasaki: For me, Lacus and Kira…
Sorano: Wow, that’s the real deal! As expected of someone with a pure heart!
Sasaki: It’s a common practice, but I like that both of them are really good people and have a sense of perspective. I think it’s amazing how couples can think about what they should do for the world first, rather than their own desires. Moreover, he can judge things accurately and act accordingly…
Sorano: Both of you have a wide perspective.
Sasaki: Yes, it’s spacious! I thought it was nice to feel like they were like God, or like, “Let’s make the world a better place together.” It’s not like that in the beginning, but as the story progresses, Kira in particular grows more and more and becomes like that.
Shinonome: There’s definitely the influence of Lacus. After all, someone like Kira is a better match for Lacus than Athrun.
Sorano: I see (lol). I don’t know…I really like Murrieu Ramius, so I guess Murrieu-san and Muu-san.
Shinonome/Sasaki Ah…!
Shinonome: It’s an adult romance, isn’t it?
Sorano: Yes. So if I had watched SEED when I was little, I don’t think I would have understood how great that relationship was. I think they are a couple guided by destiny, who are guided by each other no matter how far apart they are. Especially in “DESTINY”, Mu-san has a lot going for him. It’s like his memory was manipulated and he became an enemy. But after going through that, he remembered a lot of things when he was in a difficult situation, and ended up helping Marie-san…
Shinonome: I love that scene.
Sasaki (nodding repeatedly)
Sorano: It’s already a girls’ manga! Something like that (laughs). I never thought I would be able to see this trend in Gundam! There is also a feeling of excitement.
Shinonome: Those two don’t talk that much. I think it’s romantic to feel that we can understand each other without exchanging many words.
Sorano: That’s right! You’re an adult, aren’t you?
Shinonome: I also really like the visuals of Marie.
Sorano: Personally, I think Marie is a true heroine.
Shinonome/Sasaki Wow.