 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Following the conclusion of 1999's Turn A Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is Bandai's move to bring the franchise into the 21st century. Directed by Mitsuo Fukuda (Future GPX Cyber Formula, Gear Fighter Dendoh), the series was the first set in the alternate universe calendar Cosmic Era (C.E.) 71. The series begins with a war between Earth and the colonies that is similar to the One Year War of the original Gundam series. 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.' Once again, a young civilian who dislikes war finds himself being a Gundam pilot, and this time the hero is a Coordinator named Kira Yamato. At first forced by circumstance to fight his own people, Kira now finds himself in the middle of a war between two genocidal governments. The series aired on Japanese TV from October 2002-September 2003. In March 2004, "Special Edition" compilations began airing in Japan. Also in 2004, Bandai created two short OVA promos for Gundam SEED ASTRAY to promote the SEED-MSV model kit line. The TV series aired on Cartoon Network and is available on DVD. The sequel series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY ran from 2004-05 in Japan.
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