Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-own collection for Gundam Seed Destiny enthusiasts.

Reviewed by Neil Lumbard February 23, 2022

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is the exciting sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam Seed. The series continues to expand on the beloved Mobile Suit Gundam franchise (one of the longest running in anime history). The second installment in the saga takes place two years after the events of the original series. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny was the 10^th installment in the beloved Gundam franchise.

Created by Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is produced by animation studio Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop), Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny was expanded with feature-films and a television special. The series is also executed produced by Seiji Takeda (Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist) and Yasuo Miyakawa (Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE).

The Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Ultra Collector's Edition includes the series in a high-definition remastered form, standard definition form, and the accompanying films. The release has a plethora of content for die-hard fans of the series. No fan of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny will want to overlook the collection.

A new mission unfolds. The stage has been set: new Mobile Suits are being constructed for a brewing war. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed expands the mythos with a new character in the sequel: Shinn Asuka (Kenichi Suzumura) , a member of ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty). Shinn is a special solider who is determined to help ZAFT with the world on the brink of war. As the sequel series explores the war and the battle waged, the stakes are raised as never before.

The war has begun.

The animation on Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is excellent. The series has a strong aesthetic. Under the art direction of Shigemi Ikeda (My Hero Academia, El-Hazard: The Wanderers), Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is a beautiful looking series with good animation – the series had a wonderful team of animators behind-the-scenes. Combined with the compelling cinematography of Takeshi Katsurayama (Dr. Stone, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny achieved a winning combination.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is impressive from a design standpoint as well. The series has effective mechanical design by Kimitoshi Yamane (Cowboy Bebop, The Vision of Escaflowne) and Kunio Okawara (Mobile Suit Gundam, After War Gundam X) for the giant robots waging battle. The series character designs by Hisashi Hirai (Dragon Slayer, Fafner) make a big impression as well (and fit the main characters well).

The music score composed by Toshihiko Sahashi (Digimon Adventure, Black Blood Brothers) is quite engaging as well. The music score provides Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny with an epic backdrop which enhances the action scenes. Sahashi made a score that is fun and well-suited to the mecha series.

Written by Chiaki Morosawa (Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Gear Fighter Dendoh), Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is an interesting saga in the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed franchise. Gundam fans will find the saga has interesting characters and an epic storyline. Morosawa did a solid job with the anime production.

Director Mitsuo Fukuda (Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Future GPX Cyber Formula) amps up the action with Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny and makes a series that is fun for Gundam enthusiasts. With exciting sequences of mecha-battles and direction that showcases the perils of war, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is a series that fans of the franchise will enjoy.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from RightStuf and Sunrise, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio as provided for the remastered edition. The release also includes the original standard definition presentation.

The picture-quality on the high-definition remastered version seem to be considerably better than on the standard-definition version. Fans will still be happy to have the original presentation in 1.33:1 (full frame) but the colors on the original standard-definition edition are less robust looking and there are more artifacts inherent with the source.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio sounds impressively detailed. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The score is well reproduced.

The standard definition presentation of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny includes a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track in English or Japanese. The standard audio tracks lack the same level of definition: the clarity and detail provided doesn't match the high-definition remastered version.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The collectors edition box-set includes a hardcover chip-board art box with an exclusive art-book: The Art and Data of Gundam Seed. The book is 122 pages long and includes gorgeous full-color illustrations showcasing character art and stunning illustrations. The art included in the book is remarkable and will please any fan of the series. The book also includes a map, character guide, mecha guide, and much more.

Some of the other sections highlighted in the book include: an episode guide with notations on the original air date, the HD remaster original streaming dates, the production dates, screenplay credits, storyboard artist notations, unit director information, and other staff production credits related to the character designs, mecha designs, and layout art. The book also provides information on the opening and ending theme music. At the end of the book, fans will be thrilled to find a question and answer section with director Mitsuo Fukuda discussing Gundam Seed and Seed Destiny.

Disc 1:

Textless Opening 1 (HD, 1:30)

Textless Closing 1 (HD, 1:06)

Disc 2:

Interview with Director Mitsuo Fukuda and Line Producer Hiroomi Ikeya

Disc 3:

Textless Opening 2 (HD, 1:34)

Textless Ending 2 (HD, 1:02)

Disc 4:

Director's Concept Music Video 1 (HD, 5:13)

Disc 5:

HD Remaster Box – Promotional Video (HD, 1:39)

HD Remaster Commercials (HD, 00:33)

Disc 6:

Textless Opening 3 (HD, 1:34)

Textless Ending 3 (HD, 1:17)

Disc 7:

Director's Concept Music Video 2 (HD, 4:05)

Director's Concept Music Video 3 (HD, 3:14)

Disc 8:

Director's Concept Music Video 4 (HD, 4:30)

Director's Concept Music Video 5 (HD, 4:06)

Disc 9:

Textless Opening 4 (HD, 3:57)

Textless Ending 4 (HD, 1:00)

Director's Concept Music Video 6 (HD, 4:57)

Disc 10:

Seed Destiny Character Theater 1 (HD, 4:15)

Seed Destiny Character Theater 2 (HD, 4:39)

HD Remaster Box 2 Promotional Video (HD, 1:38)

Director's Concept Music Video 7 (HD, 4:50)

Director's Concept Music Video 8 (HD, 4:08)

BONUS: Gundam Seed Destiny – Standard Definition Collection –

Disc 1 & Disc 2 – Gundam Seed: The Series is presented in standard definition on Blu-ray. The series is presented in Dolby Digital stereo.

Disc 3 – Special Edition Collection (SD)

Special Edition I: The Shattered World

Special Edition II: Their Respective Swords

Special Edition III: Flames of Destiny

Special Edition IV: Price of Freedom

Feature Film: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed C.E. 73 Stargazer (HD, 51:20) as presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo.

Bonus Features on Mobile Suit Gundam Seed C.E. 73 Stargazer:

Promotional Video 1 (HD, 1:58)

Promotional Video 2 (HD, 2:53)

Clean Ending (HD, 2:40)

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny is another exciting installment in the long-running Gundam anime franchise. Fans of mecha series with great action scenes and plenty of thrilling adventure will want to check it out. The Blu-ray release features a high-definition remastered edition alongside the original standard-definition version. The release comes jam-packed with bonus features (including a quality artbook with full-color illustrations and bonus material). No Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny fan should resist. Highly recommended.