Not enough development with Marina and Setsuna to make me believe that she had that great an impact on him though. That seemed forced or at worst, a ‘crush’.

I absolutely hate the design of that crappy gold Gundam that looked like a goldfish with arms. It looked like it came right out of an episode of Galaxy Angels or something.

They could’ve at least made it look cooler.

Other than those, everything was great. All my friends are pissed that their beloved Lockon died though. He was like, everyone’s favorite character.

On a positive note, it embraces the current world situation with an interesting twist, the moral ambiguity makes it stark and realistic and the machinations of the plot are complex and well-done for the most part.

Unfortunately, I felt that the main character development was strongly absent - with most of it coming near the end, and suddenly at that.

Setsuna - who appears to the main protagonist (or atleast piloting the signature Gundam) - had a harsh and realistic back-story but nothing more.

The supporting characters brought more life into the proceedings and I liked them far more than the main ones save Lockon Stratos/Neil Dilandy. He alone came across as amicable, believable and genuine.

Music and art were rather well-done and I did like some of the battle scenes.

The last few episodes were done in painstaking detail and that is where the series showcased the best of emotion and presentation. To say that some of the deaths were heart-wrenching is an understatement.

It’s a mixed series overall, but there’s enough quality that you do become involved in it.