Okay. Boy. SEED Freedom. I have read a frankly obscene amount of Japanese reviews and summaries, as well as watched all the leaked clips currently available. That is what I am basing my info on - take it with an according grain of salt.

SEED Freedom is a fanservice movie - the ships get content, the MS get content, there is a lot of gags, and a LOT is crammed into very little time. I am so shocked by how erratic the clips feel, with no scene actually having any time to breathe... Japanese audiences are largely very positive on it though, it seems to have really hit the SEED nostalgia spot. I have seen some reviews say that the story is best not thought about too deeply though and.... breathes in. OH BOY.

On the positive end, I do think that the Kira/Lacus content honestly sounds pretty decent. After years of living together as quasi husband and wife, they're reevaluating their relationship here and end on a kiss scene (possibly their first ever kiss). Kira spends the movie agonizing over his place in the world, and whether he has anything to offer other than fighting - which leads him to feeling like he has nothing he can actually offer to Lacus.

Through some cringeworthy double cheating scare (Kira sees Lacus and Orphee, Lacus sees Kira and Agnes) they're made to confront their emotions for each other. Kira lands on the conclusion of "I don't love Lacus because I need her, I need her because I love her" which I think is a GREAT step for him to take. Overall it really sounds like Kira is finally waking up out of his frozen traumatized state he spent most of the TV shows in, and is reconnecting to his emotions and desires. I LIKE THAT. I THINK THIS IS GOOD.

I was initially pretty meh on Lacus being in the cockpit (I am like the opposite of Cagalli fans in this regard - pls no fighting, only politics), but I do think that it serves a thematic purpose here. By joining him in combat Lacus is stepping down from a 'pure' pedestal and meeting Kira where he is, eye to eye, together. So like. GOOD FOR THEM.

On the relationship front, I have also only heard good things about Shinn and Lunamaria, so I am VERY VERY excited to see them being a happy couple.

The gags sound overall fun, even if a bit too much on the silly side, so like. I am excited for that too. The character interaction level of the movie sounds overall solid.

However.

The plot.

Okay. Okay. Hoo boy. Here's the lore most summaries only mention tangentially.

Aura, who is actually very old, was a researcher at Mendel because who WASN'T at this point. There she made her own breed of super mega Coordinators who are simply perfect in every regard and also have mind control powers: the Accords. Lacus is one such Accord - apparently her mother was a coconspirator of Aura's here. Also Aura wants the Destiny Plan except it is less the Destiny Plan and more 'my Accords are meant to lead mankind bc they are so utterly perfect and better than everyone'. For those purposes, Lacus is designated as Orphee's bride - they are meant to be the ruling couple of the world.

Yeah.

Oh and also being an Accord might cure Lacus of having any Coordinator-typical fertility issues. This is only brought up in very few reviews, so part of me is still hoping that it's fake but. WHO KNOWS.

Oh and ALSO also: Kira might have been a BOTCHED ATTEMPT at making an Accord. Lmao. God.

So. Where do we even start with all this?????? For a small thing: I really do wonder what this means for Durandal. Did he know about Lacus? Did he just never tell Rau? Is the Destiny Plan even his or did he just kinda steal it?? QUESTIONS NO REVIEWS IS ANSWERING FOR ME, I am dying.

Onward to the big picture: this fucks up everything I ever thought the Cosmic Era was about, majorly.

A.) If the fertility thing is true (and giving the mother-theming of the movie and Lacus being in the amazing wombsuit I am inclined to think it is), this just totally undermines the logic that I thought the Clyne faction showed in SEED. Where Patrick Zala was arguing that Coordinators are a new evolved better species, Lacus and Siegel were like 'bro we can't even sustain ourselves for a few generations, we're not a new species man!!!'

In my old read, this played into a general theme of SEED that making Coordinators was a mistake but they're here now, so they deserve to live as much as anyone. I thought the implied solution was to breed with Naturals again and let 'pure' Coordinators die out.

.... well, if the fertility issue is solved then I guess Coordinators ARE good to go to be a new better species??? Like, I don't know, it really just fucks with something that was a pretty major lorepoint before.

B.) Look, I have always argued that Lacus is someone with the natural talent to be a villain but who absolutely refuses to be, no matter how skilled at it she is and how easy it'd be for her. I DID NOT MEAN 'GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TO BE A VILLAIN'; MAN!!! THIS IS THE WORST MONKEY'S PAW CURL!!!

It just puts such a strange spin on how politically important Lacus winds up being to the Cosmic Era. A lot of Destiny is about Lacus trying to step away but the power vacuum she left behind being extremely dangerous, thus forcing her hand in returning to politics. It's a heartbreaking story about not being able to escape or erase the figure you've been turned into. Lacus accepting a government position is her bad end.

But like. if she's genetically engineered to rule the world, then what does this even say now? The world DOES need a supreme leader who is genetically meant to be a supreme leader?? (Durandal is giggling from beyond the grave, I am sure.)

Making Lacus' talents a genetically built-in part of her that the villains decided on makes her failing to escape administrative power just SO much more pessimistic - the whole narrative suddenly supports the idea of the world needing to be lead by superhumans.

C.) You know how so much of SEED was about how Kira's position as the Ultimate Coordinator isolates him from others? And in a lot of ways him finding companionship and people he can live with as equals is like... a denial of that isolation.

Which. Which just.

Okay now his partner is ALSO a super Coordinator and Kira is not alone bc there literally is someone sort-of of his kind by his side.

Lacus spends the movie rejecting that she has to be with Orphee just bc they are both Accords, but then she goes to be with Kira who is also a Super Superhuman so it's kind of. Clumsy at best.

D.) People have always complained that Kira going 'I am just a normal person!!!' is incongruent with the reality of his physical capabilities, but Kira alone rejecting his role as being superior felt thematically sound to me. But now we have BOTH Kira AND Lacus doing that, while at the same time holding administrative positions of power in the world.............. so like. Ok then.

'Clumsy at best' is really the most optimistic read I have on this right now, but mostly I feel like this movie took a lot of the themes I thought SEED had out back and shot them.

Maybe I am wrong and it's not that bad. I have not seen the movie yet. I have not read the novel yet. I will do both as soon as I possibly can. For now, I simply remain with these feelings...

... and you know what's the kicker? Lacus doesn't even get to ride the motorbike she's posing on in the trailer! KIRA IS THE DRIVER!!! WOW!! FALSE ADVERTISING MUCH???