Gundam SEED: A-Star?

[iKhaotic]

Just found a few videos on Youtube which points to a SEED series I've never heard of. It's apparently titled Gundam SEED: A-Star. Here's a few Youtube vids I found, there could be more if you check out the sidebar:

The first one looks to be a story summary or script of some sorts. If anyone could translate that, it would be a great help.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv14fK1V ... re=related
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQTkKg34 ... re=related
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPRQ9ZGe ... re=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdGkUVOq ... re=related
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Sv6yHfR ... re=related
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Sv6yHfR ... re=related
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tbfAY9T ... re=related

From what I've seen in the videos, there's a few new suits that I noticed:
TSX-01-X1 Trias. (0:40 in the second link)
TSX-02R Garland (1:25 in the second link)
GAT-X188 Zihard (1:45 in the second link)
GAT-X105C Strike C (2:24 in the second link)

Also in the second link at 0:59 you can see full body shots of what I assume are the Trias on the right and the Garland on the left.

This is apparently the official site for the series from one of the descriptions in the videos. The site is pretty much empty and has absolutely nothing on it aside from an image of the Trias:
http://gseedastar.wo.to/

I'd like to know the legitimacy of this series and whether it's an unconfirmed project, dropped project, or purely fanwork, which if this was indeed fanwork, I'm speechless at how well made it is. As much as I hate to say it though, I'm kinda leaning towards fanwork since the artwork doesn't fit with any existing Gundam works to my knowledge, although I could be wrong...

Thoughts? Opinions? Speculations?

[Dark Duel]

1. All the material consists of what are essentially slideshows of still imags
2. The character design styles(plural) are inconsistent with every previous work within the Cosmic Era
3. As far as I can see, of the characters portrayed at least in the first couple of videos, none of them are characters we know. And if there's one thing we KNOW about any hypothetical Cosmic Era work that might follow, whether in the mainstream or the side story line, it WILL have returning characters.
4. The mecha design style is inconsistent with Okawara's work
5. Even the mecha designations don't match up with established precedent in half the machines seen: The "TS" prefix used in two of the Gundams has in canon only ever been applied to Earth Alliance mobile armors, with Alliance mobile suits using "GAT".
6. The site is Korean. If this were an official work, it would be Japanese.

Therefore, I'm led to conclude that this is mere fanwork. Really, REALLY damn good fanwork, but fanwork nonetheless.

[iKhaotic]

I figured as much. But going through all that, I was just very hopeful about it being official. When I was looking at the "official" site, I didn't even notice that it was in Korean and not Japanese because I was too busy looking for pictures.

As for the designs, you have a major point there. I noticed that some of the character designs though, looked a lot like Ecole Du Ciel's, so that sort of led me to believe that it had some validity of being official. As for the suit designs, the Trias reminded me a lot of Nu Gundam without the fin funnels mainly due to the color scheme and overall frame.

All that aside, whoever made all this material NEEDS to be hired. If this is all purely fanwork, that person is pretty dedicated to make a full cast of colored characters and mobile suits.

[Deacon Blues]

Given that they say 青臭い韓国人 in the video, you won't see that in ANY official video release. Not a very kind thing to say. I figured this should be obviously fake, but I guess some people just can't tell.

[iKhaotic]

Given that they say 青臭い韓国人 in the video, you won't see that in ANY official video release. Not a very kind thing to say. I figured this should be obviously fake, but I guess some people just can't tell.

I can't exactly read that, so no, not everyone is able to tell it's an obvious fake...

But fine, I'll accept that this is all fanwork now in that case since all the evidence points to that.

[Amadi Akintunde]

Yeah, this is fanwork. I've seen a bunch of this SEED A-Stars stuff uploaded by its creator on dA.

[G-Slayer]

Another clue is found in your first clip, which featured music from Gundam 00.

[Arbiter GUNDAM]

I agree with Dark Duel and the others, definitely fan stuff. As far as I'm concerned, SEED is dead, except for, you know, video games and a few other things. I very, very much doubt we're going to be getting any new animated SEED.

A few years ago, who would have believed we'd get the 00 movie before we got the SEED movie? And yet we did. Now we've had Gundam 00, Trailblazer, and Gundam AGE and Origin coming up. Oh and Unicorn too. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that maybe Sunrise came to the conclusion that, like with Transformers 2, while SEED and Destiny made lots of money, SEED was just OK and Destiny was a horrific train wreck. They probably just figure that they've done their time with it and want to let it go. Oh and you could also say at this point that SEED is "last decade."

[Kuruni]

Well, since Duke Nukem Forever got released , it make sense that fans of all "unrelease" works are given fault hope and will dash toward anything resemble "evidence" that the work isn't dead yet .

[iKhaotic]

Well, since Duke Nukem Forever got released , it make sense that fans of all "unrelease" works are given fault hope and will dash toward anything resemble "evidence" that the work isn't dead yet .

Hey hey hey

There's always hope. I've made peace with A-Star though, but I still believe that there's still plenty more life to be squeezed out of the CE universe. We know how much Bandai loves selling a new Gunpla for literally every minor change to a MS. Do you realize how much money they can get from me (and others) if they'd just animate all of Astray into one whole series? (I know Bandai isn't responsible for it, just saying that they manage the Gunpla).

Yes yes, I love SEED. Destiny, not so much though.

[LightningCount]

A few years ago, who would have believed we'd get the 00 movie before we got the SEED movie? And yet we did. Now we've had Gundam 00, Trailblazer, and Gundam AGE and Origin coming up. Oh and Unicorn too. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that maybe Sunrise came to the conclusion that, like with Transformers 2, while SEED and Destiny made lots of money, SEED was just OK and Destiny was a horrific train wreck. They probably just figure that they've done their time with it and want to let it go. Oh and you could also say at this point that SEED is "last decade."

--Weighing CE (SEED) and AD (00).

It's all ironic and kind of sad, since Sunrise had set up SEED (or CE) to be the "new Universal Century." On the one hand, I wasn't crazy about its overall art direction, but like UC, it could have evolved (and Stargazer showed signs of that). On the other hand, I do think it set up a legitimate modern UC alternative with a lot of potential that could have run a bit longer than it did. (But, on yet another hand, I didn't want CE to cripple Sunrise from making non-CE shows, which, for a while, seemed like it wasn't going to do).

Now, as far as I know, Cosmic Era was more successful than 00 or Unicorn, and was the best run for Gundam across demographics and multimedia since Wing. It is strange that it'd be totally dropped anime-wise, even in spite of MBF-06/ZGMF-X12A Arbiter's wise assessment, given how popular CE was. I think it probably has a built-in base, but as time goes on, maybe it was decided it wasn't wise to go to that base any longer and think about the past. Time and fads move fast in Japan. (I still remember it being said somewhere a long time ago that Sunrise wanted a "Char's Counterattack"-quality event to wrap up SEED and leave it fondly in people's minds).

Regardless, 00's tease-based writing and lead-you-on/hodgepodge 2nd season is the only reason one could say 00 "needed" a movie, which wasn't much better reasoning than giving CE a real movie. So, I find that tragic. And 00 was so rushed as a story, and so caught up in extending itself by uneventful side-steps for the sake of a movie to market, that I feel it was a wasted opportunity in the end. I mean, if there was no need to go back to CE, then they shouldn't have rushed 00, which kind of came off as the cliff-notes of what could/should have been two 49-episode seasons. Arguably, the AD universe shot itself in the foot and wasted more potential than the CE universe.

[Kuruni]

Cosmic Era was more successful than 00 or Unicorn

Don't mean to be rude, but I alway wonder what people are thinking when compare "setting" to single series? (and in case of Unicorn, a running OVAs to two TV series noneteless - OVAs aren't free to start, kind of like saying "Solitair is more successful than WoW )

Not to menion that Unicorn model sell much better, IIRC - and that's exactly what Bandai care about.

[iKhaotic]

Not to menion that Unicorn model sell much better, IIRC - and that's exactly what Bandai care about.

Exactly what I was getting at. As far as I could tell from seeing what people buy Gunpla-wise at anime conventions, CE kits are typically the most popular, followed by the more recent 00 kits. If Bandai has any say (which I doubt) on what Sunrise should work on next, it'd be a no brainer for them to suggest more CE series IMO.

[Propellant]

TSX-02R Garland (1:25 in the second link)

Does it transform into a motorcycle?

I really wouldn't mind that SEED movie finally getting made.Did fukuda make anything after Destiny?

[ShonenNinja]

I really wouldn't mind that SEED movie finally getting made.Did fukuda make anything after Destiny?

Nope, nothing since his wife gotten sick.

[Kuruni]

Not to menion that Unicorn model sell much better, IIRC - and that's exactly what Bandai care about.

Exactly what I was getting at. As far as I could tell from seeing what people buy Gunpla-wise at anime conventions, CE kits are typically the most popular, followed by the more recent 00 kits. If Bandai has any say (which I doubt) on what Sunrise should work on next, it'd be a no brainer for them to suggest more CE series IMO.

Really? I still remember the photoes showing mountain of more than 50% discount GSD Gunpla, and the photoes were taken even before GSD end it run.

[Arbiter GUNDAM]

@LightningCount: Lol, in the future, save yourself some grief and just say Arbiter. One of these days I'll have to get it shortened.

I really wouldn't mind that SEED movie finally getting made.Did fukuda make anything after Destiny?

Nope, nothing since his wife gotten sick.

Is she still sick? I had read on a previous post that someone (Fukuda?) had said that there wouldn't be a SEED movie until she got better. Having said that, I reallyx100 don't want Fukuda and Morosawa working on SEED anymore.

Add the fact that it's been about five years and a half since Destiny finished airing and about five years since it's Specials came out. Too much time has passed. If you look at the dates of all the Gundam movies and compilations, almost all of them have come out about a year or year and a half after the last production.

[iKhaotic]

Really? I still remember the photoes showing mountain of more than 50% discount GSD Gunpla, and the photoes were taken even before GSD end it run.

Well, I guess my claim was a bit broad. But I do notice that they sell pretty well and fast. Maybe Bandai made too much from popular demand and had overstock when everyone that wanted one had one already lol

[Dendrobium Stamen]

I very vaguely recall those photos; it's worth noting that they don't automatically prove poor sales on the part of Destiny kits, however.

If memory serves, Seed Gunpla sold very, very well - I have vague recollections of a Gunota headline noting that over 10 million Cosmic Era models had been sold in the twelve months from the show's debut in October 2002 (yes, people who remember it being "that new Gundam show", it was nine years ago; I'm surprised myself).

So, it's quite possible, and in fact very likely, that Bandai planned accordingly when releasing kits in the sequel series' product line and produced vast amounts of Gunpla for the Destiny line, and talked retailers into purchasing similarly-vast amounts of stock to sell. Now, I don't have the sales figures - and if anyone does it'd be a big help here - but it's quite possible that Destiny kits still sold pretty well by any standard, but not as well as Bandai had hoped, leaving retailers with a bunch of kits they're willing to discount to get them off their shelves in time for the next line.

To put it in grossly-oversimplified bullet point form:

- Seed kits sell 10 units per retailer in 2002/2003.
- Bandai convinces retailers to take 11 units of Destiny stock in 2004/2005 to meet anticipated demand.
- Retailers end up only selling 9 units' worth of Destiny kits due to lower demand; lower interest in the mecha designs, in all likelihood.
- Retailers then have 2 units left to get off their shelves, and offer hefty discounts simply to recoup something on their costs.

That, to me, seems the most obvious solution. Bandai saw Strike kits flying off the shelves, talked retailers into taking even more Impulse kits, the Japanese fandom didn't like Impulse quite as much so bought less, leaving shop owners with a bunch of Impulse kits to get rid of - discounting being their most effective way of doing so.

And, since Gundam as a franchise more or less demands the fandom to vote with their wallets as to how good a series is... that may have cooled Bandai on funding Sunrise do do another major Cosmic Era project. Fingers crossed they return to it, of course, perhaps with a fresh team at the helm to bring something new to the universe.

[flamingtroll]

I very vaguely recall those photos; it's worth noting that they don't automatically prove poor sales on the part of Destiny kits, however.

If memory serves, Seed Gunpla sold very, very well - I have vague recollections of a Gunota headline noting that over 10 million Cosmic Era models had been sold in the twelve months from the show's debut in October 2002 (yes, people who remember it being "that new Gundam show", it was nine years ago; I'm surprised myself).

While I have yet to find the an updated sales figure on gunpla sold by units per series , here is a perspective on the scale of the gunpla business. By 1984, the total plamo sold was 100 million units. By 2010, it was almost 400 million units sold ( that's almost 3 units per japanese). 10 million over 2 of its peak popularity years is not that great of a performance. By my own personal experience too, the SEED fans are less interested in gunpla in general compared to the UC ones.