Daniel sat at home, filled with excitement for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.
Ever since he'd seen the trailer, he felt captivated by the mechas. Those sleek lines, the glossy metal bodies—they were flawless.
From what he gathered in the trailer, the story's setup seemed fascinating, especially the conflict between Coordinators and Naturals.
To Daniel, Coordinators appeared to be genetically enhanced humans, while Naturals were people like him. It struck him as a very modern societal conflict.
A few years ago, he'd read a news story about a scientist in his country who used gene-editing to allow two children to be born immune to HIV. Thinking back on it, Daniel felt a chill.
What would happen if gene-editing wasn't banned in the future?
Daniel thought the conflict in the story could actually happen and maybe even be worse. Wealthy families would have "enhanced" children who'd grow increasingly perfect and intelligent, while regular people would have fewer and fewer chances to succeed. Class inequality could become so severe that ordinary people wouldn't stand a chance against Coordinators—even in a fistfight, let alone piloting a mecha.
"Scary stuff," Daniel muttered, shaking his head.
Just then, the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED started on TV.
As the story unfolded, Daniel quickly realized that the main character was the boy from the trailer, named Kira.
"So, then… that guy named Athrun is probably the enemy, huh? And I bet he's Kira's childhood friend."
But…
"The neutral nation, Orb?" Daniel frowned.
Neutrality between nations? In reality, neutrality doesn't truly exist between countries.
As Martin Niemöller once wrote:
"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
The idea that "if your neighbors fall, you'll soon follow" applies here. Watching one country gradually consume others only strengthens it. A powerful aggressor might avoid attacking a "neutral" country right away to avoid a prolonged war with multiple enemies. But what happens once one battlefield is finished?
"This place will end up as a battlefield too, right?" Daniel thought, feeling confident enough to bet his best fan on it.
His guess seemed spot-on, especially since the first episode's title was "False Peace."
Daniel's smile widened as the story progressed and confirmed his thoughts.
The scene shifted to the neutral nation's resource satellite, Heliopolis, where enemy ZAFT warships arrived and sent a team to capture the Gundams.
Taking advantage of the confusion, ZAFT's team quickly seized three out of the five Gundams.
Meanwhile, the protagonist, Kira, discovered that one of the ZAFT soldiers attempting to capture the Gundams was none other than his childhood friend, Athrun Zala.
"I knew it! There was definitely a connection. The Porter loves pulling twists like this," Daniel thought, feeling a growing sense of satisfaction as several of his theories were proven right.
On the screen, the storage area where the Gundams were kept was in flames, erupting with explosions. Kira, along with Earth Federation officer Murrue, boarded the one remaining Gundam, the Strike Gundam.
Boom—!
The cockpit hatch closed just in time to shield them from the blast.
Just then, a catchy background theme started playing.
"Not bad at all," Daniel thought, remembering the OP. Both the OP and the BGM for Gundam SEED were impressive.
"Leave it to Picca Comics," he mused.
Picca was now recognized in the industry as the top company for music scores, producing soundtracks that perfectly fit the scenes.
On-screen, Murrue activated the Gundam, and holographic displays popped up around her, showing the surroundings in real-time.
Slowly pushing the control stick forward, she moved the white Gundam forward, and it rose from the flames, taking its first step forward.
The Gundam stood tall on the ground!
…
"Wow, this is amazing!"
"I agree!"
As the commercial break started, the internet was already buzzing with discussions about Gundam.
Meanwhile, Kevin remained seated on his couch, overwhelmed by the impact of the first episode.
Mobile suits, battleships in space, and life on a colony satellite—these were things he had never seen before!
Or, well, maybe he'd seen battleships, but not like this.
"No wonder the Porter is so popular. If they could make this into a movie, the special effects would be epic! Giant robots are a guy's dream!"
Clearly, a big-screen TV with surround sound was no longer enough for Kevin's newfound love of the show.
"A movie, huh?" said his girlfriend, Rachel, sitting nearby with her legs curled up. She gave Kevin a sideways glance.
She could never understand guys like him. How could he call something this hard and metallic "romantic"?
Then again, maybe it was because she was young and a girl. Either way, this series just didn't resonate with her.
"I wish the Porter would make more romance stories. That's what I'd call romantic," Rachel sighed. "Even if it's a tragedy, I'd still watch it."
"Childish," Kevin scoffed, fully absorbed in Gundam. "What's so interesting about those tearjerkers?"
"Wanna say that again?"
"Yeah, sure! Those youth romances of yours are… amazing!"
Kevin quickly changed his tune.
"Glad to see you've come around."
Rachel set down the laundry board she'd picked up threateningly and nodded approvingly.
But then Kevin added, "But still, not quite as cool as Gundam."
"Kevin!!"
"Ah!"
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