Okay, so I’ve been a huge Gundam fan since, like, forever. And when SEED Freedom came out, I was hyped! I mean, SEED and Destiny? Classics! But the animation style has changed a lot over the years, so I wanted to see for myself how they made Freedom look so good. I did some digging, and here’s what I found, and how I went about it.
My Little Research Journey
First, I just watched the movie. Multiple times. Gotta get that initial impression, right? I was looking at the character designs, the mech battles, the backgrounds… everything! I was mostly trying to see if it was mostly traditional 2D animation or if they used a lot of 3D CGI.
Then, I hit up some forums and fan sites. You know, the usual places where Gundam nerds like me hang out. I wanted to see what other people were saying, if they had any inside info.
Next, I started looking for official sources. Production notes, interviews with the animators, anything like that. This is where things got a little trickier, ’cause a lot of it’s in Japanese. Thank goodness for online translators, though they’re not always perfect.
What I Figured Out
From what I could gather, SEED Freedom uses a mix of techniques. It’s not all one thing, which is pretty common these days.
- Character Animation: It seemed like the characters were mostly hand-drawn, the good old-fashioned way. They have that classic anime look, but with some modern touches. I noticed they use a lot of shading which is nice.
- Mecha Battles: This is where the CGI really shines. The mobile suits, those giant robots, are almost certainly 3D models. It lets them do those crazy, dynamic fight scenes that would be super hard to draw by hand.
- Backgrounds:It also uses CGI to assist with the backgrounds, I noticed a lot of 3D use to create shading.
So, yeah, it’s a mix. They’re taking advantage of what each technique does best. Hand-drawn animation is great for expressive characters, and CGI is perfect for complex mechanical designs and fast-paced action, and sometimes even creating impressive background!
Honestly, I think they did a great job. SEED Freedom looks amazing. It respects the original style but also feels modern and fresh. A very good movie to see the quality of new animation.