Series: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny V5 started with the basic premise is the same; mankind is always involved in a technological struggle for superiority that will allow different groups to promote themselves at the expense of others. That may sum up the entire franchise but wouldn't do for a review of this volume so here are a few insights that were slightly marred by the out of order viewing I had to go with. One of the main characters of the series is Athrun, a coordinator raised by his ruling father for greatness. His dad died in the last series trying to wipe out the naturals through various means but Athrun saw the folly in such a course of action so he took up arms to defeat all who would callously kill and maim in the name of super greater calling. The initial plot point of this series dealt with a small group of well armed, well financed, terrorists that refuse to let bygones be bygones mere months after the close of the previous war. In the name of Athrun's deceased father, the terrorists forward a plan to launch the Junius Seven asteroid memorial onto Earth, thereby wiping out all the inhabitants of the planet and claiming what they see as revenge (and their destiny to supplant the human race) for the travesties of the war. By the time anyone notices the massive memorial heading towards the planet, the foregone conclusion that little can be done to stop it burns deeply inside all who watch the rock drifting ever closer to Earth. The other major player in Shin, a man struggling with the loss of his family as he gains access to the most advanced Gundam created, given to him in the hopes of balancing out some of the more extreme elements from all three of the factions of humanity.

Well, needless to say, the people of Earth aren't going without a fighting shot so they try to embark on a plan that stops the memorial, the public soon finding it really was a hostile force behind it. Shin and the crew of the Minerva manage to assist in saving the day to an extent but the loss of life is still more than the public can bear and they are soon calling for all out hostilities to begin again. With Orb, ZAFT and Plant about to reignite the conflict in earnest, will anyone be the voice of reason against the folly of war? The second volume did establish the ZAFT Chairman as a friend to Shin, giving him complete control over the most advanced Gundam yet; free of influence from anyone, including himself, only to have Shin act on his own conscience. While a dangerous ploy to trust the young fighter, the Chairman realizes that to break the cycle of violence, someone from an outside force will need to step up to the plate, Shin being his best hope of the survival of all concerned. The third volume expanded upon the idea with the crew of the Minerva leaving Orb, only to be attacked when they hit international waters. The changing alliances required that sacrifices be made, apparently old friends being first on the list. That leads Shin to take a reckless course of action (nothing new there) and kidnap his friend (and their leader, Cagalli), which fuels yet another thread of intrigue as the event is downplayed by the nation for the benefit of the scheming elements trying to take over her role.

All of which leads us to the four episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny V5, comprised of episodes 19) The Hidden Truth, 20) Past, 21) Wandering Eyes, and 22) Sword of the Blue Skies. Having saved the day time and again, the crew of the Minerva repair some of the damage they've taken and allow Athrun, Shinn, and some of the others a chance at some rest and relaxation. An encounter with Chairman Durandal where the head of state discusses the finer points of war with the pilots shows that he is not only shrewd, but displays a willingness to use all the means at his disposal to try and stave off the conflict if at all possible. During the lull in action, Shinn rescues an attractive woman his age, diving off a cliff to keep her from meeting her maker in the briny deep off the cliff near the city where he's stationed. There was some nudity involved but his gallantry made her a fan, even though neither of them was aware that they were sworn enemies and combat pilots. In a meeting with her warrior comrades, she clings to the hope Shinn gave her, all while the Alliance readies its war machine for another attack, forcing ORB to take the lead this time, lest their alliance be torn asunder. Just as things heat up, a surprise makes things even more interesting, with all sorts of subplots getting screen time too.

Well, I like the series and there were some fine moments to this volume as well but one whole episode was used for the recap and major portions of the others spent precious time reevaluating events that went on before as well. This was in addition to a sparse number of extras and that's why I struck me as only being worthy of a Rent It unless taken as part of the greater series (a boxed set would score higher if released at a value oriented price). I still want to see what happens but the air of sameness permeated the episodes and some great opportunities were cast aside during the rescue or the imposter trying to win Shinn's heart so while it was decent, it simply didn't measure up in many ways to some of what has taken place before.

Picture: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny V5 was presented in its original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as made in Japan. The colors, image, and clarity of the show were all top notch with no compression artifacts or noticeable video noise. Most of the show looked like it was traditionally made with some help from computers but every once in awhile, some CGI was employed that stood out like a sore thumb (usually on the capital ships during their flight sequences). For the most part, the show was handled nicely in this area and I only wish other series had so much attention to detail.

Sound: The audio was presented with the usual two choices, a 2.0 Dolby Digital track in the original Japanese with English subtitles or the newly made English dub. I thought the voice acting on each had some merit, with slight nods to the original cast, but even the dub managed to give me a decent feel for the material. If you're a purist, you might want to at least listen to the dub, especially since the sound effects appeared to be remixed a bit in order to use the stereo aspects of the audio track more thoroughly. I also noticed the music score being somewhat richer this time on the dub, with a spot check revealing that this was the case in the last couple of volumes. It was pleasing to hear Japanese pop singer Nami Tamaki back on the ending credits, though I enjoyed the music a lot this time just as always.

Extras: The only extras this time were a montage of scenes put to the song Pride, a limited look at the characters in a profile piece, and the usual trailers (that most of you don't count as an extra). There were no paper inserts in my copy of the movie either.

Final Thoughts: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny V5 provided me with precious little to continue my appreciative glance at the series, even though I'm a fan of the franchise in general. Character development is very important but some of it this time felt like an anvil from the Lupin series falling on my head in a lack of subtlety. The introduction of a new pilot only served to dilute the main characters and some of the background story really needed more work on the part of the writers in my opinion, though if you cherish "more of the same" like some seem apt to do, you'll find it as good as some of the many copycats on the market.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVD Talk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003, Best Of Anime 2004, and Best of Anime 2005 articles or their regular column Anime Talk.