Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Early in the show's North American run, Bandai reported that "G Gundam" had the top ratings of any anime show for the period. The company considered the show to be a "hit" at the time. However, officials for Toonami recounted in 2006 that no "Gundam" series earned significant viewer ratings after the first North American airing of "Gundam Wing" in 2000. "G Gundam" received an overall positive critical reception amid its mainstream exposure in the United States. Nonetheless, views on "G Gundam"s plot remain largely mixed. Negative reactions to the plot mostly stem from its stark contrast to preceding "Gundam" entries that have traditionally focused on deep political and social issues in the midst of war. AnimeNation writer John Oppliger considered "G Gundam" to be "the plague of the "Gundam" franchise" and "one of the biggest mis-steps in anime history" due to its elimination of such serious subtext. Both Bamboo Dong of the Anime News Network and Duncan Scott of "Protoculture Addicts" were also initially disappointed for the same reason, with the latter writer feeling that the series features "Gundam" in its title purely for marketing reasons. Derrick L. Tucker of T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews called the series' episodic storyline its "most profound weakness", whereby "the narrative exists to move the viewer from fight to fight". Tucker also found that the potential for its more dramatic themes, such as tension between Domon and Master Asia or Domon's romantic relationship with Rain, is "overshadowed from start to finale by the show's domineering, if repetitive action sets".
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
"Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny" was first announced in July 2004 in Japanese magazines. Earlier, voice actor Seki Tomokazu had stated he was working on a popular show with fans hinting it was related to "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED". Next month, the first trailer from the series was hosted online in its official website. Before the series' premiere, staff member Kabashima Yousuke gave hints about Shinn's character, telling that the "Gundam SEED Destiny"s protagonist would be a character not seen in the prequel, and he would have a thin appearance. The main staff from "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" remained in "Gundam SEED Destiny" including director Mitsuo Fukuda. When the series was premiering in Japan, Fukuda stated that unlike "Gundam SEED", the sequel would not focus on Kira's and Athrun's relationship, but on Shinn's involvement in the war. He addressed that such conflict would happen in the series, but refrained from giving its reasons. In order to add more entertainment to the series, the staff also worked on the fight scenes between mobile suits. Shinn's character was meant to contrast Kira's in regards to their involvement across the series, but as Kira did, he would also go through a major development.