Gundam SEED Ultimate Edition coming May 2021

It’s been a while since we last discussed our Ultimate Edition release of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

Originally planned for release at the tail end of 2020, this unfortunately had to pushed back while we waited for new discs masters that needed to be created.

Since then things have progressed swimmingly and we’re now at a stage where we can give you a full rundown of what will be included in this set!

We had previously only discussed some of the planned contents. Get ready to know everything to expect within this Ultimate Edition.

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Before proceeding please take note that there is an F.A.Q. section at the conclusion of this post, so if you have any questions please do give that a read first as your question may be answered there!

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WHAT’S THE RELEASE DATE?

May 31st 2021.

That’s when you can expect this mammoth release be available, with pre-orders re-opening at our AllTheAnime.com shop on Friday 9th April. (More on that further below.)

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WHAT’S IN THIS SET?

This a release with a fair amount of complexity to it when it comes to content. So we’ll be splitting these details into two sections: What’s in the Box and What’s on the Discs.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

While the contents of this set far exceed any previous Gundam release, we wanted to make sure the overall presentation of this was in keeping with what we have already established with our “Gundam Collection” themed releases. That means we’ve ensured this will slot in nicely next to all of our other Gundam releases you have.

So first of all, let’s show you everything included, and then we’ll get into specifics –

Let’s begin with the outer rigid slipcase that will house all, yes, all the contents you see above.

As mentioned earlier when talking about what’s on the discs, there is the HD Remaster version of the series, as well as the original SD version and the three “Special Edition” films.

Here’s the rigid case that will house the two Amaray cases containing all of the HD Remaster discs.

And then we have this rigid case that will house the two Amaray cases housing the discs with SD version of the series and the movies.

THE ARTBOOK – You’ll have seen it in the visual showing all the contents, but yes there is a whopping 120-page artbook divided into 3 sections: Character, Mecha, and Gallery.

You can see a preview of a few select pages below to give you a taste of what you’ll find inside.

POSTER – There is a 34x40cm poster inside this set too!

ART CARDS – We know many of you out there like to be able to display some of the fantastic art created for an anime on your wall when possible, so we’re including 13 art cards featuring some of that very art!

WHAT’S ON THE DISCS

This Ultimate Edition Blu-ray set will have 13 Blu-ray discs in total, containing:

~ The complete 48 episode Gundam Seed HD Remaster series with viewing options in English (with the new dub for the series) and original Japanese with English subtitles. (1080p, HD Native)

~ The complete 50 episode original version of Gundam Seed on standard definition Blu-ray with viewing options in English (original dub) and original Japanese with English subtitles. (4:3, 480i) [Exclusive to our Ultimate Edition]

~ The three Gundam Seed Special Edition compilation films on standard definition Blu-ray – retelling the series in a condensed form – with viewing options in both English (original dub) and original Japanese with English subtitles. (4:3, 480i) [Exclusive to our Ultimate Edition and never previously released in the UK!]

~ Over 2 hours of on-disc special features including:
• Mecha Animation Director HD Comparisons,
• Six “In This Era” Video Featurettes,
• Director’s Concept Music Videos,
• Textless Opening and Ending title sequences,
• Gundam SEED Character Theatre Shorts,
• The Gundam SEED Epilogue – After Phase: In the Valley of Stars.

And that is what’s included in our Gundam SEED Ultimate Edition Blu-ray release!

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PRE-ORDERS

As we mentioned earlier in this post, we’ll be re-opening pre-orders for this set on Friday 9th April.

After originally taking pre-orders last year before this release has to be pushed back, we have decided we will be having another special early bird pre-order offer.

This pre-order offer period will be running for a month from Friday 9th April until Monday 3rd May.

You can find more details about this special offer at the listing at our shop HERE.

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ABOUT GUNDAM SEED

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F.A.Q. SECTION

~ Why are there two versions of the same show?
You have the original 50 episode version – the one previously released on DVD many years ago here in the UK by Beez Entertainment – and you also now have the HD Remaster Project.

In 2011, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the series, an HD Remaster project of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed was announced and eventually broadcast. This new version of the series would be adapted for a 16:9 (widescreen) presentation – be this by cropping the picture or in some cases more detail being added – as well as some scenes being redrawn. One other key difference though is that this HD remaster version would be a total of 48 episodes. As the original English audio didn’t sync with this new HD Remaster, it also meant that an entirely new English dub was created for the HD Remaster version! As noted above, both of these versions of the series are included in our Ultimate Edition release.

~ Will Gundam Seed be getting a separate Blu-ray release of any kind?
Yes, the HD Remaster version only will have separate releases on Blu-ray outside the Ultimate Edition in the future – however this will will not occur late 2021 at the earliest.

~ What masters are the Gundam SEED HD Remaster Blu-ray discs using?
The home video masters only.

~ Is this Ultimate Edition set a limited edition product?
Yes. Like our Collector’s and/or Deluxe Editions it has a one-time print run.

~ Will the content you’ve said will be exclusive to the Ultimate Edition set actually be exclusive? Or will it get an individual release in future?
Licensing limitations mean that we are unable to release these elements individually, so they’re definitely Ultimate Edition exclusives for the foreseeable future. So if you want the original SD version of Gundam Seed and the movies on Blu-ray, you’ll need to buy the Ultimate Edition.

~ Why doesn’t the original English dub match up / sync up to the HD Remaster?
Because there are fewer episodes combined with other changes in the presentation of the show. Think of it as something similar to why there was a new dub for Escaflowne created a few years ago.

~ Who produced the two English dubs of Gundam Seed?
The original version was produced by The Ocean Group, and the new dub by NYAV Post.

~ What disc masters are you using?
We’ll be using the same re-authored disc masters as those used in North America.

~ You’ve mentioned “Standard Definition Blu-ray”. What’s that?
It’s something we haven’t utilised in the UK before, but the easy way to sum it up is to think of it as DVD content on a Blu-ray disc. It means a lot more episodes can be contained on a single Blu-ray disc.

~ Does this mean you may do more Standard Definition Blu-ray releases in the future?
It’s not something we’re opposed to, but it’s something we’ll consider on a case by case basis. At this time we don’t have plans for other standard definition Blu-ray releases.

~ Will you be releasing Gundam Seed Destiny?
It’s something we hope we can release, but we don’t have any details on if/when that may be as it’s a project with many similar circumstances & complexities to SEED. But suffice to say if/when it is something we can confirm will receive a release, we’ll be sure to make it known.

~ If I’ve already pre-ordered this is it still possible for me to amend/cancel or ask a specific query relating to my order?
Yes. Please send an email including your order number to shop.uk@alltheanime.com and our team will assist as best they can.

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That wraps up this post detailing our Gundam Seed Ultimate Edition! We hope you’re excited for it.

Signing out~!

Jeremy