Shinn and Lunamaria

access: Twist
adopted in Mar. 2006
anime/manga relationship
in need of a facelift

After watching Gundam SEED's fanbase grow exponentially for a year, Sunrise was ready to please its fans once more with a direct sequel, namingly Gundam SEED Destiny. Despite disappointing plots and overused visuals, SEED Destiny offered a charming batch of new characters, among which Shinn Asuka and Lunamaria Hawke can be easily spotted.

Shinn and Lunamaria is probably one of the most underappreciated "canon" ships in Gundam history. Given the sudden "switch" of affection (Shinn from Stellar, Lunamaria from Athrun), it can't be helped that their relationship is regularly called a "forced love". However, if one takes a closer look at Shinn's character - the boy who wouldn't waste a word on anyone he's not 100% comfortable with - it's not difficult to figure out how much did Lunamaria's friendship mean to him, whose sunny disposition was a perfect complement to Shinn's dark one.

I plainly adore the chemistry between Shinn and Lunamaria as could be seen from the very beginning. Even if they were not in the midst of a war, they would still have shared something special as long as they were aware of each other's existence - that's what I'd like to believe.

Critic's choice

All tracks are placed in random orders

SEED Destiny had plenty of gorgeous soundtracks that intensified the various dramatic moments between its featured couples. I have specifically set my eyes on the B-side selections from GSD's opening/ending singles, all of which can be considered great matches for both the passionate and the business-like aspect of Shinn and Lunamaria's relationship. Not to mention these songs deserve more credit just like Shinn and Lunamaria as a couple does.