Fanlistings?

What is a fanlisting? It's pretty much what it sounds; a list of fans of a certain subject. In this case, that subject is Cagalli Yula Athha, a character from the anime Gundam SEED. If you'd like more information or links to fanlistings, head on over to TheFanlistings.Org or AnimeFanlistings.Org (where we're listed), for anime/manga-specific ones.

Gundam SEED?

Gundam SEED is a fairly well-known anime series, a newer installment in the popular Gundam series. Its full name is actually "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED", but most people tend to abbreviate it to Gundam SEED (or even just SEED on occasion) as it's easier to say ;) Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny have very little relevance to other well-known installments such as Gundam Wing, so it's probably better not to wait around for Heero or Relena to make an appearance ^^; Gundam SEED began airing in Japan in early October of 2002, although it's still being aired all over the world now, and is still growing in popularity.

To put it in a (very) condensed form, the series revolves around Kira Yamato, a young man from a neutral colony that is unexpectedly attacked by the ZAFT forces that are at war with the Earth Alliance. Through a chance coincidence, Kira becomes the pilot of the Strike Gundam, a deadly new mobile suit weapon being developed by the Earth Alliance to combat ZAFT; the other Gundams, however, are stolen by ZAFT pilots, one of them including Kira's childhood best friend, Athrun Zala. Gundam SEED has themes of racism, genocide and the effect that war has on both civilians who are caught up in it and the soldiers who fight in it. Gundam SEED Destiny is the sequel series to Gundam SEED, taking place two years after the events of the final episode.

Cagalli?

Cagalli Yula Athha is one of the four main characters of Gundam SEED. She appears in the very first episode (although she is confused for a boy due to her ambiguous attire and boyish voice, something which becomes a running joke throughout the series), although she doesn't appear for a good few episodes after, eventually reappearing when Kira and company wind up on earth. As a warning, the next paragraph does contain spoilers as to Cagalli's history.

Cagalli is the daughter of Uzumi Nara Athha, a high-ranking member of the ORB Union, a group who prefer to remain neutral in the war between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. Cagalli is essentially a runaway for some time; she leaves first to find out whether ORB are helping the Earth Alliance develop weapons, and then to aid the Desert Dawn Resistance Movement. She does, however, eventually return home (along with Kira and the crew of the Archangel) and manages to reconcile with her father, albeit only a bit before he meets his end. It is revealed soon after that, in reality, Uzumi is her adopted father and that she is really the twin sister of Kira Yamato. (It is, perhaps then, good that Fllay interfered whenever possible to ensure that Kira did not develop feelings for Cagalli.) Although it isn't revealed to my knowledge who was born first, Cagalli prefers to think of herself as the elder sibling.

Throughout the series, Cagalli proves herself to be a strong, if emotional and reckless character, her tomboyish attitude contrasting well with the more placid, sweet fellow female lead, Lacus Clyne. Cagalli is a fiery, passionate -albeit flawed- character; she wants to experience the world and find out the truth for herself, but she is naive and often reckless.

Why?

Cagalli was a character I picked out to like from the get go, although I have to admit, I thought she was a boy when she first appeared ^^; (To be fair, I thought Kira and Athrun were girls, so it's probably just me. xD) When she reappeared after her first appearance on Heliopolis, I was glad, and I was even happier to see what a cool character she turned out to be. What I really like about Cagalli -and all of the Gundam SEED girls, really- is that she seems like a very real character to me; I can totally relate to her actions and feelings. She's a flawed person, but more importantly, she's a good person, and she's striving to do the right thing. I really liked and admired her character for that. I'm so glad I got the chance to run this fanlisting ^_^