Mobile Suit Gunam SEED (機動戦士ガンダムSEED [シード], Kidō Senshi Gandamu SEED [Shīdo]?), shortened to Gundam SEED, is an anime television series by Sunrise. It is a part of the Gundam franchise that started in 1979, but takes place in an alternate universe called the Cosmic Era. The series spanned 50 episodes, aired in Japan from October 5, 2002 to September 27, 2003 at 6:00 p.m. on the JNN TV stations TBS and MBS. The series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 2002. Gundam SEED's story continues in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.