>>23399041
I would bet that's not why the scene was changed. Fukuda has specifically said that Gundam Seed shields are also weapons. Other Gundam shows treat shields as disposable, but Fukuda said that Seed Shields are weapons that can directly be used in combat, and have a lot of destructive potential. Like a shield bash or a hitting weapon.
Fukuda is also a fan of dynamic combat and every part of the suit playing a role in combat. In the original scene, Strike isn't doing anything with the shield in the left arm. It's just hanging there. Fukuda strongly dislikes that. The suit must always be doing something with both arms. So the scene was redone so the Strike's left arm is playing a role.
That's why beam sabers always attack the shield first. Because it's a literal threat. If the pilot ignores the enemy shield, then you will get situations like:
- Athrun throwing his shield as a weapon
- Kira ramming the enemy with Strike shield and Freedom's shield.
- Athrun ramming an enemy with his Zaku spike shield
- Etc etc.
- Everytime a shield is ignored by an enemy, it gets turned into a weapon.
The sabers aren't clashing other sabers because they can't. The sabers are clashing the shields because that's only way to stop the shields from being a threat.
Even in the Seed movie, shields are huge threats. They have hidden weapons and can fly around. If you watch the movie carefully, the Black Knights specifically target Freedom's shield FIRST because clashing against its beam saber. I don't know why Seed fans ignore the importance of shields and how much they mean to Fukuda. He has said how important shields are several times. He views them as just as almost as much a threat as beam sabers when it comes to combat.
