Gundam Wing

I've had the unique experience of watching this as an 8 year old boy who was completely obsessed with Gundam Wing after my uncle gifted this set of (then) VCD's to me. Back then, my priority was always animation, delivery of action scenes and how 'cool' the Gundams were.

Watching it again 16 years later, not only bought nostalgia but more understanding of what the movie transcends and the meaning the artist who made this wants us to interpret. I'm a financial industry professional, so please don't judge my knowledge of film techniques, but the symbolism and effects are really noticeable this time round watching it.

Everything about Gundam Wing is well thought, and has meaning to it. I may be biased because I did watch it as a child but I can honestly say this is the best anime/tv series I have ever seen just with the character development and continuity of storyline.

So I ask you give this series a chance before knocking it off as another knockoff for kids/teens because it is truly fascinating what this series delivers and I can honestly say I will remember this series for the rest of my life.

I have just recently purchased collection one of this awesome series and even after just watching three episodes, I still am mesmerized by sleek styling of the animation and the slow, yet thoughtful actions of the story-telling. I am still a fan.....with some minor pains.

Though this installment into the Gundam saga is very cool and has what the previous series had-a stylish satiric way of telling about the wrongs of war and not letting go of the need to have control or power over everything(sound familiar?), I have to say that this one gets a bit too mellow-dramatic on continuing to explain the lives of the main characters and their incessant need to belly-ache about every thing that happens and what they need to do to stop the OZ group from succeeding in their plans(especially the character called Wufei...I mean he whines more than an American character on a soap opera. Get a counselor,will ya?)

Besides for the over-exaggerated drama(I think that mostly comes from the dubbing of the English voice actors), this series is still very exciting and will still captivate me once again. I mean it can always be worse. It could be like the recent installment, SEED......eeeewwww, talk about mellow-dramatic....I'll chat about that one later.

I absolutely love this show so much.

Because the reason I love the show it's because it has great story, great music and the characters are really cool, and the Gundams are more modern than the other gundams in Mobile Suit Gundam.

If there's a real Gundam Wing movie someday I will go to see it definetly and I will know the movie will be the best.

While I understand that the point of a review is to inform, I am honestly disappointed in the ones posted by my peers. Most of the reviews are either blindly positive or blindly negative. I hope that this review proves to be informative and unbiased, so that it attracts the attention of interested parties.

The plot of Gundam Wing is standard fare for the epic Gundam saga: in the near future, orbiting space colonies are unfairly repressed by a greedy terrestrial government. On the anniversary of a great colonial leader's death, five young rebels go to Earth to wage guerilla warfare on the Earth Alliance. Their weapons: Gundams, giant humanoid battle machines of immense power. As the five boys fight for independence, the Alliance is overthrown by OZ, a secret society run by a powerful military-industrial complex that has been pulling the strings all along. Soon after, the Gundam pilots, their civilian allies, and like-minded members of OZ join forces to take down the warring factions and bring real peace.

With the characters, we have a group of young people who are highly misunderstood by the anime community. Heero Yuy, pilot of Wing Gundam, is a teenage soldier who's been trained to keep his emotions in check to the point where almost seems inhuman. On the civilian side is Relena Darlian, an introverted girl whose lonely upper-class childhood has left her seeking real friendship. The connection that begins with their chance encounter on a beach eventually leads to great emotional growth in them both, as Heero learns to live with his humanity - and his mistakes - and Relena becomes a more assertive, well-rounded person. Completing this classic triangle is ace pilot Zechs Marquise, Relena's long-lost brother, who entered the military so he could exact revenge for the slaying of their parents and the destruction of their homeland. Aiding Heero in his battles are the other four Gundam pilots: the cheerful Duo Maxwell, the somber Trowa Barton, the caring Quatre Winner, and the brash Zhang Wu Fei. On the side of OZ, we have the anachronistically noble Treize Khushrenada, his multi-faceted aide Lady Une, Zechs' old friend Lucrezia Noin, and Dorothy Catalonia, Relena's war-loving rival. Rounding out the main cast are the civilians: rebel soldier Sally Po, the Maganac Corps (a group of soldiers allied to Quatre, junk dealer Howard, and the "mad" scientists who built the Gundams.

The story is carried out pretty well. Most older Gundam series have the problem that they focus on the main character so much that it almost seems like the world revolves around him. With Wing, time is spent with a large number of varying characters, giving us a better picture of the After Colony world. The characters are well-written and exhibit a lot of growth, keeping with the central theme of communication between people. The mechanical designs are skillfully handled by three Gundam veterans: Kunio Okawara, Hajime Katoki, and Junya Ishigaki. The soundtrack features slick pop tunes by Two-Mix and a large number of well-orchestrated background tracks that underscore the action perfectly.

Admittedly, there are some pacing problems (such as two consecutive clip shows), but it all evens out in the end. A lot of people like to trash certain characters (Relena in particular), but as I've seen, most of this springs from their forming an opinion of the characters within their first five minutes on screen and never changing it. Some people complain that the Gundams are too powerful, ignoring the fact that they HAVE to be strong to fight entire armies by themselves. Also, while some say that Wing is "a complete rip-off of the original series", it's actually more original than Gundam Seed, a more recent addition to the family. And there is a bit much in the way of stock footage, but that can be expected with almost any anime.

There's another stumbling block, though: a disproportionate amount of people insist that the entire male cast is homosexual. Despite what the fangirls may say, this is not official. The actual series, and its sequels, show Heero and Relena as very close, with subtle hints at a deeper relationship than the princess and her knight in shining armor.

So, what's the final verdict? Personally, I love this series, so obviously I'm going to recommend it. But I will say this: if you decide to watch Gundam Wing based on my comments, ignore everything you read or hear about it. Watch the series with an open mind and no preconceptions. Don't listen to anyone else, because in the end, the opinion that matters the most is your own.

Gundam Wing is the first installment of the 20 year old Mobile Suit Gundam franchise to make it to american television. And quite frankly, I think that Cartoon Network could have chosen a better introduction. A the same time, they could have done worse as well.

Gundam Wing tells the story of the five Gundam Pilots, young terrorists sent to Earth from the space colonies to take revenge on the death, ten years earlier, of the leader of the Colonies. In the course of their actions, they discover that their true enemy is the secret society OZ. Over it's 49 episodes, this series takes a convoluted plot, and executes it quite well. >

While the story of Gundam Wing is it's greatest strength, it is also the show's greatest weakness. The simple fact is that anyone who knows Gundam has seen it all before... We saw it in Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) and again in Gundam F91 (1990). In addition, Gundam Wing does something else which is contrary to Gundam. It makes it Superheroic...

When the original Gundam premiered in 1979, it was a landmark series because it was the first show to portray the Mecha as simple fighting machines, like a tank or fighter jet. Prior Mecha shows always showed their machines as characters, mute and unintelligent, but characters nonetheless. Gundam chan ged all that. Unfortunately, by making it's Gundams superheroic Mecha that are invincible, Gundam Wing turns it's back on that.. And ultimately, that's what turns me off of the show...

In other words, It's good, but it's just not Gundam...