Gundam Wing

[Ashley]

Name: Gundam Wing (Shin Kideosenki Gundam Wing)
TV Spots: Aired around April 1999 (took Ronin Warriors' place on Toonami), availabe on DVD/VHS
Summary: Set far, far in the future. The colonies around earth are displeased (to say the least) with the way the Earth has been treating them. So, they develop 5 extremely powerful robots and sneak them (and their five teenage pilots) to earth. The story revolves around these five pilots and how they adapt to a changing war. This is a deeply political story, so there's a lot of factions and groups all fighting for control. The boys are then face with how to become human...and how to fight...when the battle keeps changing.
What's good: Excellent story line, themes of what it means to be human, war and it's costs, pacificism, loyalty and dedication.
What's not: Unedited version has mild cursing (no worse than a few d's and h's), and a wee bit of blood (i.e. when someone gets shot, they have a bloody bandaid, etc.) Also, this is a war, so people are being assasinated constantly. And of course, there are rumors which say that the five pilots are all gay.
Ash's notes: Excellent, excellent storyline, perfectly balanced between character and action. I couldn't applaud the plotline any higher. Also, the characters have real struggles and battles with themselves as well; they often question what they have been taught, what they believe and why, etc. However, present are more mature themes like murder, and they are carried out by teenage boys. You do have to keep in mind that these boys were trained from early childhood to be the "perfect soldiers"--those without thought--and part of the plot is how they slowly realize what it means to be human.
Now, about the whole gay thing...I have seen the show 5-7 times fully(what does THAT say about the plot?) And not ONCE have I ever seen anything outright saying characters are homosexual, but only scenes where people twist them around (i.e. Duo comes to save Heero, therefore they must be lovers, or Trowa and Quatre are good friends, therefore they are lovers too,etc.)
Also Available: Endless Waltz, the OAV. Focuses on what the boys did AFTER the war...and what they do when another one starts. Nothing changes in the boundaries, aka no added nudity, cursing, etc. (at least in Cartoon Network's airing of it)
Note: This review is for the entire series, as seen on Cartoon Network, and the Endless Waltz OAV. Dubbed, edited, though I have seen parts of the unedited and tried to use my best judgement.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

oh, this may be a big, gigantic bump, but i had to mention this: it was set in After colony(A.C.) 195, and in Endless waltz, it was set in After colony(A.C.) 196

[Falco53]

So it's really that good, eh? I am considering purchasing the entire series.

[Kkun]

I really enjoyed Gundam Wing, but there are a few things that were not mentioned in the above review that I feel I should address.

The following might just be for the unedited, but since that's what's on DVD I figured I should make it aware. There are quite a few suicidal actions (i.e. self-detonating one's Gundam, a boy hands a gun to a girl and tells her to shoot him) and a very severe lack of respect for human life early on (although this is remedied somewhat later in the show, as well as in Endless Waltz).

People inside of the mobile suites are crushed, stabbed, shot, blown up, slashed, and destroyed beyond any chance of survival. This is at its core a war story and that is represented to its fullest. There is also some minor waxing philosophical on the existence of God and some discussion of God understanding the violent steps a certain group of men are taking. That said, the discussion of God in the show is very shallow and limited to only a few episodes.

With all of that, this is a VERY good show. The animation is dated, but the pacing, characters, and action are all perfect. It has several memorable scenes that stick out in my mind and I think that if you're cool with everything Ashley said and what I followed up with then I think you'll enjoy it very well. It's a great addition to any anime collection.

[Falco53]

Thank you. I just ordered it. Now, let the waiting commence.

[Sam*ron]

I have seen all of Gundam Wing, it's a very good series.

[Godly Paladin]

I'm renting and watching it now... Best anime I've seen.

[Fantasy Dreamer]

Gundam Wing is possibly the best anime I've seen, though I have seen only a few animes total. But I love the plot, its so thick a complicated you have to see every episode and you can't miss a thing said, I like the characters as well. The pilots have some bad points, but all in all they are very lovable, and some of the characters are more lovable than others. Many people seem to hate spacific characters from the show, but I for one like them all to an extent. They all have their own personalities and the interaction between the characters can be dramatic, humorous(sp?), etc.

I love Gundam Wing, and I would recommend it. If you can spot all the bad points of it, know them, and disagree with them, its alright to watch this anime.

Also, as aku_soku_zan said, God is mentioned in a few episodes, but is mentioned by a pacifist, who has the view all pacifists have of God (i.e. God is love, nothing more, he doesn't like war etc). In the Bible, God commands his people to go to war, so clearly this view of him is not only wrong but blasphemous(sp?). Thought he is mentioned, it is very little, and nothing true is said about God.

But other than the bad points to not-so-great points mentioned already, Gundam Wing is an very good anime I would say. I think it shall always be one of my favorites.

-Fantasy Dream

P.S. I haven't seen it in a while, but I have seen it at least three times through, and I've seen Endless Waltz twice. Its such good series (and movie) I remember it vividly, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. If you haven't seen it, you have to at least watch the first few episodes and give it a try. If you're not eager to see the rest afterwards, then theirs something wrong with you (no, there is not really, but I haven't met a person yet who's seen the series that hasn't liked it. There might be some like that out there, but I know of none.)

[Yahshua]

Gundam Wing is a good Mobile Suit Gundam series but not the best one there is the Best one it is is Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Victory Gundam and Turn A Gundam which has best storyline then the Gundam Wing.

[Kkun]

I'm re-watching Gundam Wing at the moment, and one thing I have to warn about for sanity's sake doesn't have to do with content or anything. It's just that the dialogue is so horrendously bad. XD XD

[Fantasy Dreamer]

aku_sanku_zan, what do you mean by "the dialogue is so horrendously bad."? I don't quite follow what you mean.

-Fantasy Dreamer

[Kkun]

aku_sanku_zan, what do you mean by "the dialogue is so horrendously bad."? I don't quite follow what you mean.

-Fantasy Dreamer

No offense to anyone who loves Gundam Wing, because I love it too. I have nothing against the show (because like I said, I'm a fan of it), I'm just referring to several of the dub lines(I should have made that clear). It has lines like "So that's their little battle seed, all ready to sprout into new battles..." and, my personal favorite, "Does that make Heero...is he...a little prince?" Those are just really cheesy lines. That's all I was pointing out.

Other fun parts are when soldiers calmly ask things like "Are we being attacked?" as the entire room around them is on fire, emergency sirens are going off, and Duo's scythe is cutting through the torso of their mobile suit. Yes. Yes, little grunt soldier, you are INDEED being attacked. This is more of an aesthetic thing than a content thing. I should have pointed that out, sorry.

[Yojimbo]

Oh about the rumors of them being gay I don't recall any content in the story to actually suggest that they might be homosexual. I think that just comes from all the youi dojinishi that's put out because Gundam Wing is the most popular subject for those sick artists.

[Godly Paladin]

"So that's their little battle seed, all ready to sprout into new battles..."

"Does that make Heero...is he...a little prince?"

Other fun parts are when soldiers calmly ask things like "Are we being attacked?" as the entire room around them is on fire, emergency sirens are going off, and Duo's scythe is cutting through the torso of their mobile suit.

I have to admit that I felt the same things at those very lines, but I think the last two have some degree of justification. Apparently there was a novel written a while back called The Little Prince or something like that, and it was about a prince who fell from the sky from another world. Heero fell from the sky... Admittedly, still pretty cheesy.

As to the soldier saying "Are we being attacked?", all I can say is that just because the place is an towering inferno and sirens are wailing doesn't mean that the uproar is caused by an enemy... Definitive proof came with the Deathscythe, at which point it was too late.

[Kkun]

:lol: I have to admit that I felt the same things at those very lines, but I think the last two have some degree of justification. Apparently there was a novel written a while back called The Little Prince or something like that, and it was about a prince who fell from the sky from another world. Heero fell from the sky... Admittedly, still pretty cheesy.

As to the soldier saying "Are we being attacked?", all I can say is that just because the place is an towering inferno and sirens are wailing doesn't mean that the uproar is caused by an enemy... Definitive proof came with the Deathscythe, at which point it was too late.

I didn't know about the little prince reference, but it's such an obscure reference to make. At least, I didn't know about it. Maybe I was the only one. Still, to me, there is no excuse for several of the lines in Gundam Wing's translation. I really do love the show, but there are so many things on it that are just........really cheesy.

[Fantasy Dreamer]

You're right aku (can I call you that? Its just your name is so long to type ), those lines are pretty cheesy. You didn't offend me or anything, I just didn't understand what you meant by that, and my curious mind inquired of it.

So yeah... I guess there are some dumb lines in Gundam Wing, though I can't remember any because I haven't seen it in so long Waah! Ahem, oh well. I will live!

Despite the bad points, which I can spot and believe to be wrong, and the cheesy lines, I still love Gundame Wing and in my personal opinion its a 10 out of 10, but I'll force myself to brake down and give it an 8 out of 10, because there are those bad points that can't be overlooked.

-Fantasy Dreamer

[ShiroiHikari]

ohhhh, so that's where the little prince thing came from! I've read that book...

[Kkun]

You're right aku (can I call you that? Its just your name is so long to type ), those lines are pretty cheesy. You didn't offend me or anything, I just didn't understand what you meant by that, and my curious mind inquired of it.

So yeah... I guess there are some dumb lines in Gundam Wing, though I can't remember any because I haven't seen it in so long Waah! Ahem, oh well. I will live!

Despite the bad points, which I can spot and believe to be wrong, and the cheesy lines, I still love Gundame Wing and in my personal opinion its a 10 out of 10, but I'll force myself to brake down and give it an 8 out of 10, because there are those bad points that can't be overlooked.

-Fantasy Dreamer

Yeah, please do call me aku, everyone else does.

It's a good show, overall, despite the poor English translation. Although, the Japanese was like that too so it just comes off cheesy either way. I'm actually up to the story arc where the pilots head back into space...my favorite part of the series.

[Fantasy Dreamer]

Waah! I don't remember! I mean, I know they went back into space, but I can't remember when, or why (well, I do know sort of 'why' but...)!

Oh, I wish I could see that show again. I'm forgetting so much of it... hmmm. I'd buy the dvds but my parents wouldn't let me. They don't like anime, but they let me watch it... as long as its on tv and they aren't watching anything.

Oh well. Yes, it is good despite that, but I've never seen the Japanese version. People always say the original is better than the dubbed because of the voice acters, but I've only know american dub voice actors, so, I can't agree...

-Fantasy Dreamer

[Godly Paladin]

I'm renting it from my local Hastings, but they only have the first 5 Operations on VHS, so I don't know what I'm going to do after that.