When an anime fan thinks of Mecha, he naturally thinks of anything to do with gundam! Mecha basically means giant robots, often with human pilots, that fight in epic wars. Gundam is one of the pioneers of mecha. There are many different series of gundam set over a range of parralel universes. One such universe is that of the winged gundam. This movie takes place after the series and gives fans an extra hour and a half of action
This review will look at the series aswell as the movie makes no sence without it! The series was 52 episodes long and to summarise it completely would be very difficult for me. I will do my best:
The world is not as we know it. There are many colonies in space. People live in stationary living environments all of which circle earth. There has been many frictions between earth and these colonies. The earth has become united under one name "united earth sphere alliance". The alliance rules the colonies but rules them in an aggressive way for fear the colonies will launch an attack to take over earth. The people in the colonies want freedom first and foremost. They think they have the right to be independant from the earth. A man named Heero Yuy is fronting a peaceful attempt to get freedom. He is however assasinated when he is getting close to his goal. This leads to the colonies wanting revenge. The main military power on earth is called OZ. There are five top scientist within OZ that flee to the colonies to help them get revenge.
A different scientist goes to a different colony, each takes with them their knowledge in how to build the ultimate weapon , the Gundam. Each scientist builds a Gundam and finds a passionate young man to pilot it. There are in total then five protagonists to the story. Heero - Heero is his alias, he takes the name in honour of the fallen pacifist. He pilots the Wing gundam, possibly the most powerful Gundam.He seems to have no emotion but is a fierce warrior. He has become one of the most recognsable and well known anime characters. Duo - Duo pilots the Deathscythe Gundam which has a weapon resembling the Grim Reapers Sythe. Duo is more easy goin than Heero but repects how good Heero is. At first they don't see eye to eye but that all works out down the line. Trowa - He pilots the Heavy arms gundam which uses big turret guns on either arm. Trowa has no memory of his past and can seem to be a bit like Heero at times but he is just naturally quiet! Quatre - Pilots the Sandrock which uses two short swords. he is the posh one. He has a squad of mem in gundam - like machines with him most of the time. Wufei - Pilots Shenlong. A very cool gundam that resembles a dragon. Its left hand can shootout and destroy its enemies. Wufei is a bit wierd. He doesn't seem to enjoy fighting but develops a strong bond with his gundam.
The five gundams know nothing of each other at the start. They are each sent to earth for revenge by different people. They soon realise they all have the same goal and team up. Oz, the military group, Take over the Earth alliance. The series then becomes a struggle not only for peace but a struggle of loyalties. the gundam pilots must save the earth as wel as their colonies. After many wars the series ends with peace finally achieved manily thans to the gundam pilots.
There are many political angles to this series. Some episodes simply have no action but instead lots of talking. It is very interesting to watch. The writers have created a complete history of this universe. Sometimes it is like being in a history lecture you learn that much. I am a big fan of the series. It is yet another example of how anime isn't for kids. People make the assumption that just because it is animated it must be for children. That just isn't the case where Japanese animation is concerned. This series getsvery deep and would't keep the attention of many under fifteen years of age!
The movie then takes place after the series. Some of the scenes reveal more about events before the series but mostly it is a sequel! Firstly the gundams have been re-designed in this movie. I guess this is to give them a more contempory feel. The series did last a long time and the movie came some time after. Also however I would say that the re-designs also had model kit sales in mind. One of the biggest franchises in Japan are model kits. They are not like airfix as you would see over here. They are huge replicas of the gundams. There were limited edition model kits released for this movie. I myself have the Wing Gundam model kit which cost an insane £40! The new designs however are very nice to see. There is no mention in the series that the gundams have changed apperance I think we are meant to accept that they have always looked like this!
The story follows the five gundam pilots as they face a new enemy. After the series they opted to never use the gundams again due to their destructive power. however this new enemy has a formidable army and the gundams are needed if peace must be restored. This brings certain emotions into focus and the pilots are left to wonder if an army is needed for peace! There are many awesome fighting sequences in this movie. There are also many fights that fans wanted to see in the series but missed out on. an example of this is when Wufei changes sides and the other 4 gundam pilots must face him! Much like the series there is a lot of talking going on but not too much that it ruins the movie itself! I want to say I like the choreography of the fights but I am not sure that is the right word. The gundams are so huge that Iimagine it is difficult to have them fighting a fluidly as you would two people. The animators however make everything look amazing. There has been a lot of work put into this anime and it shows when you watch it.
Unfortunately anime in this country is still niche. That ultimately means you are going to pay more for it! Also you wont be seeing this on TV. Cartoon network used to show Gundam wing but it has gone far downhill since the good ol' days when I was younger! If your a fan of the series then you will have to buy it for around £10. Don't get it from anywhere but EBay. I have seen the complet series with the movie included for £35 which is a great price. There are 52 episodes as I have said so you are looking at close to a full days worth of gundam!
Just a note about the music. The opening credits have a great song that may be in Japanese but you will find youself humig along to it attempting to remember what the words are! This music along with some average original score is used throughout the episodes when needed. Mostly however the sound effects are explosions etc.
If you buy this DVD as part of a set there will be no special features to speak of. Fort he price of £14.99 that you see on some website you would want it to be packed with features. No such look there though!
A great series and movie. This is what anime is all about. People need to just have a little look and see if they like it. What could hurt. You may find you really love the style or the deep plots! Its not flippin Pokemon so don't worry!
I will try and add some pictures but i am not too sure what to do!
Pictures of Gundam Wing - Endless Waltz - The Movie (DVD)
This is actually a model kit!
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AC 196. One year after the end of the Gundam Wing television series. Now, peace has spread ... more
through the Earth Sphere and the colonies are at peace. The Gundam pilots now find themselves attempting to rebuild their lives in this new era. And no longer ha...
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