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Gundam Wing (1995-96), a 49-part series in the Alternate Universe continuity, scored a hit in the U.S. when it aired on the Cartoon Network. In the year 195 A.C. (After Colony), much of humanity has emigrated to orbiting Space Colonies; those who remained on Earth are governed by the oppressive United Earth Sphere Alliance. But the real power is wielded by the sinister Romefeller Foundation, whose directors plot to control Earth and the Colonies through their puppet military entity OZ, led by Zechs Marquise and Treize Khushrenada. Five teenage pilots in Gundam mecha suits strike at Earth, hoping to aid the rebel Colonists: sullen Heero Yuy, happy-go-lucky Duo Maxwell, former circus acrobat Trowa Barton, sensitive Quatre Raberba, and icy WuFei Chang. The convoluted story line pits the Romefeller Foundation, the rebellious “Treize Faction” of OZ, the Gundam Pilots, and royal pacifist Relena Peacecraft against each other. But it’s primarily a battle between the adherents of a samurai-style code of honor and the soulless adherents of realpolitik. When the Romefeller Foundation begins manufacturing Mobile Dolls (pilotless battle robots), the Gundam pilots, Zechs, and Treize object, not because they can make the Foundation all-powerful, but because they will deprive human warriors of the singular emotions experienced through heroism in battle.
The uninitiated may have trouble following the plot: strange revelations abound (e.g., Relena discovers Zechs is her long-lost brother) and characters disappear for a dozen or more episodes, only to return when a deus ex machina is needed. But Gundam fans aren’t interested in tightly woven story lines or credible character arcs, and Gundam Wing delivers plenty of battles between the splendidly designed robots. It’s a classic confrontation between good guys with invincible weapons and soulless bad guys who can’t hit the broad side of a robot. (Rated 13 and older: occasional profanity, robot vs. robot violence) –Charles Solomon
Gundam Wing is not just my favorite Mecha. Nor is it merely my favorite show. It is my favorite ANYTHING. Granted, it may not be for everyone, but it is definitely the deepest show I’ve ever seen on television. I have watched the entire show through at least twice, and some episodes I have seen more than a dozen times (Portrait of a Ruined Country and The Gundam They Called Zero are two of my favorites). This show is all about three things.
First and foremost, Gundam Wing is about the politics of war. There are so many plot twists that if you miss a single episode you may get completely lost. What starts out looking like your average show (good guys fight bad guys, good guys beat bad guys, repeat) quickly changes. Within the first 10 episodes, the main character will try to attack innocent people, the world government will be overthrown, and our heroes will start to wonder who exactly their enemy is. As the series goes on, things just get more and more complicated as military organizations are created, destroyed, and double crossed.
The second thing this series is all about is action. In every episode there will be Mech battles, and some of them are truly spectacular. Every once in a while, one of the Gundams will do something so cool, the moment just leaves you thinking “Whoa.” And as the series goes on, the battles get more and more complex, and more and more heated.
But the third thing this series has going for it is character development. Treize Kushrenada is my idea of what would happen if James Bond became the leader of Spectre. Is he really evil, or just misunderstood? He eventually finds himself an outdated dinosaur, clinging to ideals that have becomes outdated with the times. Lady Une is one of the best examples of a person with split personalities I’ve ever seen. At first you hate her, but as you come to understand why she does what she does, you actually come to feel sorry for her.
This series has many great characters played by great voice-actors. Heero is great. Relena is solid. Even Hildi and Noin are great. But my two favorite characters in the series have got to be Dororthy and Zechs. Dorathy plays every scene with a perfect hint of sarcasm that constantly keeps you guessing if she’s being sincere, or laughing inside at someone’s actions. And then there is Zechs Marquise…
In the English version of Gundam Wing, Brian Drummond gives the single greatest piece of voice-acting I’ve ever seen in my life. He is PERFECT as Zechs Marquise. Zechs is a complex character. And I really feel that’s he’s the one that holds the series together. He’s 19 year old who talks with an icy voice. He’s ALWAYS serious. The only thing that matters to him is honor. And in his quest to do the right thing, he is forced to betray his friends, protect his family, come close to death, and even kill his own men. But like a tragic hero out of a Shakespearian tragedy, he is trapped by his actions. Never doing nothing, and never quite taking enough action, he lets a bad situation escalate until it’s completely out of control and he’s completely lost his mind (or has he?). Zechs is the perfect tragic hero/villain (depending on your point of view).
Some have complained about the animation in this show, but personally I love it. The watercolor style backgrounds and excellent Mecha designs are a winning combo in my book. I also really love the music.
If you love a complex political drama with great action and characterization, you owe it to yourself to give Gundam Wing a try. If you still have doubts, search the net and download the long toonami promo (the best promo or trailer I have ever seen for anything). Suit up!
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth it
The original Gundam TV series, not the movies, with Amuro Rei, Char Aznable and Lala Sun was a serious drama of troubled adolescents forced to join a cruel war robbing them of…
I don’t know why I dislike the Gundam series so much. I’ve watched a majority of them, the many spin-offs and the like, and I still haven’t found an interest in any of them.
But I think one reason is because the first Gundam series I saw was Gundam Wing. This anime spoiled me. While I’ll never consider it better than Evengelian, it certainly sits nearby as one of the best mecha animes. The politically driven storyline is a refreshing change to anime. It leaves little room to breath as it has little comedy in it. The action–whether it takes place in mechas in space, on land, or outside of those giant robots period–is well animated. The characters are good and varied, never repeated despite such a large cast. And nothing in the story happens without a reason. Anime has a way of inserting things to make a laugh, add an extra action scene, or add length to the series (remember all the shouting in DBZ); Gundam Wing doesn’t do this. All in all, it carries itself well in its twenty-six episode course, and is easily, at least to me, the best of the Gundam series. I recommend this for anyone who loved Evangelian.
This was the first true anime I saw back when it was on Adult Swim.
I brought the boxset and I am very satisfied.
It’s awesome, the story is always moving forward with defeat and victory. The pilots all have their own personalities and the story does a good job at showing their lives without just overshowing the life of one character.
There are many other important characters in here also.
The opening and ending themes kick ass, I like the music.
It’s just about my favorite anime, and I recommend it for anybody that likes anime, period.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don’t buy the box set, buy the Complete Collection Vol. 1 and 2 instead
I have nothing bad to say about Gundam Wing whatsoever. That said, I just wonder why the Box Set is $165?
You can buy the entire series in two collections (Vol.
1.0 out of 5 stars
What a bummer!
The package it came in was in good condition. When dealing with dvd items it’s the disc itself that counts most.
5.0 out of 5 stars
“It’s a Gundam!!!”
Gundam Wing is an intricately conceived, beautifully scripted, and deftly executed tale of war, peace, fate, and self realization.
1.0 out of 5 stars
10 Disk set is DEFECTIVE!
Twice I’ve received this, ordered as a gift for my son. In both cases the set was defective. Disk one had the identical problem.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happy with it.
I was very happy to be able to find the ENTIRE Gundam Wing series in such a compact boxset. I love GW, always have, always will.
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of My Favorites!!
I haven’t seen this series since I was about 10, and even then, I hadn’t seen all of the episodes. Anyways, this series is just an awesome series, machines fighting machines,…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Story is very good
Every one likes action and huge machines killing the hell out of each other, but there’s a reason for the story.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Among The Best
While the general summary of this anime doesn’t do it justice, it indeed has a tightly woven plot, intriquet subplots, and fully fleshed characters with complex personalities…
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best Series the Anime Genre has to Offer
A great series with decent animation – not bad whatsoever. I watched it years ago as it did it’s first run on Cartoon Network and enjoyed it immensely.