Just Wild Beat, Communication

Gundam Wing has a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first series I bought when I started collecting anime. It is a very fun and entertaining show, but it does have a few serious  weaknesses that may turn some people off. First, however, I think it is best to put this series into historical perspective, especially since it bears the famous "Gundam" name. The original Gundam anime from the 1970's  has long been one of the cornerstone classics of Japanese entertainment. That series was some of the first giant robot anime and spawned numerous sequel series and movies, not to mention a huge marketing juggernaut through the sale of toys, models, posters, etc. The Gundam universe tells the tale of a futuristic Earth at war with rebellious space colonies. A true space opera, Gundam is hallmarked by battles between enormous humanoid weapons called Mobile Suits and fleets of spaceships. However, in the early 1990s Bandai diversified the Gundam line by introducing spin-off series that took place outside of the original Gundam continuity. These spin-offs were something of a double-edged sword; while they introduce many new fans to Gundam, they also turned off many fans of the original.

Gundam Wing, produced in 1995, was the second of these spin-offs, and was brought to the US in 1999. Gundam Wing is notable for being the first Gundam series shown on Cartoon Network. As a result, Gundam Wing was the first Gundam series to get mainstream recognition in America, and paved the way for further Gundam series in subsequent years. Since Gundam Wing, Cartoon Network has constantly carried a Gundam show as part of its lineup and Gundam merchandise has been a staple in toy stores everywhere. As previously mentioned, Gundam Wing takes place outside of the original Gundam storyline. However, it does feature a few familiar elements from the original; a futuristic setting, space colonies, and of course the mobile suits. Also, several of the characters in Gundam Wing resemble key characters from the original series. Gundam Wing centers around a group of 5 young mobile suit pilots from the colonies, who have been sent to Earth to fight against the oppressive secret organization known as Oz.  The story sweeps through 49 episodes with many twists and turns, although the final conclusion does wind up being fairly predictable.

The animation is decent, if a bit dated. There are no CG elements, but the series is artistically very solid with character designs featuring a lot of bright primary colors and nicely stylized action. There is a lot of battling in this series, and all manner of military hardware gets blown up, sliced, smashed, thrown, and destroyed in the flashiest way possible. The series isn't above having the mobile suits strike dramatic poses on occasion either. Even with the effort put into making the action fun to watch, there is so much figting in the series that by the end of it, the grand battle sequences between massed groups of mobile suits begins to get a bit tedious. Interestingly, despite the large amount of carnage in Gundam Wing, there is surprisingly little blood shown on screen; the usual mode of death is a lot of screaming followed by an explosion. The different mobile suits, from the Gundams themselves to the mass-produced Oz suits, are distinctively designed and easy to identify. Serious attention was paid to the dress of the characters, since many different intricate costumes from military uniforms to formal wear make an appearance in the show. The music is somewhat campy, but it nicely suits the series with an enormous range from pumping rock tracks during action sequences to orchestrated pieces backing up more tender moments. The tunes are quite catchy, although many of them wouldn't exactly be called easy listening.  The dubbing done for Gundam Wing was cast very well and the English voice cast puts in a solid performance. However, the English script often resorts to "fillers" at the ends of sentences such as "like that" and "you mean" to keep lips synced. The DVD release from Bandai is well done, with 4-5 episodes per disk and a reasonable amount of bonus data to boot.

Gundam Wing is a great series in its own right, not only for its role in expanding the popularity of anime in the US. The series takes the term "space opera" to a new extreme, to the point where I'm tempted to call it "space soap-opera." The characters are not very believable, but they are not intended to be. Instead, they are archetypes of different human qualities that are used to illustrate a commentary on the human condition. This attempt fell somewhat short, and the result are some rather odd and unintentionally funny sequences appearing in the show. While I don't find these scenes detract from the story too much, those who prefer a more realistic characterization might find some of the absurdity present in Gundam Wing too much to stomach. Additionally, those enamored with the classic Gundam series might resent this diversion into a unrelated continuity. And granted, this series is campy, melodramatic, and its animation is a bit dated. Despite all of that though, I find it fun and entertaining. It may not be for everyone, but I think that mecha fans everywhere should at least give this one a try.

By Andy Rucker