Customer Reviews

Gundam Wing the Movie - Endless Waltz (Edited Version) [VHS]

5 star:		(172)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this DVD the day it came out and loved it instantly. But I didn't really have anything to say about it until watching the ending of another great anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Both the TV and movie versions of that series angered me to no end, but they made me realize how great "Endless Waltz" is.

The ending of the "Gundam Wing" television series wasn't really that at all. Sure, the 'bad guys' were defeated, but anyone who thinks that's all that matters isn't a fan of good storytelling. "Endless Waltz" answers pretty much every question you might have about the fates of the characters, and I don't mean just the Gundam pilots, either. Every important character of the series is brought into play, and even some not-so important ones. As icing on the cake, this DVD also answers many(though not all) questions about the characters from before the start of the series.

The animation, characterization, and excellent soundtrack ("White Reflexion!") all make up for the fact that the plot is slightly silly and a little cliched. More of a bad guys versus good guys thing as opposed to the complexity of the series. But hey, it's a movie, how deep do you want them to get, here?

Two more reccomendations. Watch the movie version, as opposed to the OVA version. You'll be glad you did. It contains extended and all-new footage that really makes the story flow better, plus there's some great music in certain scenes that were silent in the OVA vesion. Secondly, and this is something I never ever say about anime, watch it dubbed. No, I'm not insane. It's actually better, I swear to God. I've seen it in both languages, and simple lines (such as many of Heero's) just sounded better delivered in English.

...but what an ending! Told mostly through flashbacks, the story of Endless Waltz is rock-solid. If you're a fan of the series, this explains the characters backgrounds and how they came to be, which is quite interesting (Trowa's origin, for example, was not only interesting, it's shocking). If you're new to Gundam Wing, well... it wouldn't be the best place to start... and at the same time, it would be if you don't want to sit through all those episodes (which is why I liked the flashbacks: I can show it to my friends and they wouldn't be left out in the cold as to what's going on in the film). Whenever you try to get someone's interest in a series, it's not always easy: nobody really has time to sit through a whole set of tapes/DVDs, and that's if you even have them; and when you try to show them a movie inspired from the series, they know nothing of the characters, and it seems that most movies expect that you already do (take, for example, Tenchi Forever: you can't show that to a first-time Tenchi viewer, as it wouldn't quite register [i.e., no explanation as to how the characters came about]). But, like I said, Endless Waltz gives you a whole background of the characters through the flashbacks, yet, doesn't take away from those that have followed the series--no easy feet. So what's the story here? Taking off a year after the Gundam Wing series ended, Mariemeia--the illegitimate daughter of deceased war leader, OZ chief Treize Krushrenada--has made plans to become the ruler of the new nation--thus taking over Earth and the Space Colonies. Obviously, this isn't good; it's, as the movie said, "An endless waltz of peace, war, and revolution." And obviously, our heroes aren't taking this lightly, either. Past villians are now good guys, the characters are more emotional than ever, and the battle scenes are the best in the entire Gundam Wing series--in fact, I honestly felt this was the peak of everything to the series: the characters have more depth, the story is at its finest, and the battle scenes are beyond amazing. If you've seen any of the episodes, you already know about dubbing: it's perfect. Very few anime titles I'll say I actually loved the dubbing, but the whole Gundam Wing series is just great. The animation is a bit dated (it was made quite awhile back), but the detail is still sharp. I'll be honest... the first time I seen Gundam Wing, I didn't care for it--I'm a Macross/Robotech fan, and I'll always fell that Macross/Robotech is king when it comes to mecha in anime... but I started liking it after awhile, and I truly feel that this movie represents all of Gundam Wing at its finest. Endless Waltz is a great, action-packed, anime movie that, hopefully, will get the success it truly deserves--definitely do not pass this up when its release day comes.

I first saw Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz on cartoon network. It was heavily edited, but I loved it because I love Gundam Wing. felt, like most movies based off of a motion picture, that it tried to cram everything that makes Gundam so cool into a single movie. They did a pretty good job, but the story seemed to move too fast. I guess that's just coming from someone who is used to watching episode by episode. Aslo, the story seemed slightly too epic and rushed.

On the other hand, I really loved the movie. The impoved gundams look really good (Especially Sandrock!)and Talgeese rocks. The whole thing is marvelous. Good soundtrack, great animation. Voice acting is that same as the series, and I'll tell you right now that I've heard a lot worse.

I reccomend this movie to all Gundam fans. You really do need to see at leat two or three episodes of the series to make sense of all the subtilities (spelling), however, and also the last episode.

This movie is great Get it! If you can get the DVD, it's better because it actually has some features that are worthwhile. Otherwise, don't miss this movie!

Strange to say, it was the building of miniature Gundam figures that first got me interested in Anime. But I was never all that drawn to what I knew of the plot. I am not a battle freak, nor much of a 'hard' science fiction fan. And, if nothing else, this story of the titanic struggle between earth and the colonies is truly hard science fiction. True to my nature, when I finally decided to see one of the films, I picked 'Endless Waltz' completely missing the fact that it was the last in the series.

Oddly enough, that doesn't turn out to be a problem. While the story is very much based on what went before, the film (not the OVA version) takes just enough extra time to provide some needed continuity. In addition, the message behind it all is universal. Nor is the base plot hard to follow, even if it's sometimes difficult to place some of the characters at first. While 'Endless Waltz' didn't turn me into a complete Gundam groupie, it filled in a lot of what I didn't understand, introduced a lot of the characters and filled in the blanks behind some of the little figures that keep showing up on shelves around my house.

Despite the battle scenes and technology, 'Endless Waltz' is a political drama, as Dekim and Mariemaia Barton plan to attack earth and either rule the Earth Sphere Unified Nation or drop an entire colony on it. The Gundam, disorganized and in disagreement, must sort out their own beliefs as they find a way to create a new peace that will not cave in to such efforts at empire. But the real message of the film is that the Gundam cannot create peace on their own. Instead, the people themselves must take responsibility for creating and sustaining the world they want to live in.

This message, with the important subtext about believing that life is something far more precious than any product of technology, makes this a strong film. Even being as unfamiliar with the pilots as I was, I found something sympathetic and understandable in all of them. All of the characters are vivid, from the supremely chilling Mariemaia Khushrenada (Barton) to Relena Darlian who must also confront what she believes develop through the film, and are still growing at its end. Needless to say, artwork and battle choreography are excellent, providing a fitting end to the era of the mobile suit.

Having both the OVA and film versions is a plus since there are a number of tiny, but significant differences that are interesting of themselves. My biggest criticism is that the subtitling is a bit too minimalist. I would have appreciated translation of the various signs and credits as well as the narrative.

Endless Waltz is a magnificent conclusion to a wonderful series. But this movie/ OVA is far more than a sequel, it is also of a prequel to the series - giving viewers a glimpse of their favorite Gundam pilots' past.

The Gundams return with amazing new designs (courtesy of Katoki) and with them, two new Mobile Suit models: the Serpent units and the Tallgeese III! The mechanical designs are beautiful - the cover of the dvd with Wing Zero should be more than enough to show that.

The characters have matured as well. They remain true to their personalities from the series and yet, there is definite development. They are no longer lost and confused as they had been in the series... they are more resolute and determined... of course, with a few exceptions - one of which is that of a surprising enemy. But one must wonder if it was really that much of a surprise?

Endless Waltz is a definite conclusion to the After Colony timeline. But don't be sad - this is what makes it so great! The impressions left to us by Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz (not to mention the numerous comics) is something that we, true fans, will forever remember without the story or plot being exhausted by repetition.

This is a must have for anyone who has or have watched the Gundam Wing series!

When YTV played the uncut version back in September, I was impressed with the way this movie turned out. However, I recommend getting this DVD. You can see the uncut English dub verison along with the subtitled Japanese version.

The music is pretty good, I liked the plot, it just seemed like a small continuance of the series, just longer. When Wing Zero sprout its wings, my jaw just dropped. As weird as this seems, it's beautiful, along with the lovely inserted song when Wing Zero sprout its wings.

I don't want to spoil the plot for you, and I didn't find any major flaws in the movie, it's all great. I know this review wasn't all that helpful, just buy it or rent it or whatever

This movie displays incredible animation and has an awesome story line. It helps you understand what happens after the hit series Gundam Wing. I highly suggest purchasing this video. All the things children wonder is... what happens with relena and heero? Who does Lt. Noin get hooked up with? All these questions are ansered. Even the secret to trowa's identity. What amazed me is the awesome animation on this video. It looks like it's completly drawn by computers but it's not! Trust me, this is one video you HAVE TO GET. A must see. Thank you and enjoy your day.

Hello, Darth-Jeyl here about to review the Endless Waltz DVD a little bit early before it's release date.

Introduction: After watching all 49 episodes of Gundam wing, I couldn't help but feel really disappointed after the series ended. Almost everything that I predicted would happen in the episodes happened. Herro ended up being the hero of the show, none of the Gundam pilots died, almost every favorite character of mine died (Except for Zechs, thank goodness), the ending is one of the worst endings I've ever seen in a series, and Herro was called "The heart of outer space". My comments on that quote, pointless. When I heard about a sequel to the series, I wasn't really interested. I didn't really care about the Gundam pilots anymore, but when I heard that Zechs was going to be in it, I decided to give it a try. After watching the 3 episodes on CN, I was stunned. There's a lot more focus on some of the minor characters of the film. the Gundam pilots are a lot more likable than they were in the series (I was actually routing for Herro at certain points!), Zechs makes one heck of a return, and the ending was very satisfying. Now on to the main review.

Story: AC (After Colony) 196. One year has passed since the end of the Gundam wing series. Thanks to the Gundams and their allies, peace has finally been achieved between the colonies and the Earth sphere. The Gundam pilots, knowing that they have no need for their Gundams, decide to send them into the sun to be destroyed. Suddenly, a certain colony has declared war against the Earth sphere for total control over both the Earth and the colonies. With a vast army of deadly mobil suits, Relena Darlian as their prisoner, and Gundams at their side, total peace is soon to be destroyed. Now the remaining Gundam pilots and their allies wage war against the evil forces not to win battles, but to end them forever. Let me point out by saying that this is a true sequel to the original Gundam wing series, and not an alternate universe deal. The reason why I say this is because the upgraded Gundams are used in the flashbacks as if they were always built that way. Well let me tell you, everything that happened in the series happened in Endless Waltz. All the Gundams were upgraded after the war, but never saw combat. So if you think that wing zero still used it's bird mode after it destroyed the libra, you're right. Trust me, the series wouldn't be right if the Gundams had all that firepower they had in Endless Waltz. The only reason I can think of about why they used them in the flashbacks was probably to avoid any confusion to newcomers. The same goes for the beginning during the battle of Libra. They probably used the updated Gundams there to show the experienced viewers how much they've gotten better. Just look at that Heavy Arms Custom!

The DVD: The DVD version of Endless Waltz is, to my standards, quite excellent. It comes packed with materials enough to satisfy almost every fan of anime. There are two versions of the film presented here on this DVD. There's the OVA version, which consists of all 3 episodes in their uncut format. All three episodes have a beginning and an end to them, which means credits during all the white reflection parts. The movie version of the film is also included on the disc. The difference between this version and the OVS version are huge. They do more than just add scenes into the film. Most of the music that was in the OVA version has been changed significantly in the movie version. White reflection is nowhere in this version. Some of the action sequences have been redone with a lot more faster, smoother animation. There are a few scenes altered from the OVA version. A few new scenes are included in the movie version that really add more to the the story and is more satisfying than the OVAs. The big difference between the two versions is in endings. Each character has the same ending like in the OVA's, but are put into different situations. Between these two versions, I prefer the movie edition. It provides a lot more entertainment than the OVA's without the stops, breaks, and credits. The music is better used in the movie version as well. Don't forget that both of the versions are uncut. For the look and feel of the DVD, we get the works. The menus for the DVD are animated and awesome. For the main menu, we are greeted with Wing zero when it first starts up. After the pose pauses, the buttons are revealed. Every time you press a button on the main menu, Wing Zero flies away you go to the next menu. The menus are very easy to navigate through, and are highly interactive. For the presentation of this disc, impressive. The video quality on the DVD is excellent. The animation is clear, very smooth, and the colors are very solid. There are some very minor signs of grain visible at certain points of the film, but are not at all distracting. The audio is a big bonus. We get an English 5.1 audio, another English 2.0 audio, and a Japanese 2.0 audio. The Japanese track works on both versions, but the English tracks are split up. The movie version has the 5.1 English track, while the OVA has the 2.0 English track. Though the Japanese track is only 2.0, it still packs a punch. If you have a 5.1 set up, play the English version of the movie. It Rocks!

Features: The features on this disc are pretty good for an anime title. We get an MS encyclopedia that gives us descriptions on the major MS used in Endless Waltz, including nice pictures of them seen in Endless Waltz. The Gallery feature is pretty useless. we only get 5 pictures that have almost nothing to do with Endless Waltz (Though I think the one with the battered up Wing Zero is pretty cool). The Textless Endings are a real treat. They show the clips from the OVA episodes that involve the "White Reflection" music without any subtitles or credits. The trailer section consist of previews for "Gundam 0083", "Cowboy Bebop", "Crest of the stars", and "Outlaw Star".

Final Comments: Well, I've waited for this DVD for quite sometime, I'm glad I was able to watch it and review it before it was released. Even though I didn't enjoy the series that much, Endless Waltz is one of my all time favorite anime titles. It makes Gundam Wing a lot more likable. For those of you who plan on buying it, I recommend it completely. You will be very satisfied.

Goods: Nice transfer, Excellent sound, Entertaining story, satisfying package, cool animated menus, not to mention good dubbing job.

Bads: None

Darth-Jeyls rating: 10 out of 10

P.S. Sorry about making my model review of Wing Zero private.

In the interest of writing a review without spoilers, I will not be mentioning the plot. :)

For those wondering (like myself until I finally saw all 49 episodes and could proceed without fear) it would be highly recommended to see Gundam Wing in its entirety before the film so as not to spoil the later parts (the earlier parts too for that matter) of the series for yourself.

That said, Endless Waltz is a very well done continuation of the series. Meaning it is much more than a sequel. In the movie we discover what happens to the Earth and the Colonies in AC196, after the events in Gundam Wing. Important backstory is also revealed in reference to each of the pilots and Operation Meteor. Because of this, the story line is very much weaved into the entire Gundam Wing universe.

As for the plot itself, it is very believable, and does not seem forced or contrived in any way during the movie, it fits in seamlessly with the series. I will say that when I go back and watch the series the next time, it will be interesting, after learning what I did from the movie. It makes me look forward to watching all 49 episodes again, when I will be able to make connections and draw parallels I did not notice before.

It is also worth noting that all the Gundams have recieved major facelifts and look even better then before! ^_^

The bottom line is, if you enjoyed (or are enjoying) the Gundam Wing series, Endless Waltz will make the ending even greater for you. I got goosebumps several times watching it! ^_^ If you thought Episode 49 was good, Endless Waltz should amaze you.

For fans of the GW series, this DVD is a must see. The series left off when the conflicting parties were brought down, but the real political struggle between the colonies and Earth were still up in the air. The political struggles are finally put to rest as they break the endless waltz of peace - rebellion - war. The past of each gundam pilot and their involvement in operation meteor is revealed and they all reach the end of their personal journey. This series does not end until you see this feature. I also do not recommend this title if you have not seen the series.