135 of 144 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Wars truly are heartless indeed.", January 26, 2003
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 He eventually finds himself an outdated dinosaur, clinging to ideals that have becomes outdated with the times.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!
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's very good!, December 26, 2005
This review is from: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing - Complete Operations Boxed Set (DVD)
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.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow..., August 26, 2002
I started getting into the Gundam Universe when Gundam Wing first aired on Toonami on Cartoon Network. The show was very slick looking, and was probably better than anything on the network at the time. My brother and I found ourselves glued to the television everyday to see the next operation from this amazing series.
Buying each individual DVD from the 10 that collect the 49 episodes is expensive. This box set really does save a good amount of time in searching, and in money for collecting all of the series. Tack on the Endless Waltz dvd in another order, and you pretty much have everything of this series in a great looking package.
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