I've only watched Gundam Wing once before, back when it was originally airing on Toonami. So I decided to back and watch it again to see if it was really as good as I remember. I'm happy to say that it is. There's a difference between viewing a show as a child and when you're older. You notice a lot of things that you missed, because as a kid you just might not be too interested in politics. That being said, I have a higher opinion of the series now than I did previously, though i'm also more aware of its flaws.
Wing attempts to do something special, giving viewers 5 main Gundam pilots to follow: Heero, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Duo. They have their own unique Gundams and their own unique storylines and part of the fun of this series is watcing those storylines unfold and cross over. The weakness comes from the fact that the series fails to give each pilot an equal amount of screen time. Heero is the main pilot/character, there's no arguing that, and I can accept that. But I still feel that they could have done a better job balancing the time between the five. That being said, with 49 episodes I still think an amazing job was done. The only character who I think is really neglected is Wufei and the Gundam pilots are also different enough from one another to make them memorable.
Similar to other Gundam series there isn't really just one Big Bad here or one major villain. The role of the antagonist moves around between different characters and I think it's transferred in a way that the storyline is never interrupted. At the heart of the conflict going on is a desire for peace, which is fueled on by the differen philosophies of all the parties involved. That's what makes it so interesting. Everyone says they're fighting for peace, therefore the same thing, but the different ways in which they go about it cause them to fight one another.
And through all the battles and destruction that take place the characters really do get fleshed out. Zechs goes from the typical masked villain to a truly tragic figure, Relena grows from the richest girl in school to the Queen of the World ready to put her life on the line. The Gundam pilots are some of the characters who change the least actually, but they do change and learn from their experiences and it is interesting to watch this change take place, especially within Heero in my opinion. Unlike in other series where one character is solely in the wrong due to his/her actions, Wing gives you many characters that are at odds making decent arguments and never really being proven right or wrong in the end. It's instead up to the viewers to decide who was right for themselves and what the true path to peace is.
Wing is a story that is easy to fall into and one that will surprise you with how deep the story is if you let it. It was always one of my favorite Gundam series, but now i'm more certain of that belief than I was before and I truly enjoyed my time watching it again.
A classic that still holds up years later
I've only watched Gundam Wing once before, back when it was originally airing on Toonami. So I decided to back and watch it again to see if it was really as good as I remember. I'm happy to say that it is. There's a difference between viewing a show as a child and when you're older. You notice a lot of things that you missed, because as a kid you just might not be too interested in politics. That being said, I have a higher opinion of the series now than I did previously, though i'm also more aware of its flaws.
Wing attempts to do something special, giving viewers 5 main Gundam pilots to follow: Heero, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Duo. They have their own unique Gundams and their own unique storylines and part of the fun of this series is watcing those storylines unfold and cross over. The weakness comes from the fact that the series fails to give each pilot an equal amount of screen time. Heero is the main pilot/character, there's no arguing that, and I can accept that. But I still feel that they could have done a better job balancing the time between the five. That being said, with 49 episodes I still think an amazing job was done. The only character who I think is really neglected is Wufei and the Gundam pilots are also different enough from one another to make them memorable.
Similar to other Gundam series there isn't really just one Big Bad here or one major villain. The role of the antagonist moves around between different characters and I think it's transferred in a way that the storyline is never interrupted. At the heart of the conflict going on is a desire for peace, which is fueled on by the differen philosophies of all the parties involved. That's what makes it so interesting. Everyone says they're fighting for peace, therefore the same thing, but the different ways in which they go about it cause them to fight one another.
And through all the battles and destruction that take place the characters really do get fleshed out. Zechs goes from the typical masked villain to a truly tragic figure, Relena grows from the richest girl in school to the Queen of the World ready to put her life on the line. The Gundam pilots are some of the characters who change the least actually, but they do change and learn from their experiences and it is interesting to watch this change take place, especially within Heero in my opinion. Unlike in other series where one character is solely in the wrong due to his/her actions, Wing gives you many characters that are at odds making decent arguments and never really being proven right or wrong in the end. It's instead up to the viewers to decide who was right for themselves and what the true path to peace is.
Wing is a story that is easy to fall into and one that will surprise you with how deep the story is if you let it. It was always one of my favorite Gundam series, but now i'm more certain of that belief than I was before and I truly enjoyed my time watching it again.