Not bad, but far from good...

Breakaway

Gundam Wing isn't the deepest or most meaningful anime in existence.  But it's not necessarily DragonBall Z either.  Compared to the Universal Century Gundam chapters, though, Gundam W seems a bit on the shallow side.

None of the characters seem to have any depth to their personalites, and most are simple carbon copies of characters in previous Gundams.  Zechs, the son of a murdered political leader, wears a mask in order to keep his true identity secret, waiting for the day he can reclaim his birthright.  This is an exact copy of Char Aznable from the UC, even down to the initial military rank (both were lieutenants).  Char seems to be a more believable character, though.

The mecha designs (namely the Deathscythe) are somewhat interesting, but I prefer the more utilitarian designs of the UC.  The best mecha are found in the Endless Waltz OVA, however.  Luckily there's no Turn-A in this series.

If you want thought-provoking anime, look for a UC Gundam or get Evangelion or Lain.  If you want a shallow "story" and fights that last 10 episodes, get Dragonball Z.  If you want a balance of the two, Gundam W might fit the bill.

score /10

Breakaway 5 February 2001

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0559114/