It's good. It's just not Gundam

Chris Beilby

Gundam Wing is the first installment of the 20 year old Mobile Suit Gundam franchise to make it to american television.  And quite frankly, I think that Cartoon Network could have chosen a better introduction.  A the same time, they could have done worse as well.

Gundam Wing tells the story of the five Gundam Pilots, young terrorists sent to Earth from the space colonies to take revenge on the death, ten years earlier, of the leader of the Colonies.  In the course of their actions, they discover that their true enemy is the secret society OZ.  Over it's 49 episodes, this series takes a convoluted plot, and executes it quite well. >

While the story of Gundam Wing is it's greatest strength, it is also the show's greatest weakness.  The simple fact is that anyone who knows Gundam has seen it all before...  We saw it in Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) and again in Gundam F91 (1990).  In addition, Gundam Wing does something else which is contrary to Gundam.  It makes it Superheroic...

When the original Gundam premiered in 1979, it was a landmark series because it was the first show to portray the Mecha as simple fighting machines, like a tank or fighter jet.  Prior Mecha shows always showed their machines as characters, mute and unintelligent, but characters nonetheless.  Gundam chan ged all that.  Unfortunately, by making it's Gundams superheroic Mecha that are invincible, Gundam Wing turns it's back on that..  And ultimately, that's what turns me off of the show...

In other words, It's good, but it's just not Gundam...

score /10

Chris Beilby 28 June 2000

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0559108/