Toonami Flashback Friday Episode 4-Gundam Rising

It was the beginning of the new millennium, January 2000, when I first caught a 15 second teaser for a show that was destined to change my life forever.  Up close battle cries, explosions, maniacal laughter, GIANT ROBOTS and the promise of “Those who have laid eyes on a Gundam shall not live to tell about it.”  What the hell was “Gundam W”?  Two months later, I got my answer and I have been a fan ever since.  This was the show that challenged Dragon Ball Z for the Toonami throne, the series that blew everyones young mind and became lunch table conversations all week long.  This was Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.
 
Released in 1995 in Japan, Gundam Wing returned to Gundam’s Real Robot roots following a radical departure in Mobile Fighter G Gundam.  The show focused on five young pilots sent to Earth to wage war against the shadowy OZ organization.  Each pilot entered the battle with their own custom built Gundam Mobile Suit that made them virtually invincible on the battlefield against legions of enemies that were basically cannon fodder.  While the series was another success for the Gundam franchise in Japan, that success was virtually nothing compared to the splash Gundam Wing made in America when it hit Toonami airwaves.
 

Up to this point, most Toonami Anime offerings were otherworldly super hero shows like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon and Ronin Warriors.  Gundam Wing was arguably the first Anime since Robotech to center on a very mature and human driven tale of war, political intrigue, betrayal and sharply designed battle hardened mecha.  It was a far cry from anything on Toonami at the turn of the century and it was welcomed with open arms by the US Anime community and Toonami Faithful alike.  After it’s debut, Gundam Wing became the highest rated program on the Toonami block, alongside Dragon Ball Z, and continued that streak for much of its first year.  Adding to its staggering popularity was Gundam Wing becoming the first series to be aired Uncut on Toonami’s Midnight Run block.  This meant that fans got to watch episodes with all the blood, swearing and other intense elements that had to be removed for afternoon airings.  Gundam Wing became an event level title the likes of which had been seen by other shows like DBZ and Sailor Moon and is fondly remembered as one of Toonami’s Golden Age Classics. 

Later in November 2000, Toonami capitalized on Gundam Wing’s juggernaut status with the airing of the Gundam Wing OVA, Endless Waltz.  Set a year after the TV Series, Endless Waltz saddled the Gundam boys with five brand new models and set them up against a ghost from a war they thought was long over.  Like the TV Series before it, the airing of Endless Waltz (in it’s 3 episode OVA format in one sitting, not the Special Edition Theatrical Version which, to my knowledge, never got shown on Toonami) was a massive hit, becoming one of Toonami’s highest rated broadcasts of all time.  Both Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz enjoyed a healthy run on Toonami for over a year before the block decided it was time to branch out and see how they could capitalize on its runaway success…but that’s a story for another time. 

For me, I don’t think I need to go over my experience with Gundam Wing more than I have over the last eight years I’ve been running this blog.  It got me into Gundam, showed me a more mature side to Anime and got me to stick with the genre more so than Dragon Ball Z or any other show I was watching at the time.  Is it perfect? No.  But I will not deny Gundam Wing is a legend and if I hadn’t watched it and Endless Waltz on Toonami, I might not be the Anime fan I am today.
 
Now that we’ve talked about three of the biggest names in Toonami’s Anime History, we can talk about what came after those floodgates were shattered.  From an all boy Samurai Squad to the Anime equivalent of the Guardians of the Galaxy to the most eligible Bachelor in the Universe, get ready to learn about some old friends on the next Toonami Flashback Friday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.