Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Part 7 Episodes 31-35

As the Treize faction collapses, Heero meets Treize, face to face, and is given a new weapon, the Gundam Epyon.  With Relena’s influence growing, Duke Dermail sets the Sanc Kingdom as the final target of Operation Nova.  As Quatre departs on a mission to retrieve his Gundam, the other pilots: Duo, Wufei and an amnesiac Trowa, find their own battle still waiting for them in space.  Zechs too finds that Romafeller is far from done with him and he seeks to aid his sister in defending their home, armed with the mind warping Wing Zero.  But can even the former OZ Ace handle the system that drove Heero and Quatre insane?

Last time, it was all about getting caught up on current events (especially if you’re only jumping into a show at the halfway mark).  With all that done, it was time for some action and we got plenty of that, all across the board.  Characters returned, characters made pretty decent decisions to advance their characters, and we even made up for the lack of Gundam’s last time with an onslaught of terrifying Gundam reveals that brought the show back up to its normal levels of bad ass…even if the animation isn’t at its best most times trying to show it all off.

The Sanc Kingdom storylines beginning lacked just that, a proper beginning.  The country returned from nowhere, all off screen, with Relena in the drivers seat and the lack of explanations as to how she got it all going again is a bothersome nitpick.  However, this set had that storyline advance and Relena did something I never thought she would ever do: accept Heero and Noin’s proposal to outfit the Sanc Kingdom with a military force to protect it from the inevitable invasion Romafeller is planning.  Relena may be keen on creating an everlasting peace.  But her pacifistic ways aren’t going to save her or her kingdom from an oncoming army of remote control robots with no qualms about peace signs.  She could be stubborn and just stick to her guns but her closest friends have a point.  It almost pains me to say it, but Relena’s new sovereign status has done her wonders.  She isn’t totally obsessed with Heero (as much) anymore and even doesn’t hesitate to throw her brother under the bus when Romafeller finds Zechs (back as Zechs again, not Milliardo Peacecraft) tearing up Romafeller ships in space…just to keep her country safe.  That takes balls…never figured Relena had them.  Maybe she’s cut out for this kind of political work after all.

Heero, meanwhile, had the honor of meeting Treize face to face as the Treize faction fell.  This moment is epic, the main character meeting one of the main villains of the series.  And yet, it’s so weird to see Treize talking like he’s lost all the wind in his sails.  I normally associate this guy with having a God complex, a man with a long plan in the works.  Here, it just seems like he doesn’t know what to do with the change in times.  He and Heero turn out to be two sides of the same coin.  Heero’s still looking for his proper enemy to fight in the changing world.  The only reason he’s sticking around the Sanc Kingdom is because Relena gave him the ok to defend it…which means a lot of fighting, which Heero wants.  So it’s kind of a head scratcher when Treize gives Heero his brand spanking new Gundam Epyon.  Guess he thinks Heero will know what to do with it more than he will?  Why not keep it for himself to use?  Oh Treize…how have you fallen so low?

Speaking of Epyon, all of the Gundams were in top form this time around.  I talked about how Wing Zero’s first appearance felt like something out of a horror film: a force of nature that could not be stopped.  Epyon and Deathsythe Hell continued that little scare tactic with equal flair.  Duo’s F YEAH proclamation that “THE GOD OF DEATH IS BACK FROM HELL” coupled with Deathsythe Hell decloaking with it’s twin beam sythe is total nightmare fuel for any enemy that comes across it.  Then there’s Epyon, pretty much the Devil’s Gundam (though there is a Devil Gundam in G Gundam).  Not only is it a beast on the battlefield, it also has a Zero System installed (how I don’t know it’s about as mysterious as Treize having Heero’s voice and hand prints to access a secret vault).  The look on Heero’s face when he charges down with that crazed look on his face is terrifying.  Gundams have become scary again, but mostly in a pretty awesome way.  By the way, is it me or did Wufei’s Gundam get the most upgrades of any Gundam yet?  Two Dragon Fangs, a double sided beam trident, laser cannons on its back?  Altron looks good but still it has enough upgrades for three Gundams.

We finally got the return of Duo, Wufei and Zechs in this set of episodes and they’re all continuing to do what they do best.  Wufei’s got renewed incentive to strike back against Romafeller with the destruction of his home colony.  I like that Wufei’s no longer in a depressed funk after losing to Treize and is trying to move forward.  Duo had to square off against an OZ soldier who captured Wing Zero.  Not only has Duo’s comic relief been missed but would you look at that, he (kind of?) hooked up with that Hilde girl who tried to capture him a while back.  Again, plot id like to have actually seen on screen but still…Duo’s got a girl and that makes me happy.  Speaking of Wing Zero, Zechs got back in the game after playing diplomat, redawning his mask and trading his poor Tallgeese in for the Gundam.  The destruction of the Tallgeese was bittersweet.  We’ve seen that suit go through a lot with Zechs and stand out as one of the better, non Gundam Mobile Suits in the series.  Even though Wing Zero may have better armor and firepower, I’m sure Zechs is rethinking a few things when he had his own bout with the Zero System while fighting Wufei.  Looks like he and Heero have something else in common now.  By the way, where did Zechs get a battleship from? 

The animation continues to be an element that holds this series back sometimes.  The sight of Virgo’s parachuting in behind a firing line is epic but used too many times, same with the Leo destruction shots.  What’s worse, the actual animation seems to be taking steps backwards into G Gundam and even Victory Gundam levels (those were the two shows that preceded Gundam Wing in Japan).  The action is still great but it’s not nearly as polished as it should be.  Also, Trowa’s back and he has amnesia…they are really scratching the bottom of the barrel trying to find something for him to do in this show.  Every Gundam Pilot has a defining storyline or feature that keeps them entertaining.  Hell even Wufei’s endgame is to defeat Treize in a rematch.  Quatre wants to defend the Sanc Kingdom.  Heero is the main character.  And Duo’s…well he’s Duo, you’re supposed to like him.  Trowa has never had a character arc or journey to make him that interesting.  I dare say it would have been better if he’d stayed dead, would’ve made a huge impact on Quatre (especially since he’s the reason Trowa’s like this).  But who would take over piloting his long lost Gundam (seriously, Heavyarms hasn’t been seen since the boys left Earth for space in the first half)?  Maybe amnesia will benefit Trowa, maybe it wont.  Either way…it’s good to see Catherine back again in her cute acrobatics costume? (that is true but doesn’t mean Trowa’s story will get any better).

Well with Treize’s rebellion squashed for now, it looks like Duke Dermail is going to finally drop his troops right on the Sanc Kingdom.  Hard to believe there’s only 15 or so episodes left to go.  While the endgame of this show is still out of sight, I did enjoy this set of episodes.  The combination of good character writing and action was nicely balanced (mostly) just like the beginnings of the series.  It felt like Gundam Wing was back to form again.  Hopefully it maintains that as we start heading into the home stretch of this epic space opera.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Part 6 Episodes 26-30

Heero and Quatre find their way back to Earth, only to find it worse than when they left it.  With Treize openly standing against OZ’s financial backer, the Romafeller Foundation, the remnants of OZ find themselves the targets of Operation Nova: the plan to eradicate Treize and his men with the use of a deadlier breed of Mobile Doll.  Past the chaos, Relena has resurrected her old homeland, the Sanc Kingdom, and seeks for Heero to join her there.  Will the war weary Gundam pilot find what he’s looking for in a land of peace?

It’s hard not to try and take a bit of a break after marathoning 25 episodes straight of a series.  I think that’s why a lot of Anime productions tend to keep their runs to this length now so that they can recharge their batteries and give the viewers time to breathe (unless you’re a Shonen Anime production whose episode count is in the 700’s…then your just screwed there).  Well I took a tiny break after wrapping up the first half of Gundam Wing to do the same and jumping back into it, the show feels different but for various reasons, most of them good but some…not so much.

At around this point in a 50 episode long series, it makes sense that the staff would need time to work on more fresh content, so you know what that means…CLIP SHOW!!!  Well we didn’t get one, but rather we got 2 back to back clip shows from four different perspectives (2 each).  Heero and Relena recounted the Gundam Pilots side of things and Treize and Lady Une nararrated the OZ accounts of events thus far.  In all honesty, these episodes could really be skipped but buried under 40 mins of stock footage there are two big developments revealed.  First off, while Heero has been in space, Relena has, somehow, off screen, resurrected the Sanc Kingdom…how is never explained (at least in this set).  She seems determined to make the world a better place with peaceful dialogue…and hopes that Heero will notice her for it (priorities).  Secondly, Treize may be under house arrest but he’s not spending his time knitting…he’s building a Gundam.  As awesome as that is, unless you really like to hear Treize talk, there’s no need to sit around and listen to the same speeches he gave a couple episodes ago, again, in their entirety.

Fun fact about this part of the production.  The clips shows were originally meant to be replaced with a series of short episodes centering on the backstories of the main cast: Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Zechs and Relena, and include a direct prequel to the events of the first episode.  For what I’m assuming could only be because of budgetary reasons, these episodes were never completed.  Bits and pieces of those planned tales found their way into the Gundam Wing sequel OVA: Endless Waltz.  However, if you’re looking for those stories in their entirety, then I highly recommend the Gundam Wing: Episode Zero Graphic Novel.  All of the proposed tales are there and they offer plenty of great insights into why the pilots are the way they are.  Frankly, I wait for the day that will never come when Episode Zero will see its Anime form at last…instead we have clip shows…awesome.

However, once all the rehashing of info we already knew (unless you were coming in late and needed to get caught up on things), we were right back into the action.  Here’s where the show feels different in a good way.  Most of the action was Gundam-less.  The only time we ever see a Gundam in action is during Heero’s berserk sortie in the Wing Zero against the new Mobile Dolls, and it was glorious.  Besides that (and the clip shows) the Gundams are almost entirely absent from the action.  This leaves Heero and Quatre (who all episodes are more or less centered on; no word on the whereabouts of Duo, Trowa or Wufei), to play Army of Two with regular guns and OZ Mobile Suits…and they do a good job too.  They manage to capture a Romafeller ship (not quite Captain Jack Sparrow style but close) and wreck some Virgos with a Leo and an Aries, granted they get help from some upgraded firepower for that latter bit.  We also got to see Noin return and team up with Sally Po to save Heero’s Wing Gundam from Romafeller.  For all of trying to figure out where Sally fits into the whole story, I did like her and Noin together.  They seemed like an instantly good pairing and have total faith in the Gundams and their pilots.  I’ll admit, this makes more sense for Noin because she’s worked with them longer than Sally, who was sold on Heero after only seeing him in action once and declaring herself Heero’s second biggest fan (Relena will not be topped in that regard).  But as developments go, it was good to see these two in action together.

Finally, there’s Relena’s safe zone that is the Sanc Kingdom.  Their views on pacifism are swaying nations to their side.  Of course this means Romafeller is going to repeat history and torch the kingdom at any moment.  It’s hard to tell whether or not Relena is being really brave or really naieve thinking that she can succeed in defeating Romafeller without armed conflict.  Challenging her beliefs on this is the Anti Relena, the cute Dorothy Catalonia.  With her bizzare as all get out eyebrows, she mocks, more or less, Relena’s views through false praise while she’s bursting for a war to break out behind the scenes.  Relena wants peace, Dorothy cant wait for the war to begin and she’s eager to meet Heero and Quatre, who will probably bring that war along with them since they’re priority targets of the Foundation.

Honestly, I wish we had been given time to see how Relena decided to go with this new life goal and how she put it all together.  It just feels like a substantial chapter is missing from the whole story and we’re just supposed to accept it.  Whatever the circumstance, Relena got her way in one regard…Heero finally being brought to her doorstep with nowhere to run.  I felt bad for poor Heero.  He says he needs to keep fighting to live and he even gets himself involved in a mini civil war between OZ troops to maintain that mindset.  But when Heero is staring down the approaching apocalyptic army of Virgo’s, you can see just how tired he is of it all.  He doesn’t want to quit fighting, he just doesn’t know how to take a break from it, or leave it behind at all.  I don’t know if the Sanc Kingdom will offer him any answers.  But that insanely creepy “I’ve got you” look of victory on Relena’s face says that he wont stick around for very long.  Does he still want to kill her by the way?

Next Monday we get to know the Sanc Kingdom and maybe we’ll even get to check in with some other fan favorites as the second half of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing gets underway.

T5W#102-Top 5 Dumbest Things Relena Does in the Beginning of Gundam Wing

Relena Peacecraft.  For many of us, she was the first Gundam girl we ever saw.  And back then, some of us might have tolerated her.  During my recent rewatch of Gundam Wing (currently being reviewed), ive come across a horrifying revelation…Relena is an idiot in the first half of this series.  And I’m not talking innocent mistakes, no im talking she’s full blown psychotic to the max.  Everytime she’s on screen, it’s not a matter of “if” she’ll do something stupid, it’s a matter of “what” and “when”.  What do I mean by this?  Well enjoy todays comedy filled Top 5 as I detail the Top 5 Dumbest Things Relena Does in the Beginning of Gundam Wing.  This covers the first 25 episodes of the show, just FYI so there might not be a lot of spoilers ahead for the episodes to come, we’ll see though.

 

#5-Kicking the OZ/Romafeller Hornet’s Nest (Episode 11 & Episode 14)

Following the death of her father, Relena seems to develop a more rebellious streak.  When she isn’t stalking her dream boy, Heero, she’s secretly plotting revenge against the organization that killed her dad.  Which is all well and good…but Relena is far from killer material.  Twice she tries to piss off OZ, not knowing she’s in a room full of OZ supporters who could probably mow her down…and do us all a favor in the process.  The first time is when she has Lady Une dead to rights and proves she’s good at hitting roses off people’s chests but not killing them in the process, smooth.  Then there’s the Romafeller event Noin takes Relena to.  After an epic speech from Duke Dermail, Relena goes on stage and pulls a Kanye, saying Romafeller sucks and the Gundams are the real winners.  Had this come from anyone elses mouth, Id be fine with it.  But it’s Relena and, at this point, her mini speech comes off as more of a true teenage angst filled rant.  Had Treize not been there to intervene, Relena might not have survived her visit to the room of aristocratic old farts.  Also that outfit she wears to the event is criminal.  She’s got nice legs and she’s not doing her looks any favors dressing like a dude, unless she’s trying to crossplay Heero and I wouldn’t put that past her.

 

#4-Would the Post Office Hire Her…Maybe? (Episode 16)

When Relena receives a letter from Field Marshall Noventa’s wife meant for Heero, youd better believe Relena’s gonna make sure her man gets his mail.  Now, there are many ways to deliver important messages to people: email, text, hell pick up the phone and call them.  FLYING INTO THE MIDDLE OF A MOBILE SUIT DUEL (and just narrowly avoiding being hit by a beam saber btw) is not the way to accomplish your mission.  Heck, what about her butler?  Is he getting paid enough to get his ass burned to death just so Relena can make Heero listen to a letter?  I think Heero’s reaction to Relena’s arrival says it all, “YOURE IN THE WAY. GET LOST!!!”

 

#3-Stalker Mode Activate (Episode 9)

When Relena does this the first time, it freaked me out.  Just how the freaking hell did she find out which school Heero had transferred to following his ditching (and kind of destroying) their old school?  Granted we find out she has a super butler later on but still, this is beyond just damn creepy and stupid.  “She’s not your average chick, tracking down the guy who wants to kill her,” Duo says to Heero.  EXACTLY and we haven’t even gotten to that bit yet (guess what #1 probably is). 

 

#2-Running around with a pocket sized bomb (Episode 5)

Ok, ok, this one’s a little unfair.  Relena didn’t know that the locket Lady Une left outside her fathers meeting room was housing a powerful explosive.  Still, she was running around with the thing well into it’s ten minute countdown.  I guess my issue is that if Relena had just waited innocently a bit longer, she could have rid the show of a key villain and herself in one, unintended swing…l know Heero would have laughed.

 

#1-“Ill Kill You” “I love you”

I said in my first review that Relena’s character seems like the archtype for everyone favorite end joke of Young Adult literature, Bella Swann from Twilight.  Much like YA’s dumbest dumb ass “heroine” Relena encounters a boy of immense mystery and flawless charm (Tearing up notes and wipping away tears, Heero Swag OVER 9000!!!).  But, one Heero (and therefore Edward, if we want to keep this comparison going), informs Relena/Bella that he’s going to kill her/he’s a vampire…RELENA IS IMMEDIATLEY TURNED ON!!!  She doesn’t go to the cops, try to talk to her friends or her father about this.  Nope, she becomes obsessed with Heero’s every move: What’s his next mission?  What’s he doing right now?  Is he ever going to come and kill her?  Only those with some seriously messed up psyches fall for a man who wishes to bring about their demise.  For Relena Peacecraft, that’s just foreplay.  I bet if she ever does get together with Heero, she’ll ask him to bring a loaded gun with them to bed…and ill let that little train of thought stop right there.

And despite all of this, as hard as it is to believe, Relena does get better as a character as the second of the series gets going.  How is this possible and how much will I lighten up on her?  You’ll have to check back on Friday for a new review of Gundam Wing to find out.

 

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Part 5 Episodes 21-25

There is a new power in space.  A Gundam, so destructive that it has been left unfinished for over twenty years, has come to challenge not just OZ but the colonies themselves.  With Wufei and Duo captured by OZ, an undercover Trowa and Heero seek out this supposed new ally.  But even Heero can sense something isn’t right about this Gundam.  As Heero and Trowa confront the fact that an ally has become a new enemy, OZ finds itself torn apart by an internal power struggle.  Old foes fall, old friends find new strength.  And the next chapter of the After Colony era erupts in fire across the stars.

Things hardly ever stay the same for too long in the world of Gundam Wing.  This series has gone well out of its way to leave things in a different state from one part to the next.  That’s no different here as we reach the halfway marker of the show. 

It’s fascinating that the reaction to the changing situation in the colonies was experienced best by a character who’s spirit we never thought would break and a character we never expected to find a heart in that nice bod of hers.  Losing his father was Quatre’s breaking point. The Pacifist who believed in peace, even at the cost of his own Gundam and his being exiled by the colonies he once defended, finally went over the edge and responded in kind…by going totally insane.  Watching Quatre in action with the brand spanking new Wing Zero and  seeing such a kind boy become an emotionless killing machine, who had no qualms blowing up colonies like OZ Mobile Suits, was chilling to say the least.  It only makes sense that in possibly losing Trowa (who could be a younger version of Quatre’s dad if his hair was shorter and he was rocking a stache) would bring Quatre around to the horrors he’s done.  Losing one person he loved broke him.  Losing another dear friend, who pleaded for him to find his soul again, was at least a start to restoring him.

And then there’s Lady Une, who at the end of last week was having a hard time trying to decide which Lady Une she wanted to be.  Over the course of the last few episodes, her peaceful side has shown her how important the colonies are and now she no longer sees them as needing to be conquered through deception but protected at all costs.  In a way, her two sides began to merge together into a new Lady Une.  Honestly, considering how she finds herself coming to understand the Gundam Pilots, it wouldn’t shock me if she figured out Trowa was a spy all along and just didn’t care.  It sucks this version of Une had to be gunned down by Tuberov.  Here’s hoping she isn’t out of the game for long.  Same for Trowa but, let’s face it, he’s more likely to return faster cause he’s a Gundam Pilot.

Treize’s stand against Romafeller and Duke Dermail is a good setup for the second half of the series.  The themes of military power vs. the worth of the human spirit will no doubt be a driving force as Mobile Dolls prepare to be delivered to Earth.  At this point, it’s really hard to say if Treize is still a bad guy or not.  He’s got a crap ton of blood on his hands, then again so do Zechs, Lady Une and many other OZ soldiers who are trying to change their ways.  I still think Treize wants to run things his way but is unable to just because Romafeller is too strong as a united group for now.  I would say that’s interesting since Treize’s God Complex would make me think he wouldn’t be intimidated by this.  But clearly Treize is more an inspiration than the ancient old men running Romafeller.  I’m sure he’ll have another coup d’etat running in no time.

We got new mecha galore this time around too.  We didn’t get one, or two but THREEE new Gundams thrown into the mix.  At long last, DEATHSYTHE RIDES AGAIN!!!  The debut of Duo’s Deathsythe Hell and Wufei’s Altron Gundam (bet you he still calls in Nataku), was way too brief but still very satisfying considering the beating the two of them have taken in the last ten episodes or so.  Double blade energy sythes and two dragon fangs?  I cant wait to see what these two can do once they’ve been 100% completed (and yet they were already kicking ass at 70%...that’s gonna be awesome).  Then there’s Wing Zero, a Mobile Suit even the five Gundam Designers feared to complete.  It’s drawn super pretty in its first outing and you can sense the power it wields without it having to fire a shot.  The face that it has two buster cannons that can unite into a mega gun is just an added bonus to how cool Wings new flagship Gundam has turned out to be…though it was a pretty intense monster in its debut, so scary.

If there was one thing that held this week back a bit, it was Zech’s “Good will tour” of the colonies.  I think the current state of things has been addressed almost to death by this point with OZ and the colonies getting along now.  There wasn’t much of a need for Zechs to hear what we’ve already come to learn and accept by this point.  I’m not even certain Zechs’ plotline really went anywhere.  Guess that just depends on whether or not he sticks around or goes back to Earth.  He claimed to represent the destroyed Sanc Kingdom…is he acting in it’s spirit or has something developed with that place we haven’t heard about yet?  It’s an intriguing mystery for sure, something I think we’ll get to right away when the second half gets going.

One last thing, Duo’s big return to action episode was a great rebound for my favorite character after losing his Gundam.  Duo got to go all one man, roll on the ground shooting an enemies, army trying to reach the Lunar Base.  He even managed to catch the attention of the super cute Hilde.  Hope she ends up coming back sometime. Heero has his stalker girl and Zechs has Noin.  Why cant the others find somebody to love? 

Man, reviewing this series can be tiring, if only because everythings always changing so quickly.  But I’m halfway done and I’m not going to quit now.  Check back Friday as the second half of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing gets underway here on the Anime Corner.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Part 4 Episodes 16-20

With Earth under it’s firm control, OZ begins to move to the stars.  With renewed vigor, the Gundam Pilots make their own plans to return home…only for the colonies they once fought for to openly disown them and accept OZ as their new friend.  With no place to return and a new breed of mobile weapon now capable of defeating even the Gundams themselves, Heero, Duo and the others find themselves in their darkest hours.  As OZ begins to close in on them, Zechs, now an outlaw from the very organization that helped him reclaim his homeland, makes his own move to space. 

It was just one thing after another this time around.  We had epic battles, betrayals, huge deaths (of sorts) and the plot basically trying everything possible to screw the Gundam Pilots over.  There’s a lot to nitpick but overall these new developments were really strong as Gundam Wing gets ready to wrap up its first half.

The battle in Antarctica, the rematch between Heero and Zechs, went about as well as expected.  Heero switched things up to go after Zechs in Trowa’s Heavyarms to help him focus and even with an injury he did good.  Too bad the fight had to be interrupted by…sigh, Relena, who literally had her “Alfred” fly into the middle of a battle to try and talk to Heero.  At this point, Heero summed up my thoughts on Relena as a whole when it comes to Heero, “You’re in the way, get lost.”  We didn’t see much of Relena after this episode and I can only imagine she’s going to find a way to follow him to space.  But there’s so much going on up there, adding her in would be more of a hinderance than having her in the story outside of the Peacecraft angle.

The colonies turning their backs on the Gundam Pilots was only the first big blow the guys felt this week.  OZ stepped up it’s game, turning to a strategy of conquest disguised as peace.  Lady Une was selected to be the spokeswoman of this new approach but her regular look wouldn’t do.  Nope, she let her hair down, threw on a short skirt and actually tried being…nice.  Guess she really took Treize’s advice too much to heart because towards the end of this set, Une was beginning to freak out over who she thought she actually was: a bloodthirsty killer or a woman who genuinely wants to see peace between Earth and the Colonies.  It kind of came out of nowhere but it’s a welcome development for Treize’s right hand woman.

With the colonies on the side of OZ, the Gundams themselves took a beating.  Watching Deathsythe get defeated in battle before getting blown up (and I don’t care if he was undercover F*** YOU TROWA BARTON), was not easy.  My favorite Gundam blown to bits in space, seeing it crumble before my eyes…I wonder if my scream matched Duo’s at all.  Factor in Wufei’s stupid plan to attack…without a plan? (seriously what was he thinking charging in when his suit isn’t fit for space battle) and Quatre blowing his up to prevent the pilots from being followed into space, oh and Heero and Trowa ditching their suits on Earth…this show is running out of its namesake.  The pilots were defeated all across the board this time, and like I said, it wasn’t an easy watch.

Thankfully, Treize and Zechs continued to prove that, even though their the villains (sort of still?) they could still pull off impressive wins for the series.  Zechs, now sought to be killed for helping the Gundams, got to take on an army single handidly and survive.  And he lost his mask, ending his ties to Treize.  I wonder where that will take him now that he’s going into space as well…and do I have to call him MIlleardo now?  Cause I’m not, I’m gonna keep calling him Zechs.  Treize, on the other hand, made the ultimate argument for why Romafeller shouldn’t switch to their Skynet Mobile Doll policy.  His faith in human life is so absolute, Treize is able to stage a fake coup while blowing up Mobile Doll Leo’s with the most heavily armored Leo he could find (I’ll get to that shortly).  I doubt Treize’s argument will sway his masters and I can see this adding more fuel to an inevitable fire.  Plus, it wasn’t all total losses for the Gundam Pilots as I might’ve sort of said above.  Heero breaking Duo out of prison was fun and even Heero was able to prove why the Mobile Doll system is flawed…by programming in OZ human targets so he and Duo could escape…now how long til Skynet becomes self aware?

There were a couple of nagging flaws in this set of episodes, most of them technical.  Stock footage continues to be the achillies heel of Gundam Wing as the same old Leo’s and Aries keep getting blown up by the same Gundam moves time and time again.  Then there’s Quatre’s Sandrock Gundam seemingly becoming self aware and raising it’s shield to protect Quatre as he escapes from the self destruct mode…was that just programmed in and Quatre was hallucinating from his head wound?  I’ll take that as a possibility.  And then there’s Treize and his Leo.  Yes, it’s bad ass to see him take down the Leo Mobile Dolls.  But his Leo takes WAY too many bullets for him to survive.  We’ve not only seen Gundams cut through hundreds of these things like tissue paper, we’ve also seen every other Mobile Suit do the same to equal degrees.  Does Treize have a special unlimited health cheat?  If he had dodged the bullets, fine.  But just standing there and taking the pounding?  By proper logic, Treize should have died.  Again, bad ass moment…flawed execution.

Before I wrap up I should mention we got to meet the motley crew of scientists responsible for the Gundams being built.  We met Doctor J a while back but here we also met Professor G, Doctor S, Instructor H and Master O.  Of the five, J and G seems to have a good repitoire, similar to Heero and Duo, who they mentor respectively.  It’s pretty clear that, despite their capture, these five have plans of their own for OZ and are going to make their lives a living hell for locking them up.  As Arnold Schwarzenegger would say about his T-800 model in a bad Terminator movie, “Old, not obsolete.”

So let’s run down the stats list so far:

Heero-Captured

Duo-Rescued and recovering

Trowa-Spy? (probably)

Quatre-Bleeding out in space

Wufei-Lost in space with a damaged Gundam (and with no plan whatsoever…even if he thinks that’s a plan)

Zechs-Lost his mask and is heading into space

Treize-Posing victoriously on a Leo after proving a point

Lady Une-Cant decide whether to be a good hot pacifist chick in a short skirt or an evil hot military genius chick in glasses and it’s driving her nuts

Relena-Probably prepping a shuttle to follow Heero into space.

And that’s the end of Part 4.  Next time we’re going to hit the halfway mark and I’m kind of surprised I’m still hanging in there.  Seriously, I wondered if I covered everything laid out in these five episodes alone.  I guess I forgot to mention Sally Po’s return, along with Quatre’s three Maguanac Generals, as they tried to steal what’s left of Sandrock.  It was good to see the Fez sporting Quatre Groupies again, with a bit of comic relief.  But I’m still not sure what Sally’s role in this show is supposed to be…Heero Groupie?  I don’t know we’ll figure that out somewhere down the line, I’m sure.  See ya Monday for more Gundam Wing.

T5W#101-Top 5 Favorite Things About The End of Evangelion

On this day 20 years ago, July 19, 1997, a film debuted in Japanese theaters to a host of hungry fans eagerly awaiting its arrival.  I wish I could have seen the shock back then (much like how I wish I could see a premiere showing of The Empire Strikes Back and hear the gasps when Vader drops that truth bomb on Luke).  Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion, is the end all, be all finale to Hideki Anno’s game changing Anime series.  This film was the original envisioned ending that never made it to the TV series due to budget and time constraints (and the personal trials of the director himself).  After the TV ending was met with “mixed” results, backlash led to a theatrical release of the true ending.  Man did the world not know what it was in for.  To this day, The End of Evangelion stands as one of the greatest achievements in Anime history, bringing a close to an amazing saga that went beyond the giant robots and the monsters they fought.  And today I’m going to share my Top 5 Favorite Things about the film and why I think its still something that should be seen by Anime fans of all generations.

 

#5-The Animation

Most Anime films nowadays based on a TV Series tend to stick with the same animation from the small screen with maybe a smidge of touching up…it’s almost a bit lazy.  The End of Evangelion was the precursor to really making a TV Series sequel look feature length worthy, like Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne would eventually do.  The movie is crisp, gorgeous and unrelenting in all of its visual glory, from the action to the end of the world sequence.  The film is begging to be freeze framed for every little nugget of detail thrown into each frame, not to mention some of the blink and you’ll miss moments (Kwarou’s name on the mass produced Eva Dummy Plugs or Asuka’s maggot ridden corpse.).  I’d say I wish they went back and rereleased the series like this…but that’s what Death and Rebirth is for.  Of course, Death and Rebirth was meant to be released with The End of Evangelion as one complete feature but End of Eva needed more time, so we got the first feature which was a retelling of the TV shows events.  Evangelion never looked better…until the Rebuild films came along.

 

#4-Asuka’s Blaze of Glory

Asuka is many things…mostly on the negative side cause she’s kind of, for lack of a better term, a bitch.  However, when it came to piloting an Eva, she could kick ass like no ones business.  She did great against Angels and got her big screen moment to shine in End of Eva, taking on not only the Japanese Military but a legion of Mass Produced Evangelion Units.  It’s a bloodbath on a huge scale (more on that later) and watching Asuka work is just as exciting as the outcome is horrifically terrifying.  Whether or not you agree with how it all turns out, Asuka got to go out in a blaze of red headed fiery glory…even if it is one of the hardest deaths to watch in all of Anime.

 

#3-The Happiest/Saddest Apocalypse Song of All Time

“Kom susser Tod” (or Come Sweet Death).  Sounds like a pretty dismal tune from the title, right?  You would not believe that when the song starts just before the big Third Impact Sequence.  It starts off kind of cheerful, followed by a beautiful, serene batch of voices.  Overall, it’s such a toe tapping tune you almost forget the contents of the lyrics OR that it’s playing against the backdrop of the end of the freaking world.  Once you know how the song truly goes, there’s a feeling of dread you’d never associate with something that seems so peaceful in nature.  I guess if this was the end of life as we know it…it could sound a lot worse.

 

#2-Nightmare Fuel OVER 9000!!!!

You thought Eva’s brutally murdering other Eva’s was bad.  You thought Eva’s eating Angels was bad.  Well that was just the appetizer.  The End of Evangelion is a relentless movie.  The pacing never lets up and the amount of bloodshed and mayhem is one of the most extreme in any anime.  Not only are we watching poor NERV employees getting gunned down, we seeing some of our favorite cast members biting the bullet in the most horrific and heart wrenching ways possible.  Oh and there’s the sights of multiple, disfigured Rei’s bearing down over a slowly maddening Shinji.  I also mentioned Asuka’s brutal end at the hands of the Mass Produced Evas…and the scream Shinji produces when he sees her mangled Evangelions torn apart corpse (God bless you and the screams you do Spike Spencer).  This film has to potential to scare you half to death…but it’s an ending you will never forget because of that.  Hey, you all wanted Anno to give you the true ending, you asked for this…just remember that.

#1-It’s not perfect…and that makes it perfect

Not every question is answered.  Hell the final moments are just as divisive as the events of the TV Series ending.  In the end though, that just adds to the lasting legacy of The End of Evangelion.  As a capstone to a legendary Anime, The End of Evangelion strives to finish the path begun in the series and finish it just about right.  And just when you think you’ve figured it out, it either escapes you or you discover another curve ball thrown your way that makes you start all over again.  Is it frustrating?  Sure, I doubt anyone wanted the story to end more ambiguously or see their beloved NERV crew get massacred in the way they were (Oh Misato).  But it’s still a story that stays with us and continues to be talked about decades after it has been completed.  Neon Genesis Evangelion continues to find itself on many Top 10 Anime of All Time lists for its thoughtful subject matter, shock value and deeper meanings.  The End of Evangelion took all of that, cranked it up and said…hope you’re ready to start all over again, cause the real answers wont be coming any time soon…but they will eventually and this show and the movie will always be around to bring out new theories and mindset that change the way we watch it every single time.  How many Anime can you say have had this kind of staying power?

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Part 3 Episodes 11-15

OZ has won.  As the Alliance falls to their sneak attacks, the Gundams and their pilots are forced underground after Heero’s act of defiance leaves him seemingly dead.  With their homes held hostage, the Gundam Pilots must quickly decide their next move if they are to survive.  Meanwhile, Zechs seeks out Heero, believing the Gundam Pilot is still alive, in order to conclude their interrupted battle.  The battlefield is changing and Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei must decide where they belong in this new world.

And what’s the important lesson we learned this week from Uncle Heero kids:  When thinking about blowing up your own Gundam while you’re still on it, remember…it hurts like hell.

Yep, Heero’s ok but not back to 100%.  Likewise, the rest of the Gundam Pilots had a lot to think about as this new chapter began.  Unable to move around like total bad asses, it was time to sit and think…I know weird to do in an action series but it can happen.  And while a couple of characters still don’t know what the heck theyre doing (or are making it very hard for me to get a read on them), everyone else is onto their next adventure.

I’ll do my complaints first.  Episode 13 is home to one of my all time (if not absolute favorite) moments in all of Gundam Wing and I’ll get to that in a moment.  But in an episode mostly dedicated to Zechs, a small portion had to deal with Trowa not knowing what the heck to do in the wake of his missions being cancelled after the potential colony attack.  Should he follow Heero’s example (if so see adage above) or continue fighting on his own?  Trowa’s way of thinking didn’t make any sense to me and worse yet…how the hell did a circus tent full of OZ soldiers not recognize a freaking Gundam?  What about Trowa’s circus itself, don’t they watch the news?  It was a little maddening and by this sets end, Trowa still remains the toughest to get a read on out of the five main leads, even Heero is a bit more understandable by this point.  Trowa did make up for it by taking most of the action scenes this time out, including the ultimate spin and slice finishing move he performs on the Romafeller inspector at the end of Episode 15.  But he still has a way to go before he earns any points with me.

That snag aside, this part did what needed to be done and gave the pilots some time to think on the new world order.  As frustrating as it was to watch Wufei spout out his “I’m weak” nonsense just cause he lost to Treize, I’m glad Sally Po managed to get him inspired again (cute girls will do that anyday).  Duo and Quatre had a good episode to bond some more, sharing how similar their operational instruction sound, chances are Heero, Trowa and Wufei all got the same sales pitch.  It was rough to see Duo and Quatre not partake in the defense of the Maguanac Corp hometown, knowing that if they got directly involved the colonies might get attacked.  Still, Duo managed to clear a path from above and the Maguanac’s finally got to shine without Quatre showing them all up with his Gundam.  I hope we see Quatre’s personal army of bodyguards again down the line.  Heero’s road to recovery and redemption was well done too.  He’s been bearing the burden of giving OZ the world ever since he accidentally killed Marshall Noventa.  Now he’s traveling with Trowa to, as Trowa puts it, “seek the verdict of his family.”  That’s a lot of judgement to go through but it’s Heero, somehow it just makes sense things would be this way for him.

We also discovered the OZ and Treize are not the big series endgame, not really a huge shock since we’re only 15 episodes in by the end of this set.  The Romafeller Foundation seems about as ancient and arrogant as you’d expect guys who dress like they live in Victorian England to seem.  You can immediately tell how their ideals might clash with Treize.  They want total control no matter the cost.  Treize, however, while capable of ordering such slaughters, still sees humanitys potential.  I really like the moment where he holds a mother back from saving her child from falling into a river and his faith is rewarding by the little cuteness learning to happily walk back to his mom.  It’s hard to believe Treize is such a great villain with surprising heart like this.

As mentioned above, Zechs got the best moment of the series so far.  Not only does he rightfully blame himself for throwing the world into it’s current state, but he’s also helped shape monsters like Alex and Muller.  This does mean it’s ok for him to deal with them as he sees fit.  His take down of Muller was standard but tearing Alex and his Mobile Suit in half, with a furious battlecry…HE IS THE SON OF CHAR AZNABLE!!!!  And, as it turns out, he is beginning to share a rather unhealthy obsession with Heero, same as Relena.  Relena desperately wants to find Heero again cause that’s her basic function in life when she’s not trying to assassinate OZ leaders or speak up at Romafeller functions (though she does get points for trying).  Zechs wants to find Heero and settle their duel.  He’s even rebuilding Heero’s suit and trying to cover it up as he does so, knowing this could mean the end of his career.  I’m not saying Zechs is totally like Relena with his Heero obsession (at least he’s not breaking the fourth wall to rub in how he knew Heero was still alive…goddamit Relena).  But this rematch had better be worth all the hassle he’s putting his men, and Treize, through just to settle a score…yeah he’s definitely Char’s son.

Oh and when the heck did Relena’s driver turn out to be Gundam’s equivalent of Batman’s Alfred Pennyworth.  I was wondering how Relena could track down Heero to a new school and figure out Lady Une was headed for an OZ function in Moscow…now I know why.  This old guy can even trace Heero’s route to judgement at the hands of Marshal Noventa’s family.  It makes somethings about Relena make sense but I wish this little detail had been revealed better a lot sooner than now.

Just wait, pretty sure Relena’s going to track her man down to the Antarctica battleground and try to interrupt the fight just to get Heero’s attention…just wait.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Part 2 Episodes 6-10

Operation Meteor continues as the five Gundams continue to strike against OZ bases worldwide.  With the Earth Sphere Alliance desperate for a peaceful solution, OZ Commander and Chief, Treize Kushrenada, seeks to turn this to his advantage.  When Heero and his fellow pilots meet for the first time during their biggest mission yet, they fall right into Treize’s trap and place the world under OZ’s control.  With the element of surprise now lost, how will the Gundam pilots be able to carry out their missions now?

A Heero falls.  OZ takes over the world (More or less).  Relena takes her stalker obsession to the next level.  With so much happening in this set, is it kind of hard to believe that the moment when Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei finally meet isn’t the main highlight?

That’s probably because that long awaited encounter didn’t last very long and only served to cap off the biggest play made by OZ yet.  If last review was giving time for the good guys to feel invincible, this week it was the villains turn and Treize and Zechs were both shinning brightly.  Treize isn’t one to brag about his accomplishments, even something as big as taking down the Earth Sphere Alliance after years of planning.  He’s just chilling on his yacht, reading a book and taking in the change of times one simple breath at a time.  Has there ever been a more calm, collective and still fun to root for villain (no Light Yagami doesn’t count cause he freaks out more often than not).  And just to prove how appropriately bad ass he is, Treize even took on Wufei in a sword duel…and won.  I wont give Treize grief for not killing him cause he wants to fight him again…I will give him grief for killing him and leaving Wufei to wallow in not being top of the food chain (kind of like Domon from G Gundam, I bet this ass kicking will set Wufei back a few episodes).  I should also bring up Treize’s right hand woman, Lady Une, who was at the center of some of my favorite moments this set.  Treize doesn’t mind a lot of bloodshed but I am curious why he keeps such a trigger happy assassin at his side.  Funny enough, those favorite moments I mentioned, all involved Treize saying “you don’t know how I operate” when Lady Une thinks she’s done a solid deed.  Btw I want to know what his reaction was when Lady Une told him she dropped a man out of a plane and shot him in the head afterwards…did he react like Bane in Dark Knight Rises, “I’m wondering why you would shoot a man after throwing him out of a plane…wouldn’t the fall surely kill him?”

Meanwhile, Zechs got some more Char like plot to go with his character.  Turns out, much like Char, he’s the exiled prince of a country who’s pacifist family was wipped out (similar to the Romanoff Family in Modern History…see the solid Animated flick Anastasia for more details) and seeks revenge, which he got.  Oh and Relena’s his sister.  Not a big shock there since non too subtle hints had been dropped here and there up til the reveal itself.  After sitting out much of the action after the first episode and being relegated to the background, Zechs managed to get back into the fray with a completed Tallgeese.  Man is this thing a beast.  Everytime you see it, you can feel it towering over you like a Titan.  Watching it push Zechs to his limit was something for sure.  Though it’s kind of weird that after one botched outing in the mech, Zechs is fine piloting it afterwards, he doesn’t even seem to have a lot of trouble fighting Heero later on.

This brings us to the Gundam pilots and the big cliffhanger.  No matter how many times you see the Wing Gundams self detonation in promos, everytime I see it, I get chills.  Any Gundam show runs the risk of having the Gundams too overpowered for too long.  Thankfully, Wing waited til Episode 7 to have things begin to go wrong for the pilots.  I don’t think there was a better way to show that the days of Gundams being invincible is over.  Seeing the Wing Gundam reduced to a charred, broken wreck is kind of nightmare fuel for both Quatre as well as the viewers themselves.  The worlds already gotten darker because of OZ’s skillful takedown of the Alliance, which was only worsened by Treize manipulating Heero into killing the Alliance Pacifists.  But this, this makes things about as unsure as you can get.  Is Heero dead? (probably not) and what becomes of the Wing Gundam and what about the other pilots? 

If there’s one thing that hampers the mood a bit, it’s that Gundam Wing has already hit the trope of most 90’s Anime: reused footage.  We got some truly bad ass action, especially from Gundam Deathsythe and Trowa mowing down an already worn down Leo without any mercy.  But I’m starting to see the same Leo and Areis destruction shots that I saw in Episode 1.  Youd figure a show with a Gundam name on it would have the budget to avoid pratfalls like this.  Whether or not this becomes a bigger problem remains to be seen but I cant imagine this is just going to go away. 

Lastly, Relena.  Sigh.  She did have some more strength to her character following her chat with Heero’s mentor at the end of the last set.  And I can see the death of her father striking a fire within her.  But still…LEAVE HEERO ALONE!!!  It’s clear he cant bring himself to kill her (because she met Doctor J and he let her live?)  But Relena is still willing to test those waters and elevate herself to true stalker status.  Even Duo notes she’s pretty amazing for wanting to hang out with the guy who wants to kill her.  I actually would have liked to have seen a little more of Heero and Duo interacting with Relena, I mean did they just run and hide and she was unable to find them again after she shows up at their new school?  Thankfully, Relena reveals that she’s “off to her own battleground”.  Whatever that means, it looks like she’s willing to let her stalker priorities go for a little bit…will that last long though?

We end Part 2 with Heero in a pool of his own blood and the Gundams forced to disappear.  The bad guys have won (even if some of them are rightfully berated for harsh actions COUGH COUGH LADY UNE COUGH).  Ten episodes in and I feel like we’ve watched a whole seasons worth of content.  Actually a friend of mine was telling me how he felt Wing had like 4 seasons worth of US Television show stories crammed into 49 episodes.  He might not be wrong.  There’s still a whole lot of Wing to go.

T5W#100-Top 10 Favorite Titles I’ve Reviewed on the Gundam Anime Corner

I’m hallucinating right? Nope, that really does say Top 5 Wednesday #100.  Damn.  Other features have fallen off the map since ive started this blog (AMV Friday and First Impression Friday). But someohow in addition to the lengthy reviews I write, ive managed to come up with a list of random topics for more than a year and a half now.  There were even one or two times I felt like it just wasn’t going to happen.  Low and behold, I kept at it.  Cause as frustrating as it can be to think of a random Top 5, these are still a lot of fun to write.  I was thinking about being lazy and just doing a Top 5 for the Top 5 Wednesday’s ive done.  But as I said…that would be lazy.  So for this extra special occasion, im going another route and looking back at the 118 titles ive covered over the last 4 years and choosing 10, not 5, 10 titles that ive had the most fun watching and reviewing.  Choosing this list wasn’t easy and I was almost close to just doing a Top 5 and Worst 5 list in the same article, there are a few reviews where I know my all hasn’t been given…or I was just kicking myself for choosing them in the first place.  Anyway, enough dawdling, choosing this list was one thing, arranging it was another.  Let’s see what nabbed what spot.

 

#10-Your Name

I cant get over how good this movie was.  The hype was 100% real and not many movies can say the same (except maybe The Avengers).  Your Name has the premise of a cheesy 90’s romcomdrom but because it’s Anime, it becomes something I not only can stand but can also get behind all the way.  Taki and Mitsuha’s journeys are beautiful tales and seeing them trying the find each other has me tearing up everytime.  Your Name is turning 1 year old this summer…and yet it already stands as an unexpected legend in the realm of Anime filmmaking.  Akira and Spirited Away now have an adequate rival for best of all time.

 

#9-Escaflowne

What’s weird about this choice is that I wasn’t really a fan of going back through it.  Reviewing Escaflowne years after id last seen it was a different kind of experience.  The flaws, especially in the second half, were a lot more visible and multiple views couldn’t help me understand the plot holes.  So why is it #9 on my Top 10 Favorite Titles list?  That’s because I learned something new with Escaflowne: it’s ok to rag on a title that might’ve been a beloved classic in the past.  Time changes opinions all the time (just wait til I get further into Gundam Wing).  And yet, Escaflowne is still a technical marvel with crisp animation and one of the best musical scores of all time.  For all my dislike of where the story goes, I still want to get this series on Blu Ray one day, the movie looks fantastic in high def.

 

#8-Martian Successor Nadesico

Nadesico is the ultimate fan parody of mecha and scifi Anime…well it was until Gurren Lagaan came along.  But starting 2017 with this series was a fun choice in retrospect.  Sure it does shift gears a bit in the second half.  Unlike the disastrous movie, the TV series remains pretty consistent and has a lot of undeniable heart to it.  From Akito and Yurika’s infuriating will they/wont they romance (Akito should’ve hooked up with Ryoko), to Ruri’s unexpected development of feelings for her crewmates, to the over the top action scenes, this show is a celebration of all the super robot scifi action that came before it.  And it sure knows how to get your blood flowing with “YOU GET TO BURNING” every episode.

 

#7-Neon Genesis Evangelion/Death and Rebirth/The End of Evangelion

One of my earliest reviews, rewatching and writing down my thoughts on Evangelion proved to me that this blog idea was a really good idea.  I never felt so connected to the series, or the movies, until I approached it like this.  Sure I had analyzed Eva like everyone else has, but this felt different.  Still, getting in depth with one of the most in depth Anime of all time didn’t mean I had to wax philosophy every time I penned a review.  This show still knows how to hit you where it hurts and some of the biggest WTF moments (Eva’s eating Eva’s and the whole last half of The End of Evangelion) still make me cringe in fear.  The fact that Neon Genesis Evangelion is still discussed so heavily, 20+ years after it came out is testament to it’s incredible power in the world of Anime.

 

#6-Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage

A perfect example of a sequel done right.  The Second Barrage took all of the greatness of the first season, stuck a stick of dynamite in it and set it off on a wild freaking ride.  The world of Roanapur was expanded greatly with a fun cast of crazy and horrifying new bounty hunters and assassins.  More background was given to already established secondary cast members like Balialika (marry me you sexy woman) and Eda.  And we got some nice progress on Rock and Revy’s work in progress friendship.  Of course, the action never let up, even when it was time to develop some characters a bit.  Hotel Moscow’s skillful takedown of the Vampire Twins and Revy’s assault on the Yakuza bowling alley with Ginji are some of the best action scenes committed to any Anime.  If I ever start watching this season I cant stop until it has all be watched in one night.

 

#5-Dragon Ball Z Movie Marathon

Dragon, Dragon.  Rock the Dragon.  DRAGON BALL Z!!! 15 movies over the course of two weeks.  I was so excited to finally get the complete collection I just said…F*** it, im gonna review them all.  I had seen most of the films already but others I was seeing for the first time (the Brolly sequels, Resurrection F).  It was like getting a shortened crash course in the history of Z: the good (Dead Zone, The World’s Strongest, Fusion Reborn), the bad (Lord Slug, Brolly-Second Coming, Wrath of the Dragon) and the just plain horrific (Bio Brolly was the first movie to get a 0/10 on this blog, X: An Omen is it’s only roommate in that club).  As much as I praise the hell out of Gundam Wing, Dragon Ball Z is the show that really got me into Anime in the first place.  Having some form of it on this blog was long overdue.  Don’t look forward to me EVER reviewing the series cause that would take for freaking ever.  Still, this was a great marathon and does sum up Z properly in 15 (mostly) awesome features.

 

#4-Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

I’ll admit, I wasn’t having the best time reviewing the first season of Full Metal Panic.  It’s such an uneven series that it was hard for me to find exciting things to talk about with it.  Why mention that here?  Because after FMP’s first season was done, I reviewed Gundam 0080 and I couldn’t watch or review it fast enough.  0080 has some of the most emotional moments of all Gundam and it flows insanely well for only being 6 short episodes long.  I was so excited to write about this one as the start of Gundam Month Mark II last April and I did it all with a smile on my face while whipping away tears from rewatching all the heartache with Al, Chris and Bernie.

 

#3-RWBY Vol.3

I still remember sitting on a bench at work watching the end of this season unfold.  At long last, something substantial was closing out a season of RWBY…and it was one of the most horrifying things to witness.  Major characters were killed, the core team was fractured in the worst way and, much like The Empire Strikes Back, the bad guys had won.  The number of emotions RWBY Vol.3 instilled in me was beyond count.  I was sad, angry but excited and very happy.  After two seasons where there wasn’t really much of an idea where things were going (enjoyable as the ride was), Vol.3 gave me everything I wanted in a season of RWBY: action, humor, great characters, and a lasting impact that would push the series to new heights.  Vol.4 built nicely off of this, but Vol.3 is where everything changed for RWBY.  Like it or not, it ended up being for the better.

 

#2- Free!

I still cant get over how much I really enjoyed this one.  A show about beefy guys swimming their hearts out and rediscovering their friendships shouldn’t even be a blip on my radar.  What started out as a planned joke, just to write something funny for a First Impression Friday, turned into me continuing to flip to this show for inspiration every once in a while.  The core friendships are real and the heart is all here…you just have to look past the man  meat on display and look deeper.  Is it wrong im looking forward to eventually seeing the new trilogy coming this year?  Most would say yes, but I say no.  Free is a really well done show and I will defend it against anyone who says otherwise.

 

#1- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing/Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Big shock, I know, a Gundam series took the top spot.  You know what though?  It almost had to be this way.  Gundam showed me how great Anime could be past all the shouting and action.  Gundam Wing (all the reviews have been written, hence why it gets a spot), was the first of those shows and rewatching it and reviewing it was a lot of fun.  Of course, it’s spiritual successor, Gundam 00 stands along side it because it was the first really long series I reviewed over an extended period of time and I was having a blast going through it again.  Both 00 and Wing have high marks and low marks.  The high points (the characters, the mech and action) are stellar and the low points (Graham Acker, the last act of Gundam Wing, early series Relena) are just begging to be ranted about.  They may not be the best overall shows in the Gundam pantheon (some will argue more fiercely for Wing than 00).  But both of these shows are special to me in many ways.  I still rewatch 00 every summer, just because.  And reuniting with Wing as a long time coming.  This blog is named after Gundam.  Read the reviews for both of these shows and you’ll see why.  Also, I think my final thoughts on Gundam Wing are some of the most heartfelt material ive poured into a review.  I hope you’ll agree when we finally get there in a few weeks.

 

 

Thanks for enduring 100 random lists on my blog :) See you next week with a brand new Top 5 Wednesday as I start the next 100 lol