How many anime have ended after one season, leaving fans wanting more? One such anime was Gundam Wing. What happens to children turned soldiers when there is no war left to fight? How does society come back after such bloodshed, particularly when the population is spread out through space? These were some of the questions addressed in Endless Waltz.
Before getting into Endless Waltz we need to say a couple things about Gundam Wing. Gundam Wing is one part of the Gundam saga that fans have fallen in love with through the years. Gundams are large robots driven by people to fight wars on earth and in space. The first anime aired from 1995-1996. Then by 2000 manga of the story arc were on the shelves. These were created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Kōichi Tokita. This was also around the time that the series started to air in the United States.
Endless Waltz takes place after the events of Gundam Wing. It appears that there is finally peace between the colonies and earth. The pilots seem to have moved on as well, sending their Gundams to be destroyed. All is not as peaceful as believed though. When Relena is kidnapped it becomes apparent that peace is not a given and that not everyone has moved on.
The story can be viewed as a miniseries or, if the title cards are removed from the three parts, in a single movie. The animation is really lovely either way the viewer chooses to watch it. The strides that were made by the animators in just a few years is really evident. The soundtrack is amazing. Not that I would expect anything less from a Gundam soundtrack. In fact Endless Waltz has one of my favorite anime tracks to this day. The costumes show that time has passed and how our favorite characters have grown.
Speaking of the characters I think that one of the best things about this movie is the characters. We see growth in all the main players we have known, yet the writers still kept true to who these people are. This was important as these characters made Gundam Wing such a success. Mistakes have been made, and now these characters are dealing with the fallout from it. Particularly for the young characters who played such big roles in the war previously. How can they hope to recover from the things they saw and did to achieve peace? By making how the former pilots are dealing with this trauma a big part of the story was a smart move to give us an interesting movie.
All of the Gundam series are popular. For many fans they are what got them into anime or are some of the favorites still. Gundam Wing was always a big seller though. It also has many more stories being told about the pilots in manga that takes place even after Endless Waltz. It seems like fans may never get enough of this story.
I know I won’t. I would highly recommend Endless Waltz. It is a gorgeous anime with a great story.
ALWAYS KEEP SPARKLING!!!
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