Anime Series Reviews - GW: Endless Waltz

An Otaku's Guide to Anime & Manga

Anime Series Review:
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz

Titles

English & Japanese: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz

Rating

Total Number of Episodes

3 episodes, or 1 movie

Episodes Seen

3 episodes, or 1 movie

Version

Japanese subtitled and English dubbed

Voice Acting

Both the Japanese and English voice casts are talented and they fit their roles nicely.

Music

The music in this movie is up to the usual standards of GW. Good BGM, and powerful vocal tracks. "White Reflection" is catchy and upbeat; typical Two-Mix fare. "Last Impression" is slow and pretty...heck, my mother commented on how pretty this song is, and she doesn't like my Japanese music. ^_^

Animation

The animation is slightly better than in the TV series, though as an OAV/movie, that isn't unusual. There is a bit more attention to detail, such as on the mobile suits, and on the characters. It has that shiny-new-movie look to it, though slightly darker, due to the nature of the plot.

Plot Summary
(May contain spoilers. You've been warned! Flashbacks are written in italics)

The movie begins by showing the last moments of the battle on Christmas Eve, AC195. Narration then tells of the Gundams and Operation Meteor. We then learn that in AC196, military weapons no longer exist on Earth.

Duo and Quatre prepare to send their Gundams into the sun, to destroy them, while Sally Po is out acting as a Preventer. We then learn that everyone but Wufei had sent their Gundams to be destroyed.

Relena Peacecraft has now assumed the role of Vice Foreign Minister, and meets with some people on Colony L3-X18999. While there, she is drugged and kidnapped.

Meanwhile, Trowa, who is still working at the circus, gets into a fight with some men, who he later learns are from the Barton Foundation. Trowa then has a flashback. He once met a man who showed him a picture of his sister and her daughter, Mariemaia. The man said that the girl would become the leader of the Earth once they had conquered it.

Meanwhile, Heero was doing some checking up on Mariemaia Barton. Duo enters and says that he didn't know that Trowa had a niece. Heero then reminds him that the Trowa they know isn't the real Trowa Barton. Heero then leaves, telling Duo that Relena has been kidnapped.

We then see Dekim giving a speech to Mariemaia's troops. Trowa has infiltrated them, but is caught. As he tries to escape, Wufei, also in Mariemaia's uniform, stops him.

Meanwhile, Sally Po contacts Noin to tell her that she has located the source of the trouble: Colony L3-X18999 in the L-3 area. She then informs Noin that Mariemaia Barton is the leader of this Colony. Sally then tells her that she expects them to declare independence or war on the Earth within a few hours, and that Relena has been missing since her last official visit to that Colony.

Later, Relena awakens in a well-furnished room. A young girl is in the room with her. She asks the girl if she had been captured as well. The girl then introduces herself as Mariemaia Khushrenada, daughter of Treize Khushrenada, and says that she was the one who had ordered that Relena be brought there.

Meanwhile, Duo informs Quatre that he and Heero are going to Colony L3-X18999. Though Quatre reminds him that they no longer have their Gundams, Heero says that it really doesn't matter. Feeling guilty, Quatre tells Duo that he will go out and retrieve their Gundams, before they reach the sun. The three then head off.

While traveling, Duo has a flashback. Before Operation Meteor, Duo had tried to destroy Deathscythe, so that it wouldn't be used to cause mass destruction. However, he was stopped by the scientist that created the Gundam. He told Duo to steal Deathscythe and take it to Earth, instead of destroying it. Duo does as the man says. He then turns to Heero, only to see that he is asleep.

Heero dreams, remembering events of his past. He remembers accidentally causing the death of a young girl and her dog, while bombing a military base. He then hears men talking about using the Gundams as weapons of carnage, and saying that their pilot, their 'weapon', has no use for human kindness.

Duo wakes Heero as Mariemaia makes a public statement. She issues both a declaration of independence of Colony L3-X1899, and a declaration of war against the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Meanwhile, Lady Une is contacted by Zechs Merquis, who requests a Preventer Codename.

Later, as Duo and Heero approach the Colony, they receive a transmission from Noin and Sally. They inform the girls of their plans, and then head off. With the girls backing them up, the two make it into the Colony.

Once inside, the two promptly steal a couple of mobile suits and begin attacking the soldiers stationed there. Duo quickly encounters a new model of mobile suit, and recognizes the style of combat the pilot is using...The pilot is Trowa. Meanwhile, Heero encounters Wufei in his Altron Gundam. Wufei attacks him, and asks him if he and Duo are doing the right thing. Elsewhere, Duo continues to fight the new model. The pilot claims that he is not Trowa, though we can see that he is. He fires a massive missile strike against Duo.

Trowa then remembers times from his past. He was once a no-name soldier, who had been on the battlefield for most of his life. He remembers his first meeting with the REAL Trowa Barton. The man was talking to the scientist who built his Gundam, Heavyarms. He said that the goal of Operation Meteor was not revenge for the death of Heero Yuy, but so that the Colonies could conquer Earth. As he turns to walk away, a man standing beside the scientist fired a gun and killed Trowa Barton. The two then learn that 'no-name' had witnessed them killing Trowa. He then offers to take up the name 'Trowa Barton' and the Gundam Heavyarms. The men agree.

The missiles hit the ground near Duo, and the disturbance they cause allows Heero to escape his fight with Wufei.

Meanwhile, as they approach the disposal block, Quatre remembers past experiences with his Gundam. He remembers being told about the self-detonation device in his Gundam. The scientist who built it tells Quatre to ignore their orders and to fight as his heart tells him to and to only use the self-detonation device if he feels that he has to.

Elsewhere, Quatre finally reaches the disposal block and prepares to bring the Gundams back to the Earth.

Meanwhile, Zechs attacks Dekim and his men, using his new Talgeese III. We then learn that Dekim Barton was the man behind Operation Meteor, and that he plans to drop Colony L3-X1899 onto Earth.

Elsewhere, Heero and Duo are still running around Colony L3-X1899. They soon meet up with Trowa, who they learn is on their side after all. The three then set to work at stabilizing the colony. They complete this and report it to Noin and Sally Po. Shortly after this, the soldiers locate the three. Trowa tells Heero to leave. Heero knocks Duo unconscious and leaves him with Trowa. He then plays dead himself. When the men enter, Heero bolts.

Narration now tells us that Mariemaia's troops have captured the Presidential Residence of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. She now holds Relena captive here.

Elsewhere, Wufei remembers arguing with his elders about dropping his Colony onto the Earth. Moments later, he encounters Heero, and engages him in battle.

Meanwhile, Zechs and Noin engage Mariemaia's troops outside the Presidential Residence. A short time later, they are joined by Quatre, Duo, and Trowa. As the citizens watch the battle as it is broadcast, Dorothy arrives and rallies them to go help. Just as the pilots have exhausted their resources, Heero arrives to help. Heero fires his beam cannon at the sheltered Presidential Residence, hitting it three times. Shortly after firing the third blast, he is shot down. As the shelter collapses, Lady Une rushes in and saves Relena and Mariemaia from falling debris. Moments later, Wufei arrives. Meanwhile, Relena and Lady Une cause Mariemaia to understand her mistakes. Dekim fires a gun at Relena, but Mariemaia takes the bullet for her. Dekim is then killed by one of Mariemaia's men, who apologizes for betraying Treize. As Relena and Lady Une comfort Mariemaia, Heero enters, with a gun pointed at the child, and says that he will relieve her suffering. She thanks him, and closes her eyes. Heero pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty. He then says that he will never kill anyone, ever again. He collapses, and Relena rushes to catch him. Lady Une then rushes Mariemaia to the doctor, as her wound is not fatal.

Meanwhile, outside, the soldiers have discarded their uniforms and weapons.

Later, the pilots destroy their Gundams. Wufei decides to work with Sally Po as a Preventer, while Zechs and Noin have left.

Narration tells us that, in AC 197, peace has returned and that mobile suits are never seen again.

Objectionable Material

Violence - Mostly in the form of mecha battles, there is a little blood seen.
Nudity - None
Sexual Situations - None
Profanity - Very little
Mature Ideas/Issues - Gundam Wing deals with the ideas of war and peace, the ethics of using humans as weapons, and other such ideas.

Kat's Rating

I've been a Gundam Wing fan from the first episode I ever saw. So, of course I love Endless Waltz.

Dub vs. Sub

See my review.

Manga vs. Anime

I have not yet read the manga equivalent to Endless Waltz, so I cannot comment on it.