One year after the Gundam Wing TV series, the earth and its colonies have finally attained peace and decided to follow the path of pacifism by disposing of all weapons into the sun, along with the Gundams. However, this peace does not last. A powerful rebel faction Led by seven year old Mariemaia Khushrenada, Treize's daughter, and Dekim Barton, the original mastermind behind the mysterious "Operation Meteor" kidnaps Vice Foreign Minister Relena during a diplomatic mission to X-18999 and takes over the colony.
This 3 episode OVA starts off deep into a mystery plot involving the discovery of an alloy that is only used to manufacture mobile suits, indicating that someone is violating the peace treaty of pacifism. As the story progresses, shocking truths are revealed including the original "Operation Meteor" plan, the 5 Gundam pilots' pasts and Dekim Barton's devious plan to bring earth to its knees. Gundam Wing literally comes full circle in the Endless Waltz OVA. Within its fast paced and highly intriguing story, we are given glimpses into the pasts of the five main gundam pilots up to just moments before the Gundams are sent to earth in the first episode of the TV series. This makes their motives in the TV series a lot clearer and gives an insight into what influenced their personalities and actions, making them very easy to relate to now.
Those who liked the philosophical undertones and thought provoking ideas presented in the TV series will be glad to know that there is ample amounts of that here. From questioning a soldier's purpose in a time of peace, to debating the "cycle of war, peace and revolution", Endless waltz is sure to satisfy the more learned and knowledgeable viewers as its series did. It is nice to see that the creators have abandoned their "pacifism is the way to go" stand; this movie in fact shows the fallacy of pacifism as idealistic but unrealistic. This is seen in how a small rebel faction could so quickly overthrow a pacifist world government and in a scene where Relena, the once staunch supporter of pacifism had to resort to violence, slapping Mariemaia to make her see the error of her ways. A full analysis of the many themes presented would well exceed the word limit here.
If there is one thing that anyone can agree on, is that Gundam Wing Endless Waltz's animation is among the best in anime movies of the 90s and even in the early 2000s. It looks very impressive without needing to rely on flashy computer effects. The many battle scenes are extremely fluid and intensely paced. All this is coupled with some of the most beautiful artwork in a mecha anime. Everything is blessed with great attention to detail and rendered in dark colors with heavy black shadows that carry on the grim and gritty look of Gundam. I was fine with the Gundam Re-designs but found it a huge pity that the creators did not go with these designs back in the Gundam Wing TV series.
This 3 episode OVA may be short, but it is a very enjoyable experience and a great closure to the gundam wing storyline. It is however recommended that you sit through all 49 episodes of the Gundam Wing TV series before watching Endless Waltz.
