Ah, giant robots. What would anime be without them?
Robotech defined the genre. But Gundam, which has more than 400 episodes over a whole bunch of shows, has picked up the ball.
Gundam Wing was a request by my sweetie, so I started picking up DVDs on eBay and half.com. It's an alternate universe Gundam -- 150-some years after Earth has conquered the outer space colonies, five teenage pilots are sent to Earth with kick-ass mobile suits (mechas). Their mission -- take down Oz, a military organization hiding within the Earth Alliance government.
Problem one -- None of the Gundam pilots knows the others at first. I predict this is going to be trouble later down the line.
Problem two -- Hotshot Heero not only loses his Gundam on the very first day, he gets seen by Relena, the pampered daughter of an Earth Alliance official. Relena ends up fascinated by Heero, even as he spends most of his time insulting her and generally being an ass.
Problem three -- Zechs Marquise, a top pilot and commander for Oz. Zechs spends part of his time being a super pimp (Noin so wants him), and the rest plotting eeeviiill.
Overall, the first episodes had a good mix of politics, mecha action and drama. Oz really doesn't have a lot that will stand up to the Gundams though, so I hope the fights aren't going to be completely one-sided.
And Relena is portrayed as too much of a perfect princess for my taste -- she better develop a personality besides stalking Heero, or she's gonna get annoying quick. And since the first major plot twist involves her past, I have a feeling she isn't going away anytime soon.
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