Story - In the futuristic After Colony 195, Earth has formed a worldwide alliance and most of mankind have settled in space via colonies. When the Earth alliance rule began to oppress the colonies, several colonies began developing special mobile suits known as a "Gundam" to retaliate against them. The plot follows five Gundam pilots: antisocial hero, Heero Yuy; wisecracking joker Duo Maxwell; stoic loner Trowa Barton; kind optimist Quarte Winner; and arrogant showoff Wufei Chang as they battle the Earth alliance and their subdivision, the OZ.
The anti-war themes of the series is prevalent here and you get to experience the cast's ordeals as they struggle to find a cause to fight for. Despite being a confusing mess sometimes, I enjoyed the story and its themes. Still, I had some issues with it being contrived at times with numerous coincidents happening and characters getting plot-armor like crazy, constantly escaping danger like falling on their heads from deadly heights without a scratch.
Characters - Each of the five leads were interesting and get a decent bit of character development, like Heero showing basic empathy, Duo being snarky, Trowa slowly opening up to his comrades, and Quatre (while being the kindest) shows his darker side at one point. Sadly, Wu Fei is the weakest of the bunch, as he struggles to grow and remains arrogant till the last episode. While their personalities clash initially, seeing the five leads working together as a team by the end was really cool and made for some memorable moments. My favorite was Duo as he stands out compared to the rest, with his bubbly personality being a breath of fresh air (though be can be a total badass with his Deathscythe if need be). Relena is the poster girl of the show and while she has a reputation of being annoying, but I found her character to be good with an interesting arc. Hearing her screening "Heero!" every episode got annoying, though.
The supporting cast like Noin, Sally, Hilde, Catherine, and the Gundam scientist were nice too. Zechs Marquise was a great villain (and Char clone) with a solid arc about him finding a reason to exist as a soldier when wars aren't needed. Traize Kusheranada, Zechs' best friend and co-villain was equally cool and calculating, challenging Zechs and the Gundam pilots behind the scenes. Other than that, the other side villains were all one-note and generic.
Presentation - For a nearly 30 year old anime, Wing holds up pretty well with the stylish designs of the Gundams being the highlight. Each was distinct and unique, matching the personality of its pilot (Deathsyche and Epyon were my favorites!). The character designs were great though i didn't like some choices like Trowa's hair looking like a broom and Dorothy's eyebrows being disgustingly gross-looking. Other than that, the backgrounds were nice and I liked the deigns of the Taurus, Leo, and Aries suits. I watched Wing sub and the performances were good, especially Zechs (whose the same voice as Dio!) and Traize being standouts. The soundtrack was fantastic, packing many great tracks that fit the tone. The opening themes "Just Communication" and "Rhythm Emotion" as well as the ending theme "It's Just Love!" are catchy all-time classics.
Overall- While it didn't exceed my expectations, I had a lot of fun with Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. The story was a confusing mess at times though I still enjoyed watching it to see how things unfold for the cast, who I grew to like. The Gundam designs were awesome too and that's important for a Gundam show. If you're a Gundam fan, then watch Wing. It may not be as great as the Universal Century shows, but it delivers on the action and themes we've come to expect from the franchise. Newcomers will find it a fun watch, especially if you love of seeing giant robots causing all sorts of destruction (the first two episodes give you that and more). All in all, a great anime and a classic in the mecha genre.
