''Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz'', known in Japan as , is the sequel to ''

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', also known in Japan as , is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, taking place in the "Afte ...

'', both of which are set in the "After Colony" timeline, an alternate universe to that of the original ''

Mobile Suit Gundam , also known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is an anime television series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting ...

'' series. Aside from being a continuation to the ''Gundam Wing'' TV series, it also reveals details regarding the pasts of the five Gundam pilots and the true objective behind "Operation Meteor." ''Endless Waltz'' originally premiered in Japan as a three-part

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

in 1997. It was later released as a theatrical compilation film in 1998, including additional scenes and an altered musical score.

Synopsis

It is the year After Colony 196, and the battles between Earth and the space colonies have ended. Treize Khushrenada is dead and OZ has come to an end. This gives birth to the Earth Sphere Unified Nation (ESUN) and the Preventers. Seeing they won't be needed anymore, the Gundam pilots (except

Chang Wufei This is a list of characters from the Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', known in Japan as , and subsequent spin-offs. The codes after the characters' names indicate which series and manga the characters appear in: * ...

) send their suits into the sun. However, this peace would not last, for a rebellion occurs on the newly completed colony, L3 X-18999. Led by seven-year-old Mariemaia Khushrenada, Treize's illegitimate daughter, the rebellion kidnaps Relena Darlian, now the Vice Foreign Minister of the ESUN, during a diplomatic mission to X-18999. As the Gundam pilots investigate further, they discover that Mariemaia is merely a puppet controlled by her grandfather Dekim Barton, a former advisor to martyred colony leader

Heero Yuy This is a list of characters from the Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', known in Japan as , and subsequent spin-offs. The codes after the characters' names indicate which series and manga the characters appear in: ...

, who is using X-18999 to go through with the original Operation Meteor, as a contingency plan in case the ESUN doesn't comply. The Gundam pilots must prevent Dekim from seizing power over the ESUN. The Gundams are retrieved from their course to sun to Earth's orbit thanks to

Quatre Quatre is one of the Grenadines islands which lie between the Caribbean islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada. It is part of the nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Geography Quatre island lies southwest of Pigeon Island and south o ...

and the Maganacs. The pilots use their Gundams one last time to fight against Dekim's forces, not killing anyone. In the end, Dekim is killed by one of his own soldiers, Earth and its colonies are at peace once again and all mobile suits (including the Gundams) are forever destroyed and never seen again.

Characters

;

: :Pilot of the XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero, who was code-named after the assassinated pacifist of the same name. Though he brought an end to the war between Earth and the colonies, Heero must now prevent the Mariemaia Army from disrupting the peace. ; Relena Darlian : :An ally of the Gundam pilots and the strongest political advocate for peace between Earth and the colonies, who is kidnapped by the Mariemaia Army. ;

Duo Maxwell This is a list of characters from the Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', known in Japan as , and subsequent spin-offs. The codes after the characters' names indicate which series and manga the characters appear in: ...

: :Pilot of the XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell, who assists his fellow Gundam pilots in maintaining the peace they fought so hard to attain. ; Trowa Barton : :Pilot of the XXXG-01H2 Gundam Heavyarms Kai, who infiltrates the Mariemaia Army in order to prevent its revised version of Operation Meteor. ; Quatre Raberba Winner :} :Pilot of the XXXG-01SR2 Gundam Sandrock Kai, who comes up with the idea of sending the Gundams into the Sun, but is forced to retrieve them after the Mariemaia Army declares war on the Earth. ;

: :Pilot of the XXXG-01S2 Altron Gundam, who joins forces with the Mariemaia Army and becomes an enemy toward the other Gundam pilots. ; Zechs Merquise : :A former enemy of the Gundam pilots, now their ally and a member of the Preventers (code name: "Wind"), as well as the pilot of the new OZ-00MS2B Tallgeese III mobile suit. ;

Lucrezia Noin This is a list of characters from the Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', known in Japan as , and subsequent spin-offs. The codes after the characters' names indicate which series and manga the characters appear in: ...

: :An ally of the Gundam pilots and a member of the Preventers (code name: "Fire"). ; Sally Po : :Another ally of the Gundam pilots and a member of the Preventers (code name: "Water"). ;

Lady Une This is a list of characters from the Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', known in Japan as , and subsequent spin-offs. The codes after the characters' names indicate which series and manga the characters appear in: * ...

: :Another former enemy of the Gundam pilots, now their ally and the head of the Preventers (code name: "Gold"). ; Mariemaia Khushrenada : :The young daughter of the deceased Treize Khushrenada, who is manipulated by her grandfather Dekim Barton into leading a rebellion against the Earth with the intentions of conquering it. ;Narrator :

Mecha redesigns

One of the most notable features of ''Endless Waltz'' was the massive redesigns all five of the Gundams from the end of the ''Gundam Wing'' TV series received, courtesy of the artist

Hajime Katoki is a Japanese mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English l ...

. The Gundams in ''Endless Waltz'' have more stylized appearances, reflected in the even more demonic design of the Gundam Deathscythe Hell, the more dragon-like design of the Altron Gundam, and the new "angel-winged" design of the Wing Zero Gundam. Despite the dramatically different designs of the Gundams, the story in ''Endless Waltz'' retcons them as if the original designs from the TV series never existed. However, this changed after the release of the ''Glory of Losers''

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series.

Music

Theme songs

*OVA Ending Theme: "

White Reflection "White Reflection" is the sixth single by J-pop duo Two-Mix, released by King Records on January 15, 1997. Composed by the duo of Shiina Nagano and Minami Takayama, the song was used as the ending theme of the anime OVA series '' Gundam Wing: Endl ...

" by

Two-Mix Two-Mix (temporarily known as II MIX⊿DELTA) is a Japanese pop duo formed in 1995 by Minami Takayama (vocals and composer) and Shiina Nagano (synthesizer, composer and lyricist). Their style is fast electronic pop. History They met in the earl ...

*Movie Ending Theme: " Last Impression" by Two-Mix

Distribution

In North America, ''Endless Waltz'' premiered on Canada's YTV on September 11, 2000 and on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

in the U.S. on November 10, 2000. It was later released to VHS, UMD, and DVD by

Bandai Entertainment was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and f ...

, with the DVD edition containing both the OVA and compilation film versions on one disc. Due to the closure of Bandai Entertainment, the OVA and film went out-of-print. On October 11, 2014 at their 2014

New York Comic-Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic ...

panel, Sunrise announced they will be releasing all of the Gundam franchise, including ''Endless Waltz'' in North America though distribution from

Right Stuf Inc. Right Stuf Inc. (formerly known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) is an American video publisher and distributor of video programming that specializes in Asian entertainment (anime and live action films). The company since 2022 is owned by ...

, beginning in Spring 2015. Right Stuf had re-released ''Endless Waltz'' on Blu-ray and DVD in December 2017.

Reception

The initial airing of the OVA on November 10, 2000, was

's second highest-rated program ever at the time, only being topped by the

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

's in-house dub of ''

Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 '' Dragon Ball'' anime series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original ...

''.

Helen McCarthy Helen McCarthy (born 27 February 1951) is the British author of such anime reference books as ''500 Manga Heroes and Villains'', ''Anime!'', ''The Anime Movie Guide'' and ''Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation''. She is the co-author of ...

in ''500 Essential Anime Movies'' commented that "the giant robot fights are as good as ever" and that "the art direction and design is excellent". McCarthy, Helen. ''500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide''. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 122. — 528 p. —

References

External links

* * * {{Sunrise films 1997 anime OVAs 1998 anime films Bandai Entertainment anime titles Wing Endless Waltz Kadokawa Shoten manga Kodansha manga Kōichi Tokita Impact events in fiction Endless Waltz Sunrise (company) Tokyopop titles Viz Media manga Works about coups d'état