Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Review (Scotland Loves Anime 2025)
Mobile Suit Gundam is a billion-dollar IP. In the last six months, the franchise generated $826 million in revenue. Gundam encompasses far more than just anime, as it includes Gunpla (Gundam Plastic Models), video games, and even an exhibit at Osaka Expo 2025. It is widely regarded as the biggest mech franchise of all time, constantly evolving with the times.
Gundam Wing, a series released in 1995, is credited with single-handedly popularising Gundam among American audiences. Following the series, the three-part OVA Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz was released, which has recently received a brand-new 4K restoration.
Billed as bringing the After Colony timeline to a close, the story begins after the battles between Earth and the space colonies have ended, and peace has been achieved. In this new era, the Earth Sphere Unified Nation (ESUN) and the Preventers have been established to maintain stability. With peace secured, the Gundam pilots send their suits into the sun, believing they are no longer needed. However, this peace is threatened when the newly completed colony L3 X-18999 rebels under the leadership of a young girl, Mariemaia Khushrenada. Faced with this rebellion, the Gundam pilots must reclaim their suits and ensure that peace is maintained.
90s anime has an aesthetic and style that no longer exists in the modern age. A major factor is the shift from cel animation, where you can clearly differentiate images hand-drawn on cels from those created digitally on a computer. There are also subtle details that have disappeared, the grittiness, the distinctive character designs, that make it feel like we’re witnessing a bygone era of anime. The mech designs are stunning, among the best Gundam designs I’ve seen from the little Gundam I’ve watched. This 4K transfer is incredible: every frame bursts with colour and texture, utterly breathtaking, and the fact that it’s nearly 30 years old is mind-blowing.
An aspect that should feel dated but has, depressingly, aged like fine wine is its narrative. The idea that people grow accustomed to peace suggests that when something, or someone, threatens that stability, we remain passive, believing it will all work out. Yet inaction can pave the way for a hostile takeover. We see echoes of this in our own reality, with the rise of extreme views that spread hatred and fascism, often going uncontested.
The film explores the inaction of onlookers who watch the conflict unfold on TV without doing anything; they do not resist but simply watch five people fight for peace while wishing for the best. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz suggests that peace is never simply achieved; it must be actively maintained. If people fail to stand up to protect peace, conflict and chaos inevitably follow. It’s a narrative that was relevant at the time, with the Cold War having just ended, and it feels even more relevant today, given the rise of global conflict.
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz delves into the existential crisis faced by soldiers post-conflict. Now that the war is over, what is someone trained to kill meant to do? How are they supposed to adjust to normal life? For some of the characters, like Chang Wufei (Ryuzo Ishino), the prospect of returning to war is a tantalising one, offering them a renewed sense of purpose. For Heero Yuy (Hikaru Midorikawa), however, the thought of returning to war is a nightmare he refuses to relive.
The voice cast brings these themes to life on an emotional level; you can hear the pain and struggle in their performances. Over the course of its 90-minute runtime, you truly grow attached to these characters and want them to achieve the peace they so desperately long for.
Having never seen any of the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing TV series, I absolutely adored Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz. For some viewers, jumping in at the deep end may feel overwhelming. After finishing the film version of the OVA, I felt compelled to load up my Blu-ray discs of the show to better understand the full context of this wonderful film.
Endless Waltz is more than a stunning restoration; it’s a reminder that peace, like art, must be preserved.
★★★★1/2
Screened at Scotland Loves Anime 2025 / Hikaru Midorikawa, Ryuzo Ishino, Akiko Yajima, Toshihiko Seki, Shigeru Nakahara / Dir: Yasunao Aoki / Bandi Namco / PG
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
