 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Gundam Wing series
- Review Date: March 28, 2005
- G
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2000
Common Sense Media says
Futuristic battles are the center of this cartoon.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this sci-fi animated series from Japan is perfect for preteens and teens, who will thrill to the elaborate "mecha" (mechanical fighting machines), the melodrama, and the attractive characters. Gundam Wing offers adolescent and teen sci-fi fans a beautifully animated and imaginative array of technological warfare, covert operations, and teen melodrama in a story that's compelling, if occasionally confusing. Children younger than that (6-8) will be enthralled with the series as well for its constant action, but parents may balk at exposing their children to the series' nonstop military combat. For American audiences, the biggest problem may be the excessive militarism and the stubborn prevalence of the Japanese notion that the highest military ideal is to die in the service of one's cause.
What's the story?
GUNDAM WING is the first series in Japan's 21-year-old Mobile Suit Gundam animated franchise to be shown on American TV. In this series, explosive futuristic battles take place as teen pilots and their opponents clash. Shooting Stars, Vol. 1 contains the first four (uncut) episodes, and provides background for the young people involved in a civil war between space colonies and a one-world earth government. Dark Shadows, Vol. 2 introduces new characters and new intrigue in this hard-hitting animated science fiction series. Explosive military battles mix with political assassination, stalled peace talks, acts of lethal sabotage, and a brutal deception, which leads the hero to commit a horrendous murder. The Cold Battlefield, Vol. 3 has the villains getting more interesting and relationships deepening, all in the midst of spectacular high-tech battles, strategic maneuvers, and high school antics.
Is it any good?
Gundam Wing sets itself apart from American cartoons. The futuristic "mecha," or mechanical fighting machines, and expressive character design are quite sophisticated and outclass any similar animated efforts on American television. The frequent and explosive battle action is also on a scale unseen in any American cartoon, although it's a common feature of the long-running Gundam franchise. For American audiences, the biggest problem may be the excessive militarism and the stubborn prevalence of the Japanese notion that the highest military ideal is to die in the service of one's cause.
The story takes sharp turns, and the animation and design maintain high levels of imagination and spectacle. Fans will welcome the exciting mix of action, melodrama, and political intrigue of Shooting Stars, Vol. 1, while preteen and teens will probably be fascinated by the civil war subject matter in Dark Shadows, Vol. 2, and the character development adds even more drama to the third installment.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the film's theme of militarism and what their values are in terms of military power. What would you do if you were in the teen pilot's position? Is it a battle you'd be willing to fight? Why?
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AGE
EXCELLENT SERIES (Just excellent)
I loved this show and I watched every single episode. I love how it wasn't edited as much.
I recommend it for youth 13 yrs and up
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AGE
The best Anime series ever!
This show while being intriging,cool,action packed,and well written it's flaws are obvious in the uncut version 1. over 100 mild profanity uses 2. people are vaporized ( not graphic ) and shot No blood and stapped to near death in a sword fight. 3. people commite suicide about 7 or 8 times. Other than that I would suggest it for 10 or older the movie "Endless Waltz" has several shootings and one graphic shot through the head other than that, no deaths, I suggest the movie for 12 or older consult your parents before watching this show.
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AGE
Great Series
I love this series so much, but I was shocked when I read that commonsense said that it taught the Japanese ideal that dying in battle is honorable. Treize may believe so, and we are led to believe the Zeches believes so too, but if you listen to the dialog between the characters, you'll see that they debate whether or not dying in battle is truly honorable. Especially Wufei, and Heero.
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AGE
Did anyone really watch this?
Aside from the fact that I am a die-hard Gundam fan and I think it's one of the worst series made, (in all seriousness, Zeta, 0083, 0080, 08th MS Team, the original, X, and Turn A kill it, amoung others) your reviews aren't even accurate.
The five Gundam pilots would not be heroes in any sense of the word to the people in the series. What they are doing is nothing more than terrorism. We consider Al-Quidea blowing up military bases, killing officals, ect to be terrorism. Why don't you consider the series 'heroes' the same?
In almost every Gundam series, you hate both sides after a while. In the Universal Century, the Zeons are run by a totalitarian royal family, whose Ghiren Zabi is very similar to Adolf Hitler.
Then, you have the corrupt Earth Federation, who does not care about the people who live in space colonies or Lunar cities. The Titans taskforce they create after 0083 are based off the Nazi SS for cripe's sakes.
Gundam is not a series with giant robots blowing stuff up. Look into it, and it's a pretty deep political drama, especally the Universal Century. Kids might like it for the explosions, but there is much more to it than that.
Even Gundam SEED, which recently aired on Cartoon Network was all about hate, racism, and predjudice.
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AGE
6 and up? Seriously?
I love Gundam, and I love this particular Gundam series, but I know that I was a bright 14-year-old when I first watched it (I'm an adult now) and only got a superficial understanding of what was going on. It's honestly hard to believe that the author of the official review has watched this show in its entirety: you should be aware that there is mild language (mostly of the "d*mn" and "hell" variety and not frequent, but it's there) and a little blood. People blow up, not just mecha, and very, very frequently. Part of the point of Gundam is illustrating that War Is Bad, and they do this very well. But to do this, a lot of violence has to happen. This isn't your typical "Saturday morning giant robot" violence; the war scenes are realistic and gritty, though sensitively portrayed. The characters are all kind of nuts and espouse equally-nuts beliefs that don't make them the best of role models, and you should be careful to put their worldviews in the proper context for your kids. Content-wise this show would be alright for mature young tween, but viewers will probably need a few more years and a lot more patience to fully understand and appreciate the story. Re-watching in my 20s, I was quite surprised at all that I'd missed.
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AGE
favorite show
Semi Graphic violence over 90 profanities suicidal and homicidal maniaces and great action, storyline, and acting watch it if your over 11
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| Topics: | adventures, space and aliens |
| Studio: | Sunrise Entertainment |
| Director: | Rika Takahashi |
| Cast: | Kirby Morrow, Mark Hildreth, Scott McNeil |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 50 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 16, 2000 |
| DVD release date: | May 16, 2000 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
| MPAA explanation: | family friendliness |
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