Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, known in Japan as , is the sequel to "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing", both of which are set in the "After Colony" timeline, an alternate universe to that of the original "Mobile Suit Gundam" 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 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 195, 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) 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, 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 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 never seen again. 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. 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,The Heavy Arms Gundam takes on a cold color scheme. 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 series. Distribution. In North America, "Endless Waltz" premiered on Canada's YTV on September 11, 2000 and on Cartoon Network in the U.S. on November 10, 2000. It  was later released to VHS, UMD, and DVD by Bandai Entertainment, 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 panel, Sunrise announced they will be releasing all of the Gundam franchise, including "Endless Waltz" in North America though distribution from Right Stuf Inc., 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 Cartoon Network's second highest-rated program ever at the time, only being topped by the Funimation's in-house dub of "Dragon Ball Z". Helen McCarthy 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".