OK, the Endless Waltz DVD momentarily confused me by implying there was both a movie and an OAV, but I figured it out because I am smart like that. (Gotta be slightly bitter, though, that GW can get its movified OAV and the original episodes onto one disc whereas for RK it took three. Sure, one episode more, capitalism, and the director’s cut not released until after the OAV eps had come over, but still. Anyway, this post is not about RK.) My final (initial) thoughts on Gundam Wing:

OMGZECHSNOINZECHSNOINZECHSNOINOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

*breathes*

OK, finished with that. I actually don’t have much to say about Endless Waltz besides that, though. The animation was much prettier than in the series (not that I had any issues with it in the series), which is how an OAV should be, but the story felt very rushed and rather trite. Mostly ZECHSNOINOMG. Seriously. When they first talked to each other and he asked her how she’d been, I screamed, and my brother came running in wondering what had happened.

*_____________________*

So. Moving on. Thoughts on the series as a whole and individual characters and pairings and such:

I like this series very much. I think its biggest selling point for me is the number of likeable females. Sure, there’s Hilde too, but you can’t have everything. Also, the hair. OK, yeah, that’s shallow, but what can you do? Everywhere you look it’s like, DEATH BY HAIR LOVE. And as long as I’m being superficial (and hormonal), the damn sexy outfits that everyone gets to wear eventually and pose shamelessly in.

Zechs & Noin – Dunno that I need to say much about them. Definitely my favorite characters. I was elated that Zechs did not die and disappointed that Noin never got to pilot a Gundam, and just about had an ecstatic heart attack at them playing chess at the end of Endless Waltz.

Duo – In case I haven’t made it clear, he’s by far my favorite of the Gundam pilots. I have a million love in my heart for him.

Dorothy – Another million love. The hair, the eyebrows, the crazy…

Relena – It’s rare that a character who starts out obnoxious and typical can change to the point where I fangirl. Also I love her because it never annoyed me that she didn’t get a Gundam. Also she is teh hot.

Une – So much fun. I still stand by my previous-post comments about her death, though.

Quatre – My second favorite Gundam pilot. He had to grow on me, though. And I couldn’t help sniggering every time they said “Uiina.”

Sally – Very cool.

Heero – I liked him by the end, once I didn’t have to project a personality onto him. He’s too scrawny, but it doesn’t bother me so much when he isn’t wearing the leetle shirt and tiny shorts.

Catharine – As Trowa’s sister, she was actually quite cute.

Trowa – I am largely indifferent.

WuFei – Despite looking like candy always, I am again largely indifferent.

Hilde – Die.

Note Treize is not on this list (OK, well, he is now). I am still mostly reserving opinion on him. Suffice it for now to say that he forces me to like him by being twisty.

And pairings? Well, as is probably well-known by now, I’m not much of a fixed-pairing person… Yeth, my favorite pairing and ultimate loyalty is Saitou/Sano, but I’ll read anything that’s in-character and well-written (which, if the rumors and my memory of AU fics I’ve read in the past hold true, eliminates a large part of this particular fandom). (Having said this much, fixed-pairing people should probably avoid my list here to keep from being harmed.) These are some pairings that stand out in my mind as stuff I would like to see, provided, once again, that it’s well-done: Treize/Zechs, Zechs/Noin, Noine/Une, Noin/Relena, Dorothy/Relena, and Duo/Quatre. Once again, I have no objections to anything else, provided the characters are in character.

Hmm, OK, I think that’s the end of my Gundam Wing thoughts. Now I’m off to start some fanart.