Mobile Suit Gundam-W: Endless Waltz, or as it’s known in Japan New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz is the direct sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, both of which take place in the “After Colony” timeline, an alternate universe to that of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. Aside from being a continuation of the Gundam Wing television series, it also reveals details regarding the pasts of the five Gundam pilots and the true objective behind Operation Meteor.
Taking place in the year After Colony 196, and the battles between Earth and the space colonies have ended. OZ has come to an end. This gives birth to the Earth Sphere Unified Nation (ESUN) and the Preventers. As they are no longer needed, the Gundam pilots send their suits into the sun. However, after some time has passed, this peace obviously didn’t last, as a rebellion occurs on the newly completed colony. Led by seven-year-old Mariemaia Khushrenada, the rebellion kidnaps Relena Darlian during a during a diplomatic mission to X-18999. After some investigation, the Gumdams are retrieved from their course to the sun back to Earth’s orbit and the pilots work together to use their suits one last time to fight against Dekim’s forces.
Endless Waltz originally premiered in Japan as a three-part OVA in 1997, and it was later released as a theatrical compilation movie in 1998, including additional scenes and an altered musical score.
The Series Itself (5/5):
While I am still new to the Gundam Series, I have found the overall experience to be much more enjoyable than I originally expected. And, Mobile Suit Gundam-W: Endless Waltz is no exception. This particular series offers yet another branch of the original story that, as mentioned earlier really helped to popularize the series as a whole. This particular branch offers everything from action to drama, as well as some political collision as the story progresses. Endless Waltz provides audiences a solid story that is very well maintained throughout and should not be missed!
Picture Quality (5/5):
As one would expect with an animated feature presentation being presented in 1080p, Mobile Suit Gundam-W: Endless Waltz looked absolutely beautiful as it played out across my living room television. Providing a sharp, clear look into this expansion of the original story that allows those who do pick this release up to truly appreciate the work that went into making these releases available on Blu-ray. The lines and color palette that are used in this series really shine and you will truly appreciate the work that went into remastering this series.
Audio Quality (5/5):
Packaged with both an English and Japanese LPCM 2.0 audio track as well as an English LPCM 5.1 audio track, Mobile Suit Gundam-W: Endless Waltz offers a clean audible experience for those of you who decide to pick these releases up. While it’s not as immersive of an experience as it could be, I was able to hear and understand everything as I watched through the series. But, the 5.1 track that is packaged with this does offer as much of an immersive experience as possible within the technology and does a really good job at placing the audience right into the middle of the story. As well as the fact that there was an English audio track that was included, I didn’t have to read the series as it progressed and for that, I am truly grateful.
The Packaging (3.5/5):
Mobile Suit Gundam-W: Endless Waltz comes packaged in your standard four-disc Blu-ray amaray case. Within that case are four Blu-ray discs. The first two containing the series itself, titled Operation Meteor. While the other two discs included are the Endless Waltz OVA and Endless Waltz feature film. The two discs that make up the series feature disc art that’s identical between the two, different from the case art and relative to the series; while the other two discs included have a separate piece of artwork that’s relative to the series, different from the case art and different between the two discs. There are no DVDs included with this release nor are there any digital copy redemption pamphlets. There are no slipcovers available with this release.
Special Features (2/5):
Unfortunately, the Blu-ray release of Mobile Suit Gundam-W: Endless Waltz is pretty minimal in terms of additional content. There are a few pieces that have been provided, but they really aren’t as immersive as they could have been. Included with this release is:
- Episode Previews
- Clean Endings
- Promotional Videos
Technical Specs:
Video
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio
English: LPCM 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
Japanese: LPCM 2.0
Subtitles
English
Runtime
Original Series: 440 minutes
Final Thoughts:
Generally speaking, I was really excited for the opportunity to check out Mobile Suit Gundam-W: Endless Waltz as I’ve truly enjoyed every experience that I’ve had with the various releases within the Gundam series so far. This particular collection that is becoming available on December 5, 2017 offers a new branch of the series, and it has been another one of the best ones that I’ve seen yet. After watching through this collections, I can completely understand why the Gundam Wing series became as popular as it did. These Blu-rays offer an exceptionally beautiful view into the series with it being a remastered release, as well as a clean and clear audio track that allows one to be able to hear everything without any distortion whatsoever. If you’re looking to add these collections to your personal collection, I would most definitely recommend grabbing them. Like I said earlier, they will be available from major retailers beginning on December 5; however, I would highly recommend ordering them from the company that’s making them available to show support for the work that they are doing.
Note: This Blu-ray was sent to us for review. This has not affected our judgement or editorial process in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this process.