Welcome to Gaia! ::

Here's a discussion idea I got while lying in bed last night, trying to get to sleep (that's often where my best ideas come from...). Anyway, I love mecha, but I'm well aware that not everyone enjoys deep technical discussions, so that sort of thing is out. Well, here's how we can talk about them without getting into lots of confusing specifics.

Gundam Wing is often derided by "more serious" fans who accuse the MS designs of being unrealistic and fanciful. Such accusations include the idea that the Leo is the weakest mobile suit ever made (even when compared to designs like the Zaku I and the GINN), and that the Wing Gundams are essentially Super Robots, wreaking havoc the like of which has never been seen since Getter Robo Armageddon (if you've seen it, you know what I mean).

But there is something that is often ignored by these detractors: many of the people involved in Gundam Wing's production, most notably director Ikeda and character designer Murase, had previously worked on shounen anime, in particular Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (known in the USA as Ronin Warriors). Fans of this series will note the symbolism derived from the main cast and their mystical armors: the hot-blooded, passionate Ryo uses the Rekka (Wildfire) armor, the cool-headed Shin/Cye uses the Suiko (Torrent) armor, and the strong, reliable Xu Ren Fuan (Kento) uses the Kingou (Hardrock) armor.

Therefore, it seems highly likely that Gundam Wing, which had many staff members in common with Samurai Troopers, would include elements of this symbolism, but with the mobile suits that helped put the Gundam franchise on the map. This topic is dedicated to the analysis and discussion of such symbolism, perhaps in a weekly format in which a different MS or set of MS is examined each week.

CASE 1 - WING GUNDAM/WING GUNDAM ZERO




Wing as a hero - First and foremost, Wing Gundam shows obvious design elements of its predecessors, marking it as the star of the series. Obvious influences include the famous tri-color scheme (white with blue, red and yellow details), the standard Gundam setup (rifle, saber, shield), while retaining the same basic style that most hero Gundams have exhibited since 1979.

Wing as a symbol of freedom - Despite his portrayal as an emotionless soldier among some parts of the fandom, Heero is constantly shown as having complete control over his life. Nobody forced him to become a Gundam pilot; he chose the job himself. He chose not to follow Dekim's Operation Meteor. He chose to put his life in the hands of his victims following Noventa's murder. A constant refrain of his, learned from Odin Lowe, is that the best way to live is by one's emotions. Perhaps Wing is intended to symbolize this, since many cultures consider flight to be the ultimate freedom, and wings are an integral element of flight.

Wing as a guardian angel - Though it's more obvious in Endless Waltz, it could be argued that all along, Wing was meant to be a guardian angel. Zero was originally devised as the colonists' ultimate weapon - and their first defense against Romafeller's potential advances in the future. An important symbolic gesture towards this comes in episode 6, when Heero literally shields Relena from falling debris. Also noteworthy is the fact that all three versions - Wing, Zero, and Zero Custom - are often depicted with wings spread, as in the traditional pose of a guardian angel sweeping down from Heaven.

Agree? Disagree? Thoughts? Comments? Observations? Cookies?

wow those are really in depth looks at the overall design of the many incarnations of Wing. and I can pretty much agree with you all the way around. I'll have to look more in detail to at the Wing series to see what observations I can pull up for myself.

Well here's my go at this. Forgive me if its not as in depth or as good as the others mentioned.

I believe that Deathscythe is the symbolism of, well, Death. It's demonic and dark appearence shows just how cruel war can be. How demonic humans can be. It is the embodiement of all the sorrow and pain that wars cause. Hense why its pilot is a war-orphan.
People fear it because of its dark appearance and hopefully that causes them to fear war. I believe that Deathscythe's appearance was done to make people see all the bad parts of war and why they should not be taken lightly.

I prefer to see Deathscythe as the Reaper unleashed, just because to the common folk, the Reaper unleashed is just so much more of an effective, realistic comparison to Deathscythe. It's almost like giving a taste of the chaotic reality to those shut up in their own little worlds.

I like the guardian devil idea. It puts Heero as the judge and Duo as the executioner. Although, it does put him as a hypocrite what human isn't a hypocrite. Duo, destroyer of the guilty. Almost makes it seem like Duo has a better sense of justice than Wufei. It makes me smile.

It's almost like Heavyarms shows the futility of 'all talk and no action'... when the enemy finally catches you in their trap and you can't fire at them insults from a distance, what do you have to rely on but one small blade? But that's not really in relation to Trowa and Wing...

Yeah. The real question is, what about Epyon? I think all the Gundams are pretty clear about what they resemble. Things like Epyon and Tallgeese, however, are another matter. Does the word 'Epyon' actually mean anything?

Thanks! I vaguely remembered reading something like that... that makes a lot of sense. So is Epyon supposed to represent the future, or the development?