The Great Gundam Wing Rewatch: Episodes 1 and 2

[nanslice]

First, a recap of the episodes watched this week!



Episode One - The Shooting Star She Saw
In the year After Colony 195, after decades of oppression from the United Earth Sphere Alliance and its secret weapons organization, OZ, a group of rebels in the space colonies send down five mobile suits known as "Gundams" to overthrow the militaristic regime. Four of the Gundams successfully make it to Earth, but the fifth, Wing Gundam, is intercepted during its descent by OZ's Lieutenant Zechs Merquise and it crashes into the Pacific Ocean. The Gundam's pilot, Heero Yuy, later washes up on shore and is discovered by Relena Darlian, the daughter of the Alliance's vice foreign minister.

Episode Two - The Gundam Deathscythe
Zechs locates the sunken Wing Gundam in the Pacific Ocean and seeks to claim it for OZ, while Heero attempts to destroy his Gundam with stolen torpedoes in order to prevent OZ from getting their hands on it. However, both of their plans are thwarted by Duo Maxwell, pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe.


To kick us off, I thought I'd pose some discussion questions. These aren't required; you guys are welcome to answer them or ignore them and talk about whatever you want (as long as it's not ship/character bashing; disliking a character is fine, bashing them is not), or even just liveblog in the comments, that's fine too. Just about anything goes. :3

We were introduced to a lot of characters in these two episodes, some more briefly than others. I know that most of us are watching this for the second or third time, but what were your first opinions on these characters? What did you think about Heero's actions and Relena's decisions? The standoff between Heero, Relena, and Duo? What were your impressions of the other pilots we were given brief glimpses of?

Comments

[turlough]

Damn! I knew there was something I'd forgotten to do this week. I won't have time to watch them tonight, I don't think, but hopefully tomorrow.

[nanslice]

So okay, the first episode aired on Toonami in 2000. I watched it and I remember, when the previews were playing, I was mispronouncing it as GunDAMN.

I feel so old right now. ;;;;

Anyway, as soon as Just Communication started playing I tripped and fell right down the nostalgia hole and it felt so good.

The Shooting Star She Saw
Zechs looks so damn silly compared to the people around him. He's so dramatic, with the mask and the long hair, and absolutely no one mentions it. It's hilarious to me.

When Wing is intercepted and transforms for the first time, the animation gets so much better and I love it. And when Heero cackled, I was just like. Dude. Calm down.

Heero and Relena's meeting is pretty great, ngl. She comes off as so composed and he's such a wild thing; the expression on his face when he was hiding it from her was great. ;3;

So I remember really disliking Relena but maybe it was her dub voice actress because she's much more tolerable now (or maybe I'm less of an asshole yaoi fangirl, that might be it). I still think some of her decisions are the greatest but she is a teenager and that's what they do; make dumb decisions.

The quick shots of the other pilots is nice. Quatre's in particular gives us a good idea of how kindhearted he is and Wufei, hahaha. His complete self-assuredness is pretty great. ;3;

Even dressed up as a student, Heero looks like a damn serial killer.

When Heero wiped Relena's tears away, that was suave as hell. Granted, he was the one who caused them and then he threatened her but still; that tear wipe scene is amazing. I love it.

The Gundam Deathscythe
Heero knows how to ride a horse and for some reason this is hilarious to me. Like, in his training to become a perfect soldier to learn horseback riding. It just seems like something completely unnecessary.

"Anyone who's seen me has got a date with his maker." Duo's crazy too. ;3;

When Relena called Heero a Star Prince I laughed so damn hard. I just. That's. Why? Is that referencing something I don't know? Oh man.

Gundam Deathscythe is the coolest Gundam imo. I mean, you know, so far. So awesome looking. And to turn off Wing's self-destruct protocol, it poked it in the butt huehuehuehue I'm a child.

"Why do you want to shoot him?" Really? Really? Heero was about to shoot Relena pointblank and she's mad at Duo. I don't understand, man. Although when she was helping Heero and he looked at her with that open expression, I did 'aawww' a bit, ngl.

The lighting on Duo's face when he had that torch up was really nice. I really like his character design. ;3;

ANYWAY. What a good start to the show! I like how we're immediately thrown into the action and how they go ahead and show most of the main characters.

[yoshitsune]

Anyway, as soon as Just Communication started playing I tripped and fell right down the nostalgia hole and it felt so good.

Yesssss, so true. I was quite obsessed with that OP and I still like it, but probably more for nostalgia. GW had quite a distinct soundtrack by having all the vocal tracks performed by TWO-MIX (except the ED?).

When Heero wiped Relena's tears away, that was suave as hell.

lmao "suave" was my exact thought too (too suave compared to later Heero tbh).

Heero knows how to ride a horse and for some reason this is hilarious to me. Like, in his training to become a perfect soldier to learn horseback riding.

In my mind he never actually had formal training in horseback riding, or fencing either, but that anything he learned about piloting a Gundam and driving various vehicles he applies to other situations. Also making sure that Heero could learn quickly by observing seems like something Dr. J would do. I also like the thought that despite never being near a horse before, Heero doesn't give af and stays on with sheer will and badassery even when it's rearing and galloping around haha.

Though that he used the horse just to ride under a window he was going to break into cracks me up. Like, that's not conspicuous at all.

[taichara]

Zechs looks so damn silly compared to the people around him. He's so dramatic, with the mask and the long hair, and absolutely no one mentions it. It's hilarious to me.

No one is going to tell their commanding officer to his face that he's a nutter ;3~ And despite his ... eccentricities, Zechs already comes across as surprisingly competent, so his minions seem willing to deal with his weirdness. (their tones though, at least in the dub, lolololol poor Zechs)


Heero knows how to ride a horse and for some reason this is hilarious to me. Like, in his training to become a perfect soldier to learn horseback riding. It just seems like something completely unnecessary.

With all the high-society throwback-looking folks in the Earth military apparatus seen so far, with their waisted jackets and fringed epaulets and faux-nobility, I'd say training the potentially infiltrating terrorist in 'noble' activities like equestrianship -- and fencing! -- would be a smart thing to do X3 Semi-similar logic to why Relena's school is turning the youngsters into proper young nobility here in this far-flung future, really.

[dragonscrawl]

When Relena called Heero a Star Prince I laughed so damn hard. I just. That's. Why? Is that referencing something I don't know? Oh man.

My first instinct was to wonder if it was a reference to The Little Prince, but I can't make it work in context. So I'm going to go with it's Relena romanticizing Heero (which might fit with her age and somewhat unwise decisions about him).

[omnipotent]

I always thought Zechs looked so ridiculous with the mask. I understand he is the Char clone but I thought they could have designed him a better mask. It also looked really uncomfortable to me? Like, it's made out of metal. It's got to be heavy, unless it was designed to be similar to a soldier's helmet. Perhaps that's what its design is supposed to invoke?

Duo's character design is by far my favorite. And Deathscythe is one of my favorite mobile suits in the show.

[straightforwardly]

It's been so long, that I don't really remember my initial impressions of the characters. I do know that I didn't see the first few episodes of the series until later, because I watched this series in disjointed bits and pieces. Overall, though, younger!me loved Zechs best, with various characters, including Relena, Duo, Treize, and Trowa, coming in second. So far, this time around, I still like pretty much everyone— though, of course, we haven't gotten very far yet.

One thing that strikes me, now that I'm older, is how odd Relena and Heero's interactions are in the beginning. I can't quite figure out what's driving Relena at this point, which makes me feel a bit awkward when I'm watching those interactions. I don't remember ever having this reaction before to these episodes, so it's interesting.

As for that scene between Heero, Relena, and Duo, it's always amused me, mainly because of Duo's reaction to Relena defending Duo.

(I've also posted a live-blog of my reactions to the episodes to my journal.)

[nanslice]

Yes! I don't really understand what Relena's doing. Why is she so intent on getting close to someone who has, at the very least, been a huge jerk? I don't understand why. I realize she's figuring out that things are quite was they appear (the lies on the radio, for example) but it still doesn't seem like a very good idea.

Duo was trying to help Relena and he got scolded for it, poor kid. :<

[taichara]

Heero's reactions I can understand, but Relena is just odd as hell really.

[kalloway]

I have to laugh at the outright surprise that everyone has that PEOPLE LIVING IN ADVANCED SPACE COLONIES somehow have tech on par with the Earth. That and the colonies did a horrible job keeping their plans a secret because apparently everyone knows about it.

[nanslice]

Right? "Colonists can...do things? With space stuff?" It's just ridiculous. I'm going to go ahead and say the Earth has a superiority complex going on and that's why they're so surprised the lowly colonies are capable of doing stuff. |D

But yeah, this was the worst secret ever. Let's just toss these mobile suits at the Earth and hope one of them sticks.

[taichara]

Actually it's not that they have tech on par with the Earth, it's that they have tech (well, materials) far exceeding what the Earth is currently fielding and are actively using it -- which for the conquering groundpounders is more than a bit of a problem ;3b

[yoshitsune]

Ohhh my god I'd forgotten so much about this series, and all the cool bits just got clumped together in my mind.

I didn't even remember that things started with that brief fight between Heero and Zechs (they sure introduced that rivalry early). In retrospect I'm surprised that 6x1 wasn't a more popular pairing (maybe because Zechs' face wasn't shown until later?).

Early series Heero seems almost ooc though. Like the part where he's laughing gleefully while killing was never repeated iirc, and I quite like the fan-theory that he was on some drugs cooked up by Dr. J to make him more focused on his mission, but also… unstable. It's fun to see him being so suave and sassy, but I like him more later on.

Wufei! My fav being resourceful and efficient and giving less fucks than anyone. Also collarbones! I'll probably be seal-clapping through his first focus episode because it's always been my favourite.

Relena… I definitely like her more now. For a sheltered 15 y.o. who's been raised to be just a prim little lady, she's got guts and an independent streak. Also her pacifism and belief in common decency shining through already, though coming out as questionable life decisions.

[nanslice]

I think maybe one of the problems was that we didn't know how hold Zechs was, just that he was an adult and Heero was a teenager? Which never bothered me (I wrote a pretty explicit 13x2 fic) but maybe other people had a problem with it. :\a

Oh man, I've never heard that fantheory! I was surprised at how cocky he seemed in these episodes; I don't remember him being so much so. I think I'll agree with. There was a 1x2 fic called Duo's Braid that worked under the premise that the pilots were being drugged.

I wouldn't say I like her but she's definitely better now than when I was 14, hahaha. I don't want to get into spoilery territory (for anyone new who might be watching) but I know she gets better later on. :3

[taichara]

I think that seeing the reality of having to function in the world, under a mission or no, sobered Heero up with some alacrity after his first foray. It's not as easy as it looks in theory. (he stays sassy, he's just subtle ;3)

[taichara]

I continue to be stubborn and it's the dub for me, lol ;3

A stand-out thing here is that the colonies (as a whole) have existed for nearly two centuries, and the implication is that it's only the 'present' in which Earth is staging a hostile takeover. And hostile it is, with mobile suit units forcibly occupying the colonies themselves. Far from sabre-rattling it's an all-out act of, well, colonization, and it's really no wonder that it was reacted to badly.

There's also no indication given that this is an ideological clash, or a sociological clash, or that it may be over the resources available to the colonies (metals, rare alloys -- gundanium! -- volatiles, etc etc). No, it's boot-on-face time, pure and simple, although I'm sure that last point will definitely be a factor.


Wing continues to have the best grunt suits, yeeessss ~


Not surprisingly, Heero continues to be highly entertaining in his attempts (necessary as they are) to remove himself and his machine from the picture. He's an entertainingly durable little piker ;3~ And about as subtle as a brick, snarkbag humour notwithstanding, which kind of says something about the other attendees at that school. His drive to remove all evidence (including himself) is understandable; I can well imagine what he's expected to have happen if he's captured alive, and no one is going to want a machine of Wing's power falling into Alliance hands.

Speaking of subtle, I will never stop being entertained at how everyone and their dog knows about Operation Meteor *snrrk* Which makes an intriguing contrast with how sheltered the school students are -- as the news report we hear drives home.

Zechs is eccentric as they come (just ask his minions) but there's a tactical mind beneath the nuttery. Yes, even where the infamous (dub) 'machine gun' line comes in; heavier artillery than machine gun fire is going to be needed here ;3b His playing of the captain of the Marina is a lovely thing to watch. At this early stage he's a counterpoint to Heero; everything Heero needs to avoid, in more ways than one.

And then there's Relena, who frankly comes off as more than a little batshit here what with the playacting at empty air and general crazed (and entitled; someone has spoiled their kid) antics. I'd like to know how she managed to actually get into the base at the end unopposed, lol ;3

Duo is an interesting case, choosing to be resourceful -- and, despite his declaration that all who see him need to die, is carrying flares (to avoid that very outcome?), used to good purpose against Relena ... and Heero, since he doesn't know Heero is Wing's pilot. It's an interesting wrinkle, to have a means to try to avoid (civilian?) deaths.

There's not a lot to say about Trowa at this point, lol. Quatre is already set up as a standout against the others (offering surrender terms, fascinated by a planet he's never seen -- and his small legion of loyal minions). Wufei has definitely come prepared ... and has resources of his own, it seems ;3~ And too much pride to 'hide'.


And then there is Treize, whom we also see only briefly but already stands out. Obviously up to some internal machination inside the Alliance, he's contrasted against General Septum and calls out the man and his fellows about unnecessary loss of life in a way that both hints that he values his own soldiers more, and that he's deliberately choosing words to provoke. We don't know his game yet, but anyone creating their own secret sub-faction (Specials/OZ), well ~


For overly-lengthy train of consciousness commentary on these episodes, it's tossed over here lol: http://taichara.dreamwidth.org/148956.html

[nanslice]

Nothing wrong with the dub! One thing that really throws me in dub vs sub is how Heero, Duo, and Relena sound so much older in the dub. Not unreasonably older, but. Just more like adults than children. Not a bad thing but something that I've definitely noticed after watching the subs.

Heero is hilarious. He's kind of like a teeny little terminator, doing what needs to be done no matter what.he's pretty great. ♥

Zechs is such an oddball, oh man. I love him a lot but dude, be weirder.

I just have to shake my head at Relena in the early episodes. She starts off okay (a little spoiled, which is to be expected) but considering how much Heero puts out the Mr. Bad News vibes, I have no idea why she follows him around. It's just. Not a good idea, Relena, run away from him!

Duo has always been my precious fave, I've always been one of those fangirls, and to be honest the way his cap makes his head look bigger and the way his eyes dominate his face (in these episodes, at least, I know animation shifts throughout a series) just makes him look so damn cute. And I absolutely love that he used the flare to try and help Relena - AGAIN - by telling her not to look.

The politics in this series are so important and, unfortunately, the thing I paid the least amount of attention to when I first watched it, so I'm going to pay better attention this time. XD

[taichara]

Update!

For anyone curious about the current version of the Wing story, I'm tackling (what I have available scanlated of) The Glory of Losers in-step with the original series.

First couple of chapters chewed on here --

[nintendoh]

Just finished watching! When I saw 1995 pop up on the credits I was a bit shocked. Had no idea this show was 20 years old already! Jeez.

When I first started watching the show years ago, I was first taken with Quatre because of his sensativity and pacifism. I also liked Relena, but that was probably because I was introduced to the online fandom a while before it started airing on TV and when I saw how much she was hated by 1x2 shippers (including my friend that introduced me to the show), decided to like her just to spite them. Haha. Quatre is still a sweetie, but I am having a hard time feeling for Relena right now. I just can't understand the logic behind her actions. I guess we can chalk it up to being a silly teenager, but it's hard to see why she felt the need to follow Heero to the military base. What did she think she'd be able to accomplish?

I love Heero. He stole my heart back in the day, being probably my first realized male anime crush. He (and all the accompanying fic) was one of the catalysts for discovering my homosexual tendencies. I still love him this go around, but more because he is so entertaining. SO serious, SO good at everything, SO self-destructive. I think silly Heero-antics are what I'm looking forward to the most in this rewatch. XD

[nanslice]

RIGHT? I'm just like. Really. 20 years. Are we...sure that's right? ;;;;;

Oh no, haha, I was one of the annoying 1x2 shippers who hated her. XD It's better this go round; I am determined to not be That Fan. I definitely agree that her actions are, well, let's say ill-advised, hahhaha. Following Heero around is probably one of the worst ideas. He's such a danger and he admits he's a danger. I don't understand her actions at all.

However, yes, a thousand times yes, Quatre is so precious. And this isn't the first time I've watched subs but I barely remember anything about them (much more familiar with the dubs) and oh gosh, his little voice.

Heero is a joy to watch! I am probably going to still be a huge 1x2 shipper so I'm looking forward to those two interacting but I'm also so interested in seeing how he bounces off the other characters. :D

[schneefink]

The first episode already does a good job showing the screwed up politics. In the intro we learn that the Earth Alliance is trying to straight up conquer and take over the colonies ("in the name of Justice and Peace"), but when Minister Darlian returns to Earth he's asked if "hostile relations" to the colonies have begun and if the colonies will start attacking.

Also interesting to see the Earth military so outraged over the loss of three suits, that puts into perspective how many they lose when the other Gundams arrive.

Zech's mask looks so silly. And the boots!

Sandrock with flamingos *g*
Quatre seems naive. Do you not realize what you're doing? You're a terrorist on basically a suicide mission - no, that you have minions doesn't change the fact that you're a teenager and only a crazy person would put you in that suit. What did you expect? They are happy to surrender to you and the whole thing is over in a week?

Heero is clearly an excellent hacker, so even without his Gundam he could do a lot of damage.

Poor Relena, her (first?) major crush on such an unsuitable crazy guy. I forgot how adored she is by her classmates, that's probably where she learned about holding court.

At their first meeting Duo shoots Heero, perfect. Duo didn't know about the sunken Gundam, and he landed in a completely different part of Earth, so it's surprising he's here - was he just curious about what Oz were doing underwater? Duo smiling while destroying suits, crazy guy, why am I so fond of him. He tries to play white knight and rescue the lady, only for the lady to defend the guy who tried to shoot her - poor Duo *g* And then Heero manages to damage Deathscythe. Not the best beginning of a working relationship! I think Deathscythe is my favorite Gundam.

Any recs for sites where to watch the episodes? (subbed) The one I'm using now doesn't have the title song, but I like it :)

[anaraine]

Also interesting to see the Earth military so outraged over the loss of three suits, that puts into perspective how many they lose when the other Gundams arrive.

That's not something that really crossed my mind at the time, but you are so right. If three piddly little suits is enough to get a dressing down in front of a bunch of the brass (if maybe not a mark on the official record), their losses courtesy of the Gundams must have been staggering.

[anaraine]

Late's better than never, right? *cracks knuckles*

01. the shooting star she saw
Such a good opening theme. Somewhere I actually have a legit soundtrack for GW with this song on it - I should hunt that down. Hrrrrm. I'm a die hard sub watcher, but the subs I've got seem a little spotty. I might have to check out that youtube link, but grah. Streaming and my craptastic internet do not get along.

This is really odd, because I really thought I had seen the first episode before, but apparently not??? I DO NOT REMEMBER ANY OF THIS. (aka, Hi Zechs, how're you doing?)

I really like Relena's hair. Weird thing to get hung up on, but whatever. (I would also like more details on this vice foreign minister position - and why you are even mentioning super secret operations to your civilian daughter.) Though Relena seems way more forgiving of her father than a normal teenage girl. (This makes me a little more bitter about all the Relena bashing fics, actually. But let's not talk about that.)

AHAHAHA. "Ninmu ryoukai!" Oh man. ♥♥♥ ...I actually finished marathoning a bunch of Sailor Moon Crystal the other day, so all I can think about Wing is "GUNDAM HENSHIN." Heero. Oh Heero. You need to fix your little sociopath laugh. Please.

I am going to have to make a chart of what's going on, probably. Like. I know the broad strokes of the series, but I've definitely been influenced by fandom the most (and then Episode Zero, and then the other manga) and I feel I did not know that Treize was part of the Alliance Military, and that he formed OZ within the Alliance Military before trotting off to do his own thing? HOW EXCITING.

HELLO OTHER GUNDAM PILOTS. YOU ARE ALL GORGEOUS AND I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET ALL OF YOU IN FUTURE EPISODES.

Relena. Relena. What are you doing? Is this a teenage rebellion type of thing? Why would you invite a boy who beat up a bunch of medics to your birthday party? Also: Relena fisting her hands? For a second I honestly thought she was going to punch him. Until I saw the tears. Also. WTF, Heero. Should you really be warning Relena that you're going to kill her, if that is in fact what you intend to do?

Heeee. I've heard the ending before, but I'd never actually seen it! How cute is that!

02. the gundam deathscythe
Fencing and horseback riding both seem a little dated... especially for an future sci-fi type anime. It's something that just doesn't compute well to me, in regards to how well we're driving the planet into the ground. And if this earth needed colonies because there were too many people or whatever, then surely that'd be the case here, too? Why aren't horses freakin' extinct by now?

Is that you, Deathscythe? I am so excited to see you! AHAHA. COOLEST WEAPON OF CHOICE. Although Duo wouldn't be winning any sanity contests at the moment either, lol.

Weeeelll, okay then. So much for Operation Meteor being any sort of a secret, I guess? So it wasn't a big deal that daddy Darlien was mentioning stuff to Relena because nobody understands the idea of operational security.

Hiiiii Trowa. And Catherine! I am so pleased to be seeing you this early. Oh? It looks like we're getting glimpses of everyone. Wow. What a good show. AHAHA. Flamingos on Sandrock!

There are parts of Relena that are so mature and sophisticated. (Though I do wonder why she talks to herself, out loud.) And then there are parts that do this. Seriously? What is this? Relena. Look at your life. Look at your choices. This is not a smart choice. Doubly so when you are yelling at your ACTUAL rescuer - Heero was just trying to kill you! *pets Duo* Although, you're very good at bandaging wounds quickly? Why is that a skill you have, Relena?

RIGHTEOUS FURY. HOW DARE YOU HURT DEATHSCYTHE, HEERO.



On the whole, I'm impressed with how well the animation has held up. It's very crisp and clean and altogether a delight to watch. So thanks for hosting this rewatch. (I need to go hunting for GW icons...)

[nanslice]

You're not late at all!

Relena is more forgiving towards her father than a lot of teen girls would be; I definitely was agreeing with her when she was talking to herself on the beach!

If you make a chart about the political going ons, please share because man, I get so damn confused sometimes. XD

Deathscythe IS the coolest Gundam, I agree sfm. The design, the death motif, it all comes together in such a ridiculously awesome way. Aaaah, Deathscythe. ;3;

OKAY SO YEAH, RELENA'S ACTIONS DURING THE WHOLE DUO VERSUS HEERO THING REALLY MAKE ME SO MAD??? I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND, MAN. I DON'T GET IT. But you know, she thinks she knows Heero and Duo is a stranger so she probably thought she wasn't actually in any real danger, maybe. That's what I'm going with. :T

[dragonscrawl]

So did anyone else notice that Relena's unwise decisions continue in the ending, in which she opts to pull on a rhino's tail?

In episode 1, Zechs and his crew only saw Wing as it came to Earth. Yet Duo and Deathscythe were apparently were only a day away, given the various references to Relena's birthday during these two episodes. So did Deathscythe come to Earth earlier than Wing, or was Zechs and his crew just not looking in the right direction to see Deathscythe?

[schneefink]

But Zechs&crew did see five objects, didn't they? They just could only catch up to one of them because the others were too far away. And of course they didn't know what the objects were yet.

[omnipotent]

I really enjoy the way Treize is introduced. He seems pretty smug in the first couple of episodes, and I get that he's supposed to be presented that way because he's the main Bad Guy™, but for a Bad Guy™ he arguably had good intentions, and is one of the most likeable villains I've come across in a while, in my opinion. Like most Gundam villains, his true intentions aren't revealed until later in the game.

[nanslice]

Treize is so smug and such a good manipulator, ugh, it's beautiful. He plays the game so damn well.

[redsixwing]

Obligatory: I freakin' love Treize. Was a 6x13 shipper back in the day (feel free to shuffle those numerals around, if you prefer) and still just.... freakin' love Treize.

What I'm saying is, all the feels have yet to show up for me, but when they do, they're going to show up with a VENGEANCE. (Hi, Zechs. Hi, Zechs' wonderful hair. I spent most of my teenage years envying that hair.)

Flamingos on Sandrock! I love that scene. And the whole thing with the pilots' personalities coming through in how they treat their enemies. I'm very glad they cut the "maniacal laughter" aspect from Heero's intro, or he'd have been much less interesting. I'm always struck by the sort of rhyme between Duo and Quatre - Duo warns before he attacks. Quatre asks for surrender with no credible warning except the mountain of metal he's riding in. Maybe that's enough. And of course, neither one gets away without a massacre, because the Earth doesn't know what a Gundam is yet..

Heero's actions: well, as a kid, this seemed kind of sensible? I mean, he can't trust anyone around him, no matter how poofy their party dresses are (oh, Relena) and he's convinced he's got to end his mission before it starts to protect...something. Obviously not himself.

As an adult, I think of Doktor J and the intense training/soul-crushing abuse Heero went through to get to his extremely competent, utterly self-destructive self and just seethe. There's a special place in hell for people like J. (And the rest of the Mad Science crew don't get a pass either.)

Relena tho.

I hated Relena for a very long time - actually, it took a fandom portrayal of her as competent, gutsy, and totally out of her depth to get me to like her. Even knowning what I know now, she just makes no sense in this episode. Like... what d'you think you're going to accomplish here?

That said, defending Heero from Duo when the latter is armed with a pretty nasty-looking handgun took some serious guts, and we get an inkling of what Relena will become. Yay!

[taichara]

As an adult, I think of Doktor J and the intense training/soul-crushing abuse Heero went through to get to his extremely competent, utterly self-destructive self and just seethe. There's a special place in hell for people like J. (And the rest of the Mad Science crew don't get a pass either.)

There are further wrinkles to Heero's origin and backhistory, but alas an episode-by-episode (re-)watch of the original series is not the best place to tackle them -- spoilers falling all over the place ~

[mrsadisticnight]

I got really tl;dr about all my Gundam Wing feels so I made a post on my blog about it because why not XD I may add to it later, but right now I'm satisfied with it.