TITLE: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers vol. 4
YEAR: January 2018
COMPANY: Vertical Comics
Writer: Katsuyuki Sumizawa
Artist: Tomofumi Ogasawara
It’s a battle between Heero Yuy’s Gundam 01 vs. Colonel Zechs’ Tallgeese. Who will be victorious?
All this and more in vol. 4 of “Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers”.
What is “Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers”?
It was back in 1995 when an anime series titled “Shin Kido Senki Gundam Wing” aired in Japan. The sixth installment in the “Gundam” franchise, it was a series that took place in the “After Colony” timeline.
A different setting and an alternate universe than the well-known Universal Century (UC), the AC deals with events primarily “Mobile Suit Gundam Wing” and its sequel “Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz”.
The series is set in After Colony 195 and humans have colonized space and developed space colonies at each of the five Earth-Moon Lagrange points. On Earth, the nations formed the United Earth Sphere Alliance and this alliance has oppressed the colonies with their powerful military.
The colonies want to be free and scientists have developed a plan for revenge against the alliance with “Operation Meteor” and five teenage boys have been chosen and trained by five scientists and then sent to Earth with advanced mobile suits known as “Gundams” made from Gundanium alloy designed by each scientist.
The manga introduces us to these five teenage boys with the protagonist being Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner and Chang Wufei.
As the United Earth Sphere Alliance are aware of the attacks on Alliance soldiers, the Organization of the Zodiac (OZ) has their ace mobile suit pilot, Zechs Merquise to find the enemy.
We are also introduced to Relena Darlian, daughter of the Alliance’s Vice Foreign Minister. We learn how she found Heero Yuy, who had washed ashore on the beach neaer the spaceport and she had always wanted to learn more about him, despite him always threatening to kill her. But for Heero, he is more intent to destroy his Gundam before anyone in OZ can get to it and learn the technology.
In volume 4, Doctor J informed Heero that OZ was transporting its new Taurus model to its base in Siberia and he chose to attack the air route, as did Trowa, while Duo and Quatre attacked the land route, which was a decoy.
During the battle, Heero encounters Colonel Zechs, who wanted to test his new Tallgeese suit against the Wing Gundam. Who will become victorious?
Meanwhile, Lady Une of OZ threatened to use the Alliance’s own missile satellites to attack the colonies unless the Gundams surrendered.
With the release of “Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers”, readers who are not familiar with the storyline, may find it a different situation from the UC “Mobile Suit Gundam” storylines, especially if they have only read “Gundam Origin”.
The role has been reversed in the AC universe as Earth’s alliance are the aggressors and the colony who want to be free are the ones with specialized Gundam mecha suits.
The fourth volume features the Gundams trying to destroy OZ’ new Taurus model but while Duo and Quatre attack by land, Heero and Trow attack via air and he comes into contact with Colonel Zechs and a battle ensues as Zechs wants to test out his new Tallgeese suit against Heero’s Wing Gundam.
As Lady Une of Oz threatens to use the Alliance’s missile satellites to destroy a colony, Doctor J must make a difficult decision.
As for Heero vs. Zechs, who will become victorious?
Like previous volumes, there are a lot of panels of fighting and things were often so chaotic that it’s easy to get lose. Writer Katsuyuki Sumizawa has a tough task of having to write stories about five Gundam pilots and making it a coherent plot but finally with volume 4, things seem much better with pacing. It was my largest complaint of the manga series but by volume 4, Sumizawa seems to have things under control.
Overall, “Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers” vol. 4 is another action-packed volume as Heero Yuy takes on Colonel Zechs as the Wing Gundam takes on the new Tallgeese.