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Gundamis one of the oldest and most popular franchises in anime history; Gundam Wing, a 49-part series that was broadcast in Japan in 1995-1996, is currently airing on the Cartoon Network. Several story lines unfold against the background of a rebellion by the Space Colonies against the United Earth Sphere Alliance; at the same time, the OZ Special Forces mount a coup d'état against the Alliance. The Colonies send Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatra, and Chang, the pilots of the Gundam Mobile Suits, to Earth to wreak havoc on military installations. The wiry teenagers find themselves caught up in these interconnected conflicts, fighting OZ leader Treize, his glacial, sadistic, assistant Lady Une, and the masked pilot Zechs, who pursues his own agenda. Although they're heroes of the series, the Gundam pilots often come across as cold, arrogant, and needlessly brash. In the middle of one battle, Chan leaves his indestructible Gundam to fight a duel with Treize using swords. But fans of the series aren't interested in character arcs or plot development: every episode offers lots of elaborate battles between the splendidly designed transforming Gundams and the lesser robot-suits of the villains. Rating: 8 and older: no nudity or sex; occasional profanity; violence largely restricted to machines attacking each other. --Charles Solomon
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