The frenetic pulse of "Endless Waltz" cranks out enough pizzazz, spectacle and intrigue to be a United States presidential election. Political factions maneuver and clash under cloak of ostentatious physical battles between soldiers and their Mobile Suit Gundams. But "Endless Waltz" maintains the powerful sentiments that resonate from the TV series -- the costs of war pale in comparison to the costs of maintaining peace.
Lofty thematic content aside, Hatzuyuki Sumiozawa's script deftly weaves good characterization with action. Cyclical flashbacks elucidate motivations and set the stage for understanding main characters. Heero's myopic relentlessness in this epic fight against violence and destruction is all the more clear when he recalls killing a child during a previous mission. And Wufei' memory of deserting his alliance because of their plan for needless killing explains his desire to destroy the evils of the world by only fighting well-trained soldiers. When Heero and Wufei finally face one another in battle, Sumiozawa has already loaded them with spiritual mettle.
But where Sumiozawa's script succeeds, it also fails. The profusion of characters in "Endless Waltz" interact in a labyrinthine network of relationships and loyalties, and sometimes even the flashbacks cannot explain a character's purpose. Quatre, Zechs, Noin and Nameless One all lack sufficient back-story for a first time viewer. The Nameless character (that sometimes adopts Trowa's name) probably really has a name in other "Gundam" installments, and may actually be Trowa, but here he lacks an identity. At times the lack of character background intrigues, but it often merely confuses. And some of the blame must be attributed to the Cartoon Network's cut version.
The acting and Yasunao Aoki's direction help in overcoming any confusion that the script may engender. All the voice actors bring a depth to their roles that can only draw a listener into the story. Gentle and strong, instead of sharp and shrill punctuated phrases, drive "Endless Waltz." Even the role of Mariemaia Khushrenada, the young child/would-be dictator, is undertaken with delicacy -- without which the role would lose its originality. Aoki's direction keeps "Endless Waltz's" pace moving, using interspersed cuts during battle scenes to speed up the action. As the Gundams battle, Aoki cuts from long shots in space, to close ups on the gundam suits, to inner shots of the pilots in charge of their gundams. The quick cuts create great tension during the action and gives the illusion that a lot more battle is happening.
Still an above average film for first time "Gundam" viewers to watch, "Endless Waltz" will no doubt rate at the highest level for "Gundam" enthusiasts.
