- Recommended By: Michael
- Recommended Reading Age: 13+
- Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Manga
- Length: 14 Volumes
A little over 30 years ago, New Mobile Report Gundam Wing released in Japan. This giant robot (or “mecha”) anime was one of the first that my generation watched in America back on Cartoon Network’s “Toonami” block, and introduced me to the wonders of Gundam.
I won’t claim it’s perfect as far as Gundam stories go: the show has its issues and detractors across the Gundam fandom (even among store staff), for animation quality, the main pilots’ “emo” personalities, and the overall pacing. However, the themes it discusses of war’s impact on civilians, revolutionary tactics, military drones, and the advancement of technology in response to conflict still resonate strongly with me… plus there’s some really cool robots to watch blow things up! I think that Gundam fans can still see strong parallels both with the Universal Century and with later series such as Gundam 00, while appreciating the risks taken in the storytelling of the time.
“Glory of the Losers” is a retelling of Gundam Wing in manga form, drawing on both supplemental materials in other comics and light novels, the anime itself, and from the concluding movie, Endless Waltz, (which remains one of the most beloved anime movies of the mecha genre, despite the iffy standing of the main series). The story has never looked better on the page, and I highly recommend it to folks looking to learn more about more of Gundam’s non-Universal Century timelines. Seeing these characters and mobile suits in the first set of Gundam Card Game also made me very happy, and I’m excited to chat about the manga with anyone who comes to play at our GCG events!
