And I shall begin with the ladies of Gundam Wing! I've shared the following statement on an FB Fan page: "I think I should write a fic featuring the ladies of GW, since March is the month that celebrates women. One of the main reasons why I love this anime so much, girls and women are not limited to being mere sex objects or senseless sidebars. They were each given a solid purpose, regardless of whose side they're on. Gundam Wing has literally broken that messy mold in Anime culture. There were no stereotypes about how femininity should be [wrongfully] portrayed... On a final note, I am not a feminist. I'm just stating my honest observations as a long-time Anime viewer." Sally Po, Lucrezia Noin, Relena Peacecraft, Dorothy Catalonia, Hilde Schbeiker, Catherine Bloom, Iria Winner, Sylvia Noventa, Colonel/Lady Une, and countless others don't fit the stereotypes that are often overused clichƩs in Anime, let alone entertainment and pop culture. Instead, they stand out. Sally Po encourages Wufei to reclaim his purpose as a warrior on the battlefield. She also helps locate and distribute the Gundams to each of the pilots in the middle of the storyline. Ends up bringing Heero and Wufei together (and I bet she hooked up with Noin, who had Trowa, Quatre and Duo with her). Sally also kicks butt! Her skills are flawless, with and without weapons. Her courage is commendable. Just a decent reminder that we're not limited to damsels in distress. Lucrezia Noin never gives up on Zechs Merquise; the chemistry is real. Throughout the series and Manga, she's willing to go all the way - even when he's turned against them in the final battle. At the same time, she makes the effort to bring the Gundam pilots together (remember The Peacemillion?) and roots for them as well, considering how she once taught and trained students at The Victorian Base. There was a time when she talked some sense into Trowa (I think it was a one liner in Antarctica or Serbia - my apologies for getting the location mixed up), when he experienced his own uncertainty for the battlefields (refer to the way he removes his fingers from the controller in his suit, and falls out). She's also supportive of the other Gundam pilots, even when their views differed greatly (The Sanc Kingdom). Let's not forget how she picked up Relena after setting an OZ soldier straight, like a boss. Colonel/Lady Une - two sides of a coin. Despite her split personality, she's still an admirable character with strong authority. Even though she's done some rotten things (this is the war in AC195), she still has a softer side behind that mask... I presume Trowa and Zechs contributed to that inner battle zone of her human nature. She pursues her true identity without losing her touch, and comes to grips with how the war causes destruction, terror and uncertainty from within. Shortly after two Gundam pilots (and countless OZ soldiers) made their way to investigate The Wing Zero situation, that beautiful nature behind the well-grounded soldier never left. She went out of her way to set The Mad Five and two pilots (Duo and Wufei) free on The Lunar Base. She couldn't care less if Tsubarov referred to her becoming "soft". Colonel Une chose to die with honour, and she started rooting for the pilots of the Gundams to press on. She gets it. She understands. She still loved Treize, and eventually takes his nine-year-old daughter, Mariemaia Kushrenada, as her own at the close of Endless Waltz. ******* I will add more later. Anyone care to share any other observations of the GW Ladies? @thisweekingundamwing
