Pojo's
Unofficial Total Gundam Wing guidebook
Review
by : Troy
Brownfield 
"Unofficial
guides" remain as much a part of fan culture as the fans themselves.
Typically, they are a way for an unoffiliated company to make
money off of a marketing phenomenon. In other cases, the guide
can actually be a wealth of information and nice stepping
stone to bringing in new fans. It is in the rarer category
that Pojo's Unofficial Total Gundam Wing resides. Giving an
overview of the whole Gundam history, but focusing more specifically
on the Gundam Wing saga, this volume presents loads of information
in an appealing way that can be enjoyed by fans both old and
new.
If you
weren't already aware, Gundam has been huge in Japan since
the 1970s. Starting with Mobile Suit Gundam, the anime saga
of young people piloting giant robots against oppressive foes
has blossomed into multiple TV series, movies and over 700
different model kits and action figures. While it might be
a recent thing here in the States, Gundam has history.
The book
delves into that history with an illustrated timeline and
some text sections explaining the way that the various films
and movies fit. This is extremely handy, especially to the
casual fan who may be wondering where to actually begin. This
section is capped with a list of websites for further research
and commerce.
Squarely
in the middle of the volume is an eye-popping 3-D section
(complete with glasses) highlighting some of the stellar Gundam
Wing visuals. Items like these add a lot of flash and sizzle
for younger collectors (or older collectors who want to break
out "Dark Side of the Moon" and stare for a long, long time).
The guide
also sets up a very detailed section on the Gundam Wing series
in particular. We get a basic intro, a character breakdown,
a political examination, and then detailed character bios.
There is one glaring error here, as it seems that Sally and
Lucrezia had their bios mashed together; Sally is even incorrectly
identified as Lucrezia in a photo on page 81. That aside,
the plot and character explanations are easy to follow for
even young fans.
Fans of
the Mobile Suits themselves should be happy to note that there
are 12 pages devoted to the specs and history of each of the
main Gundams, plus the various other mobile suits that pop
up in the Gundam Wing run. This goes a long way toward separating
why Shenlong is different from Altron, or why Deathscythe
looks one way in the series and another in the "Endless Waltz"
film. The volume is rounded out by a Gundam Wing episode guide,
sections on Gundam card and video games, and a large discussion
of Gundam modelling (which is so big that it has its own word
in Japan).
While
it isn't pefect, Pojo's Unofficial Total Gundam Wing accomplishes
its mission, and that is to introduce the Gundam universe
to its audience. I would highly recommend it for young fans
in particular, or maybe to parents who don't quite get it.
Troy
Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews. He'd
like to thank Angela at Triumph. See them at www.triumphbooks.com.
Email Troy at psikotyk@aol.com
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