This is the second gundam AU I've watched (After G Gundam), and this was much closer to the main Universal Century. Almost too close in parts (As Char clones go, Zechs is very blatant). I was also reminded quite strongly of G Gundam as both centre on a group/team of 5 gundam pilots with unique gundams and extreme capabilities (That and the Epyon reminds me of the master gundam).

The story of Wing is at times confusing with the enemy faction changing several times, with it not always clear who is on what side or why or how. It's not completely incomprehensible, it's just that the number of dramatic changes to the world and its factions that happen could leave you confused if, for example, you didn't watch the show for a couple weeks and try to pick things up again. Pair this with the near incoherent ideological and philosophical debates that characters at time engage in and the very quick escalation to self-detonation/suicide at several points and you're left with a very strange narrative.

On the subject of self-detonation/suicide, it's surprisingly prominent - especially in the middleish section where it escalates to extreme scale when an entire colony self-destructs to prevent themselves from being used as a hostage (presumably killing millions), which i guess is one way to end a hostage scenario. A couple characters hand people guns and ask them to shoot them. Self-detonation of ones mobile suit is seemingly a move that our protagonists are just itching to do at any moment. Half the antagonists and protagonists seem to be searching for some death on the battlefield. If you look at it a certain way, a country commits national suicide at one point. It's just a bit bizarrely common. The show does seem conscious of this at times, which makes me think it was something of a deliberate choice - although I'm not sure why. (maybe some point about it being better to die and stay true to your ideals then live while betraying them or something idk)

About half way through, the narrative and characters become obsessed with the idea of total pacifism and world peace. If you take a shot every time someone says "total pacifism" you will be dead.

Wing's characters are genuinely crazy. I still don't know what some of them were thinking. This makes them never boring, as I rarely gave any certainty as to how any interaction between them will go. The characters truly drive the story and the world of Wing.

That said, sometimes the characters have a bit too much of an influence on the world. The stakes are kinda lessened when two gundam pilots can take over an aircraft carrier without their gundams by themselves. Anyone who isn't a main character is not a threat in any way.

What are characters without voice acting? (mute, I guess). I watched the dub and the voices range from fantastic to mediocre (with a few standout terrible voices, thankfully noone important). I have to give special praise to Trieze's, Dorothy's and Duo's voice actors who were fantastic throughout. A lot of the background characters are just voiced by the main VA's doing a different voice which is sometimes noticeable. Overall, if you are a dub watcher you will be fine with this.

Wing looks fine, not standout animation but it is still lovely 2d mecha animation. The Gundams and mobile suits are all good designs. The Tallgeese, the Epyon, the Wing Zero, Wufei's gundam, would probably be my favorite main suit designs. For the grunts, there aren't as many but I do like the Taurus and the Ares. The Cancer is also a goofy little crab and I love that.

Overall, Wing was a confusing mess driven by a collection of insane characters following poorly articulated ideologies and philosophies in a world that seems to warp around their existence. Despite this, it was quite enjoyable. The unpredictability of the narrative combined with the entertainingness of the characters made me never bored when watching. Trying to understand the motivations of the characters and the "themes" of the narrative was fun, especially as they seemed to turn on a dime at times. Also, you can watch the whole thing on youtube officially which is certainly a plus.