A reflection on GW and life

Oh God, how to explain....I'll start from the very top, then.

About five or six years ago, back when I was a wee baby fanbrat, I realized that several of my favorite authors wrote for a series called Gundam Wing. Having absolutely no idea how this sort of thing is supposed to go, I started reading the stories without having ever watched an episode.

In fact, I read so much that I kind of developed this idea of how the series was SUPPOSED to be as opposed to how it actually is: when I tried to watch it for the first time, I was kind of disappointed. That plus the fact that it was ridiculously hard to find subtitled (English VAs can all go die now) meant I got up to.....about episode 7. Out of 49.

It's still been just about my favorite fandom ever this whole time, of course. Gundam Wing is kind of my lifeblood. But I'd never seen it all the way through.

And then finally, twelve days ago, I saw that a high-quality, subtitled version of the whole series was online. Free.

The catch? It was going offline at midnight, twelve days from that day. Imagine the shock, and also the growing sense of obligation. This was pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime chance, mostly because I'm a cheapskate and buying a whole set of episodes is goddamn expensive.

So what did I do? I watched anywhere from two to two and a half hours of Gundam Wing every single day. And today, at 12:00, right when the series was taken off the site, I finished the 49th and final episode.

...Now, of course I have no idea what to do with my life. Because really, that was pretty much the one accomplishment that I've always said I'd get to during the past five years, but never did. I mean, I graduated middle school AND high school before I watched this show. I got into college. I got my first job. I went on my first date.

And now I can add 'I've watched Gundam Wing' to that list, and that's damn scary. I'm overreacting, I'll get over it, but right now, it feels like the end of an era....well, if there's one thing I've learned from watching, it's this:

Never fear the destruction of your giant robot (or the impending departure from all you've known). There are always mad scientists around who will build you a more badass version, and outer space is calling.

On to bigger, better, and brighter things. HOOHAA!