And really is a pale shadow in terms of character when compared to its forerunner Mobile Suit: Gundam 0079. Presentationally, this iteration of Gundam is more glitz than substance. At a few points the pilots attempt suicide to prevent themselves from being captured. However, the reason I state that the show is probably better suited for older viewers is because the four Gundam pilots kill a lot of people, and at a few points consider murdering eachother or those trying to help them. Which is an interesting message for a kid's show, and not one I'm inherently opposed to. They do politics, deal in conflict and people in the darkness make power plays to assert themselves to power. The facade of the government does what normal governments do. Children who were groomed and raised to fight and die committing terrorist acts against a government with a shadow side. The main cast of 'heroes' or characters the shows presents as protagonists are a far cry from heroic, and don't even really fit the role of the edgy anti-hero. However, watching it critically as an adult to see if it would be appropriate for younger viewers really left me expecting more from it.
On a technical level it's definitely an impressive series on its own. Gundam Wing is interesting, it has a beautiful art direction and has some great sound design. Re-watching in my 20s, I was quite surprised at all that I'd missed. Content-wise this show would be alright for mature young tween, but viewers will probably need a few more years and a lot more patience to fully understand and appreciate the story. The characters are all kind of nuts and espouse equally-nuts beliefs that don't make them the best of role models, and you should be careful to put their worldviews in the proper context for your kids. This isn't your typical "Saturday morning giant robot" violence the war scenes are realistic and gritty, though sensitively portrayed. But to do this, a lot of violence has to happen. Part of the point of Gundam is illustrating that War Is Bad, and they do this very well. People blow up, not just mecha, and very, very frequently. It's honestly hard to believe that the author of the official review has watched this show in its entirety: you should be aware that there is mild language (mostly of the "d*mn" and "hell" variety and not frequent, but it's there) and a little blood. I love Gundam, and I love this particular Gundam series, but I know that I was a bright 14-year-old when I first watched it (I'm an adult now) and only got a superficial understanding of what was going on.