Mobile Suit Gundam the 08th MS Team

Writer: Takeyuki Kanda
Director: Takeyuki Kanda, Umanosuke Lida
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime OVA
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

U.C. 0079 - In the middle of the One Year War, Ensign Shiro Amada is transferred to South East Asia to command Kojima Batallion's 08th MS Team, a small army of soldiers piloting RX-79[G] Gundam Ground type units. During the skirmishes in the jungle, he confronts ace Zeon pilot Norris Packard and falls in love with Aina Sahalin, a pilot involved in testing Zeon's top-secret mobile armor. This relationship leads to the Federation doubting their trust in Shiro. Now Shiro must prove his loyalty in the battleground or die a traitor.



Chibi's 08th MS Review

Unlike most Gundam series out there (0079, Z Gundam, ZZ Gundam, Gundam Seed and more recently, Gundam 00), which are usually an intergalactic political action-packed drama extravaganza, this series decides to go the opposite way by scaling it down a little. It focuses more on an average mobile suit team in jungle warfare, rather than Amuro Ray (the most established Gundam pilot of the war) and the battles that eventually led to the end of the Earth Federation and Zeon conflict. The series is essentially a mix of a war film, mecha and Romeo and Juliet, which strangely works in this case. The love story is between the optimistic and compassionate Shiro Amada and the beautiful and caring Zeon, Aina Sahalin. It was love at first sight, but unfortunately war gets in the way of their relationship, with them being on opposite sides. Another aspect that I love about this Gundam installation is that it does not try to portray how righteous one side is and how evil is the other, but instead we see war from both sides and it is not a biased perspective.

Another plus to this anime is that it does not bother to be philosophical or complex, but it is much rather a tale of ordinary soldiers and their experiences on the front line. This realism is what I like so much about this series. The MS team are not aces, but they are normal pilots and they make mistakes. The Gundams look gritty and realistic, moving like machines and having a weighty feel to them, unlike in other Gundam animes where they fly around making effortless maneuvers like they're weightless. We actually see the Gundams get repeatedly damaged all over, and you will see in several episodes where the MS team is conducting repairs. The characters in this series are also realistic and approachable, making it easy for the viewer to warm up and relate to them. With excellent animation, the mecha battles look really explosive and powerful, with each movement so vividly portrayed you'd swear it was an action flick instead of an anime. Fans who are not already Gundam freaks would find this an accessible Gundam series with it being just 12 episodes long, and Gundam fans would love the mecha battles. The 08th MS theme is a good introduction to viewers wanting a taste of what the Gundam franchise is about.

Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team aired in 1996 spanning 12 episodes. A movie called Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team:Miller's Report followed the year after, although it was more of a compilation of the original OAV. It is directed by the late Takeyuki Kanda, whose other works include Dragonar, Dragon Warrior, SD Gundam Musha, Knight, Commando (OAV), and Doraemon: What Am I for Momotaro (movie).


Chibi's Review



Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 3/5