Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory

Writer: Mitsuko Kase
Director: Mitsuko Kase, Takashi Imanishi
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

U.C. 0083 - Three years after the end of the catastrophic One Year War, peace on Earth and the colonies is shattered by the presence of the Delaz Fleet, a rogue Zeon military group loyal to the ideals of the late dictator Gihren Zabi. Delaz Fleet's ace pilot Anavel Gato, once hailed as 'The Nightmare of Solomon', infiltrates the Federation's Torrington base in Australia and steals the nuclear-armed Gundam GP02A 'Physalis' prototype. Rookie pilot Kou Uraki - with the aid of Anaheim Electronics engineer Nina Purpleton and the crew of the carrier Albion - pilots the Gundam GP01 'Zephyranthes' prototype in an attempt to recover the stolen Gundam unit and prevent another war from breaking out.


Chibi's Stardust Comments

The intention of this OVA is probably to bridge the gap between the original Gundam series, and Zeta Gundam. This in my opinion is kind of a hit and miss in this anime's goal. It does give you a better sense of understanding as you learn what happens to the Earth Federation and how it gets to the point it has gotten to in Zeta Gundam, but unfortunately you don’t really get to see what happens to the majority of the original cast from Mobile Suit Gundam such as Amuro and Char (god how i wished it was) , and instead mostly concentrates on the cast created exclusively for this saga. A few cameos from other Gundam characters, although briefly, but does work out pretty okay in terms of the plot consistency.

As rivalries go, Kou and Anavel do have good chemistry between each other, but never really reaches the heights of awesome-ness comparing to the rivalry Char and Amuro had. This is probably due to the short length of the series, although very well written, was just not given enough time to grow into something epic like Char and Amuro's, which in my opinion is still the best Gundam universe rivalry to date. The cast does pretty well to stand out, but I just don’t feel they have the kind of impact that Amuro Ray, Captain Bright Noa, Char Aznable or any cast member from the original Gundam can generate. However, both Kou and Gato are very likeable characters in their own right, and one would find it very easy to relate to the two. Kou just has a point to prove to himself and his peers, while Gato is doing it for his country.


There's also the Nina and Kou story arc, which kind of struck me as surprising since the OVA is only 13 episodes long, and felt that it was thrown in for convenience and for the sake of giving it an all around story, which I felt was unnecessary. Fortunately Nina and Kou do have good chemistry, but it just felt like it was not really going anywhere and doesn’t really contribute to the overall plot of the saga. All said and done, the development is basic with a moderate pace.

As always an unwritten rule in all Gundam sagas, the art design is really excellent and ahead of its time. Being an anime made in the early nineties, this one stands out with it's fluid movement and vibrant colors, and the battle scenes are truly a spectacle to behold. It also seems like a certain transition into how animes are drawn today and how it was drawn back then. As animation was drawn in a more circular style to ensure fluid movement back then, this particular Gundam installment offers a hybrid of circular and angular animation styles, with extremely satisfying results. This is evident in the difference of facial designs where the more angular faced characters are probably to portray said characters' age and maturity.


The mobile suit designs are also quite memorable, and are one of my all-time favourites in the Gundam franchise. Shoji Kawamori (a legend in the mecha universe, was a mecha designer for this anime, Eureka 7, Aquarion, and even a variant of Sony's Aibo to his credit) was at the helm of the mecha designs, and his trademark style is evident in their details and articulation. Though the mobile suits tend to look more packed and bulky, the skills of the pilots that are portrayed justify their agile mobility and fast speeds. My favourite, the GP02A like some other Gundams takes a different approach with it being a very bulky looking Gundam, with the head design being more rectangular without having the grilled mouth, which in my opinion made the Gundam look really intimidating.

I was shocked to find out that Horikawa Ryo, the voice of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, happens to be the voice of Kou Uraki! In comparison to Vegeta with this role, he’s more humble, childish, and full of exuberance, and had done amazingly well in portraying the character. Another memorable performance was from Ohtsuka Akio’s role as Gato, who's also famous for playing Batou in the Ghost in the Shell installments, bringing a unique kind of appropriate charisma to the character where you can also feel the passion in his motivations.


All said and done, I could safely say Stardust Memory is more for the dedicated and hardcore Gundam fan. Those not familiar with the Gundam franchise will probably not understand some of the basic concepts such as who Giren and Kycilia are who are briefly mentioned in the intro to the first episode, and about why Sydney is under water. Casual viewers wanting to watch some robot on robot violence will also be satisfied, with a bonus of the tremendously cool mecha on display. Whilst not necessarily having a bad plot, the story in itself was interesting enough to kept me glued to my seat, and I thoroughly enjoyed the 'time' of the show, seemingly to coincide with events after the One Year War. A must watch for all Gundam fans as this is a welcome addition to the Universal Century universe, this is one of the better Gundam OVAs out there, and almost on par with the 08th MS Team in terms of story and art.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory was written and directed by Mitsuko Kase and produced by Sunrise. It was released as a 13 episode OVA that ran from May 1991 to September 1992. A movie directed by Takashi Imanishi was also released on August 1992, probably to coincide with the end of the OVA.



Chibi's Review



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