Full Metal Panic!

Writer: Shoji Gatoh
Director: Koichi Chigira
Production House: Gonzo
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha, Romantic Comedy, Action
Vintage: Jan-June 2002
Episodes: 24

Synopsis

Sagara Sosuke may look like a high school boy, but he is anything but your average teenager: hardened by years of battle, he is now one of the most skilled (and humorless) operatives of the secretive and powerful paramilitary MITHRIL organization. All this changes, however, when he, along with the lecherous sniper Kurtz Weber and ornery commander Melissa Mao, are assigned to protect pretty young Chidori Kaname, who may be one of the mysterious and sought-after 'Whispered'. Trained assassins, mech-piloting psychopaths, and booby traps, Sagara can deal with... it's infiltrating a Japanese high school and trying to blend in that's the real challenge. And he will learn that an enraged girl can be the most lethal opponent of all.

Full Metal Panic is a story that combines this romantic comedy with futuristic military combat (mechas included), and it tells the story of a teen-aged army sergeant (Sagara) who grew up as a child soldier that ends up protecting a not so regular high school girl (Chidori). These two really are the reason why you would want to watch this series: even though the series is seven years old by now, they’re still fresh and dynamic, and the relationship between the two of them really grows on you. Sousuke’s socially inept antics will delight any fan of deadpan humour, while Chidori herself quickly sets herself apart from all other overused tsunderes with her wit. The two shine in the comedic part with some fresh jokes, but they definitely impress the most when they get serious.


Chibi's Panicking Comments

I actually came across Full Metal Panic about 2-3 years ago by mistake. I was looking for another series with Full Metal in its title (does Edward Elric ring a bell?) and accidentally picked up the DVD to Panic instead. Realising the mistake I made a little too late (I'd already reached home when I found out), I decided to leave it on the shelf so I could watch it when there's nothing else to do. Finally after neglecting the series for a long time, i decided to give it a shot. Then it dawned on me, I should have watched it as soon as I bought it. Here's why.

Full Metal Panic takes a decidedly fun twist to the mecha genre by blending in a few romantic comedy elements to the plot, with an already amazing story laid out. It's almost unavoidable to not burst out laughing at Sagara's extremely serious demeanor and intent on protecting Chidori through any means necessary via guns, live explosives and also smoke grenades. It's also quite amusing to see Sagara, who never had a proper teenage life trying to cope with the daily routine of high school, and he always comes off as the deathly serious new guy in class. However, it is when the laughter stops that the action begins, and we are treated to some amazing battle scenes reminiscent of Evangelion and a few Gundam OVAs.


The entire setting to this series is just awesome. With mouth-watering animation and character design, Full Metal Panic also has impressive music. As with other Gonzo releases such as Vandread, there is always a catchy song provided to properly capture the mood, from the J-poppy theme song to the background music during battle and even on normal school days, the compositions are truly phenomenal in their conception. As Gonzo had been famous for its emphasis on detailed art and animation, Full Metal Panic does not disappoint, with pleasing character designs and sharp animation complementing the already gripping action scenes.

Although the main plot is pretty well written and ropes you in from the start of the series, the real appeal of Full Metal Panic is the character relationships. Sagara and Chidori are perhaps in my opinion one of the best couples in anime. Seemingly the exact opposites to each other, delving a little deeper into their backgrounds suggest that they are more similar than expected, with their difficulties in integrating themselves into the school populace. Of course this is more glaringly obvious in Sagara, but Chidori herself is noticeably different from the rest of the girls in school, and its this back and forth relationship between the two is what really makes Full Metal Panic such a joy to watch. Think some of the sitcoms' romantic tension between the lead male and female (ala Friends for example) and you kind of get the point I'm trying to make.


As with previous Gonzo titles, Full Metal Panic did not actually reel me in from the get-go, i was still skeptical whether it was just another fan-service title taking itself a little too seriously (ala Vandread) and throughout the first 6-8 episodes it was exactly that, seemingly confused in itself not knowing which direction to take, be it engaging mecha battle royale or fan-service laden comedy, and there were times where I wanted to actually stop watching for fear of wasted time. The comedy, while in itself is very funny, kind of takes away the tense moments during the first half of the series. It's hard to believe that Chidori and Sagara are in danger when they were in a romantic comedy laden episode just before, and there was very little progression in the plot during the first half as it gets broken up with filler comedy episodes (not really a bad thing, but for die-hard mecha freaks it probably is).

Fortunately, the show does makes its mind up and decidedly focusing on the action in the second half of its run. The plot develops steadily, and more personality is further added to the main characters, making them more than just comic relief. The superb animation and well choreographed action sequences are readily present to back up the plot. The final stretch of the series kept me glued to the screen all the way to its end, which made me wish that the series was like this from the get-go.


All said and done, I do recommend this series to mecha fans, even the humorless ones, as the battles are truly something else. Full Metal Panic remains as one of the better mecha anime titles that had been out in recent years, and will provide the viewer with hours of entertainment, provided they approach it with a pinch of salt and an open mind (you know who you are, mecha purists). Great for a weekend filler and also good to watch at your own pace.



Chibi's Review


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

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (First Season)

Writer: Yousuke Kuroda
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis


*Rebirth Begins Through Destruction*


Our story begins in 2307 AD, about 400 years into the future. Following the depletion of Earth's fossil fuels, humanity was forced to search of a new power source, and it was found in the form of solar power collectors around the Earth's orbit, supported by 3 orbital elevators. Each of these elevators serve one of the three 'superpowers' of this era, which are the Human Reform League, consisting of China, Russia, and India, Union, who is in power in the region surrounding North
America, and the AEU, which encapsulates mainland Europe.

An inexhaustible supply of energy only made available to the major powers and their allies, conflicts and wars frequently happen worldwide for energy and fuel. Nations whose primary resource was the economic reliance of fossil fuels have been stricken with poverty, with some nations even going as far as claiming that the solar energy is a threat to the 'promised land of God', and ultimately became the reason for the 20 year Solar Wars. It was through these events that led to the birth of Celestial Being, a private military organization whose sole purpose is the eradication of war and the unification of mankind through four Gundams.

The series follows the four Gundam pilots addressed as Gundam Meisters, Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism and Tiera Erde as they are thrown into conflict between the 3 superpowers and the various other factions. Our main protagonist is the 16 year old Setsuna, a quiet, passive young man who grew up in the war-torn Krugis Republic, and pilots the GN-001 Exia Gundam, a quick, high mobility Gundam effective in melee combat.


With the three superpowers unable to compete against Celestial Being's superior strength and technology via the four Gundams, they eventually unite to form into the United Nations Army in order to resist Celestial Being's military interventions. The United Nations Army, desperate to defeat the Gundams, employed the assistance of Laguna Harvey, Celestial Being's intelligence officer, who turned traitor and provided the UNA with 30 GN-X, mobile suits with pseudo GN Drives installed in them. As the UNA continues to resist Celestial Being's armed interventions, a second team consisting of three Gundams had introduced themselves. Bearing the name of Team Trinity, they assist the Meisters' in their cause, but their methods are more of a cold blooded nature, in contrast to the Meisters own less aggresive nature of armed intervention.

This then brings us to the story of Alejandro Corner. A former Celestial Being observer who plans to capitalize in the chaos caused by Celestial Being in their quest, who subsequently captured Veda, Celestial Being's supercomputer situated on the moon. Without the aid of their supercomputer in their battles, Celestial Being is easily overwhelmed by the GN-X units' seemingly unlimited numbers.

The UNA then launches Operation Fallen Angels upon discovering the Meisters' mother ship, the Ptolemaios, to destroy the Gundams. This sets us up for an epic finale as the stage is set for a battle royale of biblical proportions, with an unexpected ending to the first season.


Chibi's Meister Comments

Following the extremely disappointing Gundam Seed Destiny, I approached this latest installment a little weary. I had many doubts about the series' ability to entertain, given its predecessor's many shortcomings, and was weary of even the slightest hint of flashbacks, which was kind of my cue to stop watching. Doing a little research before actually picking up the DVD, I found out that director Seiji Mizushima was at the helm, and was famous for his work on Ooedo Rocket and Full Metal Alchemist. So I decided to take the chance.

I was glad I did. From the opening credits that was played by my favorite J-rock band L'Arc En-Ciel to the introduction of the Exia Gundam in the opening half of the season, I was glued to the screen. The setting is basically 400 years from now, and how the world situation has progressed, combined with Gundam's trademark mecha extravaganza. Whilst the concept may be a little too familiar to some, and usually ends up being a screwed up emo-fest with reused cells galore, Mizushima-san's managed to cook up a really engaging political drama reminiscent of the Universal Century sagas. While the verdict is still out on the series as a whole, having watched the first season I've already had a lot to like about this installment.


What I like about the plot on 00 was that it takes a similar, yet different path of its predecessors (the Cosmic Era, Universal Century, and Gundam Wing). I thought putting the story 400 years into our future was a nice touch, rather than some alternate timeline. It also uses 4 main pilots, or Meisters, this time, unlike the staple team of 5, made popular by Gundam Wing. It is essentially a story about a group of four guys with ultra powerful mecha who use them to solve all armed conflicts in the world. This is obviously sounds impossible to achieve, and foolish to attempt, but the thing is that the characters are well aware that the thing they’re doing is naive. This series never claims one side to be morally right or wrong. It just presents us several different views on the world.

One of 00's strength is in the pacing of the story, building up the plot carefully and progressively. It’s got a huge plot and a huge setting that it needs to work with, and despite a few inconsistencies, I could feel that the creators have tried to explain as much as possible. The characters might be a little hard to relate to at first, but every single character develops, and at the end of the season the show had turned into something better and enjoyable. With a cast so large and diverse, you’re bound to have a few favourites. I particularly found the Meister Lockon Stratos a very interesting character, and the concept to his mobile suit the Dynames Gundam was a new twist to how weapons and mobility are controlled.

In conclusion, Gundam 00 took a calculated risk and struck gold, as we are bombarded by beautiful mecha designs, an engaging plot guaranteed at least a second viewing, awesome characters (been awhile since we had that in a Gundam saga), and an awesome soundtrack. I recommend it to anyone looking for an action packed epic.


Chibi's Review



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

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny

Writer: Mitsuo Fukuda
Director: Mitsuo Fukuda
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

Gundam Seed Destiny picks up two years after the original series, following pilot Shinn Asuka and the crew of ZAFT battleship Minerva and their role in the Second Bloody Valentine War, as well as featuring some of the returning characters from Gundam Seed. Our story starts when three mobile suits are reportedly stolen from ZAFT by a militant group called Phantom Pain, which is under direct rule of a terrorist organization named the Blue Cosmos. During the operation, an intervention was made by the Minerva and Shinn Asuka but Phantom Pain manages to escape, prompting orders from ZAFT for Shinn and the Minerva to destroy and abandoned space colony in order to prevent it from crashing to the Earth. Athrun Zala makes a return to the series as well, aiding the Minerva in their operation. They soon discover that rogue ZAFT soldiers are controlling the colony's trajectory to make it crash into the Earth. The Minerva and its crew failed to completely destroy the colony, and a second war starts as soon as news broke out regarding the ZAFT soldiers' involvement in the colony's collision course with Earth.

Athrun then decided to rejoin ZAFT and is assigned to the Minerva. This was not to last as Athrun became disaffected with ZAFT, following PLANT Chairman Gilbert Durandal's orders for the destruction of the Archangel and his best friend Kira Yamato. Athrun defected form ZAFT with Meyrin Hawke after Durandal framed him as a traitor. It is during this time whe the leader of the Blue Cosmos, Lord Djibril, orders the super weapon Requiem to be fired upon the space colonies, resulting in countless casualties. This prompted ZAFT's offensive on the Blue Cosmos, and the Minerva succeeds in capturing the Requiem. Following the offensive, Gilbert Durandal announces the 'Destiny Plan', where a citizen's job will be based on their genetics, and will face the wrath of the Requiem should any colony or country disagree.

This brings Shinn and the crew of the Minerva into direct conflict with the protagonists of the first series. Kira returns into the fray with a new mobile suit, the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam, and Athrun returning with the ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice Gundam. This sets up a titanic confrontation between the pilots, and a climactic final battle ensues as the series reaches its conclusion.


Chibi's Destined Comments

The first 5 episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny made me feel like I was on another wild ride. The art is glossier, the animation a lot more fluid, and the pace to the story was adequate. I like that Athrun now is one of the good guys, and doesn't pilot a Gundam at first, but taking on a more diplomatic role in this installment. I also liked the introduction of the new Zaku to the Cosmic Era fold, as it was one of my favorite mobile suits from all the sagas. So it's pretty smooth sailing from here on right?

WRONG. DEAD WRONG. YOU COULDN'T BE ANY WRONGER! Once again, this show proves that one should not judge a book by its cover, all the potential the series had disappeared come the sixth episode. Watching this show made me feel like 'Hey, isn't this the Gundam Seed DVD? Did I put in the wrong DVD or what?'. While it is acceptable to pay homage to a series from over two decades ago (Gundam Seed borrowing extensively from the original Mobile Suit Gundam), it is unacceptable to steal from a series made only a year ago, and from the series YOU helped to write!


Sadly, it is not the blatant unoriginality that causes the anime's untimely demise, but it's the obvious lack of character development. Take out the flashback sequences (if you think Seed had a lot of this, think again), recap episodes (there was one even right before the series' finale!), or even take out half of the episodes in this series, and it would still come out relatively unscathed. In fact, i honestly think that it will be an improvement. Due to this lack of development, a lot of the situations seem forced and just too coincidental to actually happen, a flaw seen happen once or twice in Seed, but with this installment it feels as if Fukuda-san's got it down to an art form. While some of the new characters are easy to sympathize with, some are just too unappealing to actually care what happens to them.

This is where the stark contrast between Tomino-sensei's and Fukuda-san's writing becomes blindingly evident. Tomino-sensei knew how to pace things. Whether you liked having a battle scene in every single episode of Zeta Gundam or not, time was always allocated for events to occur other than the battles, like character development. If Seed proved anything from its conception, is that Fukuda-san couldn't pace stories well. Another thing Tomino-sensei would take into consideration is the budget of the series, and making sure it lasts the entire duration of the anime. All the funding Fukuda-san poured into making the Akatsuki (which is a rip-off from the Hyaku Shiki only with more guns because this is the Cosmic Era timeline, where guns ARE a substitute for skill) so grand looking (I mean seriously, this suit doesn't even feature in ten episodes, or even 5 for that matter) , when it could have been used to give the Destiny Gundam more than one animation sequence where it charges with its big sword (which happens more than once, it's like the King of Flashbacks' reputation on the line or something). Taking the sequence from the opening theme and making it the Strike Freedom's debut as well? I mean, Zeta Gundam may have reused launch and transformation sequences, but that's just shameful, highlighted even more by the fact that the whole reason the original Freedom Gundam was destroyed was so Kira could have a MORE powerful Gundam. It's a shame the God Gundam was already used in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, or it'd fit in perfectly, and probably would proceed to kick all the other Gundam's butts in the process.


Now for the biggest gripe I had about this series and why I detest it so much. I, absolutely, positively, ultimately, and murderously HATE Shinn Asuka. Much like where Seed borrows extensively from the original Gundam, Seed Destiny sets itself up to be the Zeta Gundam of the Cosmic Era, hence the likeness between the main pilots, Shinn and Kamille. Whilst Kamille was a brash young pilot with a big disciplinary problem, he did shape up and actually ended up being a war hero, and ultimately won me over as a really cool pilot apart from his predecessor, Amuro Ray. In Seed Destiny however, Shinn never ever shapes up, and kept butting heads with the mature Athrun, and this to me is not the way to win viewers over. Shinn Asuka is just too weak a character to be the main focus point of the story, and while his Destiny Gundam is very attractive, it just feels as if he doesn't deserve to pilot it, as he is an arrogant, angsty. whiny and just plain retarded character. I was actually just hanging on to the series wanting to see something bad happen to Shinn the entire time, and that says a lot about what I think of him.


The return of the older cast to me was also a little unnerving towards the end of the anime. I was certainly dumbfounded trying to figure out what Fukuda-san's motives actually are in bringing them back. This time, even much-loved characters like Kira made me irritated. I just had the sense of the grave mistake Fukuda-san made with the first half of the series, and this was probably a feeble attempt by him so salvage the already pretty looking turkey he had been cooking. A lot of people have likened this show to Zeta Gundam, but in Zeta, Amuro, Char, and the others from the first Gundam, while important, are never more important than Kamille is, as the main character. They never make you question if the director really wanted to make another series about Amuro and Char (well, they did get a movie in the form of Char's Counterattack, but you get my point) and the others from Mobile Suit Gundam, because they have supporting roles. Important ones, yes, but they never shoved Kamille offstage while they RANTED about how war was wrong and then proceeded to beat the crap out of each other with steroid pumped Gundams. And even though at the time, I was happy to see Kira and Athrun and Lacus and Cagalli again, even if you originally liked them, it's possible to dislike them in Seed Destiny.

In conclusion, I honestly think that this was the product of a bunch of executives looking to boost model kit sales rather than actually catering to the fans. Unfortunately, chances are that fans of the original Gundam Seed will enjoy this sequel, but other than that, I would be hard-pressed to recommend this to anybody else. I'd even rate Gundam Wing higher than this. An awful, awful follow up to a pretty enjoyable series. Proceed with caution.



Chibi's Review



Storyline: 2/5
Character Development: 1/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 1/5

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack

Writer: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime Movie
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

Universal Century 0093, 13 years have passed since the events of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. But the foundations of peace are once again threatened by a new Neo Zeon Army led by the infamous Char Aznable! Their ultimate goal is to initiate a nuclear winter upon Earth ushering in a new age of mankind into space. Armed with the state of the art Nu Gundam Mobile Suit, Amuro Ray and the Federation Forces are all that stand against Neo Zeon. Torn between vengeance, duty, and love - The final battle between rivals Char Aznable and Amuro Ray is finally at hand!

Our story begins in the year 0093, 5 years after the First Neo-Zeon War. The Earth Federation, having lost the war, has recovered significantly and has founded a new anti-colonial forces unit dubbed Londo Bell. Over in space and we find an older Char Aznable, reappearing from his own self-imposed exile, declares that he now commands a faction of his own Neo-Zeon movement. This movement seperates itself from others in the past by way of Char's intentions of forcing Earth's people into space through means of an apocalypse. The Earth Federation, having presented this new threat of another war, issues an order for Londo Bell to quell Char's uprising before it can gain any form of support and momentum. After an initial battle, Neo Zeon forces had agreed for a conditional surrender in exchange for the abandoned mining colony Axis, and the Earth Federation forces believe that the crisis had then been averted. Londo Bell forces , however, thought otherwise, and when an asteroid starts to inch its way suspiciously towards Earth their convictions had rang true. With the Neo Zeon forces at an advantageous position, and the Earth Federation too corrupt to hold sway on its own conflicting reasons in reinforcing the Londo Bell forces, the fate of the Earth once again rests on the shoulders of Newtype war hero Amuro Ray and his RX-93 Nu Gundam.


Chibi's Counterattacking Comments

Alright, let's take a step back from the anime perspective for a minute. Usually most movies that were adapted from the silver screen (Miami Vice, Swat, Charlie's Angels, Mission Impossible, and even Transformers and GI Joe to name a few) does not always embodies the essence of its predecessor, and would fall flat through one reason or the other. So the arduous task for Tomino-sensei this time round is not only making a movie from an epic tv series (Mobile Suit Gundam), but to provide a suitable ending to the Char-Amuro rivalry once and for all. There's a reason why I always address him as '-sensei', and throughout all his works, Tomino-sensei has never disappointed me (well maybe a little on F91), and I fully believe that when he's at the helm from the start of a project, the end result will be a product of high quality.

Having a little perspective does help when you're watching this movie, as it is the final chapter in the Universal Century saga (okay okay so F91 was supposed to be the last, but as it was condensed we don't get the full essence of the story, so that doesn't count, right?) . Casual viewers might be entertained based on the action this movie dishes out, but to get the true impact of the events in this movie it helps to have seen at least one Gundam series from the Universal Century timeline (which does NOT mean Gundam Wing, folks). Watching all three of the series (Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta and Double Zeta) and also maybe the OVAs as well, will give you an overview how the main protagonists in this movie ended up as they were, and does give you a bit of historical knowledge on the Earth-Zeon conflict. So when I picked up the DVD to this movie after educating myself with all things Universal Century, I wanted to witness firsthand the conclusion to the Char-Amuro rivalry, and what happens to my two favourite characters of all time in the Gundam franchise.


THIS is truly the epitome of everything I'd hoped and envisioned Gundam to be, one of the classic space operas, tons of realistic characters on an epic scale, with enough action and drama to truly fill the screen. There's also a sense of balance, while the mecha, zipping in and out of frame during the epic battle scenes reminiscent of knights battling in some fairytale epic, does not overpower the impact the characters and their ideologies has on you, where they are essentially the heart of the movie.

The beauty of an animated feature is that there's no excuse for shortcuts or cutting costs, and in this instance it is pretty evident. In a TV series the budget is spread across an entire 50-episode run, but this 2-hour battle royale utilizes it's advantage with fight scenes that are fast flowing and so forceful that it'll blow you away even by today's standards (I watched this way back in '04 and it left my jaw open, which is saying a lot since this movie was released way back in '88). Every single mobile suit is in constant motion, and those that are caught napping would most definitely get blasted to bits by the awesome Sazabi or Nu Gundam. The mecha in this movie were designed by veteran designer Izubuchi Yutaka of Gundam ZZ fame, along with Evangelion's Anno Hideaki on his debut.

Being the story that the Gundam saga (well at least the Universal Century part of the franchise) had been building up to, the action, albeit explosive, is just icing on the cake. Throughout the course of the series, whether as Federation soldiers or rebels, Amuro and Bright had finely tuned senses of right and wrong, so it makes sense why they would be fighting to save Earth, despite the scum who infested it. The opposite could be said of Char, who had always been impatient and overly idealistic. This somewhat confused me since the last time we saw Char he was actually part of the AEUG in the Gryps War, and one of the good guys, but i think looking at the picture painted in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam and Double Zeta, kind of helped me understand how he could even think of committing an act as vile as an asteroid drop. These are strong characters made even better as their conflicting values are put to the test. Personally, what struck me was that despite the unacceptable means, in the end, Char was right.

Obviously, a movie based around the rivalry of two men wouldn't have a certain degree of impact if each of their motives are simply unrealistic enough, but i think Tomino-sensei managed to pull it of in spades. We get the feeling that deep down, Amuro and Char purely detest each other. This is probably down to the frequency of their meetings, where if in real life, Char and Amuro would probably be admirals by now commanding their own fleets against each other, given the years they've lived through fighting each other. They detest each other knowing they're equally matched, they detest each other when they had and lost the object of their affections, Lalah Sune, when she died, a casualty of the One Year War, and they probably detested each other when the situation had them working on the same side (in Zeta Gundam), and they probably hate each other now more than ever. If it was me in the exact same situation I would probably feel the same way.


Onward to the characterization. In my opinion, Char is simply the most captivating anime screen presence period, and is the perfect antagonist. He is so convincing in his cause, and so utterly human in nature, that at times, you find yourself rooting for him, even though his plans are so maniacally despicable. Even though his means are utterly wrong, but his cause is just, and you feel just as much for him as you do his arch nemesis. As Char's speeches and ideals are almost like poetry or even prophecies, it is no wonder otaku quote him to this day. Char is simply one of the(two?) best characters ever created in Gundam, but he's on the wrong side of the battlefield.

As with a Yin, there must be a Yang. In this case, that Yang is Char's nemesis and constant disruptor to his plans, ace pilot Amuro Ray. Having a deep sense of affinity with this character, trying to stay unbiased in my analysis is close to impossible for me. What's not to like about Amuro? He's the embodiment of all that is good and just in this world, full of earnest and well meaning, and truly a hero of his side in the war. Amuro was an unintended hero thrust into the thick of the War, initially, but now it seems that Amuro does have a cause to uphold. I got a bigger sense of purpose from Amuro this time around, and what disappointed me the most throughout the entire Universal Century timeline is that he and Char are not featured more in the other installments (Judau Ashta, pffft). Amuro is the personified contradiction to Char's ideals, and neither would work as well as characters without the other.

If there is one character I hate in Char's counterattack, it's Quess Paraya. Her crass (and ultimately murderous) nature irks me to no end. She might be a glimpse of what Zeon's future holds in store for us in terms of leaders and pilots, but i just could not digest the loli influenced design to her character, and I find the way she fawns over Char is too loli for my taste (for you noobs out there, loli means lolita complex, usually represented in animes as the cute and bubbly little girl character. some might find that appealing, i just think it's downright disturbing). The ultimate in childish ignorance is when she has just destroyed her father's ship (with her father aboard) and mutters something to the effect of, 'Ooops, I accidentally blew up dad.' To her the war is a game, and nothing makes me hate her more than this tiny little fact.


Probably the only bad thing i have to say about Char's counterattack is the lack of cameos. Sure certain key characters do get reacquainted with Amuro and Char like Bright Noa, but i was pretty curious to see some old pilots like Camille and Judau, or even Char's sister Sayla and how they had been holding up. I guess that's just wishful thinking as those characters could only be seen in their respective sagas (Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta and Double Zeta).

In conclusion, this is a movie made for Gundam fans, and gives you a little sense of closure to the Char-Amuro rivalry, coupled with the harsh reality of war. In the midst of all the action, there really is something to be said about this movie, and how space, in the future, can be a graveyard of the lost just like the battlefields here in Earth. It is actually a movie that forces you to think about ideals and beliefs and wonder if they're really worth holding on to when all they seem to lead to is self-destruction.


Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack is a breathtaking look at what Gundam truly is, a very human saga that spans the breadth of human emotion and experience. This is a true classic of mecha cinema, and as such, is one of the best of anime. Gundam fans, please watch this, as I think this movie puts to rest the longtime debate between the old and new school Gundam freaks arguing about which is better, the Universal Century sagas or the new alternate universe counterparts. My vote, clear as day, is in the former.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack was written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sunrise. It was released in theaters in March 1988, running approximately 125 minutes. A manga was released running from September 1988 to January 1999, spanning 1 volume, and was also written by Yoshiyuki Tomino.



Chibi's Review


Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 3/5 (what's to develop? you already know the pilots!)
Art: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

Writer: Fumihiko Takayama
Director: Fumihiko Takayama
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: OVA
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha


Synopsis

In the final days of the One Year War, a Zeon special forces group infiltrates a colony to gather information on a new Gundam unit. Alfred Izuruha, a 10-year-old student, befriends Zeon rookie pilot Bernie Wiseman during a brief mobile suit combat. Meanwhile, Al meets up with Christina MacKenzie, his former neighbor and babysitter. Little does he know that not only is Christina a member of the Earth Federation, she's the test pilot of the new Gundam NT-4 prototype.

Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is all about a young boy, Alfred, coming face to face with the realities of war and realizing that it's not a game, but a devastating and horrible act of humanity. This is certainly a different take to the franchise, which seems to emphasize duty and honor, over simpler, more down-to-earth human values. One aspect of this series is how both sides of the conflict get equal representation. While the Zeon forces are supposed to be the 'bad guys', it's refreshing to see that the Zeon soldiers are normal human beings, and not evil in nature. Even more interesting was the almost evil shadow cast on the Earth Federation Forces, and in the end the line between good and evil are really blurred. This however is irrelevant, because War in the Pocket isn't about good and evil, or even right and wrong. It's about people, and how their lives are affected by war.


Chibi's Pocketing Comments

Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is the first Gundam installment that takes a drastic turn from the usual plotlines of the other sagas in the Gundam franchise. We do not see the usual indecisive, angst ridden teenagers, nor the usual antiwar sentiments and idealogies, or even invincible mobile suits. With Tomino-sensei not on any creative role in this OVA, the miniseries takes a different and a lot darker view of the franchise and would not be anybody's cup of tea. Whilst Gundam as a franchise is and has always been an antiwar statement, War in the Pocket is the first and only Gundam saga to date that truly questions war without glorifying it.

The battles portrayed in this installment aren't shown as epic conflicts but are shown merely as violence. The best asset to this OVA probably is the portrayal of consequences of one's actions, where it looks back and sees the trail of destruction war begets, like destroyed homes, debris of destroyed mobile suits and countless bullet-ridden bodies. Although the battles are intensely choreographed with beautiful animation, the horrible aftermath of the battles are also vividly shown in this OVA, bringing the realism of the One Year War to even greater heights.


The title to this OVA is exactly what it means, which brings the irony of the tale to great effect. The characters in this installment do not make any significant contribution to the One Year War, and the setting for this story also takes place in an insignificant colony in the middle of nowhere. Win or lose, the result will not affect the grand scheme of things. To top it all off, the characters cannot claim that they are 'saving the world' or doing anything glorified aside from their mission, which was destroying one prototype Gundam, making it even more ironic that likeble characters are dying for such a paltry mission.

Ultimately, War in the Pocket is simply just a chance meeting between two people. Alfred is a little boy mystified by war, whilst Bernie is a Zeon soldier living through the horrors of it. This scenario raises so many questions on the subject that there are mostly no answers to, and instead of the usual tying of loose ends this OVA just simply tells its story and let you decide for yourself. In terms of animation, this OVA is miles ahead of its time as the series could still hold its own against some other shows today, and I thoroughly recommend this installment for any action junkie or mecha freak. The end result would leave a few thoughts to ponder a long time after the OVA's conclusion. A must watch.


Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket was written and directed by Fumihiko Takayama and produced by Sunrise. It ran from March to August 1989, spanning 6 episodes.



Chibi's Review


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

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

Writer: Masashi Ikeda
Director: Masashi Ikeda
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

It is the year After Colony 195, and war between the Space Colonies and Earth has begun. To give the colonies an edge, they send 5 young soldiers, trained to perfection, to earth in the most powerful of Mobile Suits-Gundams. With their arrival, the tide of the war changes as they battle against the Earth forces and the Colonies of their origin.

Gundam Wing begins with 'Operation Meteor', which incorporates five young boys handpicked and trained by the 5 scientists who conducted said operation, in the hopes of revenge against the military organization named OZ. The boys then are sent to earth via each of their 5 individual Gundams, Mobile Suits constructed from Gundanium alloy (DUH), and each Gundam is sent from a different colony, subsequently sent to 5 different locations on Earth, with each pilot unaware of the other four's existence.


The plot follows the 5 Gundam pilots, Heero Yuy (Wing Gundam), Duo Maxwell (Gundam Deathscythe), Quatre Raberba Winner (Gundam Sandrock), Chang Wufei (Gundam Shenlong) and Trowa Barton (Gundam Heavyarms) . Each of the pilots' mission is to destroy OZ, and each pilot start out on seperate missions, joining up later while on Earth.

After learning the existence of one another, they joined up and take on various missions in teams. Heero repeatedly encounters Relena Dorlian, who's actual identity is Relena Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom. Later on the pilots were shocked to learn that the colonies that sent them have already sided with OZ, who then branded the 5 as rebels. Many tragedies occur during this time, with Wufei and Duo even being imprisoned by OZ. Heero runs into OZ's 'lightning count', Zechs Marquise (Relena's brother, Milliardo Peacecraft). Zechs pilots the Tallgeese in battle against Heero on many occasions, with one battle resulting in Heero's self-destruction of the Wing Gundam, almost taking his own life in the move.

It is during these trying times that a new Gundam was introduced, named the Wing Zero, which in essence looks exactly like the Wing Gundam and armed with the same weaponry, with the exception of the ZERO system installed in the cockpit, that directly interfaced with the pilot's brain, feeding the pilot tactical data during battle. There is one side effect to the ZERO system though, where prolonged exposure caused hallucinations or even insanity in some cases. The Gundam was being piloted by Quatre who used it to destroy a natural resource satellite and a colony. The suit was later used by each of the other 5 pilots, and Zechs Marquise.


The Sanc Kingdom, now governed by Relena Peacecraft, took in Heero and Quatre as refugees. The Sanc Kingdom however is under pressure by the Romafeller Foundation, the group that controls most other countries as well as OZ. OZ's former leader Treize Kushrenada had been confined to Romafeller headquarters, where he built his own Gundam, the Epyon. Treize then gifted the Epyon for Heero to fight with. Much like the Wing Zero, this suit was also equipped with the ZERO system. Heero fought once more against Zechs, who was now piloting the Wing Zero, with the two exchanging Mobile Suits after the battle. It is during this battle that the Sanc Kingdom was subsequently dissolved by Relena after increasing pressure from the Romafeller Foundation. She then became the foundation's chief representative under the designation Queen of the World. Later on Trieze was released from confinement, taking control of the Romafeller Foundation and relieving Relena of her crown. It is also during this time that Zechs, whom had returned to space, founded an organization dubbed the White Fang, under his true identity Miliardo Peacecraft. The military faction then siezed control of a battle station OZ was building for the Romafeller Foundation, dubbed Libra, with the intent of demonstrating its military power. Zechs then proceeded to launch the Libra's main cannon on the Earth, causing massive destruction, which prompted Treize to muster all of the military power from the Earth's forces in retaliation, whilst the Gundams remained neutral. The White Fang continued to its offensive on the Earth forces, taking out the remaining OZ base in space, the Space Fortress Barge. This in turn prompted for the 5 Gundam pilots to rally against the White Fang, with Heero once again in a battle with Zechs, only this time their battle was broadcasted to all of Earth and the Colonies. Upon witnessing the battle, citizens from both sides decided to put aside their differences and formed the Earth Sphere United Nations. This sets up the epic conclusion to the series, where all the loose ends throughout the anime is resolved in the next few episodes following the conclusion of Heero and Zechs' final battle.


Chibi's Winging Comments


Confession time. This was the first Gundam series I ever watched, and was the Gundam saga that got me hooked to the other Universal Century sagas, Seed and Seed Destiny, the OVAs, movies and eventually to Gundam 00. Simply put, I indirectly owe it to Gundam Wing for turning me into such a huge Gundam freak in the first place, so obviously my review for this one will be mostly of singing praises for this show and the awesomeness of everything about it, right?

Wrong. Trying to stay as unbiased as I can in my analysis, I decided to give the series another run through prior to writing. I was totally caught unawares of a lot of elements i did not notice the first time round, and after my second viewing of the show, I can honestly say that Gundam Wing is another mediocre offering at best. Picture this, what happens when you take Yoshyuki Tomino-sensei's epic war drama masterpiece, mix it with a gang of stoic bishounen and what do you get? You get a cliche ridden adventure spawning merchandise galore, along with numerous yaoi fan undertones that more than raises an eyebrow for a typical anime fan (or typical GUNDAM fan, in my case) . The kicker to this is that Gundam Wing was the single Gundam saga that revived the ailing franchise at the time and singlehandedly established the franchise outside of Japan. This just goes to show that a popular anime doesn't necessarily mean a good anime, as we have witnessed too often in the past (Pokemon anyone?).


Apart from the bishounen undertones, everything in this 'breakthrough' installment had been done before, making Gundam Wing another preachy war protest show rather than an epic war drama. Even so, the show hypocritically and repeatedly insults your intelligence whilst solving all problems with explosions and violence, with the characters constantly bellowing out their 'peaceful' ideologies in the midst of battle. It doesn’t help that character development is virtually non-existent in Gundam Wing (ohhh how we love character development), but i guess as consolation the audience gets to watch more fight scenes as a result.

They weren't kidding with the fight scenes. The visuals make one wonder if with each passing Gundam project, an even bigger budget is accumulated. Although the art is considerably prettier, the animation is reminiscent to the first Mobile Suit Gundam or even Zeta Gundam. The sheer lack of detail makes the aforementioned predecessors seem even more graphically groundbreaking, since the gap between Zeta and the original is around 15 years from Gundam Wing. There's also the cost-cutting use of the same amount of animation sequences, which are so often used it's hard not to notice (think Voltron's transformation sequence or any other super robot anime's finishing move). The only thing that sets this saga apart from its predecessors is its modern character designs and catchy soundtrack. With the bishounen character design, the pilots look quite suave, and the catchy tunes helped me through the long-winded fight scenes, making it just a little more bearable to watch.


In conclusion, Gundam Wing is great to watch if you're a casual anime or mecha fan looking to have a taste of what the franchise is all about, or if you're 12. While some parts of this installment are without the shadow of a doubt impressive (the 5 mobile suits are truly a sight to behold), too many aspects of this anime are not. Longtime Gundam followers will be a litte disappointed with the lack of flair or substance to the story and characters, while bishounen (you know who you are) fans would probably enjoy the good-lookingness of the pilots and the yaoi implications. Watch it with a pinch of salt and low enough expectations and you might actually consider this installment enjoyable.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing was written and directed by Masashi Ikeda and produced by Sunrise. It aired from April 1995 to March 1996, spanning 49 episodes. An OVA was released from April 1996 to October of the same year, spanning 3 episodes, and a movie entitled Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz released in 1999 (was originally a 3-episode OVA released the previous year).



Chibi's Review



Storyline: 2/5
Character Development: 1/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 3/5

Mobile Suit Gundam F91

Writer: Yoshyuki Tomino
Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime Feature Film
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

U.C. 0123 - thirty years of peace across Earth and the space colonies is shattered by the emergence of a new faction called the Crossbone Vanguard. The weak Earth Federation is caught off-guard by the attacks due to their complacency. As a result, the Crossbone Vanguard conquer the Frontier IV colony almost immediately. Caught in the crossfire is college student Seabook Arno, who sees many of his friends killed during the skirmish and discovers that his girlfriend Cecily Fairchild is actually Berah Ronah - heir to the Ronah family clan and the Crossbone Vanguard. He then finds out that his mother is alive and has been working on a new mobile suit codenamed 'Gundam Formula-91'. Seabook reluctantly pilots the Gundam at first, but slowly discovers the Newtype abilities within him and uses them and the Gundam to turn the tide of the war.

The movie follows the actions of the Crossbone Vanguard, with its attempt to gain complete control of the Frontier Sides, with the introduction to the movie opening with one of the most awesome battle scenes in the Gundam series. Our hero Seebook's home station is attacked, and we are treated to a bird's eye view of the destruction and carnage caused by a Mobile Suit battle, via civillian's perspective. The huge extent of devastation the attack inflicts on the colony's populace that even a spent shell casing would be a lethal piece of debris for an unsuspecting bystander.

Seebook and his friends try desperately to find any form of transportation to escape the battle. Their group had grown along the way due to them saving children and other civilians, and eventually stumbled upon an appropriate ship to escape. Upon leaving, their friend Cecily was taken hostage by the leaders of the Crossbone Vanguard, who are also claiming that she was the daughter of their organization's leader. Like another family-oriented organization we've seen in previous installments (c'mon do I even need to spell this one out for you?) , the Crossbone Vanguard is an organization centered on the ideals of nobility and heritage, prioritizing leadership by the exceptional over freedom and democracy.


Upon escaping, the refugees heads towards the Earth, ending up in Habitat 1, a natural resource asteroid. They eventually ended up meeting with a test-bed carrier missing most of its command staff, who were carrying a new Federation Mobile Suit, named the Formula-91 or F91. After taking a closer look at the F91's cockpit, it turns out that the computer system was created by Seebook's mother. With Seebook's innate piloting ability, he helps to activate the suit and was subsequently chosen to be the primary pilot for the F91.

Back on Frontier 4, the Crossbone Vanguard wasted no time to accomodate Cecily into their ranks, and she even agrees to become a Mobile Suit pilot for their forces. Since Cecily is the daughter of the Crossbone Vanguard's leader, she had been made a commanding officer and also a member of their special forces division. Cecily's first mission (or sortie for the Gundam faithful) is to help a beachhead of the Vanguard's forces onto Habitat 1. This mission however, was a pretext to the actual motive of the mission, which was to test a powerful new weapon on the station. Codenamed 'Bug', this new weapon is designed to be the perfect anti-personell weapon, which is a swarm of killing machines that relentlessly attacks all humans, including civilians.

This sets the mood for the final battle in the space above Frontier 1, and an ensuing confrontation with Seebook and Cecily, and also the results of the 'Bug' units being tested on civilians, and to top it all off, Seebook's confrontation with the leader of the Crossbone Vanguard.


Chibi's Seebooking Comments

Sigh.....it still makes me feel disappointed thinking about it. Here's the deal why F91 was made into a movie and not an anime or OVA series like the previous Gundam sagas we all know and love. This particular installment in the franchise was to mark Tomino-sensei's BIG COMEBACK into the Gundam universe, but due to certain staff disputes and creative differences, what was SUPPOSED to be a 50-episode epic comeback series by the franchise's creator was scrapped, and the project was stopped after only 13 episodes were written. This was later decided by Sunrise and Tomino-sensei probably to salvage all the time and thought put into this project to make a movie out of it. This was actually a very brave decision as condensing an entire 50 episode storyline into one 2-hour movie is by no means an easy task. When a great storyteller is expected to deliver even under time constraints and sponsorship obligations, it is amazing what they are able to come up with, as Tomino-sensei's proven time and again with his conjuring of an amazing ending to his Gundam series even when cut ten episodes short. He proves it again with the creation of the epic but lesser-known Aura Battler Dunbine. The test of time has demonstrated exactly what wonders Tomino-sensei can pull out of his hat. However, F91 proves that even the greatest have their limits.

With only two hours of screen-time, F91 is forced to tell an entire, 50 episode story, develop its characters, captivate the viewers, and still have time to be socially and morally relevant. Unfortunately, only half of these is really achieved. Most of the characters have pretty stagnant personalities, probably due to the little time they have to be developed, and made considerably worse by the large cast. It’s a real shame considering how interesting many of the characters are, especially the sadistic and emotionless Iron Mask.

Due to the uninteresting characters, most story elements suffer, including the underlying plot. I could only speculate what the Crossbone Vanguard's plans for the future will be as information is so fragmented it's virtually impossible to get the big picture. F91's lack of screen-time is made even more evident in it's pacing of the plot, where certain events just happens off screen and aren't even elaborated deeper, such as certain battles taking place, certain deaths of key characters, we are never thoroughly explained on how and why these things come to pass.


Don’t get me wrong. This is in no way a bad movie. F91 still retains the strong plot based roller coaster that we all came to love about the franchise. We are treated to some of the best animated space-battles seen, even with only 2-dimensional art the movie was able to project a 3-dimensional feel to the battles, and does an amazing job of showing the audience how terrible the tragedy of war can be. That said and done, I still could not help but think how much potential the characters and plot had, and it should have been stretched out into a 50 episode anime instead of squeezed into a 2 hour feature. Seebook himself would have been an amazing character given enough time to develop, and also reminded me so much of how Amuro Ray was in Tomino-sensei's first Gundam series. A great movie to watch for both Gundam fans and casual viewers, provided they didn't know the details. Sadly, I did.

Mobile Suit Gundam F91 was written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, and was released in 1991 by Sunrise, running about 120 minutes long.



Chibi's Review


Storyline: 2/5 (because of the condensed storyline, would have scored at least a 4)
Character Development: 3/5 (again, see above)
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

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