Gundam: 08th MS Team
| Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Original Manga | NA |
| Director/Artist | Takeyuki Kanda |
| Format | Anime (OVA) |
| Made By | Sunrise |
| Episode Length | 25 minutes |
| # of Eps/Volumes | 12 |
Contents
Genre
Sum it up in a Sentence
The trials and daily life of a single squad of Mobile Suit pilots in the One Year War.
Main Description
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.
If You Liked This, You Might Like...
- Any other Gundam Series.
- Macross
Personal Opinions
Pierson
I liked this a lot, much more than most of the other Universal Century series. It's a much smaller scale than the other series, you aren't asked to care for a huge cast, and the action is great. Just a solid series all around really, and a good side-story to the main Gundam series.
Craptacular!
If you hate the Gundam cliches of the chosen child or the unstoppable war machine, give this one a whirl. It's about a squad of ordinarily skilled soldiers with slightly better than ordinary weapons. People interested in the love story will get what they want out of it, while those who want Gundam ass-kickery (especially on-the-ground combat) will get quite a bit of what they wanted.
Nate RFB
I've seen a pretty good deal of UC stuff (the original movie trilogy, Char's Counterattack, Zeta, among other things), and to this day 08th MS Team is the only series I can honestly say I enjoyed fully. Scratch that, it's the only Gundam series I'll ever actually blindly recommend, even to people who style themselves as haters of the mecha/Gundam genre. It's pretty much the anti-Gundam show; rather than focus on a typical teen piloting a super robot that easily wins against the grunts, it's a show about those very grunts. What they pilot is no better than what everyone else has, and their battle is just a microcosm in the grand scheme of things. Yet every day they deal with death and bloody battles. It's a very humanizing aspect that is relatable in many of the same ways any good war drama is. There's no detachment like in other Gundam series that, in my opinion, only sci-fi fans can appreciate. For once the story isn't about the robots at all; just the every day joes that are in the trenches. Top all of this off with some excellent animation (really, the best Gundam animation I think you'll find), and one of my favorite plot devices ever in "main character falls for girl on the enemy's side", and it adds up to something special. I don't care if you've written off every mecha or Gundam anime, or have been simply and utterly disappointed with every attempt thus far. Give this one a chance because truly there hasn't been anything like it in Gundam or mecha in general.
wielder
08th MS Team is one of the few Gundam shows that honestly tries and for the most part succeeds at following Real Robot principles. The action is generally down to earth and squad-based, the characters are ordinary yet interesting, the mecha aren't that glamorous and tend to be utilitarian, the romance angle has some rough edges but actually works. At the end of day, it's a good show overall and, while the final episode seems a bit out of place, the story is brought to a satisfactory conclusion. Check it out.
Rommelous
I almost feel bad putting "Gundam" on the end of this, because a lot of people will read that and turn away. I don't really think the Gundam name does this show justice, and it could have easily been any other machine (or even included no machines altogether). It's one of the best war dramas I've ever seen in anime, and it gives something to just about everyone. The characters are likable as well as believable, since they're so blatantly human (unlike some other Gundam characters I can think of). They're grunts, and they get themselves in trouble like grunts often do, and react to that trouble with character realism and ingenuity. I enjoyed the series a lot; there was plenty of action, the characters were great, even the love story was pretty damn well done overall. It brought me down to it and kept me there, like any good series should (I even nearly cried at some parts of the story). Well paced, well animated, well done from start to finish. A definite 5/5, and I recommend the series to just about anyone who can deal with war stories.
TannhauserGate
My personal favorite entry in the Gundam series, and also the most real robot of all the series. In fact, it's one of the most real robot shows out there. Guns run out of ammo, units get need repairs, and my goodness is that character actually using tactics instead of charging headlong into battle? It does go a bit wonky toward the end, including Gundam's requisite gigantic boss battle ruining the grunt-focused bulk of the show, but it succeeds far more than it fails. If you hate Gundam, this is the Gundam for you.
