Ranked #1050

Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War

What an unexpected gem this was! A true find among Gundam series. I started this with no expectations and was amazed that this OVA was so good in almost every respect.

Story and Characters

The year is Universial Century 0079. The series is mostly seen through the eyes of Oliver May, a technical officer in the Zeon 603rd Technical Evaluation Unit , in charge of testing new military technology. Stationed in the Jotunheim, a civilian transport ship that was converted into military use, Oliver must head into battle and experience the One Year War, only this time from the perspective of a weapon tester who struggles to make an impact on an evolving war during changing times.

The 3 OVAs tell stories of 3 different weapons and their technical champions. The first is about a mass cannon who quickly finds a champion in the Jotunheim's gunnery master. The second is a tank which showcases its best power in the hands of an experienced artillery instructor who has a little bit of a drug problem. Finally there is the Zudah mobile suit piloted by a handsome war hero, but all is not what it seems to be.

If I had to rate the OVAs separately, I would have to say the second episode as a standalone would deserve a 10, with the other two being between 8.5 and 9.

The way the plot played through was very good. Each character had their point of view and was fully fleshed out in a very short period of time. I got to like them all very quickly and before I knew it I was emotionally involved. It's the characters more than the weaponary that makes this series great, even though the protagonist(s) all have an affinity and passion for their favorite weapon. Let's just say shedding tears is possible during Gundam.


Art/Animation

CGI type similar to Final Fantasy Spirits Within/Advent Children. Some details are unbelievable (can see individual eyelashes and strands of hair) while others look very obviously CGI'd (repetitive explosions) which seem chunky and blocky. Overall, this was well done compared to most of the older gundam series which has dated animation. The animation is more of a personal preference as to whether you like the CGI or cell drawings.

Sound

Sound was the weakest part of this anime. Voice acting was good but music was so so. Except every time they play that sad violin music the viewer gets so well trained that they inevitably expect someone else to die ...

Enjoyment

I was very surprised by how good this OVA was and thoroughly enjoyed it. It packed more emotional punch in 3 episodes than the entire of Gundam Seed Destiny. Just goes to show that length does not necessarily make a good or bad anime. read more

Taking place before the original Mobile Suit Gundam, MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War, is told from the prospective of Zeon, more specifically Oliver May. He is a member of the 603rd Technical Evaluation Unit and stationed on the Jotunheim. Over the course of the three part OVA, Oliver and the rest of the main crew of the Jotunheim are joined by one new character each episode and a new weapon to accompany them. Each weapon is tested and evaluated by the crew of the Jotunheim with often tragic endings.

The CG animation is fairly good, but when compared to recent animated features it doesn't shine as much as it could have. It was released as a part of the Gundam 25th anniversary. The characters look fairly realistic, but this certainly isn't the cream of the crop in regards to CG animation. Overall it is fairly well done.

The Opening song is decent, nothing spectacular, but you can hardly judge a show on it's opening song. The rest of the music is produced by an orchestra, and does a decent job of heightening the mood or tension of the moment. Some of the music is repeated over the course of the OVA, but as it is short there is no cause for concern. The voice acting is generally well done with the exception of one character. The only Asian character on the show, his crying scene is painful and he fails to show any emotion realistically.

The characters of the show are very nicely fleshed out over the course of the show. Although short, this OVA does a very nice job of developing the characters and nobody comes off as particularly flat. The character models are fairly realistic and their motions are very realistic. No complaints about the characters.

I enjoyed this OVA and as the first Gundam that I have completed I was pleasantly surprised by the direction the story took. It was nice to see the story told from Zeon's side and I look forward to the sequel: Apocalypse 0079. As a prequel to the original Gundam it does a nice job of introducing the development of the Mobile Suits, as well as the propaganda, and conflicts that will be featured in the Universal Century storyline. read more