Kidou Senshi Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

Set three years after the events of the One Year War, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory is a mixed bag. While it boasts strong visuals and action, its mediocre plot and the lackluster characters ultimately prevents 0083 from the full extent of its potential.

The premise 0083's story is very promising at first glance. The valiant and desperate attempt of the Zeon remnants to pave a road for the future of its beliefs and its people makes them commendable antagonists, and the thus viewers are able to sympathize with both sides in the struggle between Federation and Zeon. However, upon closer inspection, one finds the ... story riddled with the juvenile rivalry between Uraki and Monsha, as well as the thoroughly uninteresting romance between Uraki and Nina, which derails the focus from the promising overarching conflict to rather petty squabbles. When the story of 0083 is in high gear, it is quite rewarding, rife with exciting battles and unexpected twists. The problem is, like an aged car, 0083 often finds itself stuck on its low gears in terms of storytelling.

Much of the faults concerning the plot of 0083 can be blamed on the main characters themselves. Uraki is a painfully generic mecha protagonist without much, if any, redeemable qualities. Angsty and lacking confidence, the story does not provide much room in which the view can sympathize with him, even considering the challenges Uraki faces over the course of the story. Nina's role as Uraki's love interest only manages to evoke either terrible boredom or the gag reflex; it is bland and devoid of any trance of genuine emotion. Gato, though certainly better than the aforementioned pair, also gets somewhat tedious from his own over-zealousness -- he is a character who seems to gobble up the very propaganda he spews, which in turn makes it more difficult to hold respect for the character.

Fortunately, 0083 excels in the animation department. Each and every fight is smoothly animated with hand-drawn frames, be it a small training skirmish or a grand space battle. This OVA series features detailed and technical background art and some of the most exciting action scenes from the gundam franchise to date, especially those of the last battle, which can only described as epic in proportion. 0083 also features superb mecha designs not only in the form of the gundams themselves, but also the various grunt suits used by both factions. Even after seventeen years, the visuals of 0083 are still more than enough to lure the gaze of any mecha fan.

The sounds of 0083 are standard fare. Typical gundam sound effects are to be expected here, which is just fine, as they serve their purpose well. The catchy opening theme "Men of Destiny" is full of that nostalgic 90's feel -- it gets the viewer in the mood for some giant robot action.

In the end, the flaws of 0083's plot and characters limit the enjoyment of the OVA series exclusively to fans of the mecha genre. However, mecha fans will be able to find plenty of what they love: superb sci-fi action, and mobile suit battles they'll remember for a long time to come, provided they can manage to endure through the other aspects of 0083, which may feel agonizingly long and difficult.

This is the story that sets out to bridge the gap between the original Gundam series, and Zeta Gundam. Does it do a great job of that? Personally, yes and no. Yes, because you learn about what happened to the Federation to where it become in Zeta Gundam, and no, because you don’t really get to see what happens to the majority of the original cast from the series such as Amuro and Char, and mostly concentrates on the cast created exclusively for this saga. There are some other previous Gundam characters that will have brief cameos, but if you want to know, watch and ... find out. But I say for what it does in an overall sense, it works out pretty well.

Kou and Anavel do have good chemistry as rivals, but isn’t really that epic in comparison to that of Char and Amuro. Not saying it’s a bad thing, but you really can’t top that. The cast does ok in standing out, but I just don’t feel they have the kind of impact that an Amuro, Captain Bright, or another cast member from the original Gundam can have. But both Kou and Gato are likeable characters in their own right and you can see things in their points of view. Kou just has something to prove to himself and to his peers, while Gato is doing it for duty and patriotism to his nation.

The only thing that bothered me was the Nina and Kou story arc. I felt it was thrown in there too much for convenience and I felt for the sake of giving it an all around story by adding in that element, which I felt was unnecessary. Yes, I will admit that Nina and Kou do have a good chemistry as well, but I just felt it was really useless and doesn’t really advance anything and felt the twist to that relationship was anti-climatic. But anyway, the development is basic and the pace is moderate.

I think the art design is really excellent for its time. It represents a certain transition era of how anime is done today to how it was done back then. Like if you’re familiar with my other reviews, I always talk about how in the 1980s, anime was more circular and in the 1990s and now, it’s more angular. Well, this anime was done in the early 1990s and you get a balanced mixed of those styles and they mesh excellently. I say Kou’s circular design really represents he’s still a kid, and Gato’s more angular look shows more dignity and maturity and higher status to him. So I really like that use of those art styles to contrast those two in my personal opinion.

The mobile suit designs I think are my 2nd favorite of all time. After all, the great Shoji Kawamori himself does the mechanical designs; you can’t deny his presence and credit. I like how detailed and articulate they are. 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. The action is explosive, fast paced, and electrifying. Plus, the GP02A like some other Gundams sort of breaks the tradition with the head design of being more rectangular and not having the grilled mouth, which I thought was cool and looked intimidating. I really loved the features all the mobile suits have and you get overall variety.

OK, I will state that I have no familiarity with the dub with this anime so I can only comment and score on the Japanese. Forgive me for not mentioning the dub since I have never seen it. I was shocked to learn that Horikawa Ryo, the voice of Vejita from Dragon Ball Z, happens to voice Kou Uraki! In comparison to Vejita with this role, he’s more humble, childish, and developing. I thought he did excellent in portraying such a character. And I also enjoyed Ohtsuka Akio’s performance as Gato. He also voices in Solid Snake in the Japanese Metal Gear Solid and is also famous for playing Batou in the Ghost in the Shell installments. He brings a unique kind of appropriate charisma to the character where you can also feel the passion he his motivations.

The majority of the music is also highly energetic and suits the high-octane atmosphere of this series. The opening theme, The Winner is highly addictive and goes along with how I just described the soundtrack and atmosphere in an overall sense. And the first ending theme, Magic, is a unique George Michaels esque love song that is sung in perfect English. It’s about wanting that moment with that girl now and forever and want to always make it special. Gundam 0083 does have some romance, so I felt it was an interesting touch.

I say 0083 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. But if you want to watch it for the action, then you’ve come to the right series. Also, if you want to watch cool looking robots, then you still came to the right series. The plot isn’t necessarily the best, but I don’t think it’s flawed enough to be considered bad or below average. Granted some things about it do get annoying, but in the end everything works out. Once again, I still say those who are familiar with the original Gundam, and especially Zeta Gundam are going to understand the story best considering the purpose of this anime.

With its masterful balance of action-packed battles, intense drama and a touch of romance, Gundam 0083 is required viewing for any anime fan.

Story

Gundam 0083 gets started with a bang in the very first episode and the momentum carries through all the way to its dramatic end. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked and waiting for what's to come. Both drama and action are given equal screen time and presented with equal intensity.

Art

For an OVA from 1991, the animation quality in this series is simply amazing. In fact, Gundam 0083 still shines by today's standards. The design of the artwork itself ... is also a highlight with great detail being put into backgrounds and things such as uniforms.

Sound

There is quite a bit of the typical background music you'd expect to hear in a war story. However, also included are some well-composed atmospheric pieces that set the mood for certain dramatic scenes. The opening themes are upbeat and catchy, with the second in particular being a highlight with it's brilliant guitarwork. Both endings are slower ballad type numbers. The contrast works well here as it fits with the anime's ability to balance dynamics. In terms of voice acting, the main vocal cast cast does a great job conveying the emotions of their characters. The English dub is also surprisingly well done and on par with the original.

Characters

We are the shown the perspective of both the Zeon and Earth Federation with the main focus being on Anavel Gato and Kou Uraki, respectively. The characters of Gundam 0083 are all adult which makes this series stand out from most other Gundam stories. Don't take that mean there ins't as much room for character development though, as plenty of growth occurs during the course of the OVA.

Enjoyment

As the series progressed, I was drawn in more and more by the characters and found myself torn between the two warring sides. Every episode left me in anticipation of the next.

Overall

As someone who isn't extremely fond of mecha series in general, Gundam 0083 was able to keep me entertained and make me wish there were more shows like it.

9.5 out of 10

Stardust Memory is mecha pornography, and I am a total mecha pervert. If you ever got a little hot when you watched Gurren Lagann's combination, aroused by the scent of a Gundam model, or felt flushed after watching Macross Zero's THRUST VECTORING, then you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, you'll probably be able to enjoy it, albeit on a different level. The best thing about Stardust is that the creators know that there is a segment of the human population that are raving mechaphiles (why else would their cheaply made plastic models sell so well...and be so damned enticing...), and the brunt ... of the episodes (or at least the most that you'll take out of it) are composed of well-animated fight sequences in space, and a clever land battle. The OVA has all of the charm of old-school Gundams and Gundam fight scenes with the sophistication of 80's OVA animation: the mobile suits are dingy and get pockmarked with bullets and shrapnel, and most of the fights are determined by the pilots' skill and wits, rather than a magic Deus Ex Gundam. The space battles are orgasmic, with thrusters flaring about as the characters dodge beam rifle shots over lavishly-rendered backgrounds. All of the fights have a kind of heft and plausibility that some of the newer series just don't have. They are a blast to watch, and I can only imagine how good it'll look in the Blu-Ray release.

The other thing you'll take away from it...is how poorly written some of the characters and scenarios are. Nothing really stands out: Nina's a bitch, Gato is manly and a fantatic, Cima wears too much makeup, Burning is Burning, and Kou hates carrots. Nobody's really worth mentioning, and whenever there aren't beautiful mobile suits on the screen, you want to skip past the aimless dialouge and watch some more giant robot matches. There's talk of conspiracy, and the ineptitude of the Federation's bureaucracy is a lot more apparent here than it was in first. The OVA ties into Zeta Gundam, but the references, and its place in the Universal Century timeline aren't too obvious the first time around, and feel a bit out of place. It's the same kind of problem that the Star Wars prequels suffered from: everything looks shiny and new compared to the older material, and a little bit of text at the end of the OVA keeps it from messing with the continuity. All of that aside, it fleshes out our understanding of the Gundam universe a little bit more, an gives us lots of cool-looking mecha to play around with. And most importantly, more cool-looking mecha to buy as plastic models.

Preface:
This OVA disappointed me. It had started off fairly well, it was good enough and a solid 7/10, but halfway through it took a complete nosedive. Apparently, folks are saying that this is due to a change in director. You can really tell. It was as if someone beat every character upside the head with a mental pipe halfway through the show, and they had to continue with severe brain damage.

The Good:
It's fairly easy to get the good parts out of the way first. The sound design was nice, and the art was fairly good as well. The premise itself was also quite intriguing. Also, ... in all fairness, i believe the show started off enjoyable enough.

The Bad:
1-The mobile suit designs are...either boring or ugly. The unit 1 is fairly bland and vanilla, the unit 2 looks stupid, and the worst abominations i think i have ever seen are units 3 and the Neue Ziel. They might fit the tastes of some folks, but for me they simply looked ridiculous. It's a "Mobile Suit" without any mobility.

2-Timeline inconsistency. The events in this show are supposed to occur between the events of MSG and Zeta Gundam, and is supposed to provide context for the formation of the Titans and the Federation becoming "evil". Yet, there is absolutely no mention of any of these events in Zeta or ZZ. The only link between this show and Zeta is a brief glimpse of Haman, and the mentioning of a few characters key to the formation of Titans. They try and explain this by saying that the ending was covered up by the federation, but that makes absolutely no sense. How do you cover up a colony drop and a nuclear missile wiping 3/4ths of your entire fleet?

3-The characters are for the most part uninteresting. Protagonist is vanilla as hell, no particular motivations, he's just kinda there while stuff happens around him. The supporting cast is somewhat redeeming, primarily Keith, Burning, and Cima. However, that all goes out the window in the second half, as most of these characters disappear an are forgotten until the final sequence.

The Ugly: (Ending Spoilers ahead, but i don't consider the show worth watching anyways)

What in gods name happened in the second half? So you have Nina. She's a somewhat boring engineer character, designer of Unit 1 and 2, and Kou's "supposed" love interest. She was mostly out of the way in the first half, but the new director decided that she wasn't getting enough screen time. So, he retroactively created a love triangle between her, the main antagonist, and the protagonist. How do i know that it's retroactive and not intended? Because in the very first episode, the main antagonist, Gato, walks right past Nina, steals her precious Gundam unit 2, and walks away and they don't recognize each other at all. Yet, in the second half it turns out they were lovers before the the war, and that she's completely obsessed with him. This sudden bombshell and giant plot hole signals the start of Nina's complete irrationality. After this point, none of her behavior makes any sense, and the only justification we get is her saying "YOU GUYS DONT UNDERSTAND" repeatedly.

Her behavior becomes completely emotional, irrational, and nonsensical. She single-handedly derails the show. This leads us to what i consider the absolute worst scene in this entire show. Gato, Nina, and Kou on the colony as it's about to drop. Kou is going to kill Gato, but then Nina picks up a gun to protect Gato and threatens to shoot Kou. Instead of stopping Gato from dropping a colony on Earth, she lets him do it, and then threatens to kill Kou. She chooses Gato over Kou. The same Gato who nuked the fleet, same Gato who is about to drop a colony on Earth. Despite this being a huge blow to the viewers, and a complete 180 in the characters behavior, and a totally irrational move, i don't think it's that bad. What's bad is what comes next.

So, Gato dies to the fleet, we don't even get the pleasure of seeing Kou kill Gato. Nina also lives, despite me praying and HOPING that the directors have enough sense to kill her off. Kou doesn't die. Had Kou died, then we would have had a nice moral about someone not being able to choose one lover and ends up losing both. Nope. You can't have that. Kou lives and goes to prison for a year, then when he's let out, guess what happens? Yup. He's greeted by Nina and the ending implies they run into each other's arms.

Excuse me? What? Who the hell wrote this garbage? The main character is a total door mat that gets stepped on and treated like trash from the start of the show until the end. Had he showed any sign of development in that final scene, had he rejected Nina, had he done anything to imply that his character had grown and developed then i would have been able to let it slide. Maybe i would have given this show a 5 or 6 and a soft recommendation. But there is absolutely no payoff for the viewer. You leave this show feeling disappointed.

If you're going to shift focus to a more character based story in the second half, then the least you can do is make your characters motives sensible or rational, and develop and grow your characters, OR AT LEAST give us some form of cathartic payoff seeing the characters we hate get what they deserve. But as this show does none of that, it's not worth watching. Don't waste your time. You can skip this entry in the franchise since it has no impact at all on any other show or narrative.

The 90s were a great time in a lot of respects. The zeitgeist was different than it is now. People were more carefree and happy. It made sense for Gundam to reflect the spirit of those times. Stardust Memory is the younger, Asian brother of Top Gun, a popular Tom Cruise film which capitalized on booze, babes, planes and Val Kilmer. Stardust Memory tried emulate the best qualities of Top Gun and was relatively successful at first. But due to a change in directors, the story falls apart during the second half.

We are introduced to a young Kou Uraki and his friend, Keith Chuck. Both ... are pilots in training who laze their days away as the one year war comes to close. Gundams are starting to be produced in mass thanks to Amuro Ray’s success in battles during the One Year War. Two prototype Gundams armed with nuclear warheads are shipped to the base where Kou and Chuck are stationed. But in dramatic fashion, one of the mobile suits stole by Zeon! It is up to Kou and Chuck to get them back.

The first thing you notice about Stardust memory is the feeling of levity. The atmosphere is much less heavy than both the original and Zeta Gundam. ZZ does not exist to me. The first few episodes introducing us to the world and characters were probably the best in show. It really captured the cool, Top Gun vibe. However, midway through Stardust Memory, the show turns uncharacteristically dark to its detriment. Gundam is full of serious moments but whoever was directing forgot the feeling that the show was going for. Stardust memory was more in the vein of Mobile Suit Gundam 08th Team than Zeta Gundam. The transition was jarring and created a dissonance that bothered me the whole show. And whoever wrote the ending of the show can honestly rot in hell. The conclusion was memorable in all the wrong ways and stemmed from the characters. But we will get to that later.

The animation was fantastic in Gundam fashion. The movements were fluid and the mobile suits had a tremendous level of detail. The earth setting in Australia is probably the best suited to the Top Gun vibe they were giving off. The music reminded me of cheesy 80s romantic pop songs. The first ending, MAGIC, captured the late 80s early 90s charm. It had sensuality and cheesy but endearing lyrics about falling in love. It is a shame the early atmosphere of the show was contradicted by the show’s latter half.

Woo boy, now let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The characters in Stardust Memory were nothing short of abysmal. Kou Uraki, the protagonist, is probably the most boring character in Gundam history. He has no definable traits that separate him from anyone else. Even his best friend Keith, had a charm to him and cool glasses which made him more interesting Uraki. His character arc ended with him becoming incredibly cynical which I felt betrayed the original spirit of the show. His relationship with the cast of veteran mobile suit pilots could have easily been the best part of the show if it were not for the poor love triangle. Nina Purpleton is easily the bane of this show. Every stereotypically negative thing about a woman is engrained in her character. She is obnoxious, irrational and overemotional. And she is only defined by the men she is in love with as she has no individual traits herself. There is nothing else about her that allows her to be a good character.

Navel Gato, the Zeonic opposite of Kou could have been a great character if not for the show being split between two perspectives. He is haunted by the failures of his past in the One Year War and seeks atonement. If the show were focused on him reconciling his past with his future and trying to regain the honor he lost, Stardust Memory could have possibly been a great show. Gato’s parts we he talks about his loyalty to Zeon and his relationship with other commanders were easily the best portions of the serious side of the show. But, due to the possibly the worst twist in Gundam history, he character will forever be soiled in my mind.

The Gundam franchise has been rather inconsistent in its quality but underneath the flaws, there always was a worthwhile message. Stardust memory has none of those qualities. It is another case of unnecessary romance getting in the way of telling a good story. And there was no Val Kilmer. Mobile Suit Gundam: Stardust memory is a memory best left in the back of your mind.

Ah another mediocre Gundam series.

It started off great with a good story, interesting characters, good music, and mobile suit design, and amazing animation. Sadly it spiraled out of control quickly. I think they tried to do to much in just 13 episodes. They should have expanded it to 24 or 26. First off they add to many characters, which made the story get convoluted, and the end revelations meant nothing since there was no back story leading to it. The ending seemed hurried and boring. The only really good think about this seres is the animation. The series ... was made nearly 20 years ago in 1990, and they animation is better than some anime that come out today. I'm not sure who did the animation, but they did a great job. The music was done really well, but that's it.

Taking place storyline-wise between the original Gundam series and Zeta Gundam, Gundam 0083's purpose in the Universal Century continuity is to reveal how the Titans would come to be when they become the antagonist faction for Zeta. The events seen throughout 0083 mostly serve to feature the buildup of these events through the perspectives of Federation Ensign Kou Uraki and influential Zeon soldier Anavel Gato. For the most part, Gundam 0083 is solid in its plot buildup as more details concerning the motives of Gato and the Zeons come to light and Kou's skills as a mobile suit pilot improve throughout the course of the ... series as he pilots a Gundam. A number of prominent characters among both sides, besides Kou, also get their focus and depth to show that those affiliated with both Federation and Zeon forces have their redeemable and not so honorable traits. In terms of visuals, 0083 is above average in quality for the time period it was made having well-detailed designs of scenery, mecha and characters with fluid and well-animated action scenes.

Beyond my praises though, Gundam 0083 does have a number of issues that hurt its quality quite a bit for me. A number of 0083's prominent characters are rather underdeveloped compared to others, making them either rather shallow in personality or having you question the reasons for their actions during certain points of the series. To a degree, this issue takes effect in the rather sloppy and anticlimactic finale to the series as characters betray one another for no known purpose and leave you wondering why they did what they did. Towards the middle of 0083, the series also tossed in an unconvincing love triangle involving Nina and Kou which comes across as flat due to the lack of proper buildup and chemistry between the two in terms of developing such an aspect to their relationship. And while I'm not too hard pressed about it, there may be Gundam fans disappointed to know that none of the major UC Gundam characters from Gundam or Zeta Gundam appear at all in this series outside of cameo appearances by a few supporting characters from both titles.

Overall, I found this chapter of the Universal Century continuity of the Gundam franchise to be a bit of a mixed bag. While a decent addition to the franchise to show what led to the creation of the Titans and having well-animated mecha fights, the sloppy finale, limited depth to certain major characters and unconvincing romances hurt its overall quality quite a bit. I would say watch it so you knew what led to the events of Zeta Gundam, but wouldn't recommend watching it more than once.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 is a highly underrated work in the Gundam series.
I feel this is because people have the wrong sorts of expectations going into the show, but since I watched this with no preconceived notions, I feel like I was able to enjoy it for what it was.

The story is set in 0083, just four years after the One Year War and the events of the original trilogy. While some of the events are related to bridging a gap in the UC timeline between Zeta Gundam and the original, the story is its own self-contained entity with a lot to offer.

The romance ... angle may not have anything on MS 08th Gundam team, but it is still solid. Moreover, its rather ordinary, when put up against the canvas of a major civil disturbance and War. This creates a sense of the people and situations being real. The interaction between the soldiers themselves feature some good old fashioned ribs, and petty jealousy, making the whole thing FEEL like a military base.

Often times, these fairly petty personal issues will crop up in battle. For instance, the pilots relationship with their commander, Lt.Burning is pulled off rather well and Burning himself is a badass. Another character whose compelling personal story is Kelly Layzner, a former Zeon pilot that Ko meets towards the middle of the story. These simple, but effective relationships makes the battles meaningful and interesting to watch. This tapestry of interpersonal relationships also taps into the overall plot going on in the background, featuring series setpieces like Anaheim electronics, the Zeon remnants, and ending with the Formation of the TITANS at the very end.

OVerall, the story is an interesting Gundam sidestory, much like MS 08th Gundam Team and I found it highly enjoyable. Just don't go in expecting to find out what Char was up to and youll be fine.

I only watched "Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory" because someone gave the bootleg DVD's to me for free. And since those DVD's only had Chinese subtitles, I had to watch it in dub as my Chinese reading skills kinda suck these days due to lack of use. This may have resulted in lessening my enjoyment of the show, as it doesn't exactly have the best dubs I've heard... but at least they're not the worst either.

From what I can gather, "Gundam 0083" is a continuation of a chain of earlier Gundam series which eventually can be traced back to the original Gundam series, "Mobile ... Suit Gundam: 0079". The original Gundam series is supposed to be pretty good, but it needs to be a lot better than "Gundam 0083" in order to live up to that kind of praise, because "Gundam 0083" is a bit lame. I may not know how good the series sound in Japanese, but given the uninspiring script, I doubt even a bunch of highly skilled voice actors would be able to make it sound good.

It may be because I hadn't watched the previous series, but I found the story in "Gundam 0083" to be somewhat confusing. "Gundam 0083" fails as a standalone series, as it doesn't really provide any background on the seeds of conflict that has obviously been sewn previous to this installment. I don't know who this Zeon group is, I don't know where they've recruited this psycho woman from... I don't even know why they're fighting. They're sacrificing their lives for what ideals again??

At the heart of the "Gundam 0083", there are lots of paper thin characters. Knowing full well they're pretty poor, the producers then sacrificed realism and rationality in order to make them "interesting". As a result we end up with lots of strange twists in the storyline where people make bizarre decisions to try and spice up the predictable plot. The ending is terrible too. If, by some miracle, it managed to resolve anything, I must have missed it.

Having said all this, most of this series was still enjoyable to some extent. The development of the relationship between Nina and Kou is quite pleasant to watch, even though it is a bit predictable. Visually, "Gundam 0083" has some nice and distinguishable character designs, and the battles scenes are competently done, if not exactly memorable. There is one thing that is memorable about "Gundam 0083", however, and that's the second opening theme "Men of Destiny". It's a very cheesey 80's kind of song... and I love it! Its grand and energetic feel means that it works nicely as the theme to a Gundam series. A pity the anime itself isn't nearly as good.

Interestingly, I found my viewing experience of "Gundam 0083" to be opposite to that of "Gundam Seed Destiny". With the latter, I sometimes found it an effort to watch even though I acknowledge the quality of the anime. With "Gundam 0083", even though I knew what I was watching isn't particularly good, I just couldn't seem to stop watching it! Still, I guess I should count that as a positive trait.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory is one of the many small OVAs (and movies) released between ZZ Gundam and the next TV series, Victory Gundam. It's also by far the most substantial installment, consisting of the highest number of episodes at 13 with each running a half hour. That's still less than half the total time of your usual Gundam series, but considering how damn long most of them are, often without a good reason to be, should anyone complain? All of the three OVAs released during this period focus on the events of the One Year War, with The 8th MS Team and ... War in the Pocket focusing on the war's impact on smaller parts of civilization and the army. 0083 is its own side story and mostly concerned with its original new tale, but is the most chronologically significant as it gives some background as to the rise of the Titans organization that kickstarts the events of the highly popular and earlier released Zeta Gundam.

Specifically we follow rookie pilot Kou Uraki, who by chance earns the right to pilot one of three new Gundam models in a search for Zeon remnant Anavel Gato who has stolen one of the two remaining Gundams. Kou and the rest of the Albion crew's battle with the ace pilot Gato and what remains of Zeon's forces leads them into Zeon's massive plan for revenge: "Operation Stardust". What is the true purpose of the desperate Zeon force's new plan? Aboard the Albion, Kou is forced to grow as a soldier not only for the sake of his mission but also to earn the love of Nina Purpleton, the Gundam development team's most stupidly named crew member.

Gundam 0083 is notorious for its reputation as "mecha porn". Not only is this one of the most disgusting combinations of words ever to come out of the English language, but it's an incredibly demeaning judgment that tells onlookers nothing other than to pass by this Gundam installment in favor of many others. Is this reputation deserved? To bring up the conclusion early because it deserves it: absolutely not. Gundam 0083 is far more than its high production values. On the contrary, it's by all measures one of the best Gundam installments ever made. I've yet to see any Gundam without sizable flaws that need to be fought to ignore, but relative to the franchise as a whole it's very puzzling as to why Gundam 0083 has its reputation.

It's logical then to start off addressing the most common criticism: that Kou Uraki and Nina Purpleton are terrible, frustrating characters. Among a franchise that's almost known for how its main protagonist is typically one of the least likable characters, it's bizarre to see 0083 getting so much fire for its characterizations. Kou's biggest offense in particular isn't so much his actions as that he's a fairly typical, normal man. Amuro Ray and Kamille Bidan were prone to some aggravating emotional fits, but they had a powerful voice with something to say and stood out among their peers. Kou is a hestitating soldier who gradually becomes a straight-faced normal one and at his most memorable is a bumbling lovestruck idiot who fails with women like someone who's never touched one in his life. While Kou and Nina's interactions and over exaggerations to each other's... over exaggerations can be rather cringeworthy, it's worth noting that they're (sadly) still among the most tolerable main Gundam characters simply for the fact that when they are being stupid, it's -almost- never in ways that selfishly jeopardizes their mission or the lives of their fellow crewmembers. They're normal people who dip into awkwardness now and again, as opposed to awkward people who dip into slight bouts of Tomino-induced schizophrenia.

From there we can get to one of the best qualities of Gundam 0083 that people -don't- talk about: its great supporting cast. Kou's best friend and fellow rookie pilot is the bespectacled Chuck Keith, a slacker dork who's basically the opposite of Kou in that he feigns confidence and fails at women and piloting completely while Kou gets anxious and sweats a lot yet succeeds. Keith grows as a pilot over the series as well but it's much more subtle since the focus is never on him, which turns out to be a waste (more on that later). South Burning (what) is their commander before and after their mission aboard the Albion. One of the franchise's better mentor pilots, we actually get to see Burning give Kou and Keith combat advice during their battles and his warm grandfather-esque guidance makes him immensely likable despite his also minor role. Bernard Monsha is the last major-minor character on the Albion and its third best pilot, despite his hiding of it through his excessive drinking, jealousy of Kou, and sexual harassment of Nina. Though not really a good person, Monsha is humanly flawed and his strong personality and expressions color some of the most memorable moments in 0083.

On the Zeon side we mainly see the aforementioned Gato, an ace pilot compared to the Red Comet Char Aznable. To describe Gato's character requires also bringing up one of the things 0083 does right relative to other Gundam series, which is actually portraying Zeon in a respectable fashion. The original Gundam series wanted to push the belief that both sides had good people on them, but the good Zeon soldiers were mainly minor characters pushed away before long to service screen time to the megalomaniacal Zabi family. Meanwhile, most of what we saw of the Earth Federation were of our admirable heroes. In the end it really wasn't daring enough to make that a major theme and deal with the consequences, but in 0083 we're given the perspective of Gato and his fellow Zeon soldiers without the Zabi family. For the first time we see for an extended period their dignity as soldiers, love for their homeland, and respect for each other and their ideals over their individual ambitions. The Zabis mostly go unmentioned, which helps to explain some of their extremism from their perspective that they were simply denied their independence, rather than the evil ambitions of the Zabi family.

Returning to Gato, he's a hero to the Zeon and a charismatic lynchpin of their rebellion, despite answering to the equally respectable Aiguille Delaz. Gato is also hinted to have some sort of a past relationship with Nina, but this ultimately amounts to very little and is handled so poorly it may as well not have been a part of the story at all. Gato is a cool character overall but an awkward rival for Kou, with the age and experience/perspective gap being too large to ever be cleared unlike Amuro/Char, and it doesn't help that the two actually barely have contact over the course of the series despite Gato getting several scenes dedicated to him. Kou eventually fights Gato on equal skill, but there's just very little chemistry to their relationship dynamic and we're ultimately treated to one of the franchise's more underwhelming rivalries. And of course, there's need to mention Gato being a significantly better character than Kou.

On the other hand, the evil seeds of Zeon have passed down into Cima Garahau, a fierce queen bee who commands her own fleet, stylized like that of space pirates complete with animal furs lining the command center and an old ship wheel at the helm. It's a little ridiculous, but I love this villain. Her tastes are hardly contemporary but do nothing to undermine her fleet's power potential and add a lot stylistic flair without being too unrealistic despite tackiness. Cima herself is expectedly combative and frequently defiant of the Delaz fleet, and in addition to her wearing a cape and garnishing a hand fan her men wear worn and tattered uniforms. Cima is badass and fulfills the evil role on the enemy side while also making it very fun. Many of the series's most exciting scenes involve Cima and she overall contributes the most to the show's sense of style.

Though Tomino is given a writing credit, I can only assume (and be thankful) that he didn't actually have much of a hand in the dialogue, which is the most down-to-earth behind The 8th MS Team, which is the most commonly cited reason as to why people favor that series. Kou and Nina can be weird and forgettable, but they're surrounded by likable archetypes. It's unfortunate then that after the midway point Gundam 0083's own director switches, and they push so many of these characters to the backburner in order to focus solely on Operation Stardust and Kou's weird obsession with Gato. These characters go from being in every other scene and talking to delivering a handful of lines each episode and lose what further chance they had at developing themselves. It's a real shame, and if the series didn't develop so much good momentum by this point it could have been enough to cripple what was left. Instead we're left with an above average Gundam cast that are yet utilized less effectively than most. It's a waste of potential.

Getting back to the original point and Gundam 0083's legacy is the animation quality. In general the series is as detailed as early 90s anime ever got, and although greater things have been achieved since with even higher budgets, it's obvious that this OVA production still far exceeds your average TV production. On the other hand, it's got that same disease all early 90s OVAs and movies have where it looks like all the black ink pens were broken and leaking ink over every cel. In other words, many scenes are extremely dark and have a significant negative impact on the composition of a scene by so many figures and poses going unhighlighted. This is doubly troublesome considering almost all of the series takes place in the darkness of space, and Gundam 0083 isn't much an exception when it comes to space battles where they use heavy zoom-ins and no sense of perspective to have the action be chaotic and unpredictable. Laser blasts and enemies come in from any side of the screen whenever without a logical progression to much of the battle or fighting. The early battles that take place on the ground on Earth are by far the best, and it's unfortunate it's downhill from there when Gundam has a rare opportunity to make use of a fat budget.

Though Gundam 0083 stumbles around here and there, so does every single Gundam, and yet 0083 is able to tap into some of the strengths of its greatest series to create one of the most cohesive entries in the franchise. The bizarre Tomino dialogue is nowhere to be found, characters aren't always mature but this doesn't result in completely insane actions and decisions, the often criticized "Newtype magic" is pretty much nonexistent, the cast is enjoyable and brought to life due to great detailed expressions gifted by its nice budget that also aids the show in general and makes the action better than ever before, and... boy, what's the problem? Stardust Memories isn't only one of the most unfairly maligned Gundam entries, it's one of the first ones anybody should watch. It's due for a more fair, less superficial analysis don't you think?

Gundam 0083 is the absolute pinnacle of cel-shaded animation, rivaled only by Gunbuster. It also has a great 80s-era soundtrack, certainly one of the better ones among Gundam series.

The only problem is it uses that animation & soundtrack to tell one of the most dogshit Gundam stories I've ever seen.

One half of the show is every character making the worst, most nonsensical decisions possible. Like the equivalent of your mortal enemy dropping their gun and you picking it up and handing it to them and saying you're sorry that happened to them.

The other half is every male character being over-the-top horny (but not enough ... to be funny) for the blonde white lady character, and the other female characters acting like giddy middle schoolers about it. There is no perceptible depth to anyone in the show, and no real reason to care about any of them. I mostly just want to yell at them for being complete dipshits all the time. The one exception is Mora Borscht, who has a terrible name but is an absolute queen and the only character with any personality.

It's really unfortunate, not only because of the animation & sound, but also because it has Hajime Katoki's mecha designs, which are some of the coolest in all of Gundam. I'm rewatching it right now and even though I hate it, I'm continuing to the end just to see Neue Ziel in action.

If you're a Gundam freak or a completionist, then you'll have to watch this. But if you aren't compelled by an obsession or other mental disorder to watch every UC Gundam, skip this one. Or maybe just watch the first and last episodes.

warning that this review may contain spoilers

First impressions, so stardust memory’s aka the prequel to zeta gundam which is one of my favourite in the uc time line so far.
In till I watch thunderbolt or origins because I have heard there really good
So I kind of went into this except something that’s somewhat decent,
It was going to explain some of the details that we didn’t see between the first gundam and zeta.
Which I was very happy to find out about,
Because zeta didn’t really go into that much depth of how the titans came into power. It was ... very vaguely explained. So hoping to get some questions I had answered.
Sadly it didn’t really deliver on it.

Story, 5/10
3 years after the one year between the earth and Zeon forces had ended and peace has been maintained.
A darkness from the past is starting to come forth, as a rouge Zeon group named delaz fleet has risen from the shadows in order to finish an old score with the earth forces and to have Zeon rise again.
Meanwhile In a military base in Australia a top secret project is under way.
The creation of two new prototype gundam units, The zephyranthes and the physalis are under way.
The delaz fleet finds out about this and plans a attack in order to get the new gundam units.
But during their attack they only mange to take the physalis gundam which is now being piloted by the a man known as the nightmare of Solomon.
The only man standing in his way is main character kou who is a training pilot. who while in the attack manged to keep the zephyranthes gundam out of Zeon hands. But to make matters worse the physalis gundam contains nukes.
So join kou and his crew as there race ageist the clock begins to stop major war from braking out.

So the basic story line or plot is pretty much main character and crew mates involved in a game of cat and mouse between military factions. Trying to get this gundam unit back.
Which as a standalone story for a gundam show is all right, Because it takes itself serious enough and it’s still sticks to the theme of war is hell, And the other themes that gundam is well known for. And they have the main charter getting used to active military service and all the things that come with it.
There also a nice little romance as well, Between the main character this engineer chick That I felt was alright handed alright.
So its above average.
(Even though I still question the logic behind putting top secret project and nukes in all honesty Isn’t exactly the most well defended base they could have picked, and of course it was the Australians the dropped the ball)
So any way as a standalone story it all good but sadly that also where its biggest weakness is and my biggest gripe with this show is.
Because this is supposed to be a bridge between the first gundam and zeta gundam. A prequel / sequel and in that context this show is horrible at that aspects if one looks at it through the lens of this is a prequel / sequel.

Because let’s just say that continuity isn’t exactly this show strong suit. In fact the events that take place in this show don’t really have much to connection to what happens in zeta or any relationship to first gundam wants so ever. Most of the things that happen in this show don’t even come into play.
In fact the only thing connecting this to zeta is that though the events of the story at the end.
we find out what trigged the titans forming and we see a few characters from zeta showing up for a quick scene or two. It’s almost like the story came alive and a punched you in the face just for watching and completing it
So while I on the negative train I might as well mention that this story is kind of forgettable and isn’t bringing anything new to the table.
What I mean by that is that this story as a whole is like a copy and paste of ever theme that the uc time line gundam has ever had.
Like the war is hell, freedom for the spacenoids and etc.
Which on the basic level is ok,
but when I think about it isn’t doing much with those ideas and themes. It mostly being used as basic favouring because.
These ideas aren’t really being explored or a new point of view being brought to the table.
Which is sad because they could have come up with something new or fresh but they didn’t.
Now you can argue and say that because this is a prequel / sequel they didn’t exactly have to do anything with those ideas or that those themes and ideas are not the main focus of the show and at the end of the day This is side story. Which just takes place in the same universe.
But this was made quite a few years after zeta came out.
I would think that they could come up with better ideas with the time they had or even a better plot for that matter
But they just gave us the same shit in different rapper.


Characters 5/10

The main character kou was ok.
He this kind of chill dude who has a thing for tech.
who thought out the course of the series becomes more hardened the more he experiences real combat.
Which I thought was nice because it added some depth to his character.
Because in the beginning of the series I really couldn’t put heads or tails on what his personality is . He felt very hollow to me.
Which is a problem for me, Because most gundam main characters usually have a more notable personality or some sort of back story.
Like for example Domon kasshu or kamille bidan,
Who have a more memorable personality.

Side characters are all right,
They did the roles they had well.
They had nice banter I guess that I enjoyed watching

It’s just personality wise, But aren’t really memorable.
They just feel like carboard cut-outs to me.
Which is a thing I am sick of saying but it’s very true.

The only thing that stood out for me character wise was the romance between kyo and Nina.
Which far as anime romances wasn’t bad because I have a bit of chemistry together
Which was nice, but I guess my only nick pick is that there relationship feels a little dry and forced to me.
Because there relationship together progress at quite the fast rate. Like one ep she slightly has the desire to see what type of person kyo is and then the next ep talking about feeling and shit.
Its feels unnatural to me.
Although it could just be that this series only had a 13 ep so they didn’t have time to pad out there relationship.


Art 6/10

The animation looked alright. It could have been better though.
Because there are a few parts where the animation takes a bit of a dip down wards in quality.

The backgrounds look all right and add a bit of grit to it.

The battles are alright in animation wise because I have a very naturel flow about them.
But on the bad side there not exactly the most fun to watch.

Art style is fine was well.

The charter designs are fine.
Just the standard shit that we have all seen before

I really do like the more up dated mech designs for the older models,
Because they don’t feel that clunky anymore and feel more like well-oiled war machines.


Sound 6/10

I really like the first opening song and the other opening song and there ending themes are very boring to me and don’t really stand out that much. I would have gotten more enjoyment if I listened to paint dry.

But at the same time I see why people might like these,
But for me there just crap.

Ost was quite nice,
Better than I thought it would be.

Some very good tracks in there.
They fitted very well and was on point
But nothing I would gone out of my way to listen to by its self.

The ost was done by Urakami, Yasuo,
Who has worked on shows like,
Project arms and gundam seed.

The dub was alright and so was the sub.

I liked both.


Enjoyment 5/10

As far was enjoyment goes.
I enjoyed this show for what it was,
But my enjoyment doesn’t go beyond that point.
For me was one of those one timer experiences. Because this is something I would not watch again.


Overall 5/10
If you like gundam or basic Mecha shows and just want a quick one timer then check this out.
Because its aright as a whole, But it doesn’t really go beyond that point.
But at the same You could just was easily skip this series because it doesn’t really add much to gundam as a whole.

if you want something that stands out more or in fact isn’t so basic and done to death.

Watch something else.

0083 is a fantastic visual treat for the eyes when it gets going, but it falters in almost every other aspect.

To wit:

STORY - In the year 0083 U.C., remnants of the Zeon Republic steal a prototype Gundam armed with a nuclear warhead for nefarious ends. A young pilot and the crew of a Federation battleship take to the skies to hunt it down.

This is meant to bridge the o.g. Gundam to Zeta & explain a few plot points that crop up there. In that regard it does a swell job. However, it insists on spending time focusing on the miserable romance between Kou & Nina ... (we'll talk more about that in CHARACTER). This drags the whole experience down everytime it switches, and it loves to ignore the main story a lot.

The story has some good beats when not focusing on them. The sequence after Lt. Burning recovers the briefcase in the mid-late show is fantastic and a great microcosm of Gundam's oft-repeated "war is hell" message. The whole final battle is a fun watch.

There's an odd bit midway thru where Kou knowingly helps a crippled Zeon pilot build a mobile armor meant to fight the Federation. Then the next episode shows up and, well, one guess what happens. It's a odd little bit of writing but it kind of make sense.

ART - Spectacular. Aside from the rare reused shot, the show is gorgeous, the character designs are top-notch, as is the mechanical design. The animation is some of the best the OVA "genre" has to offer.

SOUND - Fair? The first OP, "The Winner" deserves to be in the pantheon of "greatest anime OPs" as its a real banger and unforgettable. The second OP, "Men of Destiny" is pretty damn good (it just fails to measure up to the sheer Top Gun-itude of The Winner). The endings are pretty whatever.

Outside of the insert song "Back to Paradise", the score is bland and not that memorable. I can only think of two songs that I remember - one for its frequent use, and one for the actual composition.

CHARACTER - Hoo. There's not much character to some of these characters. Kou hates carrots and uhhhhh likes to fly mobile suits? He's very whitebread. He likes Nina for some reason, and Nina is a gargantuan idiot who , depending on scene or episode, is either going "I hope Kou doesn't pilot the Gundam today" and "I hope Gato doesn't kill Kou".

Gato, the Zeon lead, is a funnish character who's slavishly devoted to the Zeon ideals and refuses to compromise. Cima, the Zeon pirate, is a fairly fun character though a scene close to the end of the show forgets her "i gassed a colony and regret it every day" and has her cackle like a children's cartoon villain as she commits mass murder of civilians.

Lt. Burning is a fine "mentor" type character. Chuck Keith is the best and his eventual girlfriend, the Amazonian Maura, are super great to watch when they're around.

The Kou/Nina/Gato love triangle is awful and takes up most of the show. The climax to this triangle is infuriating in so many ways and the actual end of the show is baffling when you look at what happened just 10~ minutes prior.

ENJOYMENT - It's fun. The mecha action is some of the absolute best around. The story is decent when not wasting its breath on the miserable romance.

Ultimately its a 5/10 from me. What it does well, it does damn well. What it does poorly? It does really really poorly. The fun action bits and mecha porn are fantastic but that romance subplot drags down the story every time it takes centre stage, and the characters are mostly flat and dull or flat and decent.

As I fall more and more in love with the UC universe, 0083 sits well with the whole timeline - it serves as a real link between 0079 and Zeta and tells its own story at the same time. It does however fall short of perfection for one very silly reason.

The 8th MS team is the best UC OVA in my opinion but 0083 had a real chance of sitting on that throne if only the director hadn't switched half way through, the second half of the show (as enjoyable as it is) is told clumsily, the plot twists come across weakly and you can't ... help but feel something integral is missing from the show. The first half episodes 1-7 are perfect and deserve a 10 rating on their own.

The Characters are all fairly typical but they work well together, gato the nightmare of solomon especially, who I find to be cooler than char (just my own opinion). Nina and Ensign Uragi have a bumpy romance. As far as development goes Uragi is the only one who really changes but then in a 13 ep series its difficult to focus on developing the whole cast.

The story is well told until episode 7 and afterwards bad directing aside the plot is multilayered, I won't say anything else because I don't want to spoil anything for anybody. I would reccomend this to any fan of UC gundam, not as an introductory series though.

I love the art, we all know modern mecha can't compare to the classics, the handdrawn backgrounds bring the whole show to life. I want to give this show a 9 but for reasons I've already stated its getting an 8 =[.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Overall 0083 is a pretty descent. It acts as a bridge for Zeta and the original series. In 0083 a team of ragtag Zeon fleets that honestly act more like terrorists than soldiers to try and topple the Federation. They do use many Gundam cliches though, i.e. a colony drop. However, it is still terrifying and the way Operation Stardust unfolds is brilliant.
The art is everything you've come to expect from Sunrise, in the last two decades anyway. The mechanical designs will blow you away and their fluent movement is positively gorgeous. Takashi Imanishi really knew what he was doing.
The characters really aren't ... anything different, except the protagonist Kou. He is considerably less emo than Amuro or Kamille. All the other Gundam stereotypes fit. Gato is the ace Zeon pilot who strikes fear in the heart of Feddie soldiers (Char). Synapse is the calm collected captain of the Albion (Bright).
Overall despite the many cliches 0083 is very enjoyable, I recommend it to any Gundam or mech fan. I ecspecially recommend it to fans of Gundam Zeta.

(Skip to the botton for TL;DR)
I'm watching all the U.C. Gundam shows by emission order, and I think this right here is the very definition of "ok show". 0079 was not very good in my opinion, Zeta was amazing, ZZ is a crime against everything good in this world. CCA is horrible, but not as horrible as ZZ. War In The Pocket is the best Gundam show so far and my personal favorite, and F91 Is very bland with few redeeming qualities beside good animation.

0083: Stardust Memory is just ok.

The story is fairly average, nothing noteworthy but also not insulting like ZZ or ... CCA.

Most of the characters are very bland or undeveloped, but besides something Nina does in the ending they never do anything as nonsensical and stupid as the characters from...ZZ and CCA would do.

Hey, this is an OVA, so the art direction and animation is the best part. If you're into Mecha porn or just Sakuga porn in general there will be several moments here that will delight you.

This isn't gundam at it's brightest, but also it's not at it's worst. It's just ok. If you're a Gundam fan, go ahead and watch it. If you're a Mecha fan, you probably won't understand the whole thing unless you do your googling, but the mechs are cool and the fights too, so you can watch it.
If you're neither of those...meh. Maybe you should find something else. not bad, but not remarkable. It's only 12 episodes long though, so maybe go ahead If you really want to.

TL;DR: 0083: Stardust Memory is the Mc' Donalds of Gundam. If you just want to satisfy your cravings for hamburger (Gundam/mecha) It will work just fine. If you're looking for a nice meal that you will probably want to repeat, I suggest looking somewhere else.

"Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory" is my favorite of all the Gundam franchise entries because of how well balanced it is. It combines all the aspects of my favorite Gundam series. The original gave us the savior suit and all the lure that comes with it, Zeta gave us the tragic and horrible nature of war, 08th MS Team was a realistic perspective on the strategy and tactics of battle and how one man cannot win the war on his own.

The story is a familiar one to Gundam fans. Zeon wants to attack Earth... again. It's up to a young, rookie Gundam pilot and ... his friends to save the day aboard their new warship... again. But, rather than our young hero (Ensign Kou Uraki) hoping in his Gundam and laying waste to the enemy all the time, he relies on his teammates and takes time to learn how to be an ace pilot. The enemy, Anavel Gato, is neither the cool, calm, leader nor the Newtype that Char Aznable was. He is vengeful. Hot-headed at times. Those two center the series, but the side characters are very important and each add so much to the series.

The subplots and side plots move along with as much steady pace as the main plot and the intrigue level is high. With only 13 episodes, the pace is rapid and exciting leading up to a very exciting and somewhat unexpected conclusion. The meat of the show, the mechs, are pretty awesome. Uraki's Gundam Zephyranthes is the standard stream-line Gundam with all the trimmings. Gato's stolen Gundam Physalis is one of the beefiest Gundams ever made. With massive armor, shield, and most importantly a nuclear cannon that would make Freud say, "Compensating?"

The art and sound are all very good for the time it came out. The soundtrack is decent (at one point borrowing from John Carpenter's "The Thing" I swear) Sub vs. Dub? Win for the Sub. With special mention going to Gato's Japanese VA, Akio Ootsuka (his English counterpart Kirk Thornton does well, too).

The pound-for-pound amount of action, drama, and range of emotions that are packed into these 13 episode is the best of any series. There is not as much sweet, sweet, 'splosion porn to be had as in other series, but the strong plot more than makes up for it. I have watched this one series more times than any other. It's that good. Anime fans will like it, Gundam fans will love it. 8/10, check it out. Cheers!

You're looking at my number ten of all time favorites.

The 90s were a wild ride for Gundam. The first alternate universes, it's big break stateside, and a series of OVAs that did the biggest favor for the franchise; they ignored the Newtypes completely. Yeah, I said it.

0083: Stardust Memory focuses on regular human characters, putting them all through hell for character development. In this case we have vengeful Zeon ace Anavel Gato and rookie Fed pilot Kou Uraki. Gato aims to reignite the One Year War and take the Federation down with their own nuclear fire, and Kou follows him from ... Australia back to Solomon in space, proving he has what it takes to challenge the Nightmare himself.

To this day I'll get urges to watch 0083 and that'll be my weekend right there. In fact I may just be due for another viewing. A bridge between the original series One Year War and a lead up to earlier Zeta's Gryps conflict. Very good scifi, great mecha combat on land and space, a must see for fan and curious alike.

Sieg Zeon!

The peace between the Earth Federation and the Zeon Space Forces have come to an abrupt halt. Rogue zeon forces have stolen one of two top secret mobile suit and intend to use it as part of a milatary operation called stardust.Kou Uraki an enthusiastic rookie becomes the pilot of the remaining gundam called 'unit one', and along with the crew of the Albion federation battle ship persue the rogue's in order to retrieve the mobile suit and uncover the plans behind operation stardust.

Firstly may I start by saying the animation in this ova puts ninety percent of the animation that we ... get in todays anime to shame.The detail by which each character is drawn is simply phenominal.You dont see eyes that cover three quarters of the face , ears that are crudely drawn or triangular pointed chins.The animators ensured that every wrinkle is seen,every character has their unique physique and dont simply look like cardboard cutouts.the background whether earth or space is well done and not overdone with unrealistically bright colours.

The music is ok,nothing special but I did like the closeing theme,its a real soothing love song that goes well with the love aspect of the ova.

Now character wise this ova pales in comparison to the likes of gundam 08th Ms Team,their not bad just not memorable.Kou Uraki is the enthusiastic young pilot with a passion for everything gundam.He is quite naive with a childlike attitude.Nina Purpleton Is a engineer who life revolves around her work with little time for anything else.The action sequences are also good though not the best.

Overall a good ova thats worth a watch.