Kidou Senshi Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

It is the year 0083 of the Universal Century. The rebellious Principality of Zeon has been defeated in the One Year War by the Earth Federation. However, a faction of Zeon remnants led by Aguille Delaz fled from the final battle, hiding themselves away. After three long years, they attempt to rise up once more, sending Delaz's ace pilot, Anavel Gato, to infiltrate a Federation research base to steal one of two secretly developed prototype Gundams along with its deadly nuclear warhead.

Threatened by the rogue Gundam suit and seeking to retain peace, the Earth Federation mobilizes the newly developed Albion carrier to recover the stolen unit. Manned by the remaining test pilots, with rookie pilot Kou Uraki piloting the remaining prototype Gundam, the Albion and her crew are determined to stop Gato, retake the stolen Gundam, and prevent the Zeon remnants from starting another war.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Gato, Anavel Main

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Uraki, Kou Main

Horikawa, Ryo Japanese

Purpleton, Nina Main

Sakuma, Rei Japanese

Karn, Haman Supporting

Sakakibara, Yoshiko Japanese

Garahau, Cima Supporting

Mashiba, Mari Japanese

Boscht, Mora Supporting

Ikura, Kazue Japanese

Monsha, Bernard Supporting

Chafurin Japanese

Keith, Chuck Supporting

Yamada, Yoshiharu Japanese

Burning, South Supporting

Sugawara, Masashi Japanese

Om, Bask Supporting

Gouri, Daisuke Japanese

Maseba, Yutaka Producer

Yatate, Hajime Producer

Ueda, Masuo Producer

Takanashi, Minoru Producer

Reviews

Oct 11, 2008

jmoriarty84

Recommended

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jul 3, 2008

Chag

Mixed Feelings

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 18, 2017

PoeticJustice

Not Recommended

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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