Reviews

While most Gundam shows released before ~1995 are around 50 episodes long, 0083 leaves you wondering why so many episodes are needed when this 13 episode OVA packs a much more cohesive, interesting, and powerful story than any other full length Gundam series released before it. 0083 holds up incredibly well in 2017. The animation quality, while dated today, was ahead of it's time. Victory Gundam, released 3 years later than 0083, is definitely put to shame by how great this show looks.

Despite the plot once again being a recycle of the same Gundam trope of an inexperienced pilot being thrust into the cockpit of responsibility without preparation, and going on to be all-powerful by the end of the show, 0083 does enough things different to keep things fresh. Episodes 6 and 7 stick out as real highlights of the show, and include a great story that is not only powerful and emotional, but fits in well to the overarching story and helps to grow the characters. No prior knowledge is required of Gundam and the Universal Century, however, for U.C. fans, there is a lot to enjoy.

The mobile suit designs in this show are at their most creative and expressive in a Gundam series compared to any show released before it. The GP02A has become one of my favourite designs, and the Xamel is one of the coolest, more expressive suits I've seen. Mobile suits in 0083 have a realistic finish to them, you can often sense their weight and impact. This show is probably the most realistic interpretation of the Gundam timeline I have seen.

This show is, of course, not without it's flaws. A common criticism of the characters is how dim-witted some of their decisions can be, and while i can think of a couple of occasions between the main character and his love interest that left me wanting to kill myself, I feel like most of these moments can be justified, and serve the plot well. Every other character that is not one of the two main characters can often feel flat or unimportant, or can feel pushed to the side to concentrate on the two MCs.

I loved my time with 0083. It's a show, and for me, the first Gundam I have seen, that seems to know what it's doing and stay consistent from start to finish. It knows what experience it's trying to deliver, and executes it flawlessly. At the time of writing, I have only seen Gundam shows released before this one, but to me, 0083 feels like, for the first time, Sunrise have worked out the formula for what makes a great Gundam show, and I wouldn't be surprised if future series follow in it's footsteps.