Gundam 8th MS Team
Reviewed by Dan Peterson |
| Synopsis |
| Okay, so over a decade after creating Mobile Suit Gundam, and after releasing the short series Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, and possibly after the release of Gundam Wing, one would think that the people who founded the Gundam empire would get a bit tired of doing the same old stuff. Nope! Once again, we have a series, this one of length equal to 0080 and 0083, about the same war depicted in Mobile Suit Gundam, 0080, and 0083. The difference? This anime is completely centered around characters instead of a sweeping war, focusing particularly on the corps known as the 8th MS team from the Earth Alliance. They are led by Shira Amada who is supposed to sabotage a Zeon project concerning the Absalus, but things get interesting when he falls in love with the beautiful Zeon pilot Aina whose brother, Ginias, is the one responsible for the creation of the Absalus! |
| PLOT: 85% |
| Essentially, it boils down the “Gundam does Romeo and Juliet,” which may make you cringe. I was also skeptical, especially learning that this anime would concern mostly character development instead of simply throwing a few new mobile suit designs at us every episode. But, overall, I feel like this project feels coherent and maybe even poignant. Shiro and his team are heroes you can sympathize with, and even though the twists and turns of plot are, at times, rather predictable, the show is put together so well and convincingly that it’s definitely one of the best Gundam plots out there. |
| CHARACTERS: 90% |
| Once again, a show based on character development that makes its plot awesome must have great characters. Truly the creations of Aina, Ginias, and Shiro set this anime apart from its predecessors. There is sacrifice, love, betrayal…all in all, the characters are likable (even some of the bad guys) and establish the series as a great one. |
| ART: 90% |
| In a word, beautiful. I like the art in this series even better than Gundam Wing because of the grays and dark greens that make the world and characters blend in more subtly into the fabric of the anime instead of making them clash with the background of space environments. Very, very well done. |
| SOUNDTRACK: 80% |
| There aren’t too many things to complain about here. For a thirteen episode series, sometimes the repetition gets tedious musically, but overall it’s pretty well done and leaves me with few complaints. |
| CONCLUSION: 86% Overall |
| Definitely worth your time. |
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