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Year: 1996-1999
Genre: Military science fiction
Episodes: 12
Rating: 3 out of 5
War is never a great thing, but sometimes people think it is necessary. Whether countries or factions are fighting for money, land, power, or control, war is never a good thing. One type of warfare is guerrilla warfare. This type of warfare is not the standard type of war. Combatants use military tactics such as ambushes, raids, petty warfare, hit and run tactics, and mobility to fight against a larger force.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team combines this type of warfare in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Two factions are combating against each other for supremacy. Combine that with love. Even enemies can find a way to fall in love with each other.
Overview:
Set in the Universal Century 0079. The Earth Federation and Zeon are fighting a brutal and deadly guerrilla war in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Their primary purpose is for control of the area and the resources that are in Southeast Asia.
While on route from space, the Earth Federation sends Shiro Amada and some of his men to reinforce the army. They happenly fall into a skirmish between the two sides. During the quick fight, Shiro meets the beautiful Aina Sahalin. After they are saved by their respective group, Shiro manages to make it to earth and become the commander of the 08th MS Team.
As both sides continue their war between each other, and Zeon unleashes their new mobile suit. Shiro and Aina must find a way to keep themselves alive while maintaining the allegiance they have for their respective sides.
Review:
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team is an okay anime to watch. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with it at all. The story of the anime reminded me of Romeo and Juliet. Two soldiers on opposing sides meet in a desperate attempt at survival. One falls in love with the other. Eventually, they declare their love for each other. I understand the whole concept, but it is overused so many times. The story didn’t flow right. We see the main characters in the beginning, and then the story focuses on the male protagonist. The story follows that character until about four episodes left when the female character is brought back, and they are together again. Most people love this Gundam series, but for me, I thought it was a bore. There is violence, but nothing to peak my interest. Most rip on Gundam Wing, but at least that story is complex and actually has many deaths where you go, Damn! Heero is a cold bastard. Like all Gundam stories, two factions are at war, and only two people can somehow bring an end to the whole conflict. Been there and done that. The action scenes are about the only highlight in this entire series. The guerilla fighting in the jungle and the final battle scene are the only great action sequences in the anime.
The characters are an outright bore also. The two main characters, Shiro Amada and Aina Sahalin, are whatever in my eyes. The two characters are introduced and meet in a high-intensity mission in space. Shiro is on one side, and Aina is on another. Shiro is the new commander of the Earth Federation 08th Mobile Suit team. He is loyal to his crew but naïve by wanting to not fight the enemy because of his love for Aina. He never knows if he will ever see her again. Lover’s eyes all over, and the way we know he loves her is in the later parts of the series. Aina, on the other hand, is a member of a noble family in her homeland. She is a senior pilot of a new mobile suit that her brother has designed. She isn’t even in the first couple of episodes. You forget about her until her brother makes this evil-looking Gundam. On that note, her brother, Ginias, is a nut job. Screwed up in the head but acts calm and collective all the time. Have to watch out for the quiet and calm ones because they destroy everything with a smile.
The supporting characters are no better. First, there is Michel Ninorich. He is introduced at the same time as Shiro. All he does is whine and write letters to his beloved girlfriend, BB. Some of the story is narrated through his eyes, but he adds nothing to the story. I really came not to like him. Then there is Eledore Massis. Eledore is what you would call the soldier that joined but didn’t want to be a soldier. He is a dreamer that wants to make a name for himself through music. Why would you join the military when you dream of being a musician? He brings that stereotype of being a pretty boy that is always chasing women. Seen it a hundred times.
The two characters that are pretty good in the whole story are Terry Sanders Jr. and Karen Joshua. Terry is an interesting character that actually has some background development. He is the soldier that everyone makes fun of because every unit he was on has been killed. He has gained the nickname of the “Reaper.” He adds the element of what happens when things continuously go wrong and how he battles his demons. The second character is Karen Joshua. Karen is my favorite character out of the whole series. She is the badass. She holds everyone accountable while being second in command and has no qualms of putting people in their place. She is like the mom that all the boring characters need.
Overall, Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team is an okay Gundam anime that is lackluster in a few areas. The whole Romeo and Juliet theme of the story while trying to fight in a war doesn’t make for a smooth story in this Gundam series. The characters are an outright bore that didn’t have much or any character development. The only thing going for this anime is the action sequences. They are not as intense and deadly as other Gundam battle scenes, but it does enough to make it interesting. If it’s a quick Gundam anime that you need to watch, then this is the one for you. It is a somewhat good starter Gundam series.
