Customer Reviews

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 - Stardust Memories (Vol. 1)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being more of a fan of romantic comedies or epic fantasies in anime than mech-heavy space operas, I've found it very hard to get really interested in the Gundam universe - in spite of the vastness of the franchise and the scope of the story that is told. That said, though, I have found the first disc of Gundam 0083 to be surprisingly enjoyable - and easy to get into.

The story is a surprisingly compelling one - in bringing a pair of prototype mechanized giant armors - Gundams - to a test base in Australia, the crew of the Albion finds one of their nuclear-equipped Gundams hijacked right from under their noses by the remnant of the rogue government that Earth defeated just four years before. Pursuing this stolen Gundam across Australia and Africa, this crew has to desperately try to stop Zeon - the rogue government - from using this Gundam as the lynchpin in rebuilding their forces.

Two things really struck me about this series. One was that it was really more about the interpersonal relationships between the characters than about the Gundams (although there's lots of tech and battle sequences for the die-hard Gundam fans as well). The other was that it's quite beautifully animated. The colors are surprisingly vibrant and the animation quality is impressively good for a series that dates to the late 80s/early 90s.

The video and audio quality seem quite good - at least to my rather archaic television. The extras were quite nice as well: the usual textless opening and ending as well as a miniatue Gundam encyclopedia full of Gundam and vehicle stats and - something especially useful for me and any others new to the series - a timeline in the DVD insert.

While this disc hasn't sold me on the entire Gundam franchise, it has sold me on the rest of this series. It balances action, romance, angst and fear in a very well-realized world. I recommend it as much for the anime fan not familiar with (or traditionally not interested in) Gundam as the die-hard fan. I will be awaiting the rest of this series with interest

[Review applies to the whole OVA series; some spoilers]

This ambitious straight-to-video series appeared in 1990, but it is set in the fictional year UC 0083. That makes it function as a sequel to the original series Mobile Suit Gundam (1979 / UC 0079), but a "prequel" to the highly successful followup series Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985 / UC 0087).

(Zeta Gundam has not yet been broadcast in America. That's a shame. Many of the events and allusions in 0083 have more meaning if you know what happens "later" in Zeta. Cartoon Network said Zeta was coming to America in fall '03, but then they went back on their promise. This is the great failing of Bandai's handling of the Gundam franchise in America to date, for Zeta is truly the finest of the Gundam series. It is the _Empire Strikes Back_ of Gundam: dark, gritty, intelligent, character-driven, loaded with lethal duels and cool mecha. You have to watch a few episodes of Zeta before you get sucked in, but once you do, it's among the most memorable classics of sci-fi anime. But I digress.)

The best thing about 0083 is its impressive execution of a massive, overarching plot. The militant remnant of the Zeon space colonists, who lost their war against Earth in the original _Mobile Suit Gundam_, have been biding their time. They have come up with a massive strike against the Earth, and the 0083 story chronicles the unfolding of their plan. At the macro level, the story is well told. The events unfold with a grim necessity; it's almost like a disaster story with mecha battles thrown in. There's a school of thought that holds that the ending of 0083 is somehow botched or anticlimactic, but I have always found it quite satisfying.

Another strength is the fine detail of the Gundam world that gets displayed here. The Delaz Fleet's ramshackle, floating "Thorn Garden" shipyard. The sleek, corporate Anaheim Electronics facilities on the Moon and in space. The suggestive, almost coy cameo appearance by the young Haman Khan of Axis ("It's so cold here. How long must we wait?"). Haman is a slender, cold-blooded schemer who is a major villain in Zeta Gundam and the later series _Gundam ZZ_ (1986-87).

A final strength is 0083's animation, which is consistently sharp and attractive throughout. Oh yeah, I also like the opening theme for the first six episodes. Catchy. "I got a burning heart!" :)

Weaknesses: the characters just aren't as complex or memorable as in original Gundam or Zeta Gundam. Kou Uraki, the young Gundam pilot, is a bit of a drip. You develop some empathy for him as you go along, but you don't get involved the way you do with angst-ridden Amuro Rei from Gundam. Or Camille Vidan from Zeta Gundam -- he really showed a lot of character growth by series end. The whole subplot about Kou not liking carrots is trivial and childish, just like it sounds. It's a distraction from the surrounding war story.

Next, Zeon villain Anavel Gato is a typical brutal-but-noble anime samurai, impressive enough, but shallow when compared to Char Aznable, the mysterious villain ace of Gundam (who becomes a "hero" in Zeta Gundam).

Supposed love interest Nina Purpleton is a boring corporate blonde (nothing wrong with blondes! but still). Her supposed affection for the callow Kou makes no sense and isn't played convincingly. Besides, while she's presentable enough, Nina can't hold a candle to past Gundam hotties like:

* Christina Mackenzie (Gundam 0080 -- the red-haired girl next door)

* Four Murasame (Zeta Gundam -- Camille's star-crossed newtype lover)

* Emma Sheen (Zeta Gundam -- Camille's superior officer. Astute and morally upright, tough but humane, sexy without trying to be. One of the best-loved characters in all of Gundam ... do you begin to see why I'm ticked Bandai hasn't brought Zeta to the States?)

It's like that with all the 0083 characters. Ship captain Eiphar Synapse is noble and wise but a familiar anime type; grizzled veteran pilot South Burning does a creditable re-tread of the Roy Fokker role from Macross; and so on.

Nevertheless, there are some very well realized mecha battles in here, and the stylin' plot makes the series exciting even if the characters aren't. 0083 is worth watching for any Gundam fan.

Heck, I can forgive a lot of weaknesses for that great little plot twist at series' end. After the catastrophe inflicted by the Delaz Fleet, the Earth Federation creates a hard-core new special forces unit to crack down on the colonies: the Titans. In the final episode of 0083, we get a last shot of the crew of the Fed carrier Albion -- the heroes whom we've been following all this time -- trying on their spiffy new Titans uniforms.

Now, what the Japanese viewers all knew, but some American viewers won't, is that by the time Zeta Gundam rolls around (four fictional years later) the Titans will have emerged as vicious, jack-booted thugs who do things like nerve-gas entire colony populations as reprisals for unrest. They are the principal villains of Zeta Gundam; the heroes are a white-hat group of colonial rebels named AEUG.

Nice twist, eh?

So get these DVDs.

Gundam 0083 brings out the true essence of what gundam
is really made of. It is a great series and the DVD has
4 episodes so its pretty good.

I am a huge fan of the Gundam universe. StarDust Memeories caught my attention on Adult Swim. It's supposed to be (to my knowledge) a prequel of some sorts, to the fan favorite, Z Gundam. The animation is pretty good for the 1980s. The battles are spectacular. The characters aren't that cool, but they grow on you. Quit watching Gundam Wing and start watching the Universal Century series. Also, G Gundam isn't bad either.

I saw all Gundam series and OAVs from the U.C., and I like them all. However, only the "Gundam 0083" meets all of my wishes that a science-fiction OAV must have: a lot of action since the beginning and a bit love between the main characters.
I underestimated this series before I've seen it, I didn't know too much about it, but as a Gundam fan as I am, I told myself that I had too see it too.
Before, I thought that "Gundam 08th MS Team" was the best OAV in the Gundam Universum, but I was wrong. Well, I like "Gundam 08th MS Team" a lot too, but if you ask me to choose, then Gundam 0083 is the 1st.
The music and songs are also very good. I will look to get the CDs somewhere. The Gundam Enyclopedia is also well done and a MUST READ for the real Gundam fan. All espisodes are so "dynamic" that you will look 3-4 episodes at time: you will tell yourself "I MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!".
If you are an "Action-guy" like me, then BUY "GUNDAM 0083", you can trust me. Have fun!
Oh yes, I LOVE NINA PURPLETON TOO :-)

this one of the best gundam dvds out get 0083 not 0080 .

After the success of the short coming Gundam 0080, Sunrise was ready to go to the next level by filling in some of the gaps in the Universal Century. Gundam 0083 became one of the hottest OAVs ever featuring new characters, mecha and battleships, making it an unbeatable successor to Gundam 0080.

The story takes off in the year 0083 (obviously) when the Federation now owns Zakus and are very easy-going on security. The legendary Anavel Gato, also known as the Nightmare of Solomon, sneaks in and captures a Gundam. But rookie ensign Kou Uraki plans to retrieve it at all costs and prevents the rebirth of Zeon.

Episode 1 (B-): Gato steals a Gundam from a Federation base.
Episode 2 (A): Kou, Kieth, Burning and Allen go after the GPO-2 to retrieve it.
Episode 3 (B-): Kou agrees to fight that will decide who pilots the Gundam.
Episode 4 (A+): The Albion crew must fight to stop the GPO-2 from launching in Africa.

The animation is extremely good for a series coming out right at the beginning of the "anime cash crunch period". All the mobile suits are very vivid and fluent in movement. Plus, the character designs are all extremely well drawn and suit the series very well. The dub cast does an okay job, but sometimes their voices are a tad off with the lip movements. The music does an excellent job portraying the mood of this show and almost reminds me of the music from Char's Counterattack.

The extras on this disc are pretty much what you expect from Bandai now. The textless opening\closings are pretty nice and the MS Encyclopedia is always a welcome companion in Gundam series.

Overall, Gundam 0083 is a series that will appeal to all fans of Gundam, new or old.

The 1st and 3rd DVDs in the 4 disc series are the best, they supply enough action, drama and sheer excellence to make this series that ends quite poorly shine. I am not going to get into the story of this series as seeing how you are looking this item up you probably know at least something about Gundam and thge myriad of other reviews aside from mine have already explained the plot in and out. But I just want to say that this series while bad at some points is full of some very touching and heartbreaking moments(First episode on DVD 3 most of all).

I've been a fan of Gundam for over 15 years and this series by far is the best there is atm. With some of the best animation, designs of mobile suits and a intense story this is one that must be watched by all Gundam fans.

From the quality of the Wing DVDs, all I can expect that this DVD will be excellent.

Here's hope that "Char's Counter-attack" comes out soon as well!

Back in 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam first aired in Japan. Now over twenty years later, the Gundam Invasion has come to America. And it has landed with a resounding "bang".

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083; Stardust Memory is perhaps the strongest story arc in the Gundam U.C. universe. Set three years after the end of the One Year War (which was the setting for the original Gundam series) this thirteen episode series is finally coming to DVD.

The story centers on Ensign Kou Uraki, an Earth Federation mobile suit pilot who is forced to face his many fears and overcome seemingly impossible odds while coping with the many interpersonal relationships all against the backdrop of war. Although this is a very common theme in anime and throughout the Gundam saga, Stardust Memory keeps it fresh and invigorating. Never once do you feel that plot drags or that the characters are not believable.
Unlike many other anime titles we are allowed to see the enemys point of view. Uraki's nemesis, Zeon ace pilot Anavel Gato, is not portrayed as some inhuman monster, but as a dedicated man who just happens to fight for "the enemy". Gato is one of the more compelling characters in this series. He finds that he has more in common with Uraki than he first thought( at the risk of giving away a critical plot element I won't divulge what it is here, you'll have to watch to find out).

Technically the animation is superb. Although it was made over ten years ago, it really does not have a dated feel to it. The battle sequences are as intense I have seen ever in an animated feature. Some of the combat sequences rival those in many live action films. The only criticism would be that the action may be too intense for many younger viewers. But that's a parents call.

If you are going to own one Gundam saga on DVD, this definitely would be the one.

Note; This review is based upon the VHS version which I have owned for over two years. As of this writing the DVD has yet to be released. Any information on special features are not available to me at this time.