UC0083. The One
Year War has long since ended. Three
years of peace are about to come to a shattering halt when the last remnants of
Zeon, the Delaz Fleet, begin a long awaited plan for revenge. A successful attack on the Federation’s
Torrington Base nets the rebels a prototype Gundam armed with a nuclear
warhead. The battleship Albion is tasked
with tracking down the Zeon renegades.
Among their crew is Kou Uraki, the pilot of a second Gundam prototype,
and Nina Purpleton, the cheif designer of both Gundams. Their opponent: Anavel Gato, the Nightmare of
Solomon, and the ghosts of Zeon itself.
The war begins anew in 0083.
I hate to say it, but I think I was spoiled by Gundam
0080. That near perfect mix of quality
animation, stellar character writing and dramatic storytelling was just that,
near perfect. It set a high bar for any
other Gundam OVA to come and it did so in only 6 short episodes, practically a
movie. So it worries me…that four
episodes in, Gundam 0083 only has a couple of those working elements down and
there’s still nine episodes left. It
makes me really worried.
First, let’s talk the good, God is this Anime
gorgeous. The OVA style is something
that maybe suits Gundam more than a TV series.
The budget is there to make the action great, the mechas more sleek and
the sounds all the more real and epic.
In a way, the animation reminds me a lot of the Vision of Escaflowne TV
series we’d get a few years after this debuted in Japan (I think series
director Shoji Kawamori even has a credit on Gundam 0083 in the mecha design
department. There’s a lot happening on screen,
and more sure to come. But the time has
gone into animating it all, from the movements to the still paintings. If it’s one lesson this series took from
0080, the animation matters and Gundam 0083 is all over that. I’ll admit, im not to impressed with the
Gundam Unit 01’s design. It’s just
so…basic? Nothing really stands out
about it. The Gundam Unit 02, however,
now if Darth Vader had a Mobile Suit, it would be this. This monster screams doom and death and not
just cause it has a nuke. I kind of wish
Zeon getting it’s own Gundam would happen a bit more frequently cause this is
such an awesome figurehead suit for them.
The story has plenty of promise and even starts with a
bang, much like 0083. Before Gundam Seed
came along and tried to do the same tactic TWICE (don’t get me started), the
0083 Gundamjack was a pretty big thing.
The subsequent attack during Gato’s thievery gives the whole ordeal a
very Pearl Harbor vibe. If the One Year
War was WWI, then this is the dawn of WWII.
Zeon’s not pulling any punches, even sending in it’s best pilot to get
the job done. Enter Anavel Gato, the
Nightmare of Solomon. While not a Char
type (he’s maskless), Gato is just as likeable, even though he is the series
main antagonist. He’s overconfident but
also proud and highly supportive of his troops.
There’s just something that draws you to him and it makes me wish this
series was entirely about him instead of the rest of the main cast (getting to
them momentarily). In fact, most of Zeon
we see here is very different from the One Year War. We’ve got the revenge filled ones but it’s
the Earth trapped ones that provide a very tragic feel for the once proud
Principality. They’re hurting and cant
do much to take on the Federation in their weakened state. Hell it’s all they can do to buy time for Gato
to get back into space with the Gundam.
I’m sure we’ll see more stubborn Zeon’s when we get back into space. But for the first time, based on Gato and the
Earth Zeon’s, you almost kind of want to root for them a bit.
Which is more than I can say for everyone else. Gundam 0083 has a bit of a rep as being the
“Top Gun” of the Gundam Franchise. You
can see that in the opening training academy sequence and the Viper style
teaching of bad ass commander South Burning.
But the trainees looking to get the Top Gun Trophy, aka a chance to
pilot a Gundam…are no Maverick and Goose.
Our “Maverick” is Kou Uraki…a whiny little wimp who spends most of the
four intro episodes either gawking over the Gundams or whining his way through
every situation. The only reason he ends
up as the Gundams pilot is SOMEHOW he’s a decent enough pilot. Only problem is that pilots body is inhabited
by an seven year old looking to please his father in every conceivable
way. Plus, he’s so wound up and uptight
with military regs, he even calls Gato “Sir” in the middle of a battle (cause
he first met Gato when he was disguised as a Federation officer). You don’t even have to let your head hit the
desk…Gato does that for you by shouting, “I’M THE ENEMY YOU MORON!!!” And this is the guy they want to save the
world. No wonder I want to root for Gato
so badly. Even at his absolute worst,
Amuro Ray was never this bad in the original series AND I believed him more as
a talented pilot than the actual pilot Uraki I supposed to be…burn.
Also along for the ride is a pretty little annoyance
named Nina Purpleton. Again, the Top Gun
comparrisons jump in as she clearly looks like Kelly McGilliss’s “Charlie” from
the movie. Only where as Charlie took no
crap from anyone, not even Tom Cruise, Nina screams and cries like she’s in a
freaking Godzilla movie with giant monsters.
She also happens to be the creator of the new Gundam Units and when
they’re stolen, she acts like somebody just stole her freaking puppy, “OH NO
NOT MY GUNDAMS!!!” She and Kou are
practically made for each other: He’s a Gundam nut and she’s the overbearing
creator of his favorite hobby. Her
cuteness can only get her so far in this series and it’s not saving Nina from
being as equally unbearable as Uraki.
There are other equally obnoxious characters splintered about on the
Federation side, like Muncha…why the frak is he even still in the
military. He drinks on the job, sexually
harasses the girls on the ship and even manipulates Uraki into a dangerous
situation just so he can die and he can become the pilot of Unit 01. And what do his teammates, Random Mustache Guy
and Zap Branigan (Yes they have names but let me rant) do about this…encourage
him…wow no wonder the Federation became so bad by Zeta Gundam…hey…wait a
second.
So yeah, my hope for the “Good Guys” is pretty much nil
at this point. It’s a stark contrast to
Gundam 0080 where all, except one character, were likeable and the line between
good and evil was a bit of a blur cause of character motivations. Here, I think I want the Zeon’s to win just
because the pilots on the Albion are so inept and annoying I think I want them
all to bite it…except Burning, he can live.
If it wasn’t for the Edward James Olmos style Captain Synapse and his
more entertaining, but horribly underutilized, bridge crew, id write the whole
ship off all together.
Granted this is still very early on so things can change
and characters could get better. I’m
curious to see where the story goes, though that clue above might be a huge
hint. The animation is really good and
the action is pretty freaking intense as well.
Uraki and Nina just need to get their act together…because I’m rooting
for the bad guy right now and unless he’s Char (or the Terminator) technically
you’re not supposed to do that. Then
again, this is Gundam. There are heroes
and villains on both sides of the war.
Only when it comes to Gundam 0083, it’s hard to tell who’s who…that’s
not a good sign. Oh well, we’ll see if
things pick up next week.
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