Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory Part 1-Episodes 1-4

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.

Your Name

One morning, a girl named Mitsuha, who wishes for a different life outside of her Japanese countryside home, wakes up in the body of a Tokyo high school student named Taki.  Taki himself winds up in Mistuha’s body.  Following initial confusion, the two begin to bond through their shared experiences, despite the fact they have never met in person.  As the bond between Mitsuha and Taki deepens, a disaster looms overhead that will rock both of them to the core.  Between faith and friendship, love and time, one of the most powerful Anime tales ever conceived is about to be told.

Your Name…Your Name…Your…Name.  It was the title I could not stop hearing about for months.  During the tail end of 2016, it was either this movie or Yuri on Ice that was being treated like it was the second coming for Anime fans worldwide.  Upon it’s release in Japan, Your Name shattered every single international box office record known to man, becoming one of Japan’s top 5 highest grossing films and enjoying a span of almost twelve weeks at #1 on the Japanese Box Office Charts (it was dethroned briefly by Death Note: Light up the New World but was back on top soon after).  Some critics, especially Anime News Network, hailed it as one of the best movies of 2016 and it even became a possibility that this film could get a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.  Wow.  When a film gets hyped this much, it already has a lot going against it.  What if it fails miserably?  What if it’s over hyped?  What if im just not impressed?  Well considering I knew next to nothing about the film besides the hype and the director, it was going to be an interesting viewing to say the least.

And by the end I was crying…not as bad as other people in the theater but still, frak you world, they hype was met.  No it was surpassed.  Makoto Shinkai pat yourself on the back cause you kicked all kinds of ass here buddy.

There are almost a million and one things to talk about when it comes to Your Name.  The story connects on levels you never thought it would.  It starts with a pretty neat spin on “Freaky Friday” before slowly turning into one of the most heart tugging love stories ever written by modern man.  The two leads are so freaking likeable, every single action they did mattered to me and I was actively rooting for them to eventually find each other in the end.  The animation grabbed you and pulled you against the screen, demanding your attention and keeping it for a good two hours.  The freaking comet is so gorgeous it sometimes steals the show, despite the doom it might seem to bring later on.

What makes this movie work for me personally, is that it reminds me a lot of why I like Anime to begin with.  A love story about body swapping lovers?  Not my cup of tea.  And it’s definitely not a story I’d see if it was a live action flick either.  But in Anime form, this seemingly silly story felt ready to go past all boundaries to get itself told.  And it did.  The humor and the heartfelt moments both gelled really well and while the switch from humor to serious is a little sudden, Your Name never loses its drive or your attention.  I kind of pieced together some of the secrets behind Mitsuha and Taki’s ability to switch but I never once let that distract me and it continued to bypass my expectations as to where it was all going in the end.  This is what Anime does best for me: takes standard imagination, kicks out the wall that is a barrier and takes you beyond everything you’ve come to expect. 

I really wish I could go into some more details about certain scenes and plot points but this is a movie I think you should see as Spoiler Free as possible, like I did.  Even if youre not an Anime fan, hell if youre a big romantic buff, this film will blow you away with just how good it is and how invested you are in everything.  Though, if I did have to criticize one thing, it’s the very end.  It could have taken two minutes to get to the final moment of Your Name.  Instead, they pad it out for about ten minutes and I was getting antsy for the conclusion to be reached.  It was there and, while I didn’t want the movie to end, they were taking a little too long to wrap up the main plot point.  Other than that, this film is pretty freaking flawless. 

Yep, I’ll stand by the praise and Your Name belongs on the same pedestal as Akira and Spirited Away.  It’s a film that shows what Anime is truly capable of and can appeal to both fans of the genre and casual movie goers alike.  There’s romance, there’s humor (I laughed every time Taki popped up in Mitsuha’s body and immedietly grabbed her boobs just as her kid sister came in and wondered WTF was wrong with her), there’s edge of your seat suspense and a literal race against time that you might not see coming but when it does, you’re in it.  Your with Taki and Mitsuha til the end.  It was a journey I wont soon forget and an Anime that moved me to tears.  I cant remember the last time that happened.  

I’ll end this review with a quote from Matt Smith’s 11^th Doctor from Doctor Who, that I think sums up my final thoughts on Your Name’s plot perfectly.

“The universe is big, it's vast and complicated, and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles. And that's the theory. Nine hundred years, never seen one yet, but this would do me.”

What else can I say…go see Your Name…yep…that’s it.

9.5/10

 

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Part 2-Episodes 4-6

The Cyclops Teams mission to destroy the prototype Alex Gundam ends in failure.  With most of the team dead, Bernie is the only one left to complete the mission.  The price of total failure: the nuclear annihilation of Libot.  As the final battle of the One Year War rages on far away, Libot becomes the battleground for a smaller, more desperate battle.  Al Izuruma. Bernie Wiseman. Christina Mackenzie.  The war will take the greatest toll on these three souls, held together by an unknown bond.  And Al is about to learn the greatest lesson of all: In war, no one is safe, not even the innocence of childhood.

You know, there’s an alternate universe out there where things went a lot differently.  Bernie is still alive, married to Chris and Al is their surrogate son…and it’s actually a thing considering they all pop up in an episode of Gundam Build Fighters, like a direct nod to the fans of this series.  Thinking about that just makes all the tears and hurt this finale brought about all the more tragic.

Few Anime can do in twenty six episodes what Gundam 0080 manages to do in just six.  Aside from the rushed villainy of Colonel Killing, the rest of this cast is well fleshed out and there is nary a character to despise.  The Cyclops Team shined especially in their final doomed mission.  From Garcia asking Bernie not to get killed to Mikhail sharing a drink with Steiner, you knew things were going to get bad but the team still got a chance to feel like a tight knit group that would walk into hell regardless.  Steiner dying and laughing off Bernie’s attempt to lie to him about the mission being a success was nice.  And Mikhail and Garcia got their own blaze of glory ends as well, Garcia in an epic gun battle and Mikhail going toe to toe with the Alex, finally unleashed.

It should be noted again that while Gundam 0080 isnt the most action heavy Gundam entry, the action has always been solid throughout.  We got to see the Kampher Mobile Suit, outfitted like it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger’s personal Mobile Suit, tear up everything before it’s doomed duel with the Alex.  Speaking of, the Alex itself only made a couple of short appearances but man could Chris handle that baby in action.  While few in number, the battles always felt large but also very personal at the same time.  The final battle in the forest was especially heavy, considering Al was trying his hardest to get to Bernie and tell him that Killing’s plan to destroy the colony had failed.  Seeing Bernie and Christina, two souls who should be soulmates, unknowingly tear each other up in combat was heartbreaking.  And, to his credit, Bernie did succeed in his mission…more or less.

Poor Al.  When we leave the kid in the parting shots of the series, he is a far cry from the boy we were introduced to.  Gone is the child who couldn’t wait to find even a scrap of a Mobile Suit or a bullet casing.  He’s seen war up close and personal, blood, bullets and all (Man was there a lot of blood in this one).  Al cant even hear his friends assure him the next war will be bigger and better than the last.  And he’s also been exposed to unfortunate truths, like the revelation that Chris was the Gundam pilot who took out his brother figure.  If you aren’t balling your eyes out like Al is when this series ends, there’s something terribly wrong with you.  But just before that, Bernie’s final message to him speaks to the heart of Gundam itself.  He asks Al to forgive everyone involved in this whole affair: Federation and Zeon alike.  “We’re all the same, Al,” he says.  And that makes me go “YES”.  Gundam has always been at it’s best when it’s giving us heroes to root for on both sides of the conflict.  The Cyclops Team was always a likeable troupe and how could you not love Chris (the Gundam pilot of my dreams).  It just adds more to the unfortunate sorrow that these people are in such a period of chaos.  Killing may have been shoehorned in as the last minute final villain for like five seconds.  But the real antagonist of Gundam 0080 is Fate itself.  War is hell and it never leaves anyone unscarred.  I only wish we could see what becomes of Al and Chris in the Universal Century.  My guess is Chris continues piloting on Earth while Al probably joins one of the numerous Zeon movements in honor of Bernie.  Would he even see Chris again and tell her the truth of this whole ordeal?  So many questions left unanswered but in a good way, very good food for thought.

I legitimately wanted to cry at the end of this series, which is something I cant really say about other Gundam stories, which usually just make me go “HELL YEAH!!!”  This one still has those kinds of moments but focusing the tale on a kid who gets to live his dream of going to war and seeing the nightmare it truly is, takes storytelling in Gundam to a whole other level.  Add in some fantastic art worthy of a movie (thank God for OVA budgets), a very 80’s, nigh Tron inspired soundtrack, and slick mecha designs and you’ve got close to a perfect entry in the Gundam cannon.  Again, if you’re not crying at the end, I dare say you’ve not only missed the point of this series but the point of Gundam as a whole.  It’s not only about the kick ass Mobile Suit, it’s about the people with the crummiest of luck in the worst of times and how they handle the hands fate deals them…and you’re rooting for them all the way, no matter what.

My final score for Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is a very strong…9.5/10

And next week we skip ahead to the revenge of Zeon and the birth of a dark age for the Earth Federation.  The celebration of Gundam continues next Monday for the start of Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory.

T5W#86-Top 5 Favorite Non Gundam Mobile Suits

Here we are at the first T5W of Gundam Month Mark II.  And I’m actually going to dedicate it to the non Gundams of the multiverse.  As much as we love the titular Mobile Suit, it isn’t the only one in existence out there.  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other models out there that are just as cool and sometimes even a tad superior depending on the series.  A lot of these aren’t even mass produced models.  Several are tailor made to their specific pilots.  But I’ll get to them and the others ones that always stood out for me.  So here they are, my Top 5 Favorite Non Gundam Mobile Suits.

 

#5: AGX-04 Gerbera-Tetra (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory)

Fun fact, this was originally supposed to be a Gundam.  Yep, during the big Gundam Project seen in 0083, the Gebera-Tetra was originally built to be the Gundam Unit 04.  However, Cima Garahau (in her only really attractive outfit) managed to coax it into her hands and give it a Zeon spin.  So technically it’s not a Gundam but it’s still pretty sleek in it’s design.  Plus it comes with a giant chaingun and moves fast as hell.  It’s a shame it only got to sortie once...and that it never made it’s way into Anavel Gato’s hands but that’s for a later discussion.

 

#4: MSN-04 Sazabi (Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack)

I’m usually not one for super bulky suits.  However, I’ll make an exception for this one as it feels like the culmination of Char Mobile Suits.  The Red Comet had this war machine custom made, as with all of his other suits, but this one isn’t a mass produced type, it’s all his.  I don’t know why he didn’t slim it down but again, I don’t care.  This suit screams Captain type and it looks like the figure head to lead an army.  Plus it wasn’t a pushover as it gave Amuro Ray’s Nu Gundam quite the fight in the Char’s Counterattack finale.

 

#3: OZ-00MS Tallgeese (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

This slot could have been filled by the later Tallgeese III from Endless Waltz (Which took the best parts of Wing Gundam Zero and Gundam Epyon and merged them with a new model suit).  However, the classic always sticks out to me.  This isn’t just the prototype for all the other suits to come in the After Colony Era, it’s also their freaking king.  With this, I saw that something was actually capable of standing up to a Gundam and couldn’t just be swatted away like a Leo or and Aries.  Plus, it looks like it is a total bitch to master.  Just look at how stressed Zechs Merquise is taking it into battle.  It takes a real pilot to get behind the controls of this one.

 

#2: RGM-89 Jegan (Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack and Mobile Suit Gundam F91)

The original Gundam series didn’t give a lot of variety to the Federation Mobile Suits.  The generally used GM’s were kind of meh.  Thankfully, their designs got better as time went by and that culminated in the sleek and stellar looking Jegan suits.  Not only is the name cool but these look way more futuristic military than anything seen before.  The first time I saw these things in action, I actually wanted to pilot one as much as I wanted to pilot a Gundam (and I can in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3).  It was a suit so bad ass it stayed in service for over 30 years, first seen (to my knowledge) in UC 0093 and last seen in UC 0123, the year Gundam F91 takes place.  I doubt it’s still in use in UC 0153 during Victory Gundam but I’m sure it would still eclipse any normal Mobile Suit from that era.

 

#1: MS-07B Gouf (Mobile Suit Gundam) & MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom (Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08^th MS Team)

Both models get a shout out from me here.  Both have great, stand out designs and both have amazing pilots to go with them.  Ramba Ral’s original from 0079 was the first really terrifying opponent the Gundam had to face after waves of Zakus.  “This is NO ZAKU!!!” Ral declares and yep he backs that up with improved movement and weapons offered to this blue devil.  Norris’ Gouf Custom in 08^th MS Team was the perfect follow up.  Not only did it move a lot better (cause of design and animation quality), but it was capable of taking on a small squad singlehandedly.  Even the 08^th MS Team combined had trouble taking it out.  Goes to show that a Gundam might strike fear into the hearts of the bad guys, but the bad guys have some aces of their own and they will never let you forget them.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Part 1-Episodes 1-3

(Welcome dear readers to GUNDAM MONTH MARK II.  To kick off Year Four of the Gundam Anime Corner and celebrate the Gundam franchises 38^th Anniversary, I’m doing special Gundam themed content for the whole month of April.  New reviews, new Top 5’s, I’m going all out on this one.  And it starts right here with Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket.)

UC0079.  In the neutral space colony of Libot, 11 year old Al Izuruma dreams of Mobile Suits and space battles as the One Year War rages on.  As luck would have it, he gets his chance to join the conflict when a Zeon special forces unit infiltrates the colony.  Their mission: to destroy a Newtype Specialized Gundam Mobile Suit.  All his life, Al always thought of war as a game.  But now the battle comes to Libot and his life is about to change forever.  The One Year War is almost over, but the true horrors of war have yet to be seen. 

The Mobile Suit Gundam franchise turns 38 this month.  While it does seem like just another birthday, I’m going to celebrate the month my most beloved Anime saga came into being by reviewing two Gundam OVAs.  The first up is Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, the entry that marked Gundam’s 10^th Anniversary in 1989.

Even before the first of this six part miniseries ends, you know you’re watching a very special entry in the Gundam mythos.  While it uses the One Year War as a backdrop, this story dares to be bold and only have passing mentions to the events going on outside of the colony of Libot and not have any appearances by some of the wars most major players.  The biggest nod you get so far is that the Alex Gundam is meant for Amuro Ray (actually expanding on a plot point from the original series: That Amuro’s skills were quickly surpassing his legendary Mobile Suit just before the war entered it’s final phase…ok geek moment over).  Other than that, this is a new tale nicely weaved into established events that stands very well on its own.  There might be a nitpick or two but we’ll get there.

Our main focus of the story revolves around three characters: Al, Bernie and Christina.  Al has the most attention, which is fitting given that this is meant to show how the horrors of war don’t feel real to kids kept safe from it until it shows up on their doorstep.  Al is both likeable and irritable.  You gotta admire his guts and drive (running into a battle to get footage of Mobile Suits, joining the Zeons ).  He engages in dares just to partake in the war he’s idolized, not really know what it will probably cost him in the end.  Bernie is an interesting one.  He’s not an ace but a poor guy with bad luck that has landed him as the “secret brother” of Al and the “Ace pilot” that has been added to the Zeon Cyclops team.  Despise him as much as you want for using Al the way he does to get information.  But there’s a good likeness to Bernie in that he does seem to care about the kid in his own way.  And then there’s Chris.  God what a beautiful woman, though she probably gets the least amount of screentime of the three chief characters.  Her main contribution though: she’s test piloting (successfully mind you) the Gundam meant for Amuro…boom, nothing else needs to be said.  Well that and she’s such a freaking sweetheart.  Chris is the girl next door who loves her mecha that every guy would want for a girlfriend.  And don’t think I noticed some of the smaller moments between her and Bernie…that’s not going to end well.

Seeing as how this was a milestone entry for Gundam, War in the Pocket has some good production qualities all across the board.  The animation is golden.  In a way it reminds me a lot of a Studio Ghibli production and, honestly, if Ghibli were to do a Gundam production, this would be it.  The effects of war seen through the eyes of a child is something they did in spades in Grave of the Fireflies (in fact I think they came out the same year, or Fireflies was a year earlier).  I also have to give the soundtrack a mention.  Not only are there some awesome battle tracks but some of the more peaceful colony scenes have a very innocent quality to them, like the kind youd find in a childrens tale.  I think a retrospective rewatch might produce some tears if this series goes the direction I think it’s going in. 

This is one of Gundam’s more human centered stories but there is plenty of action in the first three episodes, including a great opening scene with the Cyclops Team attacking a Federation base in the artic before the unfinished Gundam escapes.  It gets the ball rolling and then fights get a bit more sparse but not in a bad way.  Still, if action is your first priority, you might be a bit let down.  The Alex Gundam itself isn’t even seen in action save for a few moments with Chris in the cockpit running a simulation.  I had a similar complaint about Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz with holding the Gundams back until the last act.  Here’s hoping the Alex gets plenty of screentime next week.  And one other quick nitpick…who the hell would trust a military Colonel named Killing?  It’s clear this guy has it in for the Cyclops Team, even assigning rookie Bernie…just sayin, the guys name is Killing that’s…man is that a red flag.

Character names aside, there’s a lot of heart to Gundam 0080 that’s stronger than in most Gundam entries.  And as the series builds up to what will likely be a pretty dark and heavy second half, you can feel the tightness around that heart.  Gundam knows how to break hearts in big ways and I think a real tear jerker is in store…and when Mobile Suit Gundam can pull off a tale like that, you know why it earns my standing as the “Greatest Anime Saga of all Time.” 

See ya back on Friday for the conclusion of War in the Pocket…bring the tissues.