30 years ago, the second age of Mobile Suit Gundam began
with two attempts at a new launch point for the franchise.
One was the theatrical feature, Mobile Suit
Gundam F91…it wasn’t good.
The second
faired much better overall (even if it’s not a perfect piece).
Gundam 0083 served as both a sequel to Mobile
Suit Gundam, taking place three years after the end of the One Year War, and
covered events that would set up Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.
Like I said, Gundam 0083 isnt perfect but it
is one of the most epic entries in the Gundam pantheon, boasting amazing
visuals and a scale of battle by which all other Gundam battles should be
judged.
To celebrate the 30
th
birthday of this important chapter in the franchise, I’m counting down the Top
5 Moments from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory.
Tbh, I was thinking about doing a Top 5 for
both 0083 and F91…but F91 doesn’t really have 5 good moments (can only say it’s
a beautiful looking flick), so we’re just sticking with Stardust Memory.
#5-Haman Kahn Cameo
It’s a very brief moment and she only says a couple
sentences worth of dialogue.
But seeing
Haman show up when Delaz Fleet representatives visit the Zeons living on the
asteroid Axis is a clear sign that this series is going to tie into the very
beginnings of Zeta Gundam.
Gundam 0083
actually has several cameos from characters who would play major, antagonistic
roles in Zeta including Bask Oum and Haiman Jamitov, aka the leaders of the
Titans.
Seeing Haman is probably my
favorite of these cameos if only because I’m a big fan of hers and I think she
looks more beautiful than ever in the OVAs high quality artstyle.
#4-Kou Kills Cima
While the villains of Gundam 0083 are some of the
strongest and most well defined in the series, not all of them measure up.
Cima Garahau lacks true depth, coming off as a
high on herself bad guy who wants revenge against Zeon for…you know I don’t
think it’s ever clearly explained what her deal is or why she strikes a
backroom deal with the Federation Officials who would one day found the
Titans.
She comes off as annoying and
more of a whinner than a threat.
So
yeah, it is pretty bad ass to see this would be manipulator meet her end via
particle cannon from the GP03 shoved right into her cockpit.
I mean, clearly Cimas never heard, “Bitches
love cannons”.
#3-Gundam GP01Fb Zephyranthes Full Vernian vs. Gundam
GOP2A Physalis
Kou Uraki and Anavel Gato square off four times across
Gundam 0083’s 13 episode run (twice on Earth in the first two episodes and
twice in space).
Of these four
skirmishes, I think their best one is the signature series duel following
Gato’s nuking of the Federation Fleet at Solomon.
My thoughts on Uraki being a crap pilot
aside, the GP01 Full Vernian is a gorgeous Mobile Suit and is far more suited
to take on Gato’s monstrous Physalis than it’s bare bones original
version.
This battle is we paced and
intense and the final outcome is one I didn’t expect…which is a shame because
both of these Gundams are great and it was a shame neither made it to the
finish line of the OVA.
#2-The Torrington Attack
This is probably one of my all time favorite scenes in
all of Gundam.
After three years of
tenuous peace, the remnants of Zeon, the Delaz Fleet, announce Zeon is back in
a big way-by stealing the GP02 Physalis and bombing the crap out of the
Federation’s Torrington base.
This felt
like a bit moment in the Universal Century and I always get a Pearl Harbor vibe
from it: the devastating sneak attack that no one saw coming until it was
already happening.
In a way, this
opening battle matters more than the climactic finale to Operation Stardust at
the end of the OVA.
This was the moment
when the Earth Federation’s eternal enemy came back and signaled the first of
many wars that would resonate across the latter part of the first century of
the Universal Century.
#1-Gato’s Final Charge
When it comes to casts, Gundam 0083 has some of the worst
“heroes” in the francise from Kou Uraki (who’s just lucky to be here) to Nina
Purpleton (a walking disaster of character writing). The villains have always
been superior to the good guys in this OVA and Gato is one of the best in all
of Gundam.
Ruthless but charismatic, a
killing machine in the cockpit who cares about his men, Gato’s is a story you
wanted to know more about.
And just as
strong as he entered the OVA in the A Boa A Qu flashback, Gato went out in a
blaze of glory in the OVAs final moments.
Battered and with no chance of survival, Gato leads one final charge and
manages to take a few Federation ships down with him.
As he screams his last battlecry, everytime
all I can think is, “Unfair dammit…why did Gato have to die and not Kou Uraki?”
Oh btw, I have a special bonus for you Dear Readers. I was going to save this for early 2022 but
now feels like the better time to share it.
I present a special bonus review of Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The
Afterglow of Zeon and you can check it out, right here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/mobile-suit-gundam-0083-afterglow-of.html
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