Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team Review

story 6.5/10

First things first, take all your misconceptions about the Gundam franchise and toss them out the window.  Unlike its numerous cohorts, 08^th MS Team is not some half-ass political commentary on the glory of pacifism, nor is it some pompous lightshow of flying robots and explosions.  Much to the contrary, it takes upon a life of its own, and firmly stands by itself irrespective of its Gundam brand.

Perhaps the most appealing aspects of 08^th MS Team revolve around its intensive focus on realism.  While the war in the series is indeed fought with giant humanoid robots, it's surprisingly plausible in a number of ways and sheds the whole concept of "invincible gundams" that so many other series embrace.  In fact, its main emphasis lies on humanizing the lives of the soldiers, as can be seen through the main cast.  The story begins smack dab in the middle of a global war between a fractionalized human race, tracing the steps of a newly graduated ensign for the earth forces by the name of Shiro Amada.  As a first order of business, he's assigned to the 08^th Mobile Suit Team smack dab in the middle of the Vietnam jungle as its captain, but quickly realizes he's in for one hell of a ride - his team is comprised of a lazy, sparsely motivated tactical officer, a foul-mouthed mechanic who scoffs at his authority, a pilot with a complete lack of morale, and a communications officer who couldn't give a damn about his duties.

This premise, however, leads into what makes 08^th MS Team so damn great.  The story chronicles Shiro's battle to acquire the respect of a group of people who couldn't give a rat's ass about him and turn them into an effective and efficient combat unit.  As such, the war driving the series becomes almost secondary to the plights of the characters; in many ways, the true purpose of the story is to display just how tedious, dangerous, and demanding the life of a soldier can be.  For example, with the series being set in the heart of the Vietnamese jungle, problems such as boredom surface to be as much an enemy as a foreign mobile suit, and this shapes a number of conflicts between the characters.  The series reminds the viewer consistently that neither Shiro nor the members of his team are somehow immune to the wears and tears of combat, and their growth from a rag-tag group of individuals to a solid, single unit proves a most enjoyable watch.

animation 7/10

Being that it's over a decade old, don't expect too much from 08^th MS Team's animation in terms of coloration and vibrant character design.  Despite its age, however, it still holds its own in comparison to modern series, as can be seen with its very elaborate focus on detail.  As with real life, the team often goes long periods of time before returning to base, and must endure a number of battles without the means to provide their mobile suits with full repairs.  As such, combat damage flows from one battle to the next, and the series makes a point to keep the damage on the gundams consistent with the sequence of battles they fight.  For example, the gundams get limbs blown off from time to time, and the team salvages and retrofits parts from damaged foes to compensate.

sound 7/10

Out of my ten years plus of anime experience, only two series have produced dubs which I consider worthy of consideration, and 08^th MS Team happens to be one of them.  Though not quite up to par with their Japanese seiyuu counterparts, the English voice actors do a suitable job at capturing each of their character's personas, and I really can't complain.  A solid soundtrack supports the cast, so there's little to actively complain about.

characters 10/10

As I mentioned before, 08^th MS Team is a series driven almost exclusively by its characters.  Despite being set amidst a war of tremendous scale, the focus remains almost exclusively on Shiro, and as such the magnitude of the conflict is never fully explored.  In many ways, though, this proves a good thing, since the purpose of the series is to highlight the human side of armed conflict.

That said, Shiro, like so many war-centered males, initially comes across as a typical, idealistic "I refuse to kill!" lead.  Right off the bat, however, he's fleshed out to be more than a simple-minded idiot - he's a trained military officer whose duties revolve around the killing of others.  While he tries to avoid conflict as much as possible, when push comes to shove he thrusts his idealism to the back of his mind and does what must be done.  His blend of intellect, charisma, and ingenuity make him a character with whom the viewer can easily empathize, and as the series progresses this feeling only grows.  Above all, he contains all the qualities one would expect a leader to posses, which ultimately makes his story quite believable.

Because I could write a number of paragraphs for each of the series' main characters (there are about ten or so), I'll just say that each of the team's four other members are given as much depth as Shiro.  Though initially spoken to with sarcasm and indifference, as the series progress he's treated with an increasing amount of reverence, which certainly testifies to the bonding of the unit.  Not only does he connect with each of the team's members personally, but he helps them connect with each other.  For example, right off the bat Sanders and Karen are at each other's throats, and being that the two serve as Shiro's lances, it's imperative that he make the two work together not only for their own sake but for his as well.  Karen's ego and Sanders' insecurity make this a daunting task, however, and the problem stems deeper than a simple personality clash.  This leads into one of the series' central focuses - each of the members of the team come from different backgrounds, different pasts, and different reasons for fighting in the war, and it's up to their commanding officer to bridge the chasms between them in order for the unit to survive.

overall 8/10

Despite it's Gundam title, 08^th MS Team is a truly unique installment that differs rather strongly from its counterparts.  Instead of lamenting obnoxiously about how all war can be stopped by ideals of understanding and pacifism, it instead tells the microscopic story of a few ordinary soldiers fighting for a common cause of peace.  There's no abrasive, naïve socio-political lecture rammed down your throat for an annoyingly large number of episodes; ultimately, irrespective of its war setting, it's but a poignant tale of a mishap, diverse group of people thrown together who must overcome their hardships.  It's simple, it's effective, it's genius - not to be missed.