Cenimoran

Overview-

The Gundam series has had many iterations, some good and some bad. The 08th MS Team seems to fit in the middle of that spectrum: it's a solid anime, albeit a little dated. No element is particularly lacking, and no element is particularly amazing. While watching this show, I felt that there was some influence from the Vietnam War. Much of the combat takes place in the jungle, and guerilla warfare is mentioned. That sense was more prevalent in the beginning of the series, however. Instead of American GI's cutting through the jungle, it was Federation Gundams; and, instead of Viet Cong guerillas, Zeon Zakus lurked in wait. If there was any influence, though, it was strictly military. There is no allusion to the domestic turmoil in the U.S. during the Vietnam War.

Story-

In terms of overarching plot, the story wasn't all that wonderful. It isn't bad; there just isn't anything too novel about it. Two factions are fighting: the Federation and the Principality of Zeon. There's a Mobile Suit team serving the Federation; there's also a mad genius and his kindhearted sisted, working for Zeon. Of course, the main character ends up loving the girl on the enemy side, and conflict ensues.

To be honest, I felt that the central love story was one of the show's weaker elements. Why? It was just so cheesy. Here's an example:

Shiro: Oh Aina!

Aina: Oh Shiro!

*They look at each other with shining eyes*

Shiro: But we're enemies...

Aina: I don't care!

*They look at each other again. By this point I'm hoping a stray bullet will kill them both.*

The slight romance between Kiki and Shiro could have been expanded upon more. It certainly would have been better than the contrived love story the creators gave us.

Animation- This show is fairly old, but it doesn't look so bad. Compared to more modern productions, however, it just can't hold up. The character designs are decent, as are the mobile suits. Nothing really stuck out at me. Combat is fairly fluid, enough so that it doesn't drag. The backgrounds seemed average for an anime of this age.

Sound- The music was decent, if a little forgettable. A few tracks are catchy, while the rest are mostly bland. The opening and ending songs are good, just not to my tastes. The voice actors perform well all around.

Characters- One of my favorite parts of the this show was the characters. Initially, I disliked the main character. He seemed like your average, "Let's get in there and fight!" lead. As the story progresses, though, we see that he is more than that. Shiro commands as he needs to, and seems to really care about his subordinates. He has his flaws, and he has his strengths. Many other characters follow the same pattern. Additional personality dimensions are slowly revealed in each character as the show goes on. I deeply appreciated this. Character development isn't huge in all of the characters, nor does it have to be. The show is relatively short (12 episodes), and trying to develop all of the characters in that time could have turned out badly.

* A note on my evaluation system*

0=Awful beyond belief, an offense against humanity that should be annihilated.

5=Average. "Meh"

10="OMG OMG I LOVE THIS!"