Search - Mobile Suit Gundam - The 08th MS Team (Vol. 4) on DVD

The BEST Gundam ever!!! 5 stars plus+++

Drez | 08/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a seasoned Japanese Anime watcher, being an avid follower and collector since childhood. With so many anime titles from the '70s, '80s, '90s, and up to the present for comparison, Gundam 08th MS Team is, without a doubt, rated among the very best of the best.As a Gundam series, it is without equal. Forget about the recent hyped and fanciful Gundams such as Gundam Wing, or Gundam 0083. For these series may have the best looking Mobile Suits, they are actually being cleverly marketed alongside their plastic model franchises. But for those of us who are looking for a good anime with good storyline, 08th MS Team is the best bet. O8th MS Team was released with very modest publicity. It did not not have a lavish budget to warrant fluid animation. And its Mobile Suit designs were very plain and workman-like. Many new generation Gundam fans scoffed at its down-to-earth reputation. They should watch the series once again. What 08th MS Team lacked in its franchise department, has been compensated with a very well developed and mature storyline. Each character has different, and very well defined personality. They will grow into you. They were skillfully drawn to reflect their looks with their behavior. For instance; Eledore the music lover has a punkish look; Michel the day-dreamer is made to look like a nerd; Karen the tough Sgt. is a burly sort of woman who has brownish skin; Ginias Sakhalin was drawn to look like a handsome aristocrat but with greedy self-centered eyes. Aina Sakhalin is my favorite character. She has those dreamy eyes as any young girl in love would have. The tone of her looks was made to match well with Shiro Amada. One can see clearly the two lovers were not meant to be painted separately. One should pay tribute to the sensitivities of the character designer and the artists who had used the savviness of their skills to retell a version of Romeo & Juliet in the form of anime cells.Action sequences? Believe me, episode 11(Shaking Mountain, Part 1) will take your breath away. If you think the battles between Kou Uraki & Anavel Gato, and Heero Yui & Zechs Marquis were great, check this one out. It is not just a case of two guys brawling and ripping each other's circuits out. It was an intense street battle, staged with both cunning and guile. It makes much more sense this way, and clearly defines what fighting on Mobile Suits is all about. 08th MS Team is a touching and moving chronicle. It is like a brilliant prose that pulls you heartstrings. It is such an egrossing experience watching this series."

A happy ending

Drez | Barberton, Ohio United States | 10/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At the end of the last episode, we find that Aina and Shiro are alive and well...and Aina looks to be pregnant (gee, who saw THAT coming?)
The first two espiodes is a two-parter and is the final battle between the Federation and the Zeon. I either didn't see the very last espiode ("Last Resort") on Cartoon Network or they didn't show it at all. On the Cartoon Network version, it isn't clear in Aina and Shiro survived the battle, as Miguel (spelling?) tells us that he never saw the two again. However, i am very happy for Aina and Shiro. Love knows no bounds (or sides in a war). A great ending to a great series!"

Romantic love story, noble war story

David Kim | High Point, NC | 01/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The classic elements are there: innocent love between enemies that overcomes the trials and tribulations of war and defeats an evil force.Animation is quite good, and frankly, I find the plot and dialogue more plausible than any other Gundam series. Consider, for instance that the 08th MS Team is a group of earth-bound fighters. Technically, these guys wouldn't last against the new-types out in space. But, then again I thought the new-types like Gundam Wing fighters or Kou and Gato in 0083, who fly mobile suits at lightning speeds, were too fantastic. Not so with the 08th team. Shiro is definitely a personable and likeable character; he is mortal and he fights human enemies.The drama that engulfs brewing evil force in the form of a new weapon, is the love story between Shiro and Aina. Against all odds, the two enemies end up together after a battle and fall in (or confess their) love. As a true testament to this love, the two would willingly sacrifice their lives to destroy the new weapon."

Great Climax to a Great Series

R. Sundquist | Madison, Wisconsin | 07/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mobile Suit Gundam is a classic of the giant robot genre, and has always been closer to science-fiction than other shows that treat the robots as superheroes. "08th MS Team" is the culmination of the military/science fiction approach. For the first time we see the Gundams presented as complex machines that can not only be damaged, but break down and suffer mechanical problems. The heroes are the average soldiers who have to pilot these vehicles in the One Year War, and they can make mistakes too.

Shiro Amada is the protagonist, and he's older and a little more mature than Amuro Rae was in the original series. He's full of angst, but that's because he's met and fallen in love with an enemy mobile suit pilot and he's suddenly realized that the Zeons and the Federation aren't as different as he thought.

The animation has come a long way in the sixteen years or so since the first Gundam show, and it's even a big step forward from "Stardust Memories" only a few years earlier. The movement is fluid, and the design and artwork is excellent. Throughout the series Shiro and his team get stuck in some complicated ethical situations, but in the penultimate climax -- "The Shuddering Mountain, part I" -- they have to face a Zeon ace pilot, and it's quite a spectacular event.

Previous Gundam shows have usually concluded that war is bad, but necessary. "08th MS Team" dares to ask if it really is necessary after all."