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Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 - Stardust Memories (Vol. 2)

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 - Stardust Memories (Vol. 2)

List Price: $29.98
Your Price: $26.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Much better than Gundam Wing!
Review: 0083 is my favorite gundam series and its one of the most successful animes' in the 80's. The story, animation, sound effects and the music is excellently done well. The story is very despressing and sad to watch. This series on dvd is definatly worth to buy and its uncut.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Gundam.
Review: After the release of the amazing OVA (A straight to video anime release) "Mobile Suit Gundam: 0080" Bandai realized that there is room for the Gundam franchise on straight to video format. And thus 0083 came out, now let me just say us Gundam fans have always had the joy of having very good graphics, if you have ever seen "Mobile Suit Gundam F91" it appears as a late 90s film, but actually came out in 91 or so.

Onto 0083, now you don't really need to watch any of the previous Gundam shows to watch it, but it may help to look up the story to MSG to get an idea of the backround. If you like action scenes you are in luck! Gundam 0083 has them in every episode, and may I say they are good action scenes. And I am going to defend the character of Kou Uraki here, people call him whiny, but let me remind you that Kou was forced to try to beat overwhelming circumstances after many of his friends died during an attack, and he was also struggling in his love life, wouldn't you be angsty in that poisiton? I certianly would. With that said characters like Kou, Keith, Nina and Cima are neat, but let critize 0083 for not explaining Cima's backround well enough, I can't remember it to well, so I won't explain it here, you should look it up.

The Mechanical desing is great, notable ones are the GPO 1, 2 and 3, and others, I personally am found of that Guncanon Keith has.

Overall would I suguest the series? Yes. To people allready into mech anime, and people just getting into mech anime. while the characters are no were near as deep as others, the action is good and interesting to watch, the story is good and I love the intro songs :)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Gundam
Review: After the release of the amazing OVA (A straight to video anime release) "Mobile Suit Gundam: 0080" Bandai realized that there is room for the Gundam franchise on straight to video format. And thus 0083 came out, now let me just say us Gundam fans have always had the joy of having very good graphics, if you have ever seen "Mobile Suit Gundam F91" it appears as a late 90s film, but actually came out in 91 or so.

Onto 0083, now you don't really need to watch any of the previous Gundam shows to watch it, but it may help to look up the story to MSG to get an idea of the backround. If you like action scenes you are in luck! Gundam 0083 has them in every episode, and may I say they are good action scenes. And I am going to defend the character of Kou Uraki here, people call him whiny, but let me remind you that Kou was forced to try to beat overwhelming circumstances after many of his friends died during an attack, and he was also struggling in his love life, wouldn't you be angsty in that poisiton? I certianly would. With that said characters like Kou, Keith, Nina and Cima are neat, but let critize 0083 for not explaining Cima's backround well enough, I can't remember it to well, so I won't explain it here, you should look it up.

The Mechanical desing is great, notable ones are the GPO 1, 2 and 3, and others, I personally am found of that Guncanon Keith has.

Overall would I suguest the series? Yes. To people allready into mech anime, and people just getting into mech anime. while the characters are no were near as deep as others, the action is good and interesting to watch, the story is good and I love the intro songs :)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A new take on the Universal Century
Review: After the success of the short coming Gundam 0080, Sunrise was ready to go to the next level by filling in some of the gaps in the Universal Century. Gundam 0083 became one of the hottest OAVs ever featuring new characters, mecha and battleships, making it an unbeatable successor to Gundam 0080.

The story takes off in the year 0083 (obviously) when the Federation now owns Zakus and are very easy-going on security. The legendary Anavel Gato, also known as the Nightmare of Solomon, sneaks in and captures a Gundam. But rookie ensign Kou Uraki plans to retrieve it at all costs and prevents the rebirth of Zeon.

Episode 1 (B-): Gato steals a Gundam from a Federation base.
Episode 2 (A): Kou, Kieth, Burning and Allen go after the GPO-2 to retrieve it.
Episode 3 (B-): Kou agrees to fight that will decide who pilots the Gundam.
Episode 4 (A+): The Albion crew must fight to stop the GPO-2 from launching in Africa.

The animation is extremely good for a series coming out right at the beginning of the "anime cash crunch period". All the mobile suits are very vivid and fluent in movement. Plus, the character designs are all extremely well drawn and suit the series very well. The dub cast does an okay job, but sometimes their voices are a tad off with the lip movements. The music does an excellent job portraying the mood of this show and almost reminds me of the music from Char's Counterattack.

The extras on this disc are pretty much what you expect from Bandai now. The textless opening\closings are pretty nice and the MS Encyclopedia is always a welcome companion in Gundam series.

Overall, Gundam 0083 is a series that will appeal to all fans of Gundam, new or old.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is Gundam the way it should be!
Review: Back in 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam first aired in Japan. Now over twenty years later, the Gundam Invasion has come to America. And it has landed with a resounding "bang".

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083; Stardust Memory is perhaps the strongest story arc in the Gundam U.C. universe. Set three years after the end of the One Year War (which was the setting for the original Gundam series) this thirteen episode series is finally coming to DVD.

The story centers on Ensign Kou Uraki, an Earth Federation mobile suit pilot who is forced to face his many fears and overcome seemingly impossible odds while coping with the many interpersonal relationships all against the backdrop of war. Although this is a very common theme in anime and throughout the Gundam saga, Stardust Memory keeps it fresh and invigorating. Never once do you feel that plot drags or that the characters are not believable.
Unlike many other anime titles we are allowed to see the enemys point of view. Uraki's nemesis, Zeon ace pilot Anavel Gato, is not portrayed as some inhuman monster, but as a dedicated man who just happens to fight for "the enemy". Gato is one of the more compelling characters in this series. He finds that he has more in common with Uraki than he first thought( at the risk of giving away a critical plot element I won't divulge what it is here, you'll have to watch to find out).

Technically the animation is superb. Although it was made over ten years ago, it really does not have a dated feel to it. The battle sequences are as intense I have seen ever in an animated feature. Some of the combat sequences rival those in many live action films. The only criticism would be that the action may be too intense for many younger viewers. But that's a parents call.

If you are going to own one Gundam saga on DVD, this definitely would be the one.

Note; This review is based upon the VHS version which I have owned for over two years. As of this writing the DVD has yet to be released. Any information on special features are not available to me at this time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is Gundam the way it should be!
Review: Back in 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam first aired in Japan. Now over twenty years later, the Gundam Invasion has come to America. And it has landed with a resounding "bang".

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083; Stardust Memory is perhaps the strongest story arc in the Gundam U.C. universe. Set three years after the end of the One Year War (which was the setting for the original Gundam series) this thirteen episode series is finally coming to DVD.

The story centers on Ensign Kou Uraki, an Earth Federation mobile suit pilot who is forced to face his many fears and overcome seemingly impossible odds while coping with the many interpersonal relationships all against the backdrop of war. Although this is a very common theme in anime and throughout the Gundam saga, Stardust Memory keeps it fresh and invigorating. Never once do you feel that plot drags or that the characters are not believable.
Unlike many other anime titles we are allowed to see the enemys point of view. Uraki's nemesis, Zeon ace pilot Anavel Gato, is not portrayed as some inhuman monster, but as a dedicated man who just happens to fight for "the enemy". Gato is one of the more compelling characters in this series. He finds that he has more in common with Uraki than he first thought( at the risk of giving away a critical plot element I won't divulge what it is here, you'll have to watch to find out).

Technically the animation is superb. Although it was made over ten years ago, it really does not have a dated feel to it. The battle sequences are as intense I have seen ever in an animated feature. Some of the combat sequences rival those in many live action films. The only criticism would be that the action may be too intense for many younger viewers. But that's a parents call.

If you are going to own one Gundam saga on DVD, this definitely would be the one.

Note; This review is based upon the VHS version which I have owned for over two years. As of this writing the DVD has yet to be released. Any information on special features are not available to me at this time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gundam For Those That Don't Like Gundam...
Review: Being more of a fan of romantic comedies or epic fantasies in anime than mech-heavy space operas, I've found it very hard to get really interested in the Gundam universe - in spite of the vastness of the franchise and the scope of the story that is told. That said, though, I have found the first disc of Gundam 0083 to be surprisingly enjoyable - and easy to get into.

The story is a surprisingly compelling one - in bringing a pair of prototype mechanized giant armors - Gundams - to a test base in Australia, the crew of the Albion finds one of their nuclear-equipped Gundams hijacked right from under their noses by the remnant of the rogue government that Earth defeated just four years before. Pursuing this stolen Gundam across Australia and Africa, this crew has to desperately try to stop Zeon - the rogue government - from using this Gundam as the lynchpin in rebuilding their forces.

Two things really struck me about this series. One was that it was really more about the interpersonal relationships between the characters than about the Gundams (although there's lots of tech and battle sequences for the die-hard Gundam fans as well). The other was that it's quite beautifully animated. The colors are surprisingly vibrant and the animation quality is impressively good for a series that dates to the late 80s/early 90s.

The video and audio quality seem quite good - at least to my rather archaic television. The extras were quite nice as well: the usual textless opening and ending as well as a miniatue Gundam encyclopedia full of Gundam and vehicle stats and - something especially useful for me and any others new to the series - a timeline in the DVD insert.

While this disc hasn't sold me on the entire Gundam franchise, it has sold me on the rest of this series. It balances action, romance, angst and fear in a very well-realized world. I recommend it as much for the anime fan not familiar with (or traditionally not interested in) Gundam as the die-hard fan. I will be awaiting the rest of this series with interest

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gundamtastic
Review: Finally Bandai releases these classics in the US with proper subtitles and excellent digital post production. 0083 is a fav for most old Gundam fans, like myself, as it captures the essence of the original Gundam series with nicer animation. Of the Gundam works I like Char's Coutnerattack, 0083, Z Gundam and the Original Series the best. This is part 2(obviously) and I'm sure you can read the item desciption for a plot...

As for the subbing...well like all US released anime steer clear of the US voice tracks. They simply don't compare to the Japanese voices. They never do. I have no idea why US anime companies even waste the money :(

These actually look slightly better than the Japanese versions of the discs(which I also have). Bandai USA is still producing the best looking(compression, etc) DVDs of any of the US publishers at present.

They still have cheap looking packaging and even worse menus but I'll deal with those as the content itself is presented very well.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Forgotten Stardust
Review: I am a big fan of the "Mobile Suit Gundam" series. I personally think it is the greatest anime series of all time...in my opinion. I also know, that like all great anime series, there are always a few turkies in the group that seem out of place within a series. "Stardust Memory" falls soundly into the turkey pile.

The premise of "Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory" is exciting enough for a Gundam story. Four years since the defeat of the Duchy of Zeon back in Universal Century 0079, the Earth Federation has been at peace. However, that peace is about to fly out the window when a rebelious Zeon movement known as the Delaz Fleet, led by "The Nightmare of Solomon" Anaval Gato, takes it into their hands to show the Federation that Zeon is far from dead. After Gato steals one of two prototype Gundams (Gundam GP-02) armed with nuclear capabilities, it is up to rookie Federation pilot Kou Uraki, with the Gundam GP-01 and the crew of Albion to stop Gato and prevent the rebirth of Zeon. Can he do it before they put the destructive "Operation Stardust" into action? Like I said, interesting story, but there leaves a lot to be desired. I'll get to that.

The 13 episode OVA was supposed to take place in the nether regions of the years between the original "Mobile Suit Gundam" and it's sequel "Zeta Gundam," amassing into one of the many side stories of the UC timeline (other, more notable stories being "War in the Pocket" and "08th MS Team"). Basically chronicling what happened after the One Year War and before the Gryps Conflict. It provides for good story material, had it been executed correctly.

Characters are very weak when compared to the major story.The story presents multiple characters, but only places a very small spotlight on the stage. And squeezed in that tiny spotlight are Gato, Kou, and the femals love interest, Nina.

Gato is a wasted villain, not nearly as interesting as Char Aznable or the villain from "Gundam F-91." Which is saying a lot considering the villain from "F-91" was incredibly laughable. He spends most of his time claiming how great Zeon is and how he will help Zeon rise, blah blah blah. Where did this guy come from? How can someone so feared only be brought to attention in THIS series? Apparantly, he has a backstory with one of the other characters but it's so muddled you can hardly make sense of it.

Kou is a horrible protagonist, we feel more like laughing at him then sympathizing whenever something wrong happens his way. However, since he's the pilot of the Gundam in this series we have no choice but to accept him and believe me, as far as Gundam's go...he's no Amuro Ray, hell he's not even a Domon Kashuu.

Nina, I could write a book about her misplacing, is eventually Kou's love interest...tell me if you didn't see that coming. She seems completely out of place when placed against the other characters of the series. Especially when it is impossible to figure out where exactly she stands on the "love interest" scale as her actions are unwelcomely unpredicatable.

All the other characters who make up the Delaz Fleet and the Albion, who seem more interesting and more capable than the main characters, are shoved behind the conflict and literally fly around in space with no idea as to what's going on with the story. Hell, I don't even know why they are on Albion in the first place. The viewers are forced to know who these characters are from the get-go which can cause lots of confusion to the intellectual viewer.

The story takes several dives, twists, turns, somersaults, bunny hops, jumping jacks, and cartwheels all over the place...not knowing where to go. One minute, the Albion crew is in Africa dealing with a Zeon group, next Kou is lamenting for no reason, then all of a sudden we're on the moon. What happened? How did we get here? Why is he doing that? What are they talking about? Get to know these questions because you'll be saying them a lot.

The only credible points to this OVA series, and mind you, most of these points will be the MAIN REASON why people like this series. One, the action scenes are the best this side of "Char's Counterattack." They are truly sights to behold, as things go boom. Two, the music is great. The two openening songs, "The Winner" and "Men of Destiny" are swanky in their unique 80's-like way. Three, the mecha designs. The GP-01 and GP-02 are two of the best designed Gundams, combining elements of the old RX-78 Gundam with bits of the Zeta and Nu Gundams.

However, there is a distinct flaw within those pluses, and I hate to be a stickler. All these are fine and good...but this isn't "Macross." It all adds up, the flight scenes, the designs, the characters, even the music! At times it feels less like "Gundam" and more like "Top Gun!" I'm wondering why they didn't have Kou write "Maverick" on the side of his helmet. Or why Gato didn't say "you can be my wingman anyday!" Or some such.

That, and the battles were pretty...but way too pretty. See, in the Gundam Universe, people are supposed to realize the horrors of war. In "Stardust Memory" however, war is the answer to just about EVERYTHING. It was as if the artists and writers thought to themselves "Hey! Let's see how pretty THIS explosion will look!" Honestly, it's one thing to add something new to "Gundam" but to destroy a philosphy in the process? That ain't right.

Lat thing I can say about this series, I promise, it's anti-climactic. The ending is weak, offers no closure, and leaves the viewer wanting more. This is when directors either DON'T know when to quit, or knew that they HAD to quit before it got inane. Yeah, a lot of good that did.

In the end, "Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory" had the makings of a good Gundam series, had it been given enough time and tweaked around a bit. Hell, this could have been a great addition to the Gundam universe. But for every merit the series earns, it is hit with several different types of flaws. "Gundam 0083" best be left forgotten...like so many particles of stardust.

-RW

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Even Better Than Mobile Suit Gundam!
Review: I am a huge fan of the Gundam universe. StarDust Memeories caught my attention on Adult Swim. It's supposed to be (to my knowledge) a prequel of some sorts, to the fan favorite, Z Gundam. The animation is pretty good for the 1980s. The battles are spectacular. The characters aren't that cool, but they grow on you. Quit watching Gundam Wing and start watching the Universal Century series. Also, G Gundam isn't bad either.


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