Kidô senshi Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

Man, when I first saw this, I was skeptical, because it is about 5 years older then Gundam Wing (which is also one of my favorites.)

I found out this OVA series to be so much more.... The plot of this Gundam series is in the Universal Century timeline, not the After Colony like Gundam Wing. The plot was great and the animation was too. The characters are also very nicely done. Overall, I give this OVA series a ***** (10)-out of *****.

This has got to be 1 of the best of the Gundam series there is. Sure there may be to much romance in it for some people, but deep down you can't help but cheer for the socially awkward but very capable rookie pilot hero Kou Uraki.

I have been a fan of Gundam for almost 20 years and have seen it through it's various incarnations. While I am no authority on anime, I definitely know what I like. I used to think Zeta Gundam was a pinnacle in mecha design and plot twists, but this one brings it all home.

The character design, story telling and music are all A+ #1

It's one thing to just think of them as giant robots, or big tanks, but this series brought out how hard it was to be a pilot of one of these devices, both physically as well as psychologically.

If you can, I advise getting it!

With all the craze over the Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, people are so swept up in the hype that they don't know that there is another Gundam. Wing and Endless Waltz is an alternate Gundam universe, like when comics to the "what if" issue. 0083 has a collection of romance, action, politics, and amazing music and animation. The Japanese always try to put lots of little stories and elements into one thing. This makes it enjoyable for all. 0083 follows the original Gundam story line and the Gundams in the movie are more realistic than Wing. Wing has all these swords, blades and close combat weapons. But if you think about it Gundams are like big walking tanks. If you were to make a Gundam you would put guns, missiles, and long range weapons as opposed to swords. It starts of right away with test pilots and a secret mission then blasts off in to space. 0083 is a military based story with all of life's inconveniences. Like all anime you see the main character's problems and trials, but through it all you are bombarded with rock music and beautiful animation. The characters in 0083 don't sound like robots in Wing, they have more character and personality. And think about it, why would kids be driving Gundams? Let's get real, if you want Gundam for more mature people that takes a brain to understand it check out Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. The best so far.

Here is one of the two best OVA's for the real gundam universe (universal century). Only tied with 08th MS team in story and follow through, this is a unique telling of the events transpiring in the year 0083. Whats unique is that it is told from the prospective of a test pilot not trained for combat, Kou Uraki. There is very good character development for not only Kou, but of all of the main characters. Tied in mechanical beauty with 08th, but it is older and falters only a little in this area.

A great series to see, surpasses WING and ENDLESS WALTZ by tenfold. A tribute to anime, so go see it!