08th MS Team

I have to admit that I am a sucker for mech anime, but I don't have a tolerance for trash anime. G Gundam, Inuyasha, s-CRY-ed... those are trash anime. Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team is one of those rare anime that comes along in an age of genericism and really shows that there's hope for the genre... but for one reason or another fails to stand out in the crowd. (I blame Cartoon Network's lack of proper advertisement and pushing of the series, as well as the lack of uncut episodes.)

It would be a lie to say this a really original anime. It's more like throwing big robots into a blender with Romeo & Juliet, the Vietnam War, and any given movie about the Vietnam War. The thing is, those things are all epic and/or kickass in one way or another.

The big robots just makes for some cool action, but all the other factors make for some great war-related drama. Unlike the first Gundam series to come to the United States, this isn't' about some do-gooding freelancers in humorously themed robots somehow bringing down an entire empirial army while everyone changes alligenments a half-dozen times before the series ends. This is set in a realistic (with robots) war, and focuses on a squad of soldiers who fight on their orders and are forced to make often traumatizing decisions on the battlefield. It's one heck of a story, straight-forward and honest. It's really worth a look.moreless

This is the abosolute best Gundam show, period. It is gritty and realistic, the story is great and the animation is top notch. I really wasn't into Gundam and anime before this show, but this changed my mind. You owe it to yourself to watch this show. I guranteed there will be no dissapointments, except when it ends.