Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

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Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 (Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team)
Genre	Adventure, Drama, Mecha, Military, Romance, Science Fiction
OVA
Directed by	Takeyuki Kanda, Umanosuke Iida
Studio	Sunrise
No. of episodes	11
Released	January 25, 1996 - April 25, 1999
OVA: The 08th MS Team: Last Resort
Directed by	Umanosuke Iida
Studio	Sunrise
No. of episodes	1
Released	July 25, 1999
Manga: The 08th MS Team Side Story: Trivial Operation
Authored by
Publisher
Serialized in
Original run	–
No. of volumes

The anime series Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊, Kidō Senshi Gandamu Dai Zerohachi Emu Esu Shōtai^?) is an eleven-episode Gundam OVA series that takes place during the One-Year War, and depicts the point of view of the common soldier rather than that of the Newtype aces. Its release began in 1996 and ended in 1999. A twelfth epilogue episode, called Last Resort, was released a few months after the series ended, and featured a more surreal plotline than the rest of the series.

The series taking such a long time to be released (Last Resort was released a full three and a half years after the series began) was largely due to the sudden tragic death of director Takeyuki Kanda in a car accident in July of 1996. The series was later completed by a new director, GONZO's Umanosuke Iida. The first eleven episodes of 08th MS Team were shown on Cartoon Network in 2001. Last Resort was never shown on television because Cartoon Network allegedly did not want to show an episode that revolved around children being drafted into the military. However, all twelve episodes are on the DVD release.^[1][2]

Contents 1 Story 2 Notable Thematic Elements 3 Episodes 4 Compilation movie 5 Characters 5.1 Earth Federation 5.2 Principality of Zeon 5.3 Civilian 6 Weapons and Support Units 6.1 Principality of Zeon 6.2 Earth Federation Forces 7 Trivia 8 Theme songs 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Story

Universal Century 0079: The Jungles of Southeast Asia. The Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon are fighting a brutal guerrilla war for control of the area and its resources. Zeon’s best hope for victory in the region rests with an experimental mobile armor and its pilot, Aina Sahalin. Meanwhile the Earth Federal Army, which has been fighting the Zeon in the region, receive reinforcements in the form of Ensign Shiro Amada, newly named commander of the 08th MS Team. Aina and Shiro know each other from a mutual rescue in space, but when Shiro discovers that Aina is in fact the pilot of the Zeon mobile armor he is arrested for treason. The Federation offers Shiro one chance at redemption: He must take the 08th MS Team deep into Zeon held territory to find Zeon’s hidden base. With the Zeon backed into a corner, and the Federation dependent on Shiro and his team for victory, the star crossed lovers must decide where their true allegiances lie: with each other, or with their respective sides.^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]}

[edit] Notable Thematic Elements

The 08th MS Team was one of the most 'realistic' installments of the Gundam series. Some vehicles and mobile suits were redesigned to become more practical. The Gundams were not portrayed in the heroic, invincible light they were in many of the other series. Gundams often suffered serious damage when fighting against minor enemies or simply from falling down. There is even one instance where a Gundam breaks down because of sand trapped in its gears (a common problem experienced by armed forces, especially in desert environments where sand storms are frequent).

The skill of the pilots in the show are also downplayed. The Gundams are advanced compared to Zeon equipment, but the pilots themselves are inexperienced. For example, most of the engagements in the series feature main characters missing targets frequently and emptying entire clips of ammunition to kill a single Zaku at close range. No Newtypes are mentioned in the course of the series and with Gundams being mass produced units, more focus is put on the characters and setting. Much of the political bent featured in other Gundam stories is absent, and more attention is paid to the psychology of soldiers fighting on both sides.

The show also emphasizes the use of tactics, an element absent from other shows where the main characters simply charged each other in combat. Characters discuss flanking, supporting fire, and teamwork while Mobile Suit troops use forests, mountains, and buildings (urban warfare) for cover throughout the series. Generally pilots on all sides of the conflict are hesitant to face the enemy alone, an attitude that is a marked contrast to Amuro Ray's frequent solo sorties into 10-to-1 odds or worse.

This change of attitude is also present in this series' treatment of ace pilots. The original series had main characters fighting (and often defeating) aces on an almost episode-by-episode basis. In 08th MS Team however, the only pilot that could be considered a Mobile Suit ace is Zeon Pilot Captain Norris Packard. His skill is so great that he easily fends off the entire 08th MS Team plus several supporting units single-handedly. Shiro, who is himself depicted as being one of the more skilled Federation pilots in the South East Asian theater, engages Norris in the only one-on-one Mobile Suit duel depicted in the series (again, the emphasis on 'realism' makes such dramatic- but tactically stupid- events rare) and is soundly defeated in a matter of moments.(Only because he was distracted by the third Guntank.) Only through teamwork, desperate improvisation, and a lack of ammunition on Norris' part are the Federation forces able to defeat him, and even then he is able to destroy all of his primary targets before finally succumbing to enemy action.

[edit] Episodes

1. War for Two
2. Gundams in the Jungle
3. The Time Limit on Trust
4. The Demon Overhead
5. The Broken Order to Standby
6. Battle Line in the Burning Sand
7. Reunion
8. Duty and Ideals
9. Front Line
10. The Shuddering Mountain (Part 1)
11. The Shuddering Mountain (Part 2)
12. Last Resort

[edit] Compilation movie

In 1998 Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team had a compilation movie released. Titled Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team Miller's Report, the movie largely focuses on the court martial of the main character, Shiro Amada, for his concerning attitudes towards the enemy. Mainly composed of footage from episodes seven and eight of the series, Miller's Report also takes bits from episodes one and six to use as evidence against Shiro during his trial.

Miller's Report also has a lot of new footage, and it introduces a new character that was not seen in the series, Alice Miller, an Earth Federation investigator sent to assist in the court martial of Shiro Amada and to determine if there was a Zeon spy in the 08th Team. A new scene where Eledore Massis comes back to the 08th Team after his leave of absence is also included, and the 08th Team is shown being given the orders and launching for the mission they would be on in episode nine.

Miller's Report ties together episodes eight and nine, which previously had felt a little disjointed. Miller's Report was not fully shown on TV in America, although the new scenes were all spliced into the eighth episode. Miller's Report was released on DVD in America separately from the main series.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Earth Federation

• Shiro Amada
• Karen Joshua
• Terry Sanders Jr.
• Eledore Massis
• Michel Ninorich
• Kojima
• Ethan Ryer
• Alice Miller
• Jidan Nickard
• Mike
• Rob
• Sally

[edit] Principality of Zeon

• Ginias Saharin
• Aina Saharin
  

  

  A battle scene from the series.
• Norris Packard
• Yuri Kellarney
• Masasdo
• Arth
• Topp
• Dell
• Bjorn Abust
• Barry
• Runen
• Nieba

[edit] Civilian

• Kiki Rosita
• Baresto
• Chibi
• Hige
• Noppo

[edit] Weapons and Support Units

[edit] Principality of Zeon

Mobile Suits

• MS-05B Zaku I
• MS-06F Zaku II
• MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type
• MS-06K Zaku Cannon
• MS-06RD-4 Zaku II Prototype
• MS-06V Zaku Tank
• MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom
• MS-07H8 Gouf Flight Type
• MS-09 Dom
• MS-14A Gelgoog
• MSM-03 Gogg
• MSM-04 Acguy

Mobile Armors

• Apsalus I
• Apsalus II
• Apsalus III

Support Units

• Magella Attack Tank
• Cui Personnel Carrier
• Dodai II Bomber
• Dopp Fighter
• Gaw Atmospheric Attack Carrier
• Gunship Heli
• Jukon-Class Combat Submarine
• Komusai Shuttle
• Luggun Reconnaissance Plane
• Mad Angler-Class Submarine Tender
• Military Transport Craft
• Musai-Class Light Cruiser
• Zanzibar-Class Mobile Cruiser

[edit] Earth Federation Forces

Mobile Suits

• RB-79K Ball
• RGM-79[E] GM Type E
• RGM-79[G] GM Ground Type
• RGM-79[G] GM Sniper
• RX-75 Guntank Mass Production Type
• RX-79[G] Gundam Mass Production Ground Type
• RX-79[G] Ez-8 Gundam Ez8

Support Units

• Type 61 Tank
• Fanfan Hovercraft
• FF-6 TIN Cod
• Gunperry Transport Plane
• Jet Core Booster
• Medea Transport Plane
• Space Transport Ship
• Type 74 Hover Truck
• Big Tray-Class Land Battleship
• Magellan-Class Battleship
• Salamis-Class Cruiser

[edit] Trivia

Possible references/ties to Tadao Nagahama's Romantic Trilogy:

• One of the minor characters appearing in two episodes--the doctor who is berated by Aina for giving the soldiers stimulants so they can keep working--bears a strong resemblance to Dr. Nanbara from Combattler V.
• Norris Packard's voice actor, Osamu Ichikawa, also portrayed Prince Hainel and Admiral Richter, the "noble enemy leaders" of Voltes V and Daimos, respectively.
• Terry Sanders' voice actor, Tesshou Genda, portrayed Daijirou Gou in Voltes V
• In episode 10, during the final test of the Apsalus III, these things can be clearly seen on the computer screen behind Ginias: [AMD K6 3D+], [Cyrix 6x86MX], [DDC-1], [DDC-2AB], [DirectX SDK], [Enhanced 46D4], [Fast ATA-2]. This mentions the AMD K6 Central Processing Unit and the DirectX Software Development Kit. While it is confusing why the Apsulas III would need any streaming media applications, it is even more confusing why the test sequence also makes mention of the Cyrix 6x86MX, another Central Processing unit which was Cyrix's competing entry against the K6 (though the K6 came out in 1997, and the 6x86 came out in 1996, the MMX-compatible 6x86MX may have been released in 1997). Then again, this is most probably just a list of computer terms used to make the test look realistic.

[edit] Theme songs

Opening:

• Arashi no Naka de Kagayaite (Shine in the Storm) by Chihiro Yonekura

Endings:

• Ten Years After by Chihiro Yonekura
• Mirai no Futari ni (The Future for Both of Us) by Chihiro Yonekura (Episode 11)
• Arashi no Naka de Kagayaite (Shine in the Storm) by Chihiro Yonekura (Episode 12)
• Eien no Tobira (Gateway to Forever) by Chihiro Yonekura (Miller's Report Ending Theme)

[edit] See also

Followed by (In time line): Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia