Gundam 0080 on ANN's "Buried Treasure" Feature

[Mr March]

For those that don't know, I'm a huge fan of Gundam 0080 War In The Pocket and rarely miss an opportunity to share my praise for this little gem of a series. The Anime News Network has a great feature called "Buried Treasure" in which they unearth some of the best little-known anime in an attempt to bring some light on those productions that may be sadly overlooked. So it is that they feature Gundam 0080 in this month's release, posted yesterday. Check out the article and read about one of the best mecha stories ever told IMO and a great tragic tale that transcends it's own genre.

Gundam 0080 6-Part OVA on the ANN "Buried Treasure" Feature

[baronv]

I second that Gundam: 0080 War In The Pocket is a very good OVA. Even though I have a really really badly subbed version of it, the story still plays very well. Even though there's very little mecha action except for the beginning and end of the series, the story is well written and un-cheesy at all. It also has one of my favorite Gundam designs, the RX-78NT-1 Gundam "Alex". I'm glad I was able to get an actual production cel of the MS-18E Kampfer and a shot of Bernie from the ending when he is video taping himself. Was able to pick up a little PVC figure of Chris and I wish they made a Bernie & Al figure to go along with hers.

Edited August 17, 2007 by baronv

[dizman]

Yeah, of all the gundam stories 0080 in my opinion is one of the best, though I do like 8th MS team better cause of the action. Im suprised that 0080 is considered a buried treasure since I thought more ppl knew about it and had seen it, oh well. To any of you people out there who havent seen this ova and like gundam, WATCH IT !

[Mr March]

I'm glad I was able to get an actual production cel of the MS-18E Kampfer and a shot of Bernie from the ending when he is video taping himself.

I saw your MS-18E Kaempfer cell in the Cell Collection thread. I'm gonna buy a Gundam book and color a few of my favorite mobile suits, using your cell picture as color reference for the Kaempfer

[Mr March]

To any of you people out there who havent seen this ova and like gundam, WATCH IT !

And even if you don't like Gundam. Gundam 0080 is that good

[Keith]

Honestly, 0080 is one of my least favorites, along with X.

[Phyrox]

Honestly, 0080 is one of my least favorites, along with X.

Somehow I am not suprised at this.

The validation this lends to 0080's quality cannot be underestimated.

[Mr March]

Easy fellas, please.

[bandit29]

Its been along time since I've seen it, but I really didn't like Gundam 0080 that much. Not sure why it gets so much praise. Kind of like Megazone 23.

But IMO, Most things Gundam belong in the "thankfully forgotten" or "please go away" section of anime..

[eugimon]

never saw 0080, 0083 is pretty much the only gundam series that I really enjoyed.

[bob joe mac]

Loved 0080 good story characters mecha action and a good ending... easily one of my favorite gundam shows and compared to SEED a masterpiece

[eugimon]

setting the bar a little low, aren't we?

[Black Valkyrie]

Indeed a buried treasure, you can say one of the best OVA`s of all time and in the Gundam franchise and for me. Bandai/Sunrise should make more of this kind of stories, instead of trash like seed.

[yellowlightman]

I'm not sure if it really counts as little-known, since 10-15 years ago it was pretty popular.

It's an alright series, but the liberties it takes with the canon and some other ridiculousness in the story keeps it from being one of my favorite Gundam series.

[the white drew carey]

0080 is one of my favorite anime of all time.

While I have to disagree with Keith's opinion, knowing him well enough I can understand why it isn't to his tastes. In some ways, it's the one Gundam that most tries to make the series human and ground it in reality as much as possible. I think Keith prefers his anime more over the top.

[Necron_99]

Hmmm.. never seen 0080 before. I just might have to pick it up.

My first exposure to the Gundam series ( Wing and Seed ) didn'tleave me with a very good impression of the whole Gundam franchise

[Mercurial Morpheus]

Glad to see more people appreciate 0080. It gets such a bum rap for not having as much action. Still, it's got great characters, and good story, a genuine moral, and probaly one of my favorite endings ever.

If anyone cares, here's my review I posted elsewhere when I rewatched the series.

http://thehaisho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2687

[bsu legato]

ANN should have titled that feature "Anime for people born before 1990." I can just picture the average reader's reaction to that column. "Holy cow, there was a Gundam anime before Wing?! OMGWTF?!" And reading the related ANN message board thread gave me a headache. But I really shouldn't be surprised that an old-school anime like 0080 (which has been commercially available for nigh on a decade) gets little notice from today's fan, who's raised on overrated shite like EVA, or just plain infantile garbage like SEED would pass on a true gem like 0080. Kids these days...

Now, if I get any more crotchety old man-like, I'm going to to start sounding like JsARCLIGHT.

Edited August 17, 2007 by bsu legato

[Roy Focker]

0080 was the first Animes I bought for my VHS after Clash of the Bionoids and Macross Plus.

[promethuem5]

I must admit, I didn't get much out of 0080 when I watched it... neither the Kaempfer or the NT-1 are particularly appealing designs to me (0083 is my favorite Gundam production ever.) I can see where people find a somewhat compelling story in it, but it really didn't do that much for me.

[dodgethis]

Can it be hamburger time, please?

[GRAND CANNON]

Yup, my tops are 0080 and 08th.

[Wes]

That and 0083 are really the only ones I like. I guess the fact that a Macross-guy worked on both blessed the projects.

[Keith]

Gundam to me is more about the whole Newtypes than average joes, the latter of which 0080 gives absolutely on service on.

[VF5SS]

While I'm not so gung-ho about Newtypes like Keith, I do prefer the more epic characters of the MSG and Zeta era playing a large part in the shaping of the world they live in. Part of the problem I have with the OVAs is that they despite promises of a "down to Earth story" each one manages to have at least one "SUPER DEADLY WEAPON THAT COULD HAVE TURNED THE TIDE!" 0080 does a lot better than the other three big OVAs since the Mobile Suits are mostly window dressing (and I dare say just pointless service to the fans or a chance for Izubuchi to re-design OYW Mobile Suits) and the story is a true classic. However some of the details can leave a bad taste in your mouth, like Christine could have easily been testing a GM or something not linked to Amuro Ray. 08th MS Team suffers from "You gotta have a Gundam syndrome" and the ridiculous sekrit weapon that is the Apsalus. As for 0083... the story is barely mediocre and just serves as a vehicle for more models (even more so than most Gundam shows. GM Quel anyone?).

[Twoducks]

One if not my favourite Gundam (still have to finish Turn A).

The way I see it, the core of Gundam is normal people caught in the middle of a stupid political war that divides them. 0080 gets to focus more on this than other Gundams.

IMO, the whole Newtype thing is just a plot device to explain why a little kid can pilot a giant robot and not get blasted to atoms.

That and a quick way to justify that spacenoids would want/need to be free from Earth control. You create a "new” species of man (newtype) instead of going all philosophical and saying that living in space is such a big step forward for human kind that a new culture/way of thinking would surface (no living being has conquered space by just genetic evolution, so it woul be a pretty big deal).

Here’s were Char’s speeches fit. This new culture would need to take control of it's own destiny for it to continue growing forwards, not be controlled by the previous evolutionary step. It would be like monkeys deciding world politics for us... no wait, that kinda happens in real life... well, you get the idea.

People with psychic powers = new human mentality is easier to assimilate but not necessary; there are Gundam series that are Gundam but without (or just a little) newtype stuff (U.C and others).

[lord_breetai]

0080 is a great ova, a little bit cheesy in the whole thing with the kid thinking he's a valued member of Zeon's black-ops team... but it really shows how kids are the first to misunderstand war, and the first to be hurt by it.

Christina Mackenzie is also my favourite Gundam character, I don't know why it just is.

I also don't think this deserves to be a burried treasure because any UC-purist knows of this series... and it was pretty heavily promoted over here with the other domestic gundam releases in the 90s.

0080 of course also has my second favourite character designer...

[Keith]

I personally take the Newtype aspect as the main theme to represent people changing, Vs people who fear change, etc. And considering they always took center stage in Tomino's U.C., it'd hardly call them a plot device.

[terry the lone wolf]

A true classic anime. Great story, characters, & animation. I saw the Toonami version(albiet the late night version) but woooooooooooooo was that story engaging. Very deep!

[lord_breetai]

I personally take the Newtype aspect as the main theme to represent people changing, Vs people who fear change, etc. And considering they always took center stage in Tomino's U.C., it'd hardly call them a plot device.

Well I agree, Newtypes are very important to the central themes of the UC Gundam universe but I don't think they need to be in every instalment. This OVA wasn't about Spacenoid rights or people adapting to change, this was about a child growing up and learing that war isn't a game. Besides it didn't totally ignore the newtype issue, the NT-1 Alex was a specially designed newtype use Gundam, and there was the whole thing about "don't feel bad Chris, you'd have to be a total freak to master it".

I mean it's nice to have a break from the Newtypes a bit... especially since there's only supposed to be a few who appear in the year 0079.

[Twoducks]

I personally take the Newtype aspect as the main theme to represent people changing, Vs people who fear change, etc. And considering they always took center stage in Tomino's U.C., it'd hardly call them a plot device.

It is a plot device when you use it instead of fleshing out the implications of human kind in space versus people from the more "natural" humans that stay on Earth or “people changing, Vs people who fear change” as you put it. It all just boils down to fighting when there’s no need to and showing the consequences of it (0080 does a great job here).

Tomino wouldn't have sold so many Bandai toys if the centre stage was devoted to questions about the future of mankind. Instead we get people doing more action packed psychic stuff.

All the OVA U.C. Gundams work perfectly well without newtypes (or just mentioning them as a something that is there besides the whole spacenoid /earthling conflict that sucks people into wars or a nod to fans of the originals). 0083 just had a really badly executed ending with a half assed twist, but it’s still fun to watch (no newtype could have saved the ending).

Again, just personal opinion; your view is as good as mine when we are talking about a money making machine like Gundam.

I would swallow newtypes better if there powers were more fleshed out; they go from having powers to being demigods to being owened and back again. What the hell can and can’t they do? At least in SEED you get a better idea of what a coordinator is.

Edited August 18, 2007 by Twoducks

[Tinderfitles]

Well if the theme of the U.C. Gundam is humanity taking a step forward then i think 0080 fits in perfectly.

Think about it at first you start with a colony that is neutral but is surrounded by war, and in that colony lives a young man with those "war is cool" and other views that war is noble. however by the end, due to the conflicts between the characters he is saddened and when someone mentions "don't worry I'm sure another one will happen". Hes not crying because hes happy that it will happen again and he will see it because he is a war buff at the beginning; rather he is crying because he knows that the hardships he endured over the storyline will again manifest themselves in a later undisclosed state. Ultimately it sets a grimmer tone that was unable to be achieved in then original Gundam, and sets the tone for the later (story wise) Zeta Gundam perfectly.

So as a component in the larger story 0080 is a wonderful addition. It didnt need to feature newtypes, because it wasnt supposed to, and honestly didn't need to. However if taken as an independent show it was rather lacking. But, just because the stone is ugly, doesn't mean that the house it supports is ugly as well.

only gundams i never really bought into where Seed, 8th Ms, and X. Still haven't finished Turn A however.

[Gui]

They should make a movie version of 0080 instead of mutilating shows which are far too long for such treatment...

[Mr March]

I'm really glad to see so much love for this series here on the boards. It is kinda ironic that Haruhiko Mikimoto of Macross fame worked on what is my favorite Gundam story. Though it's really coincidental, since the story is the best part of the show. But I absolutely love the reimagined mecha designs of 0080, especially the Gundam Alex, Kaempfer and Zaku II Kai. This little series got everything right.

I'm gonna have to do a bit of Gundam homage on the Macross Mecha Manual

[thegunny]

Gundam noob here

I just finished watching 0080 and in the last episode I caught a glimpse of UN Spacy written on the side of the Gundam's head as it was sliding backwards down the hill.

What's the story there I knew there was a tie in with Patlabor on one of the SD Gundam shows but what's the Macross connection?