Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory Review



Synopsis:
Three years after the Antarctic Treaty effectively ended the devastating One Year War, a faction of Zeon loyalists enacts Operation Stardust in the hopes of simultaneously exposing the Federation's hypocrisy and crippling its earthly activities. In the wake of Stardust's first strike, Kou Uraki, a novice mobile suit test pilot, is chosen to pilot the experimental Gundam GP01, designed by Nina Purpleton of Anaheim Electronics. Kou and Nina engage in a budding romance, even as the actions of Anavel Gato, the dedicated Zeon loyalist tasked with carrying out the devious plot, threaten to plunge the earth and its space colonies into a bloody war once again. 

Just prior to the conclusion of the final OVA episode in 1992, a compilation film titled Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Last Blitz Of Zeon was also released. 

Release Date:
1991-1992 (OVA's)
1992 (Film)

Episodes:
13 (OVA's)
1 (Film)

Timeline:
UC 0083

My Grade:
C+

Review:
As a post hoc prequel to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, the chronologically earlier Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory has a lot going against it. Unlike other Universal Century stories from around the same time which are more self-contained (i.e. Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team), Stardust Memory is much more "on-the-radar" in its place in the UC timeline and thus has a more defined box that it must stay within, for better or worse. 

It all starts interestingly enough, with the hijacking of the experimental nuke-equipped Gundam GP02 by Anavel Gato of the Zeon loyalist forces. As things progress, though, the story meanders into multiple side plots as other characters and elements are introduced, many of which ultimately add up to nothing. By the time things get back on track, the Zeon forces' motivation has been muddled and there's a new, even more diabolical plan that seems to have materialized out of nowhere. Throw in a bunch of plot holes (that are meant to be plot twists), dead-end side stories, confusing motivations, and interchangeable Federation military leaders (who appear for sometimes as little as a single scene), and you have a bloated, messy series that clocks in at about three episodes longer than it should have. 


It's certainly not all bad, though. The animation is very nice, comparable to to other '90s era Gundam OVA's, and the action is top notch for its time. There are quite a few space battles in this series, especially in the latter half, with a ton of well-choreographed mobile suit (and mobile armor) encounters. I wasn't personally a fan of the hulking Gundam GP02 design, but I can't argue that it wasn't original. The other two main Gundams are essentially streamlined RX-78-02's, which is unsurprising given the time period this story is set in. I did enjoy the Zeon mobile armors, however, which are often the unsung heroes of mecha design in the Gundam franchise. Ultimately, the visuals are quite strong and are arguably worth the price of admission alone. 


Unfortunately, where Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory really fails is in its characters. Our protagonist, Kou Uraki, is a mostly unlikable nineteen-going-on-thirteen-year-old who resolves most of his conflicts by running out of the room crying. He's whiny and bratty, and though he does eventually develop something resembling a spine, it's situational at best, unlike, say, Amuro Ray who grows into a real hero. Kou is matched by Nina Purpleton, the engineer from Anaheim Electronics who designed Gundam GP01 and GP02, which she treats as her precious babies. Nina fluctuates between furious rage at Kou for his latest childish nonsense and a giggling schoolgirl caricature, with very little in between. Her "tough" decision at the end of the series is baffling and fueled by a backstory which comes completely out of nowhere (many fans speculate this plot hole and others are the result of a change in directors partway through the series). There's very little to latch onto with these characters, and Leah and I found ourselves rolling our eyes at these two yahoos more often than not. 


I will say that Anavel Gato, the main antagonist, really helps elevate the cast. Unlike Kou and Nina, Gato is steady and consistent in his motivations and actions. While it's hard to sympathize with someone who wishes to cause death on the scale of he and his Zeon comrades, you can at least understand the source of his passion and dedication, as fueled by the hypocrisy of the Federation. 


Special mention must be made of Bernard Monsha, who I'd argue is the true villain of this series, at least for the first half. This brash, loudmouthed pilot serves as Kou's initial foil both in and out of the cockpit. Monsha is a sleazebag through and through who regularly lies, drinks, gropes women, uses his mobile suit camera to take pictures up their skirts, bullies people, complains constantly, and even sabotages Kou in the hangar bay, almost causing a potentially deadly accident. That would all make for an interesting villain, except that nobody in the story treats him as such, aside from a few women who slap him during his advances - instead, all of his antics are apparently excused by the senior command, who is clearly aware of his behavior but doesn't react to it at all. He never faces any ramifications or comeuppance for any of this - it's barely even acknowledged. Even worse? He eventually just disappears from the story. I kept expecting him to heroically sacrifice himself to save Kou in the end, proving he wasn't such a scoundrel after all, but instead he just fades away, having never contributed anything to the direction of the plot. You could remove him completely and it basically wouldn't change anything. He's not the only character to be inconsequential, but he is the one that stands out as being the most wasteful and bizarre. 


It would be remiss to not mention the totally radical opening songs, which are dripping with late '80s pop-rock in all its cheesy glory, complete with shredding electric guitars and wailing sax solos. The rest of the series score follows suit stylistically, though not as memorably as the opening. The first closing song is a hysterically silly ballad about one-night stands, which also plays mid-episode during a particularly melodramatic moment between Kou and Nina (apparently tone-deaf to its actual hilarious context). 

"'Cause I'm not lookin' for a love affair..."

The series ends with a major bang, but as mentioned earlier, the limitation of the story's canonical placement before Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam means that, despite the colossal events which transpire, the practical fallout is way less impactful than you would think. This ultimately begs the question, what was the point? And while many of the details and plot holes are apparently filled in in other media, i.e. the manga, the novel, the picture drama, etc., that does little to help the OVA series itself, which should be judged on its own merit. 

So is Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory worth your time? If you're interested in the Universal Century timeline, then sure. It's full of great action and excitement, with plenty of anime melodrama. It has its place in the history of this fantastic franchise and at only thirteen episodes, is not a big commitment. But Shakespeare this is not, and expectations should be set at a realistic starting point. 

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