| Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team | |
 Cover of the Blu-ray re-release ofMiller's Report (limited edition) | |
| 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 (Kidō Senshi Gandamu Dai Zerohachi Emu Esu Shōtai) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Takeyuki Kanda (ep. 1–6) Umanosuke Iida (ep. 7–12) |
| Written by | Akira Okeya (ep. 1–6) Hiroaki Kitajima (ep. 7–12) |
| Music by | Kohei Tanaka |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | January 25, 1996 – July 25, 1999 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Anime film | |
| The 08th MS Team: Miller's Report | |
| Directed by | Mitsuko Kase, Takeyuki Kanda,Umanosuke Iida |
| Music by | Kohei Tanaka |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | August 1, 1998 |
| Runtime | 51 minutes |
| Light novel | |
| The 08th MS Team Side Story: Trivial Operation | |
| Written by | Ichirou Ookouchi |
| Illustrated by | Kouji Sugiura |
| Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Magazine | Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko |
| Original run | January 1999 –July 2001 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Manga | |
| Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team U.C.0079+α | |
| Written by | Umanosuke Iida |
| Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Magazine | Gundam Ace |
| Original run | March 2007 –June 2011 |
| Volumes | 4 |
| Original video animation | |
| The 08th MS Team: Battle in Three Dimensions | |
| Directed by | Shinya Watada |
| Written by | Ichiro Okouchi |
| Music by | Kohei Tanaka |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | February 22, 2013 |
| Runtime | 9 minutes |
 Anime and manga portal | |
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (Japanese:機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊,Hepburn:Kidō Senshi Gandamu Dai Zerohachi Emu Esu Shōtai;lit. Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Platoon) is a JapaneseOVAanime series in theGundam franchise produced bySunrise. Released from 1996 to 1999, the series follows an Earth Federation ground unit fighting inU.C. 0079 during theOne Year War, presented as a ground-level side story contemporaneous with the 1979 television seriesMobile Suit Gundam; its first video volume was issued on 25 January 1996, with a separate epilogue special,Last Resort, released on 25 July 1999 outside the original eleven-episode count.[1][2] Directed initially by Takeyuki Kanda (episodes 1–5) and subsequently by Umanosuke Iida, the project also spawned the compilation filmMobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team – Miller's Report (1998) for Japanese theaters.[3][4]
As the franchise's third Gundam OVA followingMobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989) andMobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (1991–92), it assembled a staff composed of Gundam franchise veterans, including character designerToshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical designerHajime Katoki (with additional mecha design work credited toKunio Okawara andKimitoshi Yamane), and composerKohei Tanaka.[5][6][7][8][9] Retrospectives have since highlighted its infantry-level realism and jungle-warfare set pieces as a grounded standout within the franchise, with the “Shivering Mountain” duology frequently cited as a series high point.[2][10]
Set during theOne Year War inUniversal Century 0079, the story unfolds in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where theEarth Federation and thePrincipality of Zeon wage a guerrilla campaign for control of the region. Zeon places its hopes on an experimental mobile-armor program piloted byAina Sahalin, while EnsignShiro Amada arrives to take command of the 08th MS Team. The two first meet during a mutual rescue in space before returning to opposite sides; when Shiro later learns of Aina's role in the tests, he is detained on suspicion of treason.[11][12]
To clear the charges, the Federation tasks Shiro with leading the 08th MS Team deep into Zeon-held territory to locate the hidden test base. As the Apsaras project advances and the front tightens, Shiro and Aina struggle between duty to their units and their feelings for one another, choices that shape the team's fate and the outcome of the operation.[13][14]
Conception and pre-production began in 1995, with the first video volume released on January 25, 1996.[2] The original director, Takeyuki Kanda, led episodes 1–5 before his sudden death on July 27, 1996; thereafter Umanosuke Iida assumed direction for the remainder of the OVA.[23][24] Contemporary staff interviews collected in third-party mooks and books describe a shift in tone across the handover: Kanda's front half emphasized “mud-and-boots” ground warfare realism, while Iida steered the back half toward tighter character drama framed by set-piece mecha action.[25][8]
Iida later stated in a magazine interview that the back half inevitably “felt different” from the front half because he inherited another director's groundwork and recalibrated the emphasis: the latter episodes tighten the character focus and stage clearer set-piece mobile suit battles while maintaining continuity with the earlier groundwork. He described Shiro Amada as an idealist whose choices drive the drama and said he approached the series primarily as a “mecha work,” rather than a pure war chronicle.[26]
Staff materials add further detail about how the writing was managed across the handover. Series composition by Akira Oketani established a scenario “bible” that mapped the Apsalus mobile-armor program as the through-line, framed the story from a ground-soldier point of view, and centered the Shiro–Aina relationship; teleplays then alternated between Oketani and Hiroaki Kitajima to balance platoon tactics, jungle engagements, and character beats. After the director change, this blueprint was retained with only localized scene reshuffles and retakes, which the staff credit with keeping the overall arc intact despite the disrupted release cadence.[2][8]
Multiple third-party retrospectives and archival publications also document material planned and partly developed but not used in the home-video run. These include interstitial “half-episodes” (commonly referred to in staff notes as “9.5” and “10.5”) whose boards and layouts were explored during production and later excerpted or discussed in print features.[27][24] To bridge narrative and release realities while spotlighting the mid-series arc,Miller’s Report (1998) re-framed episodes 6–8 with new footage for theaters; it was released nationwide by Shochiku on August 1, 1998, and is cataloged by multiple independent film databases.[28][29][30]
The OVA series was first released in Japan byBandai Visual on VHS andLaserDisc, beginning with volume one on January 25, 1996.[31] Subsequent volumes were published irregularly between 1996 and 1999 due to staff changes and production delays. The main run concluded with episode 11, released on April 25, 1999.[32] A separate epilogue special titledLast Resort was issued on July 25, 1999, and treated as an “after-story” rather than part of the original eleven-episode count.[2]
The series was later reissued on DVD beginning in 2000, with a four-disc set marketed as the “complete” home-video edition that included all 11 episodes and theLast Resort epilogue.[33] A remasteredMemorial Box Blu-ray edition was released in Japan in 2013, and later distributed in North America byNozomi Entertainment andRight Stuf.[34]
Theme songs were performed byChihiro Yonekura: the opening theme "嵐の中で輝いて (Arashi no Naka de Kagayaite,lit. Shining in the Storm)" and the ending theme "10 Years After" (episodes 1–10). Episode 11 used the ending "未来の二人に (Mirai no Futari ni,lit. To the Two of Us in the Future)", while theLast Resort epilogue repurposed the opening theme as its ending.[2][35]
| No. | Title | Original release date | English air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "War for Two" Transliteration: "Futari Dake no Sensou" (Japanese:二人だけの戦争[36]) | January 25, 1996 (1996-01-25) | July 23, 2001[37] |
| 2 | "Gundams in the Jungle" Transliteration: "Mitsurin no Gandamu" (Japanese:密林のガンダム[36]) | January 25, 1996 (1996-01-25) | July 24, 2001 |
| 3 | "The Time Limit on Trust" Transliteration: "Shinrai he no Genkai Jikan" (Japanese:信頼への限界時間[36]) | March 25, 1996 (1996-03-25) | July 25, 2001 |
| 4 | "The Demon Overhead" Transliteration: "Zujō no Akuma" (Japanese:頭上の悪魔[36]) | March 25, 1996 (1996-03-25) | July 26, 2001 |
| 5 | "The Broken Order to Stand By" Transliteration: "Yaburareta Taiki Meirei" (Japanese:破られた待機命令[38]) | October 25, 1996 (1996-10-25) | July 27, 2001 |
| 6 | "Battle Line on the Burning Sand" Transliteration: "Nessa Sensen" (Japanese:熱砂戦線[38]) | December 18, 1996 (1996-12-18) | July 30, 2001 |
| 7 | "Reunion" Transliteration: "Saikai" (Japanese:再会[38]) | October 25, 1997 (1997-10-25) | July 31, 2001 |
| 8 | "Duty and Ideals" Transliteration: "Gunmu to Risō" (Japanese:軍務と理想[38]) | December 18, 1997 (1997-12-18) | August 1, 2001 |
| 9 | "Front Line" Transliteration: "Saizensen" (Japanese:最前線[39]) | February 25, 1998 (1998-02-25) | August 2, 2001 |
| 10 | "The Shuddering Mountain, Part I" Transliteration: "Furueru Yama (Zenpen)" (Japanese:震える山(前編)[39]) | July 25, 1998 (1998-07-25) | August 3, 2001 |
| 11 | "The Shuddering Mountain, Part II" Transliteration: "Furueru Yama (Kōhen)" (Japanese:震える山(後編)[39]) | April 25, 1999 (1999-04-25) | August 6, 2001 |
| 12 | "Last Resort" Transliteration: "Rasuto Rizōto" (Japanese:ラスト・リゾート[39]) | July 25, 1999 (1999-07-25)[40] | August 7, 2001 |
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team – Miller’s Report is a compilation film released theatrically in Japan on 1 August 1998 byShochiku. It reframes the mid-series arc by combining material from episodes 6–8 with new animation and centers onShiro Amada’s court-martial, introducing Alice Miller as an Earth Federation investigator.[28][4][41] The ending theme isEien no Tobira (永遠の扉,lit. Eternal Door) byChihiro Yonekura.[28][42] Bandai Visual subsequently issued the film on Blu-ray in Japan; North American releases have included the film alongside the OVA in home-video sets.[43][44]
A manga byUmanosuke Iida titledMobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team: U.C.0079+α was serialized inMonthly Gundam Ace beginning in 2007 and collected into four tankōbon volumes byKadokawa (2007–2009).[45][46] A complete edition,U.C.0079+α TRIBUTE, compiled the four volumes and previously unpublished strips; Kadokawa announced pre-orders in April 2011 and released the volume in June 2011.[47][48][49]
The OVA also received a prose novelization,Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team byIchirō Ōkouchi (Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko), published in three volumes in 1999:Upper (27 April 1999),Middle (26 May 1999), andLower (29 June 1999).[50][51][52][53]
In print tie-ins, a full-color film-comic adaptation of the OVA was published by Tatsumi Publishing in the NEO COMICS line across eleven volumes (1998–1999). Bibliographic records and marketplace listings document volume details and publication dates.[54][55]
Bandai launched dedicated model-kit lines forThe 08th MS Team. Late-1990s 1/144 “HG Gundam The 08th MS Team” releases included theRX-79 Gundam vs. MS-06J Zaku II set and individual kits tied to later episodes.[56][57] The property then moved into the Master Grade line, beginning with the 1/100 RX-79(G) Gundam Ground Type (May 2000), followed by the 1/100 Gundam Ez8 (October 2000), MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom (February 2001), and RGM-79(G) GM Ground Type (July 2001).[58][59][60][61]
Later High Grade Universal Century updates re-tooled the designs, including the HGUC RGM-79(G) GM Ground Type (2017) and HGUC RX-79(G) Gundam Ground Type (2018).[62][63] Beyond Gunpla, Bandai's ROBOT Tamashii (A.N.I.M.E. ver.) action-figure series has released multiple08th units, such as the Gouf Custom and the Gundam Ground Type, alongside periodic reissues and accessory packs.[64][65] A 2025G Frame FA figure assortment also spotlighted the series lineup.[66]
The 08th MS Team has been positively received by critics for its ground-level depiction of theOne Year War, animation quality, and memorable set pieces, with more mixed views on its central romance and mid-series pacing. In a 2017 review,Austin Price ofOtaku USA Magazine praised the series' "well-wrought" human focus and ground combat but found the early jungle episodes comparatively flabby next to the taut opener, calling them "something of a snooze" before the show "clicks" in the back half.[67] Writing forForbes, Ollie Barder characterized the OVA less as a pure war drama than an effective coming-of-age story anchored by likable leads and strong action direction, calling the Blu-ray set "a great collection of one of the best standalone stories in theGundam saga."[68]Blu-ray.com staff similarly highlighted the HD presentation, noting the "stunning video and audio" of the Complete Collection release.[69]
In Japan, mainstream tech and entertainment outlets have retrospectively recommended the OVA for its realism and set-piece craft;GAME Watch singled it out in a 2023 feature as a grounded counterpoint to later entries, spotlighting its jungle warfare and the popular "Shivering Mountain" arc.[70] Editorial coverage has also singled out the duel betweenNorris Packard's Gouf Custom and the mass-production Guntanks as a franchise-defining highlight.[71] Among English-language outlets,The A.V. Club later described the series' epilogueLast Resort as a high point within the wider franchise.[72]
Commercially, the series has shown durable home-video appeal in Japan. The Blu-ray Memorial Box reissue peaked at #12 onOricon's weeklyBlu-ray chart and charted across four weeks.[73] Reader polls and list features have likewise reflected enduring popularity: in a 2021Otaku USA readers' vote of Gundam anime,The 08th MS Team ranked sixth overall,[74] while a 2022 ITmedia/Nlab poll of series characters named Norris Packard the most popular in the cast.[75]
Overall, critics in both Japan and the West have lauded the OVA's terrestrial combat focus, animation, and set-piece direction, especially the Shivering Mountain duology, while noting that tonal shifts and the Shiro–Aina romance divide opinion.[67][70]
| Preceded by | Gundam metaseries (production order) 1996 — 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GundamUniversal Century timeline U.C. 0079 | Succeeded by |
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