I got my first exposure to Gundam 0083 years ago when I was part of an anime group and we were watching the fansubs of the series. I couldn't get past the "great cataclysmic war of big robots beating the crap out of each other" stigma of the series, and didn't really pay attention. Now the series is commercial, and I get to review the dub, only to find out that I've been missing one of the greatest mecha shows out there.

Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory is a fairly long OAV series, clocking in at 13 episodes, and two are presented here, offering a nice-sized portion on which to get addicted. The dub frequently reminded me of Macross Plus (also by produced by ZRO Limit), and although there are a few slip-ups, the cast generally does an excellent job. The post-production is fairly decent too, as even the Japanese voice cast is left in the credits. If there was ever an argument for a bilingual DVD release of something, this is it! (Don't annoy AnimeVillage any more... they say they're working on it.)

Oh yes, the music. Nothing spectacular here... the background music is typical symphonic wartime score, while the J-pop opening is pretty off-key. (There is a dubbed version of the opening with REALLY bad lyrics, hidden in the background of one of the opening scenes. I don't know what they were thinking with this one.) The end theme (which is originally in English) is drippy and lame, but if you like soft 80's pop, you might like it. (I admit, I have a weak spot for it. I am attending therepy...)

Overall, although not the spectacular anime event Macross Plus was, Gundam 0083 comes pretty darn close, and is probably the closest any other mecha series ever will come, quality-wise. If you liked Macross Plus, do not miss this one.