In the first three episodes of this 13-part original animation video first released in January 1996, Lieutenant Shiro Amada comes to Earth to lead a Mobile Suit unit in the war with Zeon. He quickly establishes himself as a likable, enthusiastic officer who believes his first duty is to ensure the safety of the soldiers he commands. As his company includes tough-as-nails Sergeant Karen Joshua, spaced-out Corporal Eledore Massis, "jinxed" Sergeant Terry Sanders Jr., and anxious Corporal Michel Ninorich, Shiro has his work cut out for him. Unlike the stoic pilots of the Gundam Wing series, Shiro is excitable, kind, and often funny--which makes him an appealing character. Little is seen of the Zeon enemy, except for the aristocratic Aina Sahalin, whom Shiro meets in an impromptu space battle. Directors Takeyuki Kanda and Umanosuke Iida handle their characters" maneuvers through a sea of space junk much more skillfully than Don Bluth did in Titan A.E.. The bulk of the fighting takes place in lush tropical jungles, whose varied green palette provides an effective backdrop for the angular red-and-white Mobile Suits. Gundam: The 08th MS Team is set in 0079 UC (Universal Century), within the main Gundam continuity: the popular Gundam Wing series takes place in an alternate universe that uses the AC (After Colony) dating system. Rated 13 and up: violence, profanity, brief nudity. --Charles Solomon