This is an entry in the series I am absolutely in love with. It would be easier to get the things I don't like about it out of the way since there are so few. But no series is perfect, and this one is no exception. It's wierd to start a review with the negatives but imo these are BARELY negatives, and are more like nitpicks I have with the series.
for starters, this series had a change in directors halfway through it and it definitely shows imo. Not to say either half of the show is weak, or even colse to it, however, there does seem to be incongruencies in the pacing and presentation at certain points, as well as small plotholes likely a result of said director change. Relating to that, there is a love triangle subplot that feels very forced in both its introduction and resolution, as it was never mentioned even once during the first half. Also the very last scene at the end relating to this subplot is INFURIATING (people who have seen the show know what I mean - how dare she smile at him like that)
That is literally ALL I could think of that I dislike about this series. Everything else is damn near perfect for my tastes. I absolutely love Kou Uraki as a protagonist. Many people seem to think he is one of the weaker protagonists in the series. I disagree however, as coming off of the 08th MS team, it was refreshing to go from a classic anime protag to someone a bit more down to earth and realistic. Kou is a sweet boy who always tried his best and doesn't afraid of anything (actually he's afraid of a lot of stuff). He is very emotional which makes sense considering he is a 19 year old ensign who is enlisted as a test pilot. I like this a lot as it's a nice middleground between civillian-turned-pilots such as Amuro or Kamille, while also not being a full-fledged military man like Shiro Amada of the 08th.
At this point in the story, the One Year War has been over for 3 years, and many of the newer EFF recruits have never experienced combat outside of possibly a few skirmishes with Zeon Remnants. The series opens up with Kou, Chuck Keith (another test pilot), lt. Southern Burning(If I'm remembering correctly but I believe this is the case) In a mock-combat situation and right out of the gate the series is absolutely beautiful. I don't want to spoin anything plot wise but there is so much to love about this series. I've always loved how this series fills in the gap between the end on the OYW and the beginning of the AEUG - Titans Conflict. Speaking of the Titans, it's so satisfying to see firsthand the conditions that allowed an organization such as the Titans to come to power. Up until this point the Federation has been shown as somewhat flawed but generally agreed upon to have the moral high-ground over the Principality of Zeon. In 083 however, we get to see firsthand how the rot that has always existed within the federations command structure has been allowed to fester and warp the EFF into something that hardly resembles the way it was portrayed in 0079.
Basically I could go on forever about how much I love this show but just watch it for yourself if you have already seen 0079 and Zeta. Hell you could probably get away with watching it before Zeta, as it is somewhat of a prequel to it. It's probably best to watch it after Zeta, as it is extremely satisfying to see the pieces fall into place to set up the state of the federaton at the beginning of Zeta Gundam, but it also would be cool to watch Zeta with the knowledge of Operation Stardust and its fallout goin into it. So yeah you should watch this one for sure
also the end theme is the best in the series no questions asked. I listen to this song regularly outside of the shows context, and I'm not one of those guys who even listens to video game soundtracks or soundtracks in general, like, ever. It's really that good
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