Balanced between human interest and metallic collisions, this late nineties back track to the universe of the original "Gundam" series tells the story of the foot soldiers.

Not just a bunch of robots blasting away at one another. Of course, this has been the earmark for many a "Gundam" series. Following in that tradition, "08th" roots its story in its individual characters as the war erupts around them. Love them or hate them, the secondary and major characters are far from one-dimensional.

The blending of 70's style suits and costumes with modern animated backdrops works well. And though the character designs derive from the original series, they also exploit the technical innovations made since the original series.

Why anyone would dub and sub episodes in English but have the two versions sound only remotely alike is an amusing mystery. The series was translated from Japanese by both Bandai and ZRO Limit Productions, maybe if these two had compared a few more notes things would have been a lot less confusing. The acting, though, is the weakest link in an otherwise excellent animated series. The English voice actors rate from adequate to terrible.

Only one scene of nudity and it isn't (very) gratuitous. The violence is minimal, especially for it's war zone setting, and there is no blood.

The "Gundam" series was one of the first robot suit anime, and the "Gundam" designs in "The 08th MS Team" stay true to form. Who can pass up the chance to watch giant robots blaze away at one another?

Not many people say, "Cut it out" while being kicked in the belly. Shiro may have had the traditional scuffmarks on his face to signify a good ass kicking, but he sure didn't sound too believable.

Love it? Hate it? Buy it.