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| When the movie Char's Counterattack was released in 1988, the finality of its story seemed to indicate an end to the Gundam saga. That was not the case when Gundam 0080 was released the following year. This 6 episode OAV was a landmark in several ways. Its release celebrated the 10th anniversary of Gundam and was the first side story to turn the clock back to the One Year War. It also was the first ever Gundam OAV series, and its direction by Takayama Fumihiko marked the first time someone other than Yoshiuyki Tomino directed a Gundam series. Featuring character designs by Macross's Haruhiko Mikimoto, the series premiered on video in mid 1989. Instead of focusing on the One Year War as a whole, the story here centers on a young boy named Alfred Izuruha who dreams of lavish wars and mobile suits. Throughout the course of the series, he changes and sees just how terrible war truly is. Similar to the original series, Gundam 0080 represents the Zeon in a different light and proves they aren't all villains, but it also shows that the Federation isn't necessarily good either. In 1998, Bandai released the series in the U.S. as part of its first wave of Gundam. In 2000, the series was released on DVD in Japan. In late 2001 the series aired on Cartoon Network and is now available on DVD. |
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