View source for Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

{{Short description|Japanese OVA series}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| image           = Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team Blu-ray cover.jpg
| image_size      = 230px
| caption         = Cover of the Blu-ray re-release of ''Miller's Report'' (limited edition)
| ja_kanji        = 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊
| ja_romaji       = Kidō Senshi Gandamu Dai Zerohachi Emu Esu Shōtai
| genre           = {{ubl|[[Military science fiction]]|[[Drama]]|[[Hard science fiction]]}}
| creator         = {{ubl|[[Hajime Yatate]]|[[Yoshiyuki Tomino]]}}
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = ova
| director        = [[Takeyuki Kanda]] (ep. 1–6)<br>[[Umanosuke Iida]] (ep. 7–12)
| producer        = 
| writer          = Akira Okeya (ep. 1–6)<br>Hiroaki Kitajima (ep. 7–12)
| music           = [[Kohei Tanaka (composer)|Kohei Tanaka]]
| studio          = [[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]
| licensee        = {{English anime licensee|AUS=[[Madman Entertainment]]|NA=[[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]}}
| first           = January 25, 1996
| last            = July 25, 1999
| runtime         = 25 minutes
| episodes        = 12
| episode_list    = 
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = film
| title           = The 08th MS Team: Miller's Report
| director        = Mitsuko Kase, Takeyuki Kanda, [[Umanosuke Iida]]
| producer        = 
| writer          = 
| music           = [[Kohei Tanaka (composer)|Kohei Tanaka]]
| studio          = [[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]
| licensee        = {{English anime licensee|NA=[[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]}}
| released        = August 1, 1998
| runtime         = 51 minutes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Print
| type        = light novel
| title       = The 08th MS Team Side Story: Trivial Operation
| author      = Ichirou Ookouchi
| illustrator = Kouji Sugiura
| publisher   = [[Kadokawa Shoten]]
| magazine    = [[Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko]]
| first       = January 1999
| last        = July 2001
| volumes     = 3
| volume_list = 
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Print
| type        = manga
| title       = Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team U.C.0079+α
| author      = [[Umanosuke Iida]]
| publisher   = [[Kadokawa Shoten]]
| magazine    = [[Gundam Ace]]
| first       = March 2007
| last        = June 2011
| volumes     = 4
| volume_list = 
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = ova
| title           = The 08th MS Team: Battle in Three Dimensions
| director        = Shinya Watada
| producer        = 
| writer          = [[Ichiro Okouchi]]
| music           = [[Kohei Tanaka (composer)|Kohei Tanaka]]
| studio          = [[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]
| licensee        = {{English anime licensee|NA=[[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]}}
| released        = February 22, 2013
| runtime         = 9 minutes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer|portal=yes}}

{{Nihongo|'''''Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team'''''|機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊|Kidō Senshi Gandamu Dai Zerohachi Emu Esu Shōtai|lead=yes|{{lit}} Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Platoon}} is a Japanese [[original video animation|OVA]] [[anime]] series in the [[Gundam]] franchise produced by [[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]. Released from 1996 to 1999, the series follows an Earth Federation ground unit fighting in [[Universal Century|U.C.]] 0079 during the [[One Year War]], presented as a ground-level side story contemporaneous with the 1979 television series ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]''; its first video volume was issued on 25 January 1996, with a separate epilogue special, ''Last Resort'', released on 25 July 1999 outside the original eleven-episode count.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/88194 |title=オリジナルビデオアニメ 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 (1996) |website=allcinema |publisher=Stingray |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="Impress">{{cite web |url=https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/feature/1523394.html |title=〖特集〗「水星の魔女」の次に観たい「機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊」 |website=GAME Watch |publisher=Impress |date=13 August 2023 |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Directed initially by Takeyuki Kanda (episodes 1–5) and subsequently by Umanosuke Iida, the project also spawned the compilation film '''''Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team – Miller’s Report''''' (1998) for Japanese theaters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eiga.com/person/25449/ |title=神田武幸：プロフィール・作品情報 |website=映画.com |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="機動戦士ガンダム／第08MS小隊ミラーズ・レポート">{{cite web |url=https://www.shochiku.co.jp/cinema/database/04513/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム／第08MS小隊ミラーズ・レポート |website=松竹 作品データベース |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

As the franchise’s third Gundam OVA following ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket]]'' (1989) and ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory]]'' (1991–92), it assembled a staff composed of Gundam franchise veterans, including character designer [[Toshihiro Kawamoto]], mechanical designer [[Hajime Katoki]] (with additional mecha design work credited to [[Kunio Okawara]] and [[Kimitoshi Yamane]]), and composer [[Kohei Tanaka (composer)|Kohei Tanaka]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/88639 |title=機動戦士ガンダム0080 ポケットの中の戦争 (1989) |website=allcinema |publisher=Stingray |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/88499 |title=機動戦士ガンダム0083 STARDUST MEMORY (1991) |website=allcinema |publisher=Stingray |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/88194 |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 (1996) クレジット |website=allcinema |publisher=Stingray |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="ホビージャパン">{{cite book |title=08小隊戦記 1 — 機動戦士ガンダム／第08MS小隊ビジュアルブック |publisher=ホビージャパン |date=1996 |isbn=4-89425-134-5 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://vgmdb.net/album/31954 |title=Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team REPORT.2 |website=VGMdb |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Retrospectives have since highlighted its infantry-level realism and jungle-warfare set pieces as a grounded standout within the franchise, with the “Shivering Mountain” duology frequently cited as a series high point.<ref name="Impress"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://futaman.futabanet.jp/articles/-/123827 |title=任務遂行に命をかけた忠義の老兵ノリス・パッカード |website=ふたまん＋ |publisher=双葉社 |date=28 March 2023 |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

==Plot==
Set during the [[One Year War]] in [[Universal Century]] 0079, the story unfolds in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where the [[Earth Federation (Gundam)|Earth Federation]] and the [[Principality of Zeon]] wage a guerrilla campaign for control of the region. Zeon places its hopes on an experimental mobile-armor program piloted by [[Aina Sahalin]], while Ensign [[Shiro Amada]] arrives to take command of the 08th MS Team. The two first meet during a mutual rescue in space before returning to opposite sides; when Shiro later learns of Aina’s role in the tests, he is detained on suspicion of treason.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://anime.eiga.com/movie/102427/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 Vol.1 : 作品情報 |website=アニメハック |publisher=映画.com |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/88194 |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 (1996) |website=allcinema |publisher=Stingray |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

To clear the charges, the Federation tasks Shiro with leading the 08th MS Team deep into Zeon-held territory to locate the hidden test base. As the Apsaras project advances and the front tightens, Shiro and Aina struggle between duty to their units and their feelings for one another, choices that shape the team’s fate and the outcome of the operation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.b-ch.com/titles/116/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 |website=BANDAI CHANNEL |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.08ms-team.net/story/ |title=Story |website=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 公式サイト |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

==Characters==
===Main characters===
;SLt. Shiro Amada{{anchor|Shiro Amada}}
:{{animevoices|[[Nobuyuki Hiyama]]|[[Steve Staley]]}}
:Shiro is the newly assigned platoon leader of the Earth Federation's 08th Mobile Suit Team in Southeast Asia. He meets Aina Sahalin during a rescue in space, and their bond comes back to haunt him when he discovers her Zeon identity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-08th-MS-Team/Shiro-Amada/ |title=Shiro Amada – Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="imdb.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159569/fullcredits/ |title=Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team – Full cast & crew |website=IMDb |access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref>

;Aina Sahalin{{anchor|Aina Sahalin}}
:{{animevoices|[[Kikuko Inoue]]|[[Emilie de Azevedo Brown]]}}
:Aina is a Zeon noble and test pilot for the Apsaras mobile armor. She meets Shiro during a space rescue mission, forming an emotional connection that complicates the war between their factions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-08th-MS-Team/Aina-Sahalin/ |title=Aina Sahalin – Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="imdb.com"/>

===Support characters===
;Cpl. Eledore Massis{{anchor|Eledore Massis}}
:{{animevoices|[[Keiji Fujiwara]]|[[Eddie Frierson]]}}
:Eledore is the team's hovertruck driver and radar operator, hesitant in combat but always willing to push beyond his limits for his teammates, especially Karen.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-08th-MS-Team/Eledore-Massis/ |title=Eledore Massis – Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref>

;Aina’s brother, Major general Ginias Sahalin{{anchor|Ginias Sahalin}}
:{{animevoices|[[Shō Hayami]]|[[Lex Lang]]}}
:Ginias spearheads the development of a powerful mobile weapon intended to strike Jaburo. His genius is shadowed by ruthless pragmatism and a deteriorating mental state.<ref name="imdb.com"/>

;SGM Karen Joshua{{anchor|Karen Joshua}}
:{{animevoices|[[Mami Koyama]]|[[Debra Jean Rogers]]}}
:Karen is the senior pilot and acting field medic of the 08th MS Team. She initially distrusts Shiro's leadership but becomes indispensable to the unit.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-08th-MS-Team/Karen-Joshua/ |title=Karen Joshua – Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref>

;Kiki Rosita{{anchor|Kiki Rosita}}
:{{animevoices|[[Chinami Nishimura]]|[[Michelle Ruff]]}}
:Kiki, the daughter of local guerrilla fighters, assists the 08th MS Team through resistance coordination and secretly harbors feelings for Shiro.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-08th-MS-Team/Kiki-Rosita/ |title=Kiki Rosita – Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref>

;Cpl. Michel Ninorich{{anchor|Michel Ninorich}}
:{{animevoices|[[Hiro Yūki]]|[[Tony Ricci]]}}
:New to the team like Shiro, Michel serves as Eledore's gunner and navigator, writing letters to his girlfriend, BB, during quieter moments.<ref name="imdb.com"/>

;Col. Norris Packard{{anchor|Norris Packard}}
:{{animevoices|[[Osamu Ichikawa]]|[[Michael McConnohie]]}}
:Norris is a Zeon ace and observer who becomes involved with the Apsaras program; he confronts Shiro in Episode 10 and dies during the encounter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-08th-MS-Team/Norris-Packard/ |title=Norris Packard – Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref>

;Sgt. Terry Sanders Jr.{{anchor|Terry Sanders Jr.}}
:{{animevoices|[[Tesshō Genda]]|[[Steve Kramer (actor)|Steve Kramer]]}}
:Known as “Shinigami Sanders” due to his survivor’s curse streak, his luck changes as he learns to trust and fight alongside Shiro and the team.<ref name="imdb.com"/>

;Major general Yuri Kellarny{{anchor|Yuri Kellarny}}
:{{animevoices|[[Kyonosuke Kami]]|[[Daran Norris]]}}
:A Zeon officer and family friend of the Sahalins, Yuri tries to help refugees after Odessa’s fall but is killed by Ginias for attempting to override lockdown orders.<ref name="imdb.com"/>

;LTC. Kojima{{anchor|Kojima}}
:{{animevoices|[[Yuzuru Fujimoto]]|[[Michael Forest]]}}
:Kojima leads the Kojima Battalion by the book until witnessing Captain Ryer’s brutal tactics, prompting him to defy orders he finds unjust.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-08th-MS-Team/Kojima/ |title=Kojima – Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref>

==Featured mobile suits==
===Earth Federation===
# RX-75 Mass Production Guntank (量産型ガンタンク) (Type: Soldier)
# RB-79K Ball Type K (先行量産型ボール) (Type: Soldier)
# RX-79[G] Ground Gundam (陸戦型ガンダム) (Type: Soldier)
# RX-79[G]Ez-8 Gundam Ez8 (ガンダムEZ8) (Type: Commander)
# RGM-79E Prototype GM (初期型ジム) (Type: Soldier)
# RGM-79G Ground GM (陸戦型ジム) (Type: Soldier)
# RGM-79G GM Sniper (ジム・スナイパー) (Type: Soldier)

===Zeon===
# MSM-04 Acguy (アッガイ) (Type: Soldier)
# MS-05 Zaku I (ザクI) (Type: Soldier)
# MS-05 Topp's Zaku (トップ専用ザク) (Type: Commander)
# MS-06 Zaku II (ザクII) (Type: Soldier)
# MS-06J Dell's Zaku (デル専用ザク) (Type: Commander)
# MS-06J Ash's Zaku (アス専用ザク) (Type: Commander)
# MS-06JC Ground Zaku II (陸戦型ザクII) (Type: Soldier)
# MS-06K Zaku Cannon (ザクキャノン) (Type: Soldier)
# MS-06V Zaku Tank (ザクタンク) (Type: Soldier)
# MS-06RD-4 Prototype Zaku II (宇宙用高機動試験型ザク) (Type: Soldier)
# MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom (グフカスタム) (Type: Commander)
# MS-07H-8 Gouf Flight Type (グフフライトタイプ) (Type: Soldier)
# MS-09 Dom (ドム) (Type: Soldier)

==Production and development==
Conception and pre-production began in 1995, with the first video volume released on January 25, 1996.<ref name="Impress"/> The original director, Takeyuki Kanda, led episodes 1–5 before his sudden death on July 27, 1996; thereafter Umanosuke Iida assumed direction for the remainder of the OVA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eiga.com/person/25449/ |title=神田武幸：プロフィール・作品情報・最新ニュース |website=映画.com |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="機動戦士ガンダム 80/83/08">{{cite book |title=機動戦士ガンダム 80/83/08 |publisher=太田出版 |date=April 2003 |language=ja}}</ref> Contemporary staff interviews collected in third-party mooks and books describe a shift in tone across the handover: Kanda’s front half emphasized “mud-and-boots” ground warfare realism, while Iida steered the back half toward tighter character drama framed by set-piece mecha action.<ref>{{cite book |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 |series=GAKKEN MOOK／アニメVスペシャル |publisher=学習研究社 |date=March 1997 |isbn=978-4056014853 |language=ja}}</ref><ref name="ホビージャパン"/>

Iida later stated in a magazine interview that the back half inevitably “felt different” from the front half because he inherited another director’s groundwork and recalibrated the emphasis: the latter episodes tighten the character focus and stage clearer set-piece mobile suit battles while maintaining continuity with the earlier groundwork. He described Shiro Amada as an idealist whose choices drive the drama and said he approached the series primarily as a “mecha work,” rather than a pure war chronicle.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=インタビュー：飯田馬之介 |magazine=アニメ批評 |publisher=マイクロデザイン出版局 |date=July 1999 |language=ja}}</ref>

Staff materials add further detail about how the writing was managed across the handover. Series composition by Akira Oketani established a scenario “bible” that mapped the Apsalus mobile-armor program as the through-line, framed the story from a ground-soldier point of view, and centered the Shiro–Aina relationship; teleplays then alternated between Oketani and Hiroaki Kitajima to balance platoon tactics, jungle engagements, and character beats. After the director change, this blueprint was retained with only localized scene reshuffles and retakes, which the staff credit with keeping the overall arc intact despite the disrupted release cadence.<ref name="Impress"/><ref name="ホビージャパン"/>

Multiple third-party retrospectives and archival publications also document material planned and partly developed but not used in the home-video run. These include interstitial “half-episodes” (commonly referred to in staff notes as “9.5” and “10.5”) whose boards and layouts were explored during production and later excerpted or discussed in print features.<ref>{{cite book |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 オフィシャルアーカイブ |publisher=一迅社 |date=28 January 2014 |isbn=978-4758013499 |language=ja}}</ref><ref name="機動戦士ガンダム 80/83/08"/> To bridge narrative and release realities while spotlighting the mid-series arc, ''Miller’s Report'' (1998) re-framed episodes 6–8 with new footage for theaters; it was released nationwide by Shochiku on August 1, 1998, and is cataloged by multiple independent film databases.<ref name="劇場版 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 ミラーズ・リポート">{{cite web |url=https://anime.eiga.com/movie/102431/ |title=劇場版 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 ミラーズ・リポート |website=アニメハック |publisher=映画.com |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://press.moviewalker.jp/mv30723/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊ミラーズ・リポート |website=Movie Walker Press |publisher=KADOKAWA |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.shochiku.co.jp/cinema/database/04513/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム／第08MS小隊ミラーズ・レポート |website=松竹公式データベース |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

==Media==
===Anime===
The OVA series was first released in Japan by [[Bandai Visual]] on VHS and [[LaserDisc]], beginning with volume one on January 25, 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/88194 |title=オリジナルビデオアニメ 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 (1996) |website=allcinema |publisher=Stingray |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Subsequent volumes were published irregularly between 1996 and 1999 due to staff changes and production delays. The main run concluded with episode 11, released on April 25, 1999.<ref>{{cite book |title=Mobile Suit Gundam 80/83/08 |publisher=太田出版 |date=April 2003 |isbn=4872337336 |language=ja}}</ref> A separate epilogue special titled ''Last Resort'' was issued on July 25, 1999, and treated as an “after-story” rather than part of the original eleven-episode count.<ref name="Impress"/>

The series was later reissued on DVD beginning in 2000, with a four-disc set marketed as the “complete” home-video edition that included all 11 episodes and the ''Last Resort'' epilogue.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://v-storage.jp/cont/item/?item_detail=BCBA-0638 |title=機動戦士ガンダム／第08MS小隊 VOL.04＜最終巻＞ |website=V-Storage |publisher=バンダイナムコフィルムワークス |date=25 November 2000 |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> A remastered ''Memorial Box'' Blu-ray edition was released in Japan in 2013, and later distributed in North America by [[Nozomi Entertainment]] and [[Right Stuf Inc.|Right Stuf]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/340422/products/997324/1/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム／第08MS小隊 Blu-ray メモリアルボックス |website=Oricon |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

Theme songs were performed by [[Chihiro Yonekura]]: the opening theme "{{nihongo|嵐の中で輝いて|Arashi no Naka de Kagayaite| lit. Shining in the Storm}}" and the ending theme "10 Years After" (episodes 1–10). Episode 11 used the ending "{{nihongo|未来の二人に|Mirai no Futari ni|lit. To the Two of Us in the Future}}", while the ''Last Resort'' epilogue repurposed the opening theme as its ending.<ref name="Impress"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/88194 |title=オリジナルビデオアニメ 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 (1996) |website=allcinema |publisher=Stingray |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

{{Episode table
|background=#69B829
|overall=
|title=
|airdate=
|altdate=
|altdateT=English air date
|episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 1
| Title               = War for Two
| TranslitTitle       = Futari Dake no Sensou
| NativeTitle         = 二人だけの戦争<ref name="Story1">{{cite web |url=http://www.08ms-team.net/story/index.html |title=Story 1-4 |publisher=[[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] |access-date=2020-10-28}}</ref>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1996|1|25}}
| AltDate             = July 23, 2001<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jul-07-ca-19384-story.html | title=A Temporary Toon Town Opens Up in Long Beach | date=July 7, 2001 | author=Solomon, Charles | newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] | access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 2
| Title               = Gundams in the Jungle
| TranslitTitle       = Mitsurin no Gandamu
| NativeTitle         = 密林のガンダム<ref name="Story1"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1996|1|25}}
| AltDate             = July 24, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 3
| Title               = The Time Limit on Trust
| TranslitTitle       = Shinrai he no Genkai Jikan
| NativeTitle         = 信頼への限界時間<ref name="Story1"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1996|3|25}}
| AltDate             = July 25, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 4
| Title               = The Demon Overhead
| TranslitTitle       = Zujō no Akuma
| NativeTitle         = 頭上の悪魔<ref name="Story1"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1996|3|25}}
| AltDate             = July 26, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 5
| Title               = The Broken Order to Stand By
| TranslitTitle       = Yaburareta Taiki Meirei
| NativeTitle         = 破られた待機命令<ref name="Story2">{{cite web |url=http://www.08ms-team.net/story/story2.html |title=Story 5-8 |publisher=[[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] |access-date=2020-10-28}}</ref>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1996|10|25}}
| AltDate             = July 27, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 6
| Title               = Battle Line on the Burning Sand
| TranslitTitle       = Nessa Sensen
| NativeTitle         = 熱砂戦線<ref name="Story2"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1996|12|18}}
| AltDate             = July 30, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 7
| Title               = Reunion
| TranslitTitle       = Saikai
| NativeTitle         = 再会<ref name="Story2"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1997|10|25}}
| AltDate             = July 31, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 8
| Title               = Duty and Ideals
| TranslitTitle       = Gunmu to Risō
| NativeTitle         = 軍務と理想<ref name="Story2"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1997|12|18}}
| AltDate             = August 1, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 9
| Title               = Front Line
| TranslitTitle       = Saizensen
| NativeTitle         = 最前線<ref name="Story3">{{cite web |url=http://www.08ms-team.net/story/story3.html |title=Story 9-12 |publisher=[[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] |access-date=2020-10-28}}</ref>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1998|2|25}}
| AltDate             = August 2, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 10
| Title               = The Shuddering Mountain, Part I
| TranslitTitle       = Furueru Yama (Zenpen)
| NativeTitle         = 震える山(前編)<ref name="Story3"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1998|7|25}}
| AltDate             = August 3, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 11
| Title               = The Shuddering Mountain, Part II
| TranslitTitle       = Furueru Yama (Kōhen)
| NativeTitle         = 震える山(後編)<ref name="Story3"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1999|4|25}}
| AltDate             = August 6, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 12
| Title               = Last Resort
| TranslitTitle       = Rasuto Rizōto
| NativeTitle         = ラスト・リゾート<ref name="Story3"/>
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1999|7|25}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/international/works/detail.php?cid=6|title=List of Works {{pipe}}{{pipe}} SUNRISE International Information}}</ref>
| AltDate             = August 7, 2001
| ShortSummary        = 
| LineColor           = 69B829
}}
}}

===Film===
''Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team – Miller’s Report'' is a compilation film released theatrically in Japan on 1 August 1998 by [[Shochiku]]. It reframes the mid-series arc by combining material from episodes 6–8 with new animation and centers on [[Shiro Amada]]’s court-martial, introducing Alice Miller as an Earth Federation investigator.<ref name="劇場版 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 ミラーズ・リポート"/><ref name="機動戦士ガンダム／第08MS小隊ミラーズ・レポート"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.b-ch.com/titles/3743/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 ミラーズ・レポート |website=BANDAI CHANNEL |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> The ending theme is {{Nihongo|''Eien no Tobira''|永遠の扉|lit. Eternal Door}} by [[Chihiro Yonekura]].<ref name="劇場版 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 ミラーズ・リポート"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://vgmdb.net/album/10067 |title=Eien no Tobira |website=VGMdb |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Bandai Visual subsequently issued the film on Blu-ray in Japan; North American releases have included the film alongside the OVA in home-video sets.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-The-08th-MS-Team-Millers-Report-Blu-ray/29965/ |title=Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team – Miller’s Report (Japan) |website=Blu-ray.com |date=2011 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://store.crunchyroll.com/products/mobile-suit-gundam-the-08th-ms-team-blu-ray |title=Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (Blu-ray) |website=Crunchyroll Store |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

===Manga and novels===
A manga by [[Umanosuke Iida]] titled ''Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team: U.C.0079+α'' was serialized in ''[[Gundam Ace|Monthly Gundam Ace]]'' beginning in 2007 and collected into four tankōbon volumes by [[Kadokawa Corporation|Kadokawa]] (2007–2009).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/200710000072/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 U.C.0079＋α （2） |website=KADOKAWA公式 |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4047152226 |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 U.C.0079＋α (4) |website=Amazon.co.jp |language=ja |date=26 March 2009 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> A complete edition, ''U.C.0079+α TRIBUTE'', compiled the four volumes and previously unpublished strips; Kadokawa announced pre-orders in April 2011 and released the volume in June 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.gundam.info/news/publications/news_publications_20110404_69866p.html |title=The Umanosuke Iida Memorial Project "Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team: U.C.0079＋α TRIBUTE" is now available for preorder on webKADOKAWA! |website=GUNDAM.INFO |date=3 April 2011 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://store.kadokawa.co.jp/shop/g/g201103000191/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 U.C.0079＋α TRIBUTE |website=KADOKAWA公式オンラインショップ |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hmv.co.jp/artist_%E9%A3%AF%E7%94%B0%E9%A6%AC%E4%B9%8B%E4%BB%8B-%E7%9F%A2%E7%AB%8B%E8%82%87-%E5%AF%8C%E9%87%8E%E7%94%B1%E6%82%A0%E5%AD%A3_000000000394729/item_%E6%A9%9F%E5%8B%95%E6%88%A6%E5%A3%AB%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%83%80%E3%83%A0%E7%AC%AC08MS%E5%B0%8F%E9%9A%8AU-C-0079-%CE%91-TRIBUTE-%E8%A7%92%E5%B7%9D%E3%82%B3%E3%83%9F%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9A_4032127 |title=機動戦士ガンダム第08MS小隊 U.C.0079＋α TRIBUTE |website=HMV&BOOKS online |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

The OVA also received a prose novelization, ''Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team'' by [[Ichirō Ōkouchi]] (Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko), published in three volumes in 1999: ''Upper'' (27 April 1999), ''Middle'' (26 May 1999), and ''Lower'' (29 June 1999).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/199999422101/ |title=第０８ＭＳ小隊（上） 機動戦士ガンダム |website=KADOKAWA公式 |language=ja |date=27 April 1999 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/199999422102/ |title=第０８ＭＳ小隊（中） 機動戦士ガンダム |website=KADOKAWA公式 |language=ja |date=26 May 1999 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/199999422103/ |title=第０８ＭＳ小隊（下） 機動戦士ガンダム |website=KADOKAWA公式 |language=ja |date=29 June 1999 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://bookwalker.jp/series/15988/ |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊（角川スニーカー文庫） |website=BOOK☆WALKER |publisher=KADOKAWA |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

In print tie-ins, a full-color film-comic adaptation of the OVA was published by Tatsumi Publishing in the NEO COMICS line across eleven volumes (1998–1999). Bibliographic records and marketplace listings document volume details and publication dates.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000098-Icm_itemM469443 |title=機動戦士ガンダム第08MS小隊 11（NEO COMICS） |website=国立国会図書館サーチ |language=ja |date=5 September 1999 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.suruga-ya.jp/kaitori/kaitori_detail/504022238 |title=機動戦士ガンダム第08MS小隊 フィルムコミックス(7) |website=駿河屋 |language=ja |date=1 September 1998 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

===Merchandise===
Bandai launched dedicated model-kit lines for ''The 08th MS Team''. Late-1990s 1/144 “HG Gundam The 08th MS Team” releases included the ''RX-79 Gundam vs. MS-06J Zaku II'' set and individual kits tied to later episodes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gunpla.in/search/gunpla/series/gundam_08 |title=機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 のガンプラ一覧 |website=Gunpla.in |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.1999.co.jp/10011168 |title=RX-79量産試作型ガンダム vs MS-06Jザク II（HG 第08MS小隊） |website=Hobby Search |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> The property then moved into the Master Grade line, beginning with the 1/100 RX-79(G) Gundam Ground Type (May 2000), followed by the 1/100 Gundam Ez8 (October 2000), MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom (February 2001), and RGM-79(G) GM Ground Type (July 2001).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.1999.co.jp/10011654 |title=RX-79(G) 陸戦型ガンダム (MG) |website=Hobby Search |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.1999.co.jp/10012739 |title=RX-79(G) ガンダムEz8 (MG) |website=Hobby Search |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.1999.co.jp/10015120 |title=MS-07B-3 グフカスタム (MG) |website=Hobby Search |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://manual.bandai-hobby.net/menus/detail/812 |title=MG 1/100 RGM-79(G) ジム（陸戦型） 取扱説明書 |website=バンダイ プラモデルWEB取説 |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

Later High Grade Universal Century updates re-tooled the designs, including the HGUC RGM-79(G) GM Ground Type (2017) and HGUC RX-79(G) Gundam Ground Type (2018).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hlj.com/1-144-scale-hguc-rgm-79-g-gm-ground-type-bann12182 |title=1/144 HGUC RGM-79[G] GM Ground Type |website=HobbyLink Japan |date=19 January 2017 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bandaispirits.co.jp/products/search/detail.php?prd_id=4549660240259000 |title=HGUC 1/144 陸戦型ガンダム |website=Bandai Spirits Hobby Site |language=ja |date=21 April 2018 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Beyond Gunpla, Bandai’s ROBOT Tamashii (A.N.I.M.E. ver.) action-figure series has released multiple ''08th'' units, such as the Gouf Custom and the Gundam Ground Type, alongside periodic reissues and accessory packs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10857070 |title=ROBOT魂 ＜SIDE MS＞ MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom ver. A.N.I.M.E. |website=Hobby Search |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10803887 |title=ROBOT魂 ＜SIDE MS＞ RX-79(G) Gundam Ground Type ver. A.N.I.M.E. |website=Hobby Search |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> A 2025 ''G Frame FA'' figure assortment also spotlighted the series lineup.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/11133628 |title=Mobile Suit Gundam G Frame FA The 08th MS Team Set |website=Hobby Search |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

==Reception==
''The 08th MS Team'' has been positively received by critics for its ground-level depiction of the [[One Year War]], animation quality, and memorable set pieces, with more mixed views on its central romance and mid-series pacing. In a 2017 review, [[Austin Price]] of ''[[Otaku USA Magazine]]'' praised the series' "well-wrought" human focus and ground combat but found the early jungle episodes comparatively flabby next to the taut opener, calling them "something of a snooze" before the show "clicks" in the back half.<ref name="Price">{{cite web |last=Price |first=Austin |title=[Review] Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team |url=https://otakuusamagazine.com/review-mobile-suit-gundam-the-08th-ms-team/ |website=Otaku USA Magazine |date=19 November 2017 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Forbes]]'', Ollie Barder characterized the OVA less as a pure war drama than an effective coming-of-age story anchored by likable leads and strong action direction, calling the Blu-ray set "a great collection of one of the best standalone stories in the [[Gundam]] saga."<ref>{{cite web |last=Barder |first=Ollie |title='Gundam 08th MS Team' Blu-Ray Review: More Of A Coming Of Age Story Than A Gritty War Drama |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2017/05/05/gundam-08th-ms-team-blu-ray-review-more-of-a-coming-of-age-story-than-a-gritty-war-drama/ |website=Forbes |date=5 May 2017 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> ''Blu-ray.com'' staff similarly highlighted the HD presentation, noting the "stunning video and audio" of the Complete Collection release.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team – Complete Collection (Blu-ray) |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-The-08th-MS-Team-Complete-Collection-Blu-ray/8897/ |website=Blu-ray.com |date=14 June 2019 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

In Japan, mainstream tech and entertainment outlets have retrospectively recommended the OVA for its realism and set-piece craft; ''GAME Watch'' singled it out in a 2023 feature as a grounded counterpoint to later entries, spotlighting its jungle warfare and the popular "Shivering Mountain" arc.<ref name="game.watch.impress.co.jp">{{cite web |title=〖特集〗「水星の魔女」の次に観たい「機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊」 |url=https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/feature/1523394.html |website=GAME Watch |publisher=Impress |date=13 August 2023 |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Editorial coverage has also singled out the duel between [[Norris Packard]]'s Gouf Custom and the mass-production Guntanks as a franchise-defining highlight.<ref>{{cite web |title=任務遂行に命をかけた忠義の老兵ノリス・パッカード |url=https://futaman.futabanet.jp/articles/-/123827?page=2 |website=ふたまん＋ |publisher=双葉社 |date=28 March 2023 |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Among English-language outlets, ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' later described the series' epilogue ''Last Resort'' as a high point within the wider franchise.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cucuruz Doan’s Island isn’t the best Gundam movie, but it… |url=https://www.avclub.com/mobile-suit-gundam-cucuruz-doans-island-review-1849551218 |website=The A.V. Club |date=20 September 2022 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

Commercially, the series has shown durable home-video appeal in Japan. The Blu-ray Memorial Box reissue peaked at #12 on [[Oricon]]'s weekly [[Blu-ray]] chart and charted across four weeks.<ref>{{cite web |title=機動戦士ガンダム/第08MS小隊 Blu-ray メモリアルボックス |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/340422/products/997324/1/ |website=Oricon |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> Reader polls and list features have likewise reflected enduring popularity: in a 2021 ''Otaku USA'' readers' vote of Gundam anime, ''The 08th MS Team'' ranked sixth overall,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Top 20 Best Gundam Anime According to Otaku USA Readers |url=https://otakuusamagazine.com/the-top-20-best-gundam-anime-according-to-otaku-usa-readers/ |website=Otaku USA Magazine |date=16 July 2021 |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> while a 2022 ITmedia/Nlab poll of series characters named Norris Packard the most popular in the cast.<ref>{{cite web |title=「機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊」キャラクター人気ランキングTOP15！ 第1位はノリス・パッカードに決定！【2022年最新投票結果】 |url=https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/research/articles/574994/ |website=ねとらぼ調査隊 |publisher=ITmedia |date=20 February 2022 |language=ja |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref>

Overall, critics in both Japan and the West have lauded the OVA's terrestrial combat focus, animation, and set-piece direction, especially the Shivering Mountain duology, while noting that tonal shifts and the Shiro–Aina romance divide opinion.<ref name="Price"/><ref name="game.watch.impress.co.jp"/>

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
{{Portal|Anime and manga|1990s}}
{{commons category}}
* Official Website: [http://www.08ms-team.net/ Anime]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.gundamofficial.com/www_uc/p_series_top2.cfm |date=* |title=08th MS Team English official website }}
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159569/ Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team] at [[Internet Movie Database]]
* {{anime News Network|anime|24}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing]]'' | title = ''[[Gundam]]'' metaseries (production order) | years = 1996 &mdash; 1999 | after = ''[[After War Gundam X]]''}}
{{succession box | before = ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' | title = ''Gundam'' [[Universal Century]] timeline | years = U.C. 0079 | after = ''[[Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance|Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance]]''<br />''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt]]''<br />''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket]]''}}
{{s-end}}

{{Gundam}}
{{Sunrise OVAs}}
{{Sunrise films}}

[[Category:1996 anime OVAs]]
[[Category:1998 anime films]]
[[Category:1998 films]]
[[Category:1999 anime OVAs]]
[[Category:1999 Japanese novels]]
[[Category:2007 manga]]
[[Category:Bandai Entertainment anime titles]]
[[Category:Gundam anime and manga|08th MS Team]]
[[Category:Light novels]]
[[Category:Madman Entertainment anime]]
[[Category:Kadokawa Shoten manga]]
[[Category:Odex]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ichirō Ōkouchi]]
[[Category:Shōnen manga]]
[[Category:Sunrise (studio)]]
[[Category:Films scored by Kohei Tanaka]]
[[Category:Real robot anime and manga]]