To say that the second volume of Gundam 0080 took me by surprise is a gross understatement. The lives of Al, Chris, and Bernie take a very unexpected turn, and the heated political drama ensures a complete lack of boredom. The way in which Gundam 0080 ends is nothing short of brilliant, as there is perhaps no better way to show the tragedies of war.

Thanks to information gathered by Bernie and Al, the Zeon special forces unit to which Bernie belongs plans their move. Near the end of the first volume we learned what Chris' purpose on the colony was. In the second volume, her position begins to cause difficulties as conflicts arise. Much of the dialogue in this volume revolves around things like reasons for fighting and running, and the consequences of both. The tragedy in this OVA is caused by time and circumstance, and young Al has to live with all of it, being the only one who knows the whole truth about the event. It's a testament to the fact that many of the people who are most affected by war are those not involved in it. There are no good and bad guys in this story, and no sides to take. The viewer is just to witness what happens, like Al.

Bernie and Al on a mission, to save the colony from certain doom! So what else is new?	Insert obligatory shot of series' hottest chick here. Unfortunately, not much to go around in this show.

The packaging for the second DVD is most impressive, sporting a very nice picture of Chris sitting on a car. The reversible cover is also nice, but can't hold a candle to the first. The DVD is chock full of extras (perhaps to make up for the fact that the series could have easily fit on one disc). The extras include trailers for other Bandai series, a mobile suit encyclopedia with info about six mobile suits, a short feature titled "All that Gundam" which served as a teaser for this series, a textless sequence of the second closing song, three music videos, and the opening and ending sequences with English credits. The first music video contains spoilers for the ending of the series, so be sure you watch the episodes first.

Overall, Gundam 0080 has been quite the experience, especially for only being 6 episodes long. It presents a more personal view into military conflict, and the things that take place outside of the fighting.

Distributor: Bandai
Creator: Sunrise
Released: 1989

Video Quality: A-
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: A-
Content: A-
Overall: A-