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This particular OVA starts out relatively slowly but quickly picks up. It is very much in the style of shows that favor one-off stories, rather than an important overarching plot, to enhance character development. However, in the last three episodes important details begin to emerge about the universe that raise questions that set up for further entries in the series.

The early episodes serve their purpose of character introduction and development dutifully, and are really quite funny on top of that. Amongst the early episodes, episodes 2 and 3 are particularly strong, 3 probably being the funniest of the entire series.

Episodes 5 and 6 are the ... most watchable and form a two-part series about a rebel group attempting to gain control over the government which really piques the interest of the viewer. The stories told throughout the OVA are mature and understated with great concern for the political intricacies of the universe, with these elements coming to a head in this pair of episodes.

Animation wise the show is very good looking for it's age with smooth animation and fantastic mecha designs. Various mecha are introduced at a steady pace and each is diverse but still very cool looking. The weakest point of the series is the voice acting. The Japanese voice acting is good, but the English dub is remarkably bad with a few glaring cases of miscasting.

Overall Patlabor is a great introduction into the universe which showcases the format, strengths, and overarching themes of the franchise. It stands strong as both an entry into the Patlabor series and a series in its own right.

Ah... where to begin? The nonsensical plot? The horrendous dialog? The non-existent character development? If it weren't for the gorgeous 3D visuals of the movie it would be a complete and utter failure.

Harada and Sato's mission to create an accessible and enjoyable Tekken film for non-Tekken fan falls flat on its face. Only someone with a flawless understanding of the Tekken lore could understand how this movie makes sense. With only a passing knowledge of the Tekken story line, it's very difficult to understand where this fits and why it was necessary.

The story of two ... rival corporations, G-Corp run by Kazuya and Mishima Zaibatsu run by Jin, both vying to control the M-Gene makes absolutely no sense. Their reason for hunting for this mutation is never clearly explained and by the end of the film is not even relevant, as that plot-line gets completely abandoned in favor of a flashy ending fight scene. It's not an understatement to say that nothing about this film makes any sense.

Those hoping that some snappy and thought provoking dialog saves a sinking story should abandon those hopes. The dialog is legitimately laughter inducing for all the wrong reasons. With lines like "sometimes you have to fail to succeed," it sounds as though every line from this film was pilfered from a budget store greeting card.

As far as character development, there honestly isn't any. The characters are as one-dimension and static as possible. Their motivations are never clear and even if they were, the incomprehensible plot would make them impossible to understand.

If there's one thing positive to say about this film, it's that it is absolutely gorgeous. The CG-animation is in a league of its own. Relatively realistic facial and body animations and well choreographed fight scenes make the movie a joy to look at, at the very least. The film probably would have been better off abandoning any plot or character related scenes and just presenting itself as a long montage of fight scenes to showcase the beautiful animation and jaw-dropping 3D effects.

Despite this meager success, the film even fails to deliver to dedicated Tekken fans as only a fraction of the cast makes an appearance. The cast of this movie will certainly seem adequate to die hard Xiaoyu or Alisa fans, but the fact that Sato couldn't even add a few random cameos for some other fan favorites is downright sad.

This movie doesn't appeal to anyone, even diehard Tekken fans will be immensely disappointed. And those without an encyclopedic knowledge of the Tekken lore will be absolutely lost. Even taking into account the amazing animation and 3D tech used in the film, it might be wise to wait until it's featured in another film that can deliver on other merits besides simply being a technological marvel. The fact that Harada and Sato put their name to this is astonishing, but don't be fooled, this movie totally sucks. Avoid at all costs.

The amended and reworked 'A New Translation' series of Zeta Gundam movies were a very exciting announcement for many Gundam fans. With Tomino behind the helm again and the promise of remastered and brand new footage there's no way this could go wrong... right?

The story itself is relatively sound, however certain excellent and iconic scenes from the original series were abbreviated significantly or cut out entirely. That's the nature of creating a film based on a dense and lengthy animated series, however, some of the choices in regards to what was removed are questionable. The changes and additions made to ... the flow of the plot between the series and the movie, however, smooth the flow of the movie significantly. While many movie adaptations of lengthy series' feel rushed, awkward, confusing and overwhelming, this movie manages to mitigate those feelings for the most part. That's not to say there aren't certain elements of character development that are lost, there are, especially when it comes to Amuro's appearance in the movie. But even that isn't a total disaster and it's apparent that great care was taken to maintain the integrity of the story line.

The art direction of this film is downright schizophrenic and absolutely the most disappointing part of the film. The new footage created for the movie is absolutely amazing and mind-blowing. It is some of the best animation ever, it's downright gorgeous. Epic space battles rendered using this new animation are truly a sight to behold. However, there's not enough of it. What feels like the majority of the film uses outdated animation from the original series. To make matters worse, rarely are entire scenes played out with the new animation, splicing together the new and old footage in awkward ways that could honestly illicit a laugh. Quick cuts between the new and old animation for something as simple as Kamille and Quattro walking through the Argama are extremely jarring and not enjoyable for the viewer. The striking new animation juxtaposed against the older animation and the amateurish nature of the cuts between them is an enormous blemish on what would be an otherwise fantastic film. It is so bad that non-Zeta Gundam fans might have a hard time seeing past it and enjoying the movie for what it is.

For those new to the Zeta Gundam series, approach with caution. The cuts between new and old animation can appear downright silly. Fortunately, if that can be endured, a story that is timelessly classic is here for your enjoyment in its most digestible form ever. But those that are sticklers for shiny animation and fantastic production values may find the cuts as too much to bear.

So the question remains, can this great movie overcome the massive handicap of its disastrous choice in the animation department? For a Zeta Gundam fan, the answer is absolutely yes. Fans of the original Zeta Gundam series need to see this movie. Some of the new animation could legitimately bring a tear to their eyes, and requisite familiarity with the original animation should make it much easier to handle. However, those familiar with the original series will be even more conscious of some of the shortcomings of this adaptation's story. That weakness, however, is nothing compared to the weakness of the animation which is far more likely to effect a casual viewer's enjoyment.

The question of what series best defines Mobile Suit Gundam rages far and wide across forums, anime convention hotel rooms, and instant message windows. Each Gundam fan takes a different message from the Universal Century, some even preferring alternate universe Gundam series. But make no mistake, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is the definitive Gundam series. Without question Zeta represents a definitive and exhaustive vision of Yoshiyuki Tomino's idea of what Gundam is really about and what defines the future of the human face, the Newtype.

For those who watched Mobile Suit Gundam and the subsequent side stories prior to Zeta, Kamille's tragic adventure ... is grander in scope both of the conflict and in regard to the ideas explored by the series. Not shying away from topics like the prevalence and dangers of military institutions gaining political power, governmental conservatism subverting the interests of the people it claims to represent, death (which is liberally explored...), the difference in vision between two generations and of course the nature of war itself. The number of references to real life issues of the era and the freshness of the questions raised in today's political climate along with the philosophical concerns of the series are, in a word, staggering. To gain a full understanding of the questions raised and divine an answer, each which will certainly vary from viewer to viewer, the series demands multiple views. It would be a tall order for most 50 episode series, however, Zeta Gundam is not dry or boring.

Divorced from the extent of political and philosophical allusions that exist, the series still stands as a great piece of storytelling. The motivations for the characters are well thought out and serve both to give us insight into the character themselves and usually some type of philosophical question. What does Reccoa's experience about the series reveal about role of women, and the perception of their gender, in the context of a conflict? That's just one of the series' many concerns. The realistic and relate-able characters and their dynamism is one of the highlights of the series.

Zeta Gundam doesn't just succeed with characterization and crafting a fantastic story, it has great art direction. Each mobile suit and mobile armor is unique with some of the best and most inventive designs ever to be featured in a Gundam series. This series has some of the most diverse looking suits ever, each uniquely suited to one of the series' many factions. The animation is dated - the series IS from 1985 after all - but it still holds up really well. Those used to flashier mecha may not be totally blown away, but it was certainly a marvel for its time. Certainly the series is guilty, as almost every TV anime series is, of using the occasional reel of stock footage but in Zeta its a very understated use.

The soundtrack is incredibly well done as well, although ultimately maybe not as well scored as the original Mobile Suit Gundam, but the series still contains plenty of songs that you'll be humming long after you walk away. Both the Japanese voice track and the English dub are incredibly good. Although the English dub does not reprise any of the actors of Mobile Suit Gundam and Char's Counterattack, each newcomer does a bang up job. Michael Kopsa's sinister and devious Char would be a tough fit for the warm and encouraging vision of Char seen in this series, but Tom Edwards really fits the role. However, if you are a stickler for consistency, the Japanese voice actors from Mobile Suit Gundam do reprise the roles in Zeta.

Some viewers will be drawn to the depth of the series and want to interpret every detail, others will simply enjoy the fantastic story told here, but Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a must watch for fans of Gundam and mecha anime in general. While the animation may not blow away fans of newer Gundam series, those people owe it to themselves to revisit Zeta Gundam to fully understand and enjoy the subsequent series which owe so much to Zeta. The entire Mobile Suit Gundam metaseries is truly mesmerizing, both to think critically about and simply enjoy on a more basic level, and it is Zeta which best represents all the great things that viewers know and love about Gundam. Passing up this series would be an unforgivable injustice.