Been watching Gundam: The 08th MS Team the last few days.

As much as I'm trying to like it and as much as I can see the effort that went into making it...I just can't bring myself to enjoy it.
And the lack of a visible theme and an idiotic protagonist are really making it hard.

Along with no visible theme, it manages to squander its setting.
In The 08th MS Team, the series explores the idea of what the Vietnam and Gulf Wars would be like in the Gundam universe.
Those were complex wars with questionable motives-perfect for Gundam!

...And it wastes them.

Instead of exploring the complexity of those wars, they make them completely one-sided, with the protagonist effectively curb-stomping everyone in his path while the show boils the conflict down to "FEDERATION GOOD, ZEON BAD".

It's such a downgrade in quality from other series'.

And then, to add to the shittiness of the protagonist, at the end of the series, he just goes AWOL and knocks up a woman he barely knows.

Along with that, when he goes barging in to spread FREEDUM, the civilians just instantly go along with him, which is dumb and unrealistic.

When you go barging into someone else's country, guns blazing, the civilians won't throw a parade for you-especially not when you're most likely leveling their homes in the process of "liberating" them.

Some civilians may join your quest, but most won't wanna "rock the boat".

Anyway, because of those problems, the complexity and themes of other Gundam series' is absent here, which drags down the writing quality.

It plays things so safe that it just results in a toothless series in a franchise that always makes some form of statement.

Gundam Unicorn had the theme of "There are no good guys in war, and those in power will always seek to maintain the status quo, no matter how bad it is."
Gundam 00 had the theme of "Intervening in a military conflict and attacking both sides doesn't bring peace."

(Which serves as a bit of a criticism of the idea of UN Peacekeepers, interestingly enough.)
And along with both of those, Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans had the theme of "You're not the only one that gets burned when you fly too close to the sun."
The 08th MS team has...nothing.

Also, it's a minor complaint, but the main Gundam in this series is just bland as shit.

It looks like a half-assed Robocop knockoff. It doesn't stand out at all.

Meanwhile, while the Gundams in IBO and 00 may not be perfect, they at least fulfill the basic requirement of being a Gundam-standing out from the rest of the mechs.

Anyway, I've rambled on long enough in this thread.

End of the day-If you're gonna watch a Gundam series, do yourself a favor, and don't watch The 08th MS Team.