在这部宇宙战士科幻/动画片中,「遠未来における地球人類と異星生物の宇宙戦争」という原作のプロットは踏襲したが、軍事に貢献することで参政権がえられるなどの世界観は、軍国主義的、戦争肯定的なものであり、問題があったといえる。そのためアニメ版ではこのような価値観を薄め、『トップガン』のような「軍隊における青春物語」としての性質が濃い(その意味では翻案作品といえる)。ブエノスアイレスがアレクニドの攻撃(原作では攻撃手段の描写がないが、アニメでは宇宙船に取り付いて侵入したアレクニドが攻撃)によって壊滅し、全面戦争が始まった流れは同じだが、なぜ戦うのかという哲学が語られることはなく、普通の高校生だった主人公が兵士として成長する過程が描かれている。
Episode 01 "Johnnie" follows Juan "Johnnie" Rico who's just graduated and is secretly in love with his fellow graduate student Carmencita "Carmen" Ibañez. Both she and his best friend, computer wiz Carl, decide to join the military, so he follows in their footsteps wishing to meet Carmen again. Being the heir to a successful family food business, this naturally upsets his parents, especially his mother who even slaps him. A day later, the government officials announce what has already been speculated for a while, that something has attacked the space colonies on the outer planets and that a war has begun, but they claim that the situation is under control and do not disclose who or what the attackers are. Episode 02 "Hendrick" follows Johnnie's ruff time at the boot camp on Earth. His biggest problem becomes controlling the clunky robotic-looking armored battle suit that all infantrymen wear in combat. His fellow recruit Hendrick has a fallout with their tough Sergent and eventually quits. At the same time several huge glowing spores arrive on Earth attached to one of the transport ships that lands on the civilian airport in New Buenos Aires, Rico's hometown. The spores turn out to be big bizarre-looking raw-flesh-toned squid-like deadly alien tentacle creatures with giant yellow eyes that can produce and shoot highly destructive lasers and gels from their bodies. Episode 03 "Maria" follows Rico's hard time at the space boot camp on the Moon where he again meets Carmen who's now an officer with the Navy. He must also deal with the devastating news of his mother Maria's death during the bloody alien attack on the New Buenos Aires airport. Episode 04 "Greg" follows Rico's training at the boot camp on Mars. However, several alien spores infiltrate the supply base where recruits, including Rico and his teammate Greg, must resupply. Episode 05 "Cherenkov" follows Rico's and his teammate Smith's eventful downtime after finally completing the 18-month-long boot camp training. Later, back in space, they meet their new teammate Cherenkov, a strange huge bearded man with a very offbeat sense of humor. Rico also meets Carmen again and this time she finally reciprocates his feelings, but then boards spaceship Santiago that gets taken down by the aliens just hours later. Episode 06 "Carmencita" follows Earth's first counterattack on the alien's planet. Rico and his team are part of the first wave of attack.
伟大的星船伞兵。