Ranked #722

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is the first OVA to enter the vast Gundam franchise. After seeing the three lengthy first Gundam series, I was expecting a short six episode OVA to not quite live up to the standard set by those series. While, yes, it doesn't fully match such titles as Mobile Suit Gundam or Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, it's still a wonderful tale that without a doubt deserves its place in the Gundam metaseries.

The story is definitely the outstanding quality in War in the Pocket. You wouldn't quite expect this, since it's all jammed into just six episodes, but Tomino Yoshiyuki and his gang, of course, pulled it off. Impressively too. It's a little different than the others because this time we get to watch the war from the viewpoint of a typical 10 year old boy, Alfred. He's fascinated by the war and all things Mobile Suit. He takes a particular liking to the Principality of Zeon though, which again, like in many Gundam installments, more touches upon the idea that neither side in the war is truly wrong. Al befriends a beginner Zaku pilot, Bernie, but also had a relation with Christina, the pilot of one of the Federation's new Gundams. Well obviously I'm not going to spoil anything, but with this setup you can already tell this is going to be a touching story about the devastation and misfortune war inevitably brings about. What really makes the idea hit home is, again, the fact that we're watching it all from such a young, ordinary child's eyes. Reading about it probably doesn't make it sound all that impressive, but it's something you have to witness and experience for yourself to truly get the gist of.

Being from 1989, the art and animation quality might be a little below what your average modern viewing is, but I'll tell you for sure, it's topnotch stuff for its time. It really doesn't get better than this for the time frame we're looking at, as expected of a Gundam series, always a pioneer of quality in animation. The sound isn't such a strong point for the OVA, but it does the job.

War in the Pocket has a rather small cast, which actually worked out perfectly for the character department. Having too many characters and attempting to develop them all, or even worse not developing them at all, in just six episodes would've been a bad idea. Here we've got three central characters: Alfred, our 10 year old war enthusiast, Bernie, the Zeon amateur, and Christina, the Federation's new female pilot of their Gundam Alex. She doesn't receive much development, but she carries out her role just fine. Bernie doesn't receive as much development as Al either, but we witness a little change and growth in him as he becomes a stronger soldier with the help of his new friend. Al is the real masterpiece though. Just a 10 year old child, by the end he gains a whole new understanding and outlook on war and life, and just how fragile it is. He matures a great deal as his character develops, and that's what really assists the story in being so nicely handled.

Enjoyment on this one would depend on the person, depending on what you look for in a series, particular a series such as Gundam. If you're looking for the intensely epic giant robot battles, look elsewhere in the wide Gundam universe. This one's for the appreciation of the magnificently told story. Don't get me wrong, as in every Gundam title, you get some action. But that is far from the strong point, or focus really, in War in the Pocket. The story is vividly detailed with friendship, companionship, and unity, as well as tragedy, misfortune, and destruction, and that's where the enjoyment factor lies.

Watching every other Gundam installment isn't necessary for viewing Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, but I'd suggest having some background in the franchise, and particularly the Universal Century. Overall, War in the Pocket, being a simple six episode OVA, proves that Gundam isn't all about powerhouse, futuristic mechanisms and laser beams, but also that it's about war and the, put in simplest terms, cruelty that comes along with it. read more

As a small member of the huge gundam metaseries, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is often overlooked. This is a real shame, as 0080 is one of the most touching war stories to be found in the anime medium.

The story of 0080 is distinct from other gundam series in that it features a civilian child's point of view on war. It is the story of Alfred Izuruha's journey of disillusionment as he grows out of his starry-eyed romance for war and the military, ultimately realizing the devastation and meaninglessness of it all. Though the risk of spoilers prevent me from elaborating further, it must be noted that the story goes beyond merely reminding the viewer of the obvious, such as "lives are lost during times of war". Al's personal growth is a heart-wrenching and emotional ride as he learns firsthand about the true faces of war from Bernie and the few days the two share together within the time frame of the series. Though virtually every gundam series share the anti-war theme, 0080 is the most effective amongst all of them in relaying the simple message: war is bad. As unimpressive as that sounds, 0080's achieves this without being preachy or cheesy (two very common pitfalls in war anime), while evoking strong emotions from the viewer.

The limited cast of 0080 is fairly ordinary, but very befitting of the story's needs. As hinted above, Al is a great character simply because of his unique and integral role in the story, though he may come off as too bratty and annoying for his own good in the beginning. Like most other gundam series, the two sides of the conflict are not portrayed as black and white. Zeeks such and Bernie and Feddies such as Christina are just ordinary people following orders from the institution of war -- the only true "bad guy". This allows the moral and lessons of the story to bear more weight than a typical "good guys vs. bad guys" scenario.

Since 0080 aired in 1989, the aesthetics of the OVA does seem aged. However, the animation, especially during the action scenes, are still sights to behold to this very day. Though 0080 is skimpy on mecha action, the few scenes that does appear throughout the series are very well done, some of which even rank among the most memorable mobile suit battles to be animated.

All in all, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is recommended to anyone interested in a great story about the tragedy of war, especially fans of the gundam franchise. With a moving story, excellent hand-drawn art, and great characters, it is hard to go wrong with this small but radiant gem in the prolific gundam universe. read more

This series was only 6 episodes long but packed more character development in it than most 50+ episode Mobile Suit Gundam series. The protagonist, Al, is likeable, and is a kid that most people can quickly and easily identify with. He finds school boring, is good at some subjects, is failing at others and is afraid of his mother "grounding" him for his bad grades. His father is never around and he hungers for male companionship, which he gets from a new friend, Bernard Wiseman.

The friendship between Bernard, a rookie pilot, and Al, the school kid, grows despite the difficulties of the political situation in their supposedly "neutral" colony. The usual misunderstandings arise, and one can't help but be amazed and amused at Al's ingenious methods of problem solving. It is a relationship where both parties learn from each other. Al's courage leads to Bernie having an ephiphany, and the closing sequence is one of the best I've seen in all MSG series.

If you like a good story which will make you root for certain characters, and will make you reflect at the end, then please watch Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket.
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It brings a whole new chapter to the official first series in which we were to believe that side 6 was always officially neutral, but this series says other wise. Though none of the other series characters are present, it is noted, that you have to be a “freak” to truly pilot the Gundam NT-1 Alex. This series does an excellent job portraying the series about how naïve kids can be. Al is aware of how dangerous things can be, but he puts the excitement factor first without thinking of the potential consequences of what may happen. You also really feel the bond Al and Bernie develop. Bernie has a general understanding of kids, but after awhile, he then sees some use for him in his missions as well and always looks out for him. Bernie has that thing with Al because he is still trying to get accepted by his new teammates because he’s replacing who the team thought was an excellent soldier and is only a rookie.

Chris is an important character to the story, but she really doesn’t have much development. She’s important, but not important in my mind to say that she’s a main character, but a significant supporting character. And she and Bernie are oblivious to the fact that they are of course truly enemy soldiers. But the story is really tragic on the potential realities of war. Even though the Federation was portrayed to have the higher moral ground, the Cyclops team portrayed Zeon in a different light. They were portrayed as being tight, and being very dedicated. They weren’t being overall bad people, but just doing their job. I would further explain more, but this is a series you have to see to know what I’m saying.

The character design is pretty good. Nothing too much to complain about, but really represents the circular style of the 1980s and isn’t drawn as angular as you see in most animes today. The traditional Zeon and Federation uniforms are still portrayed in this series as well and they look more like basic cloth than 1970s spandex, which shows how transcending the clothing style is this timeline in Gundam.

The mech design is pretty cool. It’s more bulky and detailed. There are more traditional artillery features to the Zakus and the Gundam as exhibited and show much more articulation. The battles are only exclusive inside Side 6 so you’re not getting the traditional in space battles technically in this one which was a semi-bummer for me because I would have loved to see how agile the ALEX is in those conditions. But due to the nature of this anime, the battles give a more representation of war realistically because of the collateral damage factor involved in this. Not saying that’s a good thing realistic wise, but a good thing in conveying the intended message in this anime. Plus, the battles rely more on guerilla tactics that you see in 08th MS Team rather than evolved reflexes because you don’t have those kinds of characters in this saga.

Personally, I think the English dub and the original Japanese track are equally good. The voice of Solid Snake, David Hayter who I think is credited as Sean Barker plays the role of Bernie and you wouldn’t really recognize it’s him. But I personally prefer his original Japanese voice actor Tsujitani Kouji, who also played Seabook in F91, Miroku in Inuyasha, Ryu in Street Fighter II V, and Ryuuji in Skullman. Also, I can’t deny the presence of one of my favorites of all time, Hayashibara Megumi as Chris. Hearing her name alone should tell you something. Wendee Lee, she’s ok.

The theme songs Itsuka Sora ni Todoite and Tooi Kioku, both sung by Shiina Megumi are very good songs that suit the atmosphere of the anime that does have a camp feel to it, but the style of music isn’t really my style. Not really saying it’s a bad thing, but it’s just something I’d skip personally. But the background music is also excellent in its own right and knows how to suit the mood.

Sadly, this was the ONLY Gundam series to be in Anime Insider’s Top 50 anime list. 0080 is a great series and a top favorite of mine, but I don’t think this is the best Gundam. But overall, you have to appreciate it for its themes and messages. I say you may need some previous Gundam viewing to understand this 100%, but because it focuses on a different kind of cast and has a different kind of approach, then you can still watch and will probably enjoy it. I felt this series further defines and develops realistic mech anime in relation to that. If you want action, then you got action in this series though that’s not the focus. If you want a series that focuses more on story, character, and character relationship building and development, then you’ve come to the right series. read more

Hey there everyone. Yes, it's another Gundam review by yours truly. This time I'd like to introduce you to another of my favorite Gundam spin offs, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War In the Pocket. Unlike many of the Gundam seires that you'd usually see that takes place after the Original Gundam or in another Gundam Universe, Gundam 0080 takes place during the end of the Original Mobile Suit Gundam series. This fan fic version of the great One Year War explains the story of the people the live within the colonies. Though the show was only six episodes long, it was worth watching.

The story begins like this, the War between Zeon and Federation is about to come to an end and things don't look good for Zeon. A team of Zeon pilots, The Cyclops team, was sent out by Solomon force to steal a supposedly new proto-type Gundam model. They were able to find it but lost the Gundam when it escaped to space. They quickly chase after it and discover it's hidden within a civilian space colony of Side 6.

In the story Side 6 wrote a treaty saying that they were not to be involved in the war. The Earth Federation took advantage of that and were able to hide the Gundam NT-1. But that didn't stop the Cyclops team. They attacked the colony and were able to sneak pasted through security without notice. But one thing went wrong.....

A young boy named Alfred meets one of the Cyclops team members, Bernard Wiseman, and became friends with the Zeon team. How can these Zeon soldiers complete their mission with this child following them? Time ticks as Solomon forces say they'll bomb the colony if the Gundam isn't taken care of......


All in all, this is another addition to the Universal Century. If you want to know more of the Gundam world, then this is your anime, just be sure you've seen the Original. read more