Kidou Senshi Gundam 0080: Pocket no Naka no Sensou

Alfred Izuruha is a 10-year-old who lives in the neutral colony cluster of Side 6 and, like most boys his age, is obsessed with the war between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon. Unbeknownst to him, Al's next-door neighbor, Christina, is the test pilot of a prototype Gundam being developed in secret by the Earth Federation in the colony. A Zeon Special Forces team is assembled and tasked with infiltrating the colony in order to either steal or destroy it.

When a skirmish breaks out between the Federation and infiltrating Zeon forces, the fascinated Alfred stumbles upon a Zaku mobile suit that has been shot down, piloted by Zeon rookie Bernard "Bernie" Wiseman. After this encounter, the two start a mutual friendship, so Alfred can learn more about the war that interests him so much, and Bernie can acquire inside information about the colony to aid his team's mission.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Wiseman, Bernard Main

Tsujitani, Kouji Japanese

Mackenzie, Christina Main

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Izuruha, Alfred Main

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Lugenth Supporting

Furuta, Nobuyuki Japanese

Izuruha, Michiko Supporting

Orikasa, Ai Japanese

Carioca Supporting

Hardy, Steiner Supporting

Akimoto, Yousuke Japanese

Lunland, Dick Supporting

Masuoka, Hiroshi Japanese

Mr. Mackenzie Supporting

Muramatsu, Yasuo Japanese

Mrs. Mackenzie Supporting

Maseba, Yutaka Producer

Yatate, Hajime Producer

Uchida, Kenji Producer

Takanashi, Minoru Producer

Reviews

Jul 25, 2024

Obeley

Recommended

This is the first side story in the sprawling Gundam's Universal Century (UC) continuity and is also really interesting & engaging.

The Good:
- Characters are great. They are natural. The kid character (Alfred) acted like a proper brat, the rookie character (Bernie) had a chip on his shoulder and was both anxious & hungry to prove himself, and the test-pilot character (Christina) was the most mature of the three protags. Still, the three of them underwent some real development in the process of this 6-episode mini-series and you will at least like 2 out of the 3 protags. Without spoiling, 2 of them got more development ... than the other.
- Story is really good. Despite the sci-fi space setting, it stays grounded just like a UC Gundam should be. I don't wanna spoil it but it's basically a heist & spy story with proper big stakes and danger that can kill any character that you see on-screen.
- The animation, especially when involving the mecha, is excellent for its time. It may not be the smoothest, but the anime didn't forget to animate some extra details like objects & people getting crushed during the Mobile Suits (aka. big robots) battle. Considering animating mecha is inherently more difficult than animating humans, the show deserve real props for what it achieved.

The Mix:
- The music, especially the BGM can be a hit or miss for people, especially if you don't really like 80s Japanese music at all. But strangely enough, the music really do complement the show nicely. So, just because the music is not for me, that doesn't mean it's bad for the show.

The Verdict:
I still give this anime a 10 since it excelled in its goals & intentions with flying colors. It's a story about the suffering of war and a kid's realization of the reality of it which can result in severe PTSD and the show did not pull punches while also still portray everything tastefully & masterfully.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Obeley (1)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Apr 26, 2024

Uutama

Recommended

In times of war, the idea of conflict seems far removed from everyday life. Unfortunately for some, this could change in the blink of an eye. A lively and peaceful town can turn into a battlefield overnight, leaving citizens endangered and exposed to the horrors of battle. This is especially true for our children; how does war truly affect those who are still learning and growing in this world, yet to mature? Why do people die so easily? What is the difference between the good and the bad guys? What once seemed like a fascinating ideation of flashy fun will become, with enough exposure, a ... fearful enemy. Guns and robots aren't toys, and this is what this story is truly about.

Our story takes place in the midst of the One-Year War, yet removed from any of the major conflicts we know and love. It is a small side story in a remote colony with heavy emphasis on character. Side 6, while a neutral colony in the war, is said to have a hidden Federation base secretly operating from within it. Al, our eleven-year old protagonist, is a typical boy who loves to draw robots and pretend to be a soldier. One day, he and his friends witness a conflict happening just outside of their school, and alone decides to skip class and follow a shot down Zeon mobile suit to see if he can impress his friends with the evidence he can find there. Here, he meets the pilot of the mobile suit, Bernie, and he offers him a trade. With a cool souvenir in hand, he is sure his friends will be impressed. Instead, he treasures this interaction and decides he wants to see the Zaku up close once more. Fate guides him to meet again with Bernie, and the bond he makes with his supposed enemy becomes a lot more special than he could have hoped.

It is a quite emotionally driven story, and it really tackles both the wonder of an innocent child and the horrors of war in a well-woven tale that expresses a deep maturity that you would simply not expect of such a colorful and upbeat looking piece of animation. The animation is incredibly detailed, showing some of the highest quality animation I've seen in a long time. Given that this is a traditional hand-drawn piece of art, the detail really stands out. There are plenty of small moments where I was blown away that the animation director thought to include extra animation that is mostly out of sight. While these moments were shockingly well-drawn, they are nothing in comparison to the intricacies displayed in the moments of battle.

Watching the mobile suits fly around, attack, and destroy the environment around them was absolutely breathtaking. This series was incredibly high budget, and it shows. Typically, I find myself enjoying animated fighting scenes less and less as the quality of animation goes down in our modern era. As someone with a taste for hand-drawn animation, I tend to look for classics that I missed out on. With that being said, I can also find that a lot of older works can be thrown together quite sloppily. Thankfully, my expectations were completely blown away as I watched this, and frame-by-frame metal housings were being torn apart and scrap was being cut loose. Holes were being made in armor and explosions were a lot more than a simple cloud of red. Everything was exceptionally comprehensive, and at some points even quite graphic, making the scenarios feel incredibly realistic.

That's the true feeling that this show gives you; it's unbelievably real. So far, Gundam has been about facing war and coming to terms with the shock of it. With tons of space battles and outrageous (yet believable) politics, it's a bit difficult to imagine these scenarios taking place in our real world. For this, War in the Pocket is truly special. It manages to create an atmosphere of innocence and forms connections with the colony's people before anything can tear it apart. If your home was invaded by the enemy, this feels exactly how I expect something like this to play out. It doesn't feel forced or cliche, and it doesn't feel overly violent. It feels very secret and yet involved all at the same time.

If you are in need of an emotional piece that critiques the reasoning of war and humanizes the soldiers that are involved in it, then this is definitely what you need to spend your night watching. It's relatively short, and while you might need to know some of the basics of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series to fully understand it, I have to argue that this can probably be enjoyed without knowing much about the series at all. If any of these ideas seem interesting, then give it a shot; there's nothing to lose.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Uutama (6)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Feb 19, 2024

Franktamas

Not Recommended

It was awful, the only positive thing that I can say that is was competently and not offensively bad. The creator wanted to tell a story. and 0080 told that story, the problem was that their story was terrible.

I think the fact that the title says 0080 (after the peace treaty) but the show takes place during 0079 (before the peace treaty) already tells a lot about the world-building. It's like if they'd call a movie 1946 Recovery from the War, but it would take place in 1945 April during the Siege of Berlin.
Second big problem was with the power-levels, the mobile suits get defeated ... like it was nothing, which makes a really huge contrast with the base concept of Gundam, making Mobile Suits devastatingly superior against conventional weaponry.

The characters were both really cliché and templated, which based on how few characters got any characteristics was such a shame, but nothing was worse that the MC. Who contrary to Gundam habit wasn't 15, but 11 who acted like 7 (although at least he was shown to be quick-thinking and street-smart). The habit Gundam still retainted (I wish it wouldn't) is the terrible parents, I don't think I've a single great parent in the entire franchize yet.

The worst offender is clearly the plot, you can see every thread a miles away, it tries to be emotional, but fails at almost every point, because of how cliché and artificial it feels, and most of it just doesn't make sense. Most characters act in a way that is at best only partially natural, and worst completely moronic, just to advance the plot in the direction the writer wants to go. Which (to emphasize my previous point) makes the entire thing brutally artificial and takes away most of the emotional effects.

3.8/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Franktamas (14)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Old is Gold (Pre-90's Classic Anime)

by Ash_li

50 Entries · 173 Restacks

Mecha

by LENDASlegend

44 Entries · 14 Restacks

Anime Insider's 50 Best anime ever

by Rit100

50 Entries · 16 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for October

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for October Week 1: October 1 - 7 Anime Releases Beyblade Burst Complete Collection DVD Beyblade Burst God Com...read more

Sep 30, 2019 1:23 PM by Sakana-san | Discuss (0 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for January

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for January Week 1: January 3 - 9 Anime Releases Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (incl. Season 1, Season 2, Season 3,...read more

Jan 2, 2017 9:56 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (6 comments)

	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) kiririnshi - Oct 14, 2009	101 replies	by JoexySun »» Jun 25, 5:37 PM
	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Episode 5 Discussion Veethorn - Dec 9, 2009	26 replies	by JeikJP »» May 21, 7:19 PM
	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Episode 4 Discussion Veethorn - Dec 9, 2009	27 replies	by JeikJP »» May 21, 6:51 PM
	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Episode 3 Discussion Alas86 - Aug 4, 2010	35 replies	by JeikJP »» May 21, 5:59 PM
	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Episode 2 Discussion Veethorn - Dec 9, 2009	37 replies	by saberriderninja »» Jan 22, 2:15 AM

The Multiverse of Gundam

We’re closing in on the 40th anniversary of the Gundam franchise from when it debuted back in 1979 and fans around the world are going through a renaissance of material as Sunrise is collaborating with distributors to bring their crown jewels out for release.

by MAL_editing_team

30,518 views

Advertorial

Review

The Timelines of Gundam: Ultimate Beginner's Guide

Gundam is one of the largest anime franchises today, made up of more than a dozen TV shows, as well as movies, OVAs, and more. With so many stories split up into multiple timelines, it can be tough to know where to start. But don't worry. This comprehensive Gundam guide will help light your way.

by NicWat10

542,403 views

RecommendationCollectionActionSci-fi