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| This was amazing! |
| *Tear* man i should have known no gundam ends with a complete smile on your face Someone has to die in war ='( but this anime was great im glad i watch it. |
| I must confess I was not expecting this anime to be like this, it's as if it was a happy story for the most part of it (with such a charming and warming atmosphere) and suddenly BANG...tragedy happens...in such a way that makes all fighting in it look meaningless... I confess I shed some tears :'( towards the end, first Gundam to make do it. |
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| Quite a sad ending; Especially since Bernie didn't really have to fight the Gundam to save the colony anymore... Luckily Chris survived, but she had to go back to earth. I wonder what she's going to do there. This was a nice OVA. It was cool to see the war from a civilian's point of view and to follow a Zeon soldier on a sabotage mission. It was also pretty cool that Al was a Zeon fanboy. Haha. |
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| Very very sad :( In my mind I was thinking that actually Alfred was gonna die - but either way still very sad. So basically Chris killed her own friend - or maybe Bernie was even more than a friend to her. She asked for him without knowing he was dead. So far I've watched 4 Gundams - all sad somehow :( |
| Damn... Tomino should watch this and learn how it should be done... I didn't expect this... I still can't believe how good it ended up being... and how tragic... how very humanly tragic... Best thing Gundam I've seen so far... |
I've clearly underestimated this OVA. Watched half of it a long time ago on TV and never finished. I'm very glad I've corrected that mistake now. |
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| I watched this Gundam OVA several years ago when it happened to come on Cartoon Network. I can't remember if it was on Toonami or on Adult Swim at the time. Back then, I didn't see anything special about this OVA. In fact, I didn't like it very much at all, but now that I've rewatched it, I have a completely new perspective. I ended up bumping my original score of 6/10 up to 8/10. When I first saw it, I didn't realize how moving the story is. Alfred starts off as nothing but a smart, but very naive kid, who then becomes more mature by the end of the short OVA. Even though there is fighting going on inside the colony, the children see it as something fun. What could be more awesome than giant robots fighting each other? After witnessing many gruesome acts, he finally realizes the reality of war. The ending was best. Only Alfred cried, while the other children looked forward to another war. Definitely worth watching. |
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| Totally awesome little OVA here. Bernie is a great character, his relationship with Al is believable and well-done, and I even really dug the action, especially the failed mission in episode 6. The animation is top, top quality for 1989. This is a really gorgeous show to watch (aside from some of the close-ups of Al, haha). The first episode was a snooze, but after that it got really great and pleasantly surprised me. 9/10 |
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| Wonderful! Goes to show that even in anime, "less is more". Conveys the horrors and tragedy of war in a subtle, yet more meaningful fashion than other Gundam series. |
| "Perhaps there is a universal, absolute truth. Perhaps it justifies every question. But that's beyond the reach of these small hands." Mamoru Oshii There is a cult of ignorance (...) nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov |
| Mommy it hurts! ;( |
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| I've never expected that this would end like this. I almost cried at the end...poor Al...and his friends know nothing and saying those words at the end. :( The endig song is so perfectly fitting with this show and the pictures too. How war effect kids always overlooked and I'm glad we got to see Gundam from this perspective. 9/10 for me. |
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| I liked it, but I felt like the last two episodes dragged somewhat. Was anyone else horrified when Al's friends were saying "Oh, don't worry, there'll be another war soon." "Yeah! And this next one will be even flashier than the last!" |
| Nothing |
GVman said: I was really much. I felt some bitterness in this, since Al was just like that at the beginning of the series and now he completely understands those words. That was some cruel ending~Was anyone else horrified when Al's friends were saying "Oh, don't worry, there'll be another war soon." "Yeah! And this next one will be even flashier than the last!" |
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sayami said: I've never expected that this would end like this. I almost cried at the end...poor Al...and his friends know nothing and saying those words at the end. :( Exactly. They had no idea. Saying all that war and bullet stuff! |
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| One of the bestest along with Stardust Memory... just this emotions and the situation when you really don't know where would this whole thing with his sister and "brother" fighting against themselves go ^^''' |
SwiftflashSep 14, 2012 8:44 AM
| dammed red girl nazi killed the good guy .... |
| God this episode was great and I knew he would die cause when he said "If I die look at this" I was like NOOOOO death flag triggered. I was hoping he would live. I thought Bernie was going to also kill Chris, but he didn't and she asked if she could say goodbye to Bernie before she left. That made me cry cause she killed him without knowing it they could have been more than just friends they could have gotten married. T_T 7/10 kinda boring, but I loved the moments between Alfred and Bernie. Bernie is a true bro. |
"What has two arms, two legs, and is alive? Not your favorite character lol! xD" |
| I can't get over how incredible this little 6 episode OVA was. In the same vein as Gunbuster; it does in 6 episodes what 50+ episode series sometimes can't even do. Provide an emotional, compelling story, brimming with humanity. Al and Bernie were a great duo, they were like brothers. It's amazing how Al goes from a bratty kid to a very.....upset, damaged, reality-stricken boy. It's not a pretty sight to see, it's cruel as all hell. But it's always in Gundams' nature to show us that harsh side of reality. I respect it for that. I really wish Gundam wasn't about bishounens in God-Gundams destroying 50 grunt suits in one big, over powered beam spam attack like it has been over the last decade. Tomino's Gundam has always been throughly compelling and great if you understand how he works. But this is objectively the best in the franchise, it's truest to the message, and doesn't try to sell you goddamn toys. War in the Pocket 4lyfe |
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| Powerful shit, I thought the tape would turn out cheesy but it was done just right. The storyline of this as a whole might not have been as epic and intense as that of the parent story, but then again this was done on a completely different level; 0079 was about more grand political and philosophical themes and ideologies whereas 0080 was a fitting alternate approach that took the time to be relatively thorough with characterization in an interesting setting and used it quite effectively to portray human suffering, comradeship and coping as well as some special individual level moral dilemmas of war. Having fights without overpowered newtypes or constantly exploding cannon fodder suits making things a mess was refresing as well. Well, it was also an interesting additional glimpse to Zeon getting really desperate towards the end and how "normal" (well they were special ops, but still, non-fanatical) soldiers feel about everything, it was also cool to finally see a kid in Gundam other than Mineva who isn't just idiotic out of place comic relief. Well, there was a lot of room to do things better, more elaboration on Killing's thoughts, more elaborate and detailed connections to the main storyline, a bit better honed characterization particularly in the middle parts and so on, but within these time constraints this anime delivered both entertainment and its message. Dunno if I liked it as much as 0079, but this sure was way better structured and directed. 7/10 5/5 The 08th MS Team next, been looking forward to that. |
VictimOfFateAug 8, 2012 7:20 AM
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| Sad ending and good story. I'm glad to have watched it, I appreciate the point of view of a young civilian who thought war was cool and understood the pain of people near him. I had the feeling Bernie would die in the end and that's what happened. Still sad after all. 8/10. |
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| Definitely Gunbustereqsue in the way that it shifts gears halfway through and becomes a truly compelling series. The irresistible dissonance between the genuinely unsettling War elements and the cheery moments/soundtrack (as compelled by Alfred) is consummated in a truly brilliant way, with some real character growth for Alfred and Bernie. The last battle between Chris and Bernie was very difficult to watch... |
| Of all the Gundams, this one has the best message at the end. All the Gundam series are clearly antiwar anime, but this one isn’t as clear cut in condemning war. Both Bernie and Chris were fighting for legitimate reasons. Chris clearly stated that she wanted to protect her home, and I would also imagine that includes her colony’s way of life. Bernie never states it, but I imagine the reason he chose to become a soldier was to protect Zeon and its way of life. While it can be easy to say war is evil, I find it difficult to argue that war isn’t necessary. Peace can be gained at any moment if the people are willing to surrender, but I imagine everyone has something they are willing to fight and die for. In the Gundam Universe, either the Zeon’s or the Federation’s way of life must end for the others to continue. All the deaths in war are tragedies, but it is because of those deaths that things like democracy, freedom and liberty have been able to exist in the world. |
| I loved how the series showed how kids in there view the war, they see it as something epic and awesome but after witnessing the horror war causes and deaths It completely changed the way Alfred looked it, he started off extremely naive and saw it as fun now he has matured. The ending definitely moved me, was holding back pretty hard. 9/10 Definitely one of my favorites and I will stick my neck out for this. Totally underrated |
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| An incredible series, it is besmirched by the Gundam name attached to it since its incomparable to the rest. As others have said what it accomplishes in just 6 episodes is truly amazing. Potentially should be recommended even as a stand alone series for people not into Gundam ( not a huge fan myself to say the least). 9.5/10 |
| Pretty good series, too bad Bernie died ;_; 8/10. |
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| This was so different from all the Gundam series I've seen so far, good stuff! For a second there thought Chris was gonna die too..phew! Knew Bernie was gonna die from the start >.< 7/10 |
parfaited said: I really loved this OVA. Surprassed all my expectations and then some. Focused on a smaller cast of characters compared to other Gundam series yet so much happened in 6 episodes. I appreciate how this has no needless romantic drama or any of that Newtype business. (I still laugh at how some of the romance in the 0079 Gundam came out of thin air...) The ending is so bittersweet. Al was pretty much as naive and clueless as I expect a 10 year old boy to be but that ending where his friends are hoping for more "flashy" wars and he's there full of sorrow is so powerful. The only thing I disliked a bit was the last piece of music used started off a little bit too happy and bouncy. <__< Wonderful directing and wonderful animation for the time. This is most certainly underrated. All of the stuff I wanted to say. Definitely underrated. 9/10 |
| Bittersweet and melancholic, War in the Pocket is a masterpiece of an OVA. Not only is it one of the best Gundams, it is also one of the best stories of war told from the perspective of a standard civilian, that I've seen. Bernie was such an amazing character, I seriously liked him. That was some real good character development. That ending was bittersweet, but definitely a memorable one. I really felt for Al in the end when he started crying. ;__; 9/10. VERY underrated indeed. |
cupcJun 3, 2014 1:27 PM
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| It's simply fantastic. It doesn't top 00 in my opinion but it's probably even better than Zeta overall. I wish these OVAs were more famous. 9/10 |
| There were a few things I was expecting from this final episode... and to my surprise, none of them happened. This was a fantastic episode! Seriously, one of the best Gundam episodes I've seen in a long time. I wasn't expecting such an ending, Al's realization, or Bernie's death. Almost everything about the ending was a big irony that I can't help but appreciate it. I would of loved to see a sequel to how Al deals with everything. 7/10. It's very close to an 8, the few issues I have with Al's character development held it back. Barely. I definitely say this was way better than Zeta and 08th Team. As Hias said, this OVA shows that just because you have 40+ episodes it means little if you don't know how to tell and pace/direct a story to fully utilize the length. In 6 episodes, War in the Pocket told a better, heartfelt story than Zeta did in 50 and just as good a story as 0079's 43. |
| That was absolutely beautiful, i loved this series and honestly i think i greatly prefered it to the 3 main UC gundams, it just hit me like an emotional bullet train. Seriously i had a hard time holding back the tears in this episode Strong 9/10, i also say this is under rated as hell |
JizzyHitlerMay 21, 2014 2:29 PM
Immahnoob said: Jizzy, I know you have no idea how to argue for shit, tokiyashiro said: Jizzy as you would call yourself because youre a dick The most butthurt award goes to you And clearly you havent watched that many shows thats why you cant determine if a show is unique or not Or maybe you're just a child who likes common stuffs where hero saves the day and guys gets all the girls. Sad taste you have there kid you came up to me in the first place making you look more like a kid who got slapped without me even knowing it and start crying about it to me |
| A very bittersweet ending. Bernie dying just like that, without even anything left of him and Al basically breaking down on the spot was so hard to watch: man I almost flooded my keyboard with my tears, lol. The last scene was also genius : the kids' words at the end just horrified me, esp considering that Al now realises exactly what they mean. I really don't understand how underrated 0080 is: in only six episodes it managed to bring out all the potential of a Gundam series and even more, something MSG barely did in 40+ eps. War in the Pocket totally exceeded my expectations, and I'm glad I didn't miss it in my UC Gundam marathon. Solid 9,5/10 for me. PS: you know what ? Fuck it, it's a 10. |
SapewlothMay 17, 2014 3:39 PM
| Proud founder of The Official Anti-Ging Freecss Fan Club Join now! Kellhus said: GuusWayne said: there is a limit to the suspension of disbelief And it's the fan that did it. Not the smoking porn reading rubik cube genius rape ape with a magic boat. |
| Wow, this was amazing. Great, well-crafted story that works just as good as a standaloen as it works as a Gundam entry and a beautiful coming-of-age story about war, morality, loss and.. well, life itself. The animation was also stunning and the OST did a good job, despite (or because?) it being very cheerful at times. A very strong 8, bordering on a 9 - possibly even that. |
| Steel Ball Run anime when? |
| This is (probably) going to be the only Gundam in the UC timeline that I give, without any doubts, a 10/10. It was simply amazing. If only the original tv series was as good as this. |
| Started out a bit tame but soon found its footing and never let up. I didn't expect this to hit so hard. Simple but heartbreaking story that I won't soon forget. |
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| A great series, still don't understand how that Zaku was never found especially when they end up showing how close the foothills are to the base but that's minor. It did a better job than anything else so far at humanizing Zeon and showing actual scale to how even one mobile suit can do immense damage. |
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| In the main series it was always about Amuro and Char doing their thing. So seeing the war from a different perspective felt kinda refreshing. |
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| That was quite the tragic ending... With Bernie and Chris having to fight each other without knowing that they did. Bernie dying in combat with Al learning that Bernie didn't have to fight as the fleet was destroyed and having witnessing some of his closes people having a battle to their death. Al's reaction as he witnesses Bernie's death and seeing Chris come out of her mobile suit. I did feel slightly better after seeing Bernie's recording. Al crying as he hears the principle giving a general summery of the war and peace finally coming. Episode 5 was also also a great one. From Al getting pushed away as the boy who cried wolf to actually wanting to be that very boy again after Bernie coming back. How he asked Chris on how she would act on being able to run away all by herself and leaving everything behind. I really enjoyed how he took her words and felt the relieve as he saw that his friends were alright. It just really helped confirm which type of person was he. Bernie facing the same question, really had to thank the girl that kept on blaming her ex as he lied to her. Bernie realizing that he can't just leave and how much he valued Al as Al said, "I really like you" was a pretty amazing sight to see. I actually really enjoyed the feeling that Bernie felt as he truly loved Side 6. Just like how the old man felt, Bernie didn't give up hope and wanted to protect what he cherished. He was quite the amazing character and for me to feel his characterization was really enjoyable and heartbreaking. Who would had thought a brave and overly curious child would go through that much. Man, this was a pretty amazing OVA and happy to call it my 2nd Gundam that I've watched. Quite the high 8 with quite the impact with only 6 episodes. Definitely it will be one that I will remember especially with its uniqueness of doing it from a civilian stand point that is also a child. Definitely a bittersweet ending :/ |
FatefulLoveJan 1, 2015 1:07 PM
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| That was a very twisted ending. :/ ALSO NAMIKAWA DAISUKE VOICED ALFRED?!?! OMG HUGE RESPECT rip OTP. by that, i mean Al and Bernie that was an okay ova series, i guess. |
| Excellent episode! First off, i kinda lol'd how they manage to get all this equipment and managed to rebuilt Zaku just like that. I also don't know why the radar within the colony could have at least spotted Zaku when it first came in. Also i thought it was only three days till Chrstmas came? But it felt a few weeks more before the day. I knew since Episode 2 it would end up like this. Chris vs Bernie. Man i thought Al was scarred and never be awaken with the tragedy. Man seeing Bernie's last words, he already knew he was going to die either way. And i agree with him for Al not being angry with Chris nor the federation. They're just doing what they think is right, there's no right or wrong, black or white. Everything are a shades of gray. I think it would have been better if Al at least gave the disk to Chris as she leaves. So at least she knew what happened to Bernie, despite knowing she killed him. That kiss though :P Guess they won't be seeing for a long time now. I kinda hated Al at first(still do), but at least he seemed much more mature now. Shame it took him many deaths to realize that life is not all fun and games. Good mini series. It's not as good as the main ones(UC, Wing, 00) but at least it gave us some perspective of the just the normal life of people of the colony as well as the soldiers on both sides. I just wish they made this a more longer series. Depicting various arcs of various lives of soldiers on both sides. That would have been much better tbh. I give this 8/10. Now on to Stardust Memory. Now i'm more hype on that show just to see the side stories during Zeta era :) |
| Best gundam I've seen. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Definitely one of the better stories within the Gundam universe. My only problem was with how slow it was, and how little impact it had on me until the 5th episode. Could have been 3 or 4 episodes and still have the exact same impact, but without the slow buildup. The Chris vs Bernie setup was pretty obvious from the outset as well... I also was wondering how Chris never once noticed the Zeon badges Al was wearing throughout. I'm glad in the end Al learned the hard way what war really means and what it really is. |
 "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment" |
![http://myanimelist.net/signature/ferruiz34.png"](http://myanimelist.net/signature/ferruiz34.png"){kind=link}
| I thought Christina was going to die. RIP Bernie. This is the best pre-2000 Gundam I've seen so far. Guess I'll watch 0083 Stardust Memory next. |
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