While most Gundam stories revolve around a brash teenage pilot, War in the Pocket opts for something completely different by having an eleven-year-old—a civilian—as its lead character. At first, Al hardly seems to be a good choice for a Gundam protagonist. Here we have a schoolboy who loves playing war games with his buddies and nothing else. Lacking the combat prowess and flair of the franchise's previous heroes, Al appears to be a dismissible individual in the beginning. With conflicts between the Federation and the Zeon occurring everywhere and Al not fighting in even a single battle, the story seems to be doomed to an uninteresting direction.
But when Zeon forces raid his homeland on a secret mission, Al’s daring personality begins to shine as he observes the skirmishes unfazed. Instead of highlighting the mecha battles, the story remains focused on Al as he navigates through the wreckages of his city and observes the bloody corpses strewn across the streets. Because Al is still an innocent child, however, he does not realize the severity of the situation, and so proceeds to investigate the aftermath of the invasion while skirting dangerously close to the conflict. Ironically, by having a child like Al as a narrator, we are able to survey the destruction even better than through the perspective of a soldier directly involved in the war.
War in the Pocket dives into its action quickly, but it’s not until Al’s fated meeting with Bernie that the ball starts rolling. After Al encounters the downed Zeon pilot, a fleeting moment of tension occurs before his bravery once again comes into play. Ignoring the gun pointed at him, Al surprises Bernie with a declaration to join his squad. This scene seems comically exaggerated at first, but it makes sense when you realize the lengths Al would go to partake in the war. From Al’s juvenile outlook, Bernie is not an enemy, but an opportunity to lead him to a new path.
Bernie is a likable character and most likely the fan favorite. Although a member of the elite Zeon team that invaded Al’s homeland, his inexperience and tendency to panic clearly identifies him as a rookie. Think of him as a foil to Al. Since everyone else in his squad are gruff, battle-seasoned men, he is merely viewed as a tag-along brat who simply wants recognition. Bernie’s relationship with his comrades only worsens after allowing Al to become an informant for their squad, which is rather humorous considering that Al is the son of a late Federation official.
Not everything is bad for our unlucky Zeon pilot, however, as Bernie finds unforeseen love in the form of Christie, a Federation soldier and Al’s longtime neighbor. Making this situation even more fascinating is that neither are aware of the other’s allegiance, introducing a twist to the usual “star-crossed lovers” scenario. United by love rather than ideology, Bernie and Christie share moments that serve as respites in the middle of all the violence. If not for their military expertise, Bernie and Christie could pass as a regular teenage couple. Despite taking a backseat in the second half for more pressing matters, the romance in War in the Pocket is genuinely heartfelt. The blossoming relationship between the two echoes War in the Pocket’s strongest anti-war message, where politics and beliefs are what mainly separate us as human beings.
Ultimately, War in the Pocket is a story about Al and Bernie as they improve themselves by learning from each other. As the Zeon team's secret mission reaches its climax, Al realizes that war is nothing alike to the games he plays with his friends. His decision to join Bernie and his crew as an informant allows him to comprehend the bloodshed and aftermath of the war. Likewise, Bernie attempts to become more confident and serious in his duties by following the example of the fearless Al. Even Bernie’s squadmates, who initially dismissed him and Al as a couple of nuisances, eventually acknowledge their bravery. In just six episodes, Al and Bernie are meticulously fleshed out and become better individuals.
It should be fairly obvious at this point that War in the Pocket prides in the growth of its cast more than anything else. Therefore, mecha fans might be displeased to learn that the show packs fewer action sequences compared to other entries in the franchise. Although War in the Pocket is not completely devoid of giant robot battles, most of them occur in the final two episodes during the climax of the story. Even so, these battles are beautifully animated and are no less fun to watch than that in other Gundam titles. But since War in the Pocket is narrated from Al’s viewpoint, these battles seem like random acts of violence instead of clashes of ideals. However, this works in the show’s favor since it reinforces the anti-war themes that it tries to convey.
Even War in the Pocket’s dazzling visuals plays into its narrative. The watercolor backgrounds and the bright, somewhat grungy color scheme give the show an innocent feel, almost as if everything we see is based on Al’s perspective. In contrast, the bloody corpses and destruction of the mobile suits are rendered more realistically. Although the show was produced in 1989, it’s hard to disagree that War in the Pocket is one of the best-looking Gundam titles to date.
War is hell, and it’s a message that War in the Pocket repeatedly declares throughout its six-episode run. Marrying mecha elements with a profound humanistic story, this fantastic addition to the Gundam saga is sure to please both fans and newcomers of the genre. More than two decades have passed since its inception, but it remains the strongest title in the franchise.
