War In The Pocket used to be my favorite U.C. Gundam show. Now after watching the 08th MS Team I'm not so sure.
I love when Gundam goes to a small scale to show us it's stories.
The general plot of 08th MS Team is very simple. A group of soldiers has to find and destroy the prototype of a weapon in the middle of the south-east Asia jungle. That's it. No grand plan to throw another colony onto Earth like happens in almost every Gundam show. (Maybe it's not in every one, but it's definitely common.) This "small" story is great, because it helps us focus on the important part: The characters and their interactions with the world. Our main cast is very likeable and well written, and while I would have loved to get to know them better, I wouldn't say they were underdeveloped at all. They were just so charismatic and interesting that every person would just want more of them.
The general themes about the nature of war and empathy in the battlefield are present and well done, I just personally felt they were more impactful in War In The Pocket, however that's just a personal opinion, things can still get rough and deep here.
The art direction and animation are just gorgeous. Peak of 90's OVA Quality animation right here. I specially liked the art style in episode 9, and the battles in the last episodes are just on another level.
Another quality i'd give to 08th MS Team will be it's binge-watching potential.
Even If I liked them, I've always had trouble watching the prior Gundam shows on a regular schedule. I'd just watch a couple of episodes, but because of some inconsistent pacing, or the lack of a cliffhanger in order to motivate the viewer to keep watching, I'd just go by for several days without the interest in returning to the series, until I did eventually.
That doesn't happen with this OVA. I watched all 12 episodes within 3 days, eager to see what would happen next.
For example: Stardust Memory, show that i've no problem with and I enjoyed took me about a month and a half to finish the 13 episodes.
This review has been long, so I'll just close it saying this:
Watch it if you're a Gundam fan.
Watch it if you're a Mecha fan.
Watch it if you like action anime.
Watch it if you like quality anime.
Cheers, and have fun. :)
