Story: It gets you off guard. I can`t say much without spoiling it for you. So, let me just explain in simple facts. You will get a feeling that the story is something that it is not. It will make you believe that it has nothing to hide, but it does. I think this is one of the best side stories of the Gundamverse. You will follow a kid and a Zaku pilot, mainly, and the writers were extremely on-point on their relationship. This is a war story, but not like the others from the classical Gundam series. This is more on the civilian side, especially how it was seen by a little kid with a dream. Truly amazing.
Art & Sound: The art is very good for the time, nothing more to say, classical 80`s hand-drawing. My only complaint about this series is the soundtrack because on multiple occasions it is really out of place. On several occasions, they insert childish/funny music right after a dark turn, or during a serious subject. I don`t know if the director did it intentionally, trying to make this sound "through the eyes of a child", but a child`s mind is not always fun. Changing from "happy kid running", to "dark turn of events" is just bad design. Thus, the soundtrack is my only complaint about War in the Pocket.
Character: I think that they have some organic feel about them. Alfred, the main protagonist is the only one that can be out of tune, but he is a kid, so let it pass. Unfortunately, anime creators are never good when portraiting a child, except in Iron-Blooded Orphans, where they are perfectly written. I think that Bernie, the main pilot of this series, is great. He has this naive/dreamy/soldier personality that goes well with Alfred. He is also a damn good pilot, you will see. For a 6 episode series, War in the Pocket goes a long way into character development. Hats off.
Mechas: There is little mecha action in this series. You will see Zakus, and some Rick Dias-like MS. The Gundam in this series is named Alex, and that's a turn off. Alex, the Gundam. Not the best name they ever created. Nevertheless, I think that the mechanics they portray are extremely well-done, and that's the strong point when we are talking about the mechas in War in the Pocket.
Overall this is a great series. It has a dark tone but also a hopeful air about it. In terms of side stories, this is a masterpiece of the Gundamverse. If you are a fan of the franchise, don`t miss out on War in the Pocket.
