This is not Gundam Wing. A simple statement, but very important when going to view Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket.

This six episode OAV series takes place in the Universal Century (UC) continuum, along with series such as the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, Char’s Counterattack, etc. It begins in UC 0079, near the end of the One-Year War in which Amuro Ray and the Federation fought Char and the Zeon forces in order to protect the earth. However, only passing references are made to Amuro’s Gundam; this is a side-story outside of the main war. While knowledge of the original will definitely lend depth to this series, it is not necessary. The storyline stands on its own.

The story details the infiltration of a neutral colony by Zeon soldiers who seek the destruction of the RX-78 NT-1 Alex - a prototype Gundam set to replace Amuro Ray’s RX-78. Two narrative techniques set this apart from the original series. First, it’s told from the point of view of 10 year old Alfred, a non-combatant. Second, the protagonists are the Zeon forces - the villains in the original series. The blurring of the line between the good guys and the bad has always been a staple of the Gundam worlds -- war is difficult, enemies and heroes often trade places.

Unlike other Gundam series, Gundam 0080 is told from the perspective of a 10 year old non-combatant.	While the animation may suffer comparisons to revent OVA series, the animation quality still stands above that of most tv series, especially in respect to the detailing of the mobile suits.

War in the Pocket is very serious. While the storyline has its lighter moments, its characters are not your typical poster-boy Gundam Wing pilots. There are grizzled veterans, mistake-prone rookies, and idealistic pilots. These are real people. They don’t have special abilities or training. They’re simply soldiers and students. When conflicts arise, both sides take losses - no single mobile suit can absolutely dominate. In other words, expect a lot of realism in battles and in relationships. Considering that the storyline makes you feel sympathetic to both sides, don’t expect a happy tale - someone has to lose.

Does this make the series bad? In no way! Actually, this is one of the best stories to ever come of the Gundam world, not to mention anime in general. It’s a very moving tale of how a young boy discovers the true horrors of war.

The animation is excellent - for 1989 (when the series was released). Most current OVAs surpass the animation quality of War in the Pocket. However, you’ll find that a majority of the animation is superior to many TV shows, such as any of the other Gundam TV shows, especially with respect to the detail on the mobile suits (even the cannon-fodder suits are well-detailed). As an example of this, watch the opening sequence closely for the effect of physics on the mobile suits, most notably the Hygog. Don’t expect to be blown away, but do expect to be drawn in.

The character designs are excellent and varied. The design was carried out by Haruhiko Mikimoto of Macross fame, one of the better character designers in the industry. The excellent voice cast includes some notables such as Megumi Hayashibara (BlueSeed, Slayers, Ranma, etc) and Koji Tsujitani (Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Street Fighter II V).

The music is excellent and fits the scenes perfectly. The soundtrack has long been a favorite of mine, and, even with some of the amazing recent soundtrack releases in Japan, still holds its own.

If you are looking for a serious OVA with great characters you can sympathize with and some amazing giant robot action, you can’t go wrong with War in the Pocket. If you’re not interested in thinking a little and considering the ramifications of war, you may want to steer clear.

Distributor: Bandai
Creator: Sunrise
Released: 1989

Plot: A+
Character Design: A
Animation Quality: B
Music: A
Overall: A