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I had finished watching the original Gundam series on DVD earlier this year and have started collecting the other releases. I had also heard this was one of the better Gundam side-stories, and it is.
Basically, War in the Pocket is set around the second-half of Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 (The Original Series) and it explores the Neutral Colony concept a little more considerably. It is set in a Space Colony that has, for the most part, been ignored by the One Year War between Zeon and the Federation. The story follows a young naïve boy who is fascinated by Mobile Suits named Al. During a skirmish between a Zaku and some Federation GMs, Al protects a rookie Zeon pilot named Bernie, who is seeking to prove himself as a man. Meanwhile, the Federation has set up a secret base on the Colony to test and design a new Gundam to be sent to White Base. Bernie, and his squad, decide to go after the Gundam in a suicide mission and Al volunteers to help out, unaware of the consequences or who will get hurt by the time the dust clears.
MAJOR PROS
The Voice Acting. Also, I'm pretty sure Al is voiced by Yahiko in one of the Rurouni Kenshin dubs while Solid Snake himself (The ever-awesome David Hayter) plays Bernie. The performances give great depth to the characters.The animation. Very nice and more realistic looking than 0079.The Theme Song. While it is a little optimistic given the source material, it's still a cool song and very memorable. Much better than the 0079 Gundam theme song, which I feel is like nails on chalkboard to me.Tie-Ins to the other Gundam shows, mainly 0079 and Zeta. It doesn't rely on them and only subtly alludes to the (pending) events.The Ending. Very beautifully and powerfully done.
SLIGHT CONS
Al's a bit naïve, but really, that is the point of the story. It's supposed to be about war being seen from a child's perspective and being forced to grow up fast.Only six episodes. After watching Gundam 0079 and Gundam Wing, I got used to long Mecha series with a lot of plot twists and arcs.Not a ton of major action, just a few Mobile Suit duels.
Who would enjoy this miniseries/OVA:
Serious Anime fans, but probably not little kids. This is definitely for the older crowd.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this anime OVA and I highly recommend it as a nice palate cleanser after watching Gundam 0079 and before watching Zeta Gundam.
score 9/10
zanghi_james 21 August 2019
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5073637/ |
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16-10-2020 00:46:04