War in the Pocket is a first tentative step for the franchise away from Yoshiyuki Tomino and the opportunity to try something different. That's not to say that Tomino's influence doesn't loom large over the series; like Tomino's work, this is an examination of the dehumanising nature of war, and how it is something inflicted by adults on children, and of course it takes place against the backdrop of the original Mobile Suit Gundam. However, under the direction of Fumihiko Takayama with a screenplay by Hiroyuki Yamaga, attention is diverted away from the existential questions of mankind's nature in the space age, and towards a much more raw exploration of war's futility and the loss of innocence. Separated from the the unusual, circular dialogue of Tomino's scripts, and the more fantastical flourishes of his plotting, War in the Pocket is able to feel real in a way none of the Tomino series up to this point do. It's a welcome shift in tone for me, and one that is executed very well.

Instead of a naturally gifted mobile suit pilot, the young protagonist Al really is just a child, annoying in that way overenthusiastic children are that you have to forgive them for because they are children. At the start of the story he is entranced by the excitement and romance of mobile suit combat in the One Year War, desperately wishing to be part of it, but inevitably learns that all that awaits in war is horror and death. He has a juvenile, senseless attachment to Zeon simply because he thinks they're cooler and stronger than the Federation, a sentiment that may hit a little too close to home for some Gundam fans. There is a touching but also essentially horrifying relationship that develops between Al and Bernie, a Zeon pilot he befriends. For Al, Bernie represents a gateway out of his mundane day to day life, but the audience will be acutely aware that Bernie's world is one ruled by violence. Bernie and his special forces comrades insulate Al from what their plans actually entail, but the viewer is party to the grim reality of the whole thing. This is a mere sideshow, on a neutral colony, yet one that they are also essentially unequipped to handle. The war is in its closing stages, and Zeon is already on the back foot. Their actions can't change the tide of the war but can drag a whole colony of innocent people down with them. This being Gundam, the Federation hold their own share of complicity. What starts as a fun secret Al has turns into something that leaves him bereft and isolated. A minor detail I rather liked was that the end credits include a montage of images of children interacting with the world of the One Year War in various ways, which is a smart little flourish emphasising the reality of the Universal Century and the proximity of the innocent to its darkest parts.

As a slight six episode OVA, a lot more time and money could be spent on animation than a TV series. It's beautiful to look at, full of intricate detail in the both the backgrounds and moving parts. The mobile suits in battle are fantastic to behold, and there are also several scenes of them stripped down for construction and repair that are similarly wonderful to look at. In this way, we can see the mobile suits through Al's eyes, the undeniable majesty of the thundering, giants machines. So too do we see the carnage. The violence in War in the Pocket is more shocking and bloody than any in the franchise before, and it's directed with real impact. People aren't simply vaporised by explosions or beam sabres or otherwise cleanly unmade, they die brutally and slowly and it's rendered with the same care as the mobile suits. To do otherwise would be a betrayal of the themes. Yes, we're here to admire the singular military panoply of the Universal Century, but we can't leave without understanding what it does and why such things are better left in the imagination. The world of the colony is also rendered with delicacy and care, although I found myself slightly too aware of how much it resembles Japan in the 1980s rather than a fully distinct future. The soundtrack is very of its era, a style I am unfortunately not a fan of, and I'm not entirely convinced by all the track choices - some of them seem a little too upbeat, especially in the taut and gripping final act.

Overall, I very much enjoyed my time with War in the Pocket, and would heartily recommend it, regardless of whether you're invested in the Universal Century or not.