I was way too young to appreciate War in the Pocket. In fact, I was only one year older than the main protagonist of the series when I did. My main reason for disliking this show was because it lacked giant over-the-top fights with pilots screaming at each other. After rewatching this at a more mature age, I'm so glad it's not that.

I finally realize how well presented this Gundam OVA is, and how it expertly goes about its message. It's very down-to-earth in its presentation. The characters are grounded enough for the world to feel real and even relatable. Sure majority of the cast are all young kids of varying ages, but it's necessary to portray their naivete. The character pieces work so well here, playing up a lot of the common behaviours of a clueless young child with fixed ideas of war.

War in the Pocket is short and sweet without overstaying its welcome. It manages to maintain a somber tone throughout the entire thing. There's nothing holding back this series' emotional punches, and the main two protagonists receive great development throughout to give it that. This is one of the best-animated war critiques I have watched in the Gundam UC Saga, that's got a lot of relevance outside of its medium. It's hard not to deny those times when young boys would play war in the playground, or vicariously living the epic battles through other Gundam series, myself included. Then it hits you with the cold reality by just showing violence as it is, pointless, and without getting as preachy as Kira Yamato at a Sunday Mass. This is a war that's being fought between two sides, and there's no good or bad guys (well except for the Zabis), just people. War in the Pocket is something young viewers won't respect as the focus isn't on the fights. Ironically, much like the kid, I was sort of naive myself; I was a huge fan of witnessing Gundam Wing's hooah approach to conflict resolution if that's any indication. I had a clear disdain for this particular OVA when I was 12, which is to say that this is not a Gundam for kids. Not because of it's of its subject matter, but because the anti-war nuances will be lost on young minds who simply want to see explosions and not a thought-provoking piece of anime. It really isn't a happy-go-lucky story, although many Gundam fans can attest to the bittersweet, borderline depressing storytelling. Really the only problem with War in the Pocket is that it's just not the Gundam many fans will be used to, as it places the emphasis on the message over being strictly media-entertainment. Personally, this is all for the better as it cements itself as a timeless anime with so much heart.

I'm so glad I was able to re-evaluate War in the Pocket because I would've continued to harbour sour feelings about it, all of which were rooted within the same kind of perspective on life that this kid used to have. The kid continually obsessing over the Zeon's being cooler reminded me of the days I used to think about how cool Nazi Germany looked before I had ever stepped into a WW2 history class. There are a lot of specific merits of this show that you have to keep in mind while going into this, which is why it has plenty of rewatch value. This Gundam series is so tonally different from the rest that I highly recommend that you binge this, even if you're unfamiliar with Universal Century history. War in the Pocket won't get your blood pumping with adrenaline, but I can guarantee you that it will kick you in the gut emotionally.