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 overthetop fights with pilots screaming at each other. After rewatching this at a more mature age Im so glad its not that. I finally realize how well presented this Gundam OVA is and how it expertly goes about its message. Its very downtoearth 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 its 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. Theres 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 bestanimated war critiques I have watched in the Gundam UC Saga thats got a lot of relevance outside of its medium. Its 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 thats being fought between two sides and theres no good or bad guys well except for the Zabis just people. War in the Pocket is something young viewers wont respect as the focus isnt on the fights. Ironically much like the kid I was sort of naive myself I was a huge fan of witnessing Gundam Wings hooah approach to conflict resolution if thats 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 its of its subject matter but because the antiwar nuances will be lost on young minds who simply want to see explosions and not a thoughtprovoking piece of anime. It really isnt a happygolucky story although many Gundam fans can attest to the bittersweet borderline depressing storytelling. Really the only problem with War in the Pocket is that its just not the Gundam many fans will be used to as it places the emphasis on the message over being strictly mediaentertainment. Personally this is all for the better as it cements itself as a timeless anime with so much heart. Im so glad I was able to reevaluate War in the Pocket because I wouldve 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 Zeons 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 youre unfamiliar with Universal Century history. War in the Pocket wont get your blood pumping with adrenaline but I can guarantee you that it will kick you in the gut emotionally.