Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

Plot

In Universal Century 0079, Zeon intelligence has identified a prototype Federation Gundam under development in a Federation base in the Arctic. Elite Zeon MS commandos are dispatched to destroy the prototype, but before they can accomplish their mission the Gundam is launched into space. When the Gundam turns up in a Federation R&D base inside the neutral space colony Side 6, the Principality launches a covert operation to destroy the Gundam utilizing the commando team originally dispatched to assault the Arctic base, including young rookie Bernard "Bernie" Wiseman (バーナード・ワイズマン Bānādo Waizuman; バーニィ Bāni). However, the raid fails and the entire team is killed except for Bernie.

After crashing his mobile suit, Bernie manages to befriend Alfred "Al" Izuhura (アルフレッド・イズルハ Arufureddo Izuruha, アル Aru), an elementary school boy enamored with a romantic vision of warfare and excited by Bernie's status as a mobile suit pilot regardless of his allegiance, and Al's neighbor Christina "Chris" Mackenzie (クリスチーナ・マッケンジー Kurisuchīna Makkenjī, クリス Kurisu), secretly the Gundam test pilot. As Bernie tries to repair his damaged mobile suit while hiding out within the station, he develops a close friendship with Al and slowly becomes infatuated with Chris, both pilots remaining unaware of each other's true natures.

As time passes, Bernie discovers that Zeon will destroy Side 6 with a nuclear weapon if he cannot destroy the prototype Gundam. Feeling that he has no choice if the station is to be saved, Bernie takes his mobile suit and goes to engage the Gundam. Believing Side 6 to be under Zeon attack, Chris is ordered to pilot the Gundam in the station's defense, and she and Bernie engage in a destructive battle within the station. Al discovers that the Zeon ship carrying the nuclear weapons was captured, meaning Bernie has no more reason to fight. Alfred goes to try and stop Bernard, only to see Bernie's mobile suit destroyed and an injured Christina pulled from the heavily damaged Gundam which Al is horrified.

Afterwards, Chris tells Al that she will be leaving Side 6, and asks Alfred to say goodbye to Bernard for her, still unaware that she had actually killed him. Al does not have the heart to tell her the truth and agrees to her request. The series closes with Al's school holding an assembly in which the principal talks about the effects of war. Al, remembering his time with Bernie, begins to weep uncontrollably during the speech. Al's friends, misunderstanding his grief, try to reassure him that another "cool" war is bound to happen soon.

Production

War in the Pocket was not penned by Gundam's creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, but by Hiroyuki Yamaga, and it was directed by Fumihiko Takayama, the first time anyone other than Tomino was given a chance to direct a Gundam story.

The character designer for this series was Haruhiko Mikimoto.

Two pieces of music by Megumi Shiina are used for the opening and closing themes. The opening theme is "Reach Out to the Sky Someday" (Itsuka Sora ni Todoite) and the closing theme is "Distant Memory" (Tooi Kioku).

Release

Released in Japan in 1989, it serves to commemorate Gundam's ten-year anniversary.

In the United States, it aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami Midnight Run block, starting from November 5, 2001. It was also aired by Cartoon Network on its Adult Swim block, from November 2002 until December 2002.

Reception and legacy

Yoshiyuki Tomino, who was not involved in the show's production, was interviewed for the Newtype magazine April 1989 issue, after the release of the first episode. He praised the director's effort to make the show realistic and focused on things other than Mobile Suit battles. He also commented on two glitches, one being the portrayal of a blue sky in the colony rather than the other side of the cylinder, which is only about 6.4 km away; and the children being out during a wartime alert. Tomino thought that school resuming with combat in such close proximity was unrealistic, when a more sensible response should have been to close the school immediately and guide the children to shelters.

Gundam 0080 marked a significant departure from the constant background theme of Newtypes featured in the Universal Century Gundam universe, since the original Mobile Suit Gundam up until Char's Counterattack. The absence of this theme raised the series' appeal towards audiences without special liking of Gundam and Tomino's work and would continue in many following Gundam stories narrating about ordinary soldiers and people in these conflicts.

Gundam 0080 also began an enduring tradition of retroactive redesigns. Yutaka Izubuchi updated the original Mobile Suit Gundam's dated mechanical designs and costumes, and since then every new creative team has offered its own take on the classic Gundam props.

Micah Wright, most known for writing The Angry Beavers episodes and the comic book The Angry Beavers, ranked War in the Pocket his fifth best animated series.

Its DVD re-release in 2011 was the third best-placed animation on Oricon's ranking of best-selling DVDs in the week of April 18–24,.