“War In The Pocket” takes you away from the big battles and key figures seen in many “Mobile Suit Gundam” films and shows to focus on a smaller and more personal story. This O.V.A. series is pretty short and light on action when compared to many of the other “Gundam” shows but I still managed to enjoy it.

Set on a neutral colony, we follow the adventures of a young boy by the name of Al, who idolises the Gundams. After he goes to check out a damaged mobile suit, he meets a group of terrorist fighters engaged in the ongoing war between Earth and the colonies. Al will soon learn the moral complexities of war.

The decision to focus less on the pilots of the mobile suits and Gundams is an interesting one. We do still see some mobile suit and Gundam action but it’s significantly less than we see in many of the other films and shows. That being said, I like the focus on the young boy on a neutral colony. I think moving away from characters central to the conflict, helps to make this fictional universe much larger. Not every character in your franchise has to be someone massively impacting events. I like the animation on all the characters and the robots.

“War In The Pocket” is definitely not “Gundam” at its most exciting but I think it’s still worth checking out for fans. I like this smaller story that helps make the universe feel more larger and brimming with life. While the action is less frequent, the sequences we do get are still enjoyable. For those not familiar with “Gundam”, this maybe isn’t the best place to start due to the reduced amount of action. “War In The Pocket” tries something different and succeeds.