@@damienhailey118 If they survive, they get to fight in the Neo Zeon wars too. Maybe also Cosmo Babylonia. Pretty sure they’d be too old for Zanscare, though.
The worst part is that his friends just assume he’s upset the war is over and there won’t be any more cool mobile suits and try to console him by reassuring him that there will be another war sooner or later. Which, considering the history in UC…
Al not only lost Bernie in the battle, but learned that Chris was the Gundam's pilot in the same moment. Whoever won that duel, he would have lost someone dear to him.
And Chris left the colony, as well. So Al sort of lost both, anyway. Damn. At least the three of them are seen chilling in one of those Gundam Build series.
I also loved how Bernie's message for Al included a lesson for him that soldiers fight for what they think is right and that he shouldn't hold a grudge against the Gundam pilot. This is something that even the viewers forget and tend to see factions in black and white
@@comradeweedity1648The point is more so in believing what's right, not doing right. Originally the Zeon just wanted to be independent and that was exploited so it could become a fascist regime, Germany hated the tready and that was exploited so it could become a fascist regime. Just like Germany we barely see Zeon conscript soldiers, except a few, actually fighting for the power hunger of those who started the war and instead they fight to survive just another day or because they got blinded by the idea of glory
@@comradeweedity1648I think the message is less about the greater ideologies of the factions and more about the motivations of individuals. The Zabi’s wanted to control people like Hitler but many in Zeon just wanted to obtain freedom from Earth. On a smaller scale individual soldiers fight to protect themselves or their friends (like Kira in Gundam Seed at least at the beginning).
In-universe, Sydney is totally obliterated. It was the impact sight from the colony drop at the start of the 1 Year War. Bernie really made a bad call there. War in the Pocket is my single favorite piece of Gundam media. I have no shame admitting I cried at the end.
Though apparently, by that point, Sydney had not actually been decided as the canonical impact point of the colony drop. So it's a lie that got worse in retrospect.
That wasn't his mistake, actually. It's not like everybody raised in a city stays there for the rest of their lives. People move and travel all the time. His real mistake was confusing the seasons and talking about December snow when December is Summer in the Southern hemisphere. Especially easy mistake to make for a guy who's actually from space instead of Earth
0080 is honestly probably the high point of Gundam for me. It's very well animated, honestly up there with CCA for best-looking imo, short enough that it says what it needs to say without belabouring the point, and remains emotionally affecting even having watched it several times. Having the PoV character be such a direct audience projection for the "wow cool robot kid" is... not subtle, but it is effective. And the relationship between Al and Bernie works so well in both directions.
If only more Gundam media were written to tell a well written story rather than padded out to tell a 25 to 50 episode gunpla advertisement I'd be happy.
@@_gungrave_6802 basically you don't want gundam you want code geass, people who cant appreciate the mecha part of a mecha series shouldn't be watching these shows.
The operation being called rubicon is very important as its a reference to the phrase crossing the rubicon which refers to crossing the point of no return.
It's also a reference to the rubicon river in Italy which supposedly crossed by ceaser in 49bc which was risky move that allowed him to win the civil war
@@theHETOBRINE That's what the point of no return means. Once Caesar cross the Little Rubicon he had no alternative but to win. He had violated Roman law by taking his army over the river. It was do or die, literally.
for those who thought the characters look familiar, (especially those brows) 0080 character designer is Haruhiko Mikimoto, famous for being the character designer for Macross and many of its spinoffs. He also designed Gunbuster and was probably the hottest designer back then. 0080 is still my favorite Gundam OVA, but not one I would watch over and over. :)
Just a slight correction, the Zaku has a fusion reactor, not a nuclear reactor. It uses Helium-3 as fuel and the moment the reactor is turned off the reactions inside fizzle out. The reason they sometimes go boom is if a beam weapon of some kind hit the reactor while it is running which leads to an out of control nuclear fusion reaction.
@@solastro5595 Nuclear reactor specifically refers to nuclear "fission" reactors. Those are reactors that make use of unstable heavy elements whose decay generates energy. Fusion reactors work entirely differently by fusing lighter elements into heavier ones which requires a completely different process. They are nor are they considered the same kind.
But nuclear fusion doesn't work that way, when the core is breached the fusion just stops. It can release a jet of plasma and superheat the air causing a shockwave for sure, but it won't go off like it does in these shows./
@@DIEGhostfish I ended up making a headcanon for this saying that because the megaparticles used in beam weapons are a byproduct of these fusion reactions, something about getting hit with a beam takes what should normally be a dying fusion reaction and makes it runaway. Of course, this gets scuttled by the scene in 08th where they're suiciding GMs into mines in a bid to get one of their reactors to go off. Honestly, almost no media gets nuclear reactors right.
One of the little details I love about this OVA is how disassembling of the Zaku as part of the plan created a whole chain of lore that shows up in later entries of the series. If my memory is right, I believe the first models of Zaku were rolled out as colony construction equipment in order to help Zeon to hide its arms buildup before the war. That means that "under the hood" an early-model Zaku is about as alarming to a customs agent as truck engines and forklift parts.
The Alex's forearm guns will always be one of my favorite features of any Gundam, and it makes sense as it's almost like a response to the shield-mounted guns that you see in the Gouf suits. This anime is so fantastic. It will always be one of my favorites.
One can only imagine how battle at A Baoa Qu would go if Amuro actually received Alex. He would destroy Char. And Bernie gets huge credit for heavily damaging Alex. He does it through cleveryly set up traps, deception and surprise attack. This is huge achievment because if you have watched original series, you know that Zaku can't even scratch a Gundam.
Too depressing to watch without immediately following up with the Build Fighters episode where the main three are all happily living in the BF Universe.
Al watching the firefight says a lot about his preparedness for war and how little distance there can be. He is seeing people he now knows getting ripped to shreds and dying. That went beyond his imagination
War in the Pocket is amazing. From the heart wrenching story, the gorgeous battle scenes, great mechanical designs and also one of the greatest OST from any anime. 9/10 a must watch for all Gundam and Mecha fans.
It also has a nice meta-commentary on the whole idea of gundam where it's like yeah war has cool shit in it but at the end of the day it personally affects you and sucks. That tank looks cool until it breaks down your house. Or your friend was in it when it got blown up. Really does a good job of bringing that home in even a fantastical situation
@@jrockoclock7088 Al is, in my opinion, the best reader/viewer surrogate I've ever seen in all the stories I have read. Representing the innocence about war for most of the anime's viewer with his age and viewpoint. It is extremely easy to see yourself in him and empathize when eventually shit hits the fan.
Great vid! 0080 is probably the most anti-war Gundam has ever gotten, the best Christmas watch since Die Hard, and made me want a kit of the Kampfer like you wouldn't believe. 9/10 I'm ready for some mouth-watering hamburgers.
Al IMO is one of the best characters in the franchise, a mirror to the people who partake in the phenomenon that is Gundam. Rich in self-deprecation, naivety, and irony. He's up there with Char, Garrod, Kihel/Diana and Lockons.
His friends are also sort of the meme of the "war is bad" message going over the guy saying "wow cool robot". We can have both tho the robots are cool but war is bad
@Sakata Gintoki It's been a whiiile since I wached it and don't rember everything but yeah definitely the edginess wasn't something I liked but it definitely was pretty dsmm brutal in the fights they were awsome with the mele most unique thing to a gubdam show I'll give it that
@Sakata Gintoki Yeah def gonna rewacth it probably gonna get it on blu ray the fights were awesome and brutal just gonna have to come with more of a open mind to it thanks brody always nice to chat about gundam 😁👍
I've watched all the UC Gundam series from '79 to Unicorn and I honestly think 0080 does the best job of actually conveying the messaging the franchise is going for. The mainline series all have a fundamental incoherence to them: "War is hell ... now watch our cast of magical space psychics take on entire armies and win and personally change the fates of nations". We do see devastation and consequences for the cast, but ultimately these are romantic stories of war driven by heroic figures. 0080 shows the hell of war at every level. Leaders are corrupt and spend the lives of their men to advance their own interests. Soldiers are deeply flawed people doing what they feel they have to, just like we all are. And there are no heroes on a battlefield, the random violence of war kills good men, bad men, and innocents indiscriminately and often for no reason at all
17:23 it's Christmas time because it's running in parallel with Gundam 0079 late December Abao Qu, to not confuse the audience they called it 0080. It's actually Late December 0079 and the NT-1 did not make it to Amuro due to the attack on the Antarctica base.
Love the Xenogears theme playing in the background, the GOAT mecha JRPG! A life-altering PS1 game IMO. Hiroko Moriguchi is indeed our Gundam Goddess, but I would humbly submit that Christina Mackenzie, Emma Sheen, Four Murasame, Roux Rouka and Bianca Carlyle should be included in that pantheon. 0080 is my favorite UC Gundam series, IMO the Grave of the Fireflies of Mecha anime
This is a top tier Gundam for me. It looks great, tells a good self contained story, anyone can watch it whether they are familiar with Gundam or not (as long as they know what they're in for with "show with big robot"), it's emotionally effective, and even makes good commentary on the folks who consume Gundam. It's just solid. It's a favorite.
I was so impressed by how much money was visible on this mini series. I honestly thought the first episode would be a self contained movie movie but it just kept going! The cuts are short and dynamic(for live action this is the cheap method but for animation it’s the opposite), often the shots are wide and there were times when there were two digit number of independently moving characters on screen. It’s unreal to me how much work was put in, and it’s sad to see we probably won’t ever see this kind of show again from that side of the Pacific.
Al's parents are not separated. Al's dad keeps him away from Side 6 so he rarely gets time to be at home. It reflects the actual situation in Japan where the father leaves quite early in the day and usually never comes back home until very late at night. If anything, it more of Al's parents just not spending more time with Al and being passive with him.
I've always thought that Al wasn't just dumb kid who was too young to understand war and the consequences thereof. Throughout the show he was shown as incredibly smart and manipulative. He could spin a well crafted lie on the spot. He understood the motivations of people and know what to say to make them sympathetic to his cause. I really think that at that point in his troubled life, Al just couldn't care less. He wanted to experience being the main character in his own story instead of the kid with bad grades and parents on the brink of a divorce. I think if he hadn't experienced what he did, he could have had the potential to grow up into a bad egg. I think he learned empathy and regained his humanity.
This is one of my Favorite Gundam series. Excited to hear your takes! After watching, I have to say you gave a great run down and I love how you explained the characters. The development they did for such a short story is what drew me in. You get so attached so quickly then poof they're gone and it gives such a heavy emotional impact. Going to binge your other Gundam videos now as I build an Exia MG
i see the Gundam Ovas as stories exploring the effects on different groups in war. the common soldier that rises to greatness, a starry eyed ensign that becomes dispossessed with the earth federation, the children that are allowed to glorify war as a game versus its reality
This one probably has my favorite music of any of the UC series. That score that plays during Cyclops team's mission at the beginning and the one during the Kampfer fight is straight fuego.
As cool as the kampfer was it is not a mech designed for open combat. It is purely a hit and run mech as it quite literally has no armor. It is the mobile suit definition of a glass cannon to where even a zaku 1 or the the zaku prototypes from Origin could kill it.
We need more shows like war in the pocket, I always find myself asking how many solders/people die in space battles when each ship blows up, or ground battles when a entire building full of civilians crumbles during a battle
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (OG on HiDive and DNT remake on Crunchy) shows massive scale space tactical battles with millions of casualties- the greatest space opera of all time.
Yes, F91 is less sad. It's the opening to a new era of gundam in more ways than one (that was the intent anyway). Crossbone Gundam isn't animated yet but it's essentially official material and it's quite a ride being the continuation to F91. I'll say it now before you get to it, Seabook and Cecily are probably the absolutely most successful couple in any gundam show or universe. On the topic of War in the Pocket, yeah, the movie is basically about the reality of the outside world reaching in and slapping Al so hard it knocks the brat right out of him. There's actually a post-story to War in the Pocket that a few of the japanese gundam channels cover. If I remember rightly, sometime after the events of the movie, Chris leaves the colony again and sends a letter to Al which talks about a number of things such as how she's been doing, checking in with Al and asking about Bernie (she still has no clue and is still interested). I forget the rest of the other details but I suggest you try looking for it if you have the time.
@@solastro5595 Victory is Tomino in depression part 2. It's not just Zeta level but even worse. That's why the deaths become more ridiculously over-the-top.
I've made it my goal to watch all of universal century over the past year or so and I'm getting very close to the end. I very much enjoyed watching your video series thus far and I'm looking forward to seeing your takes on later installments in particular 08th MS team and 0083.
Bernie's final video made be lose it in a way damn near nothing I've watched had. Not a lot hit me like that, but damn that one stung me right in the feels.
I watched this over 30 years ago and still remember it as vividly as yesterday. It was my first exposure to the franchise (technically Zeta but only read about it, didn't see it until much later). Gundam has always been about the human side of the story, with complex characters and plot. That's what attracted me to the franchise. I remember when I watched it as a teenager the thing that immediately struck me was the contrast with North American cinema, never mind animation.. which I guarantee.. Al would be able to stop the fight and Chris+Bernie live happily ever after.
War in the Pocket has a speical place in my heart it's favorite ova in general the ending is just fucking depressing also Al's cousin is waifu material
I agree with the last part, and I think this series is pointing a finger at the audience who are like Al. Al's sort of a contrarian who likes zakus, but clearly has no concept because even the drawing he makes at the beginning has a GM shield. He just likes the idea of the adventure and fantastical elements of it, but at the end of the day he is confronted by the brutality, and the pacing of the show is interesting in that regard because it's pretty mellow until the kampfer is completed and the cyclops team is ready for their assault and then everything moves extremely fast. The point is yeah tanks or mechs or whatever are cool until your friend gets ace'd and it's a childish notion that this can't affect you. Al is the proxy for people who are eager for war but have no concept or foresight for how it might actually impact them. Also side note about "oh this is so anti war then why are the mechs so cool looking" war machines just look cool and intimidating that's a crucial element. Even WWI razzle dazzle camo looked dope as fuck. If they looked stupid as shit they wouldn't be plausible or intimidating, plus hasbro has to make some money.
Bernie lying about being one kill away from being an ACE pilot isn't much of a lie by the end of the anime. Destroying a Gundam was seen as making you an ACE in the eyes of Zeon.
What's sad about Bernie's death is that he died for nothing. A Zeon fleet was going to nuke the colony if the Alex Gundam wasn't destroyed, but the Federation prevented it.
I started watching 0080 because of gunpla, my first kit was the HG GM Sniper II. Watching the rest of the shows I can confidently say that 0080 is one of the best pieces of Gundam media behind CCA.
Earlier in the show, it is mentioned that Bernie is bad at lying and that he can't help but look away when he lies. In his video letter, when he is saying some macho nothing about wanting to fight the gundam, he is looking away. But when he is telling Al not to hate Federation soldiers for his death, he is looking straight at the camera. God I love this show.
I just finished my first watch of this this week, and I just can't imagine getting shellshocked in elementary school. Moreover, Al will likely live with the guilt of getting hundreds of people, including Bernie, killed because he decided to take some photos. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I love it.
Same here. The start of realization i would grows up in crazy decade, 8 years later our country's 32 years dictator toppled down and my country almost engulfed in civil war.
This is easily my favorite Gundam series, and for me the best example of the franchise. MSG was never really about "cool mecha", but about the horrors of war. Voilence is terrifying, death is certain and no one escapes scars. NO ONE. It does a good job of not making a good vs evil argument, but painting everything is bloody red. Sadly, Gundam would move farther and farther into Big Mecha Fights and standard anime tropes as it went outside the Universal Century timelines.
I just started watching gundam and I’m going in chronological order on the time line. I just finished 0080 and goddamn that was a trip. Thanks for making these videos it helps me reinforce the information thrown at me in the show
Got this as an afterthought many years ago along with Char's counterattack. I did not expect this to be by far my preference between the two. Highly underrated.
Differing from my opinions of most of UC so far, I actually love War in the Pocket and is my favorite UC entry and definitely one of the higher points for me. The small scale story when compared to the larger events help ground the One Year War timeline in believability, no Newtype BS in the way. The relationship between all of the characters are engaging, and I cared more about one death in this series than all of the deaths in Zeta and Victory combined. To add to the bleakness of it, it was unlikely the Alex would've done much had it been delivered, with the war being in its final stages, truly being a pointless endeavor and really hitting that anti-war message that is done exceptionally well here. Al may be too on the nose for those shallow Gundam fans that he basically portrays, really only liking Zeon for their cooler looking suits. I don't know what it is about the Alex, but it's another favorite of mine too. I only wish that it were more popular when people seem to only care about Stardust Memories or 8th MS Team as noteworthy OVAs.
@@Reragi 100% agree wholeheartedly. 8th MS Team is good at showcasing what Gundam is to a regular person, but the core heart of it is what makes War in the Pocket the best for me still.
whenever someone asks me what's the best entry point for the franchise, when it comes to UC, i always says, start with either MS IGLOO or War in the Pocket. those are 2 small 6 episode series that really manage to show what gundam is all about, both in therms of the drama of war, but also how it breaks those involved in it, and even how each side has its own story and point of view.
Unable to process it...? Dude, Al is the only one who knows what happened. Anyone would cry over that if it happened to them and their friend, especially when it didn't have to be like that.
As a kid growing up with Wing, G, and 0079 back in the Toonami days, the only thing that I got from the shows was how cool the gundams were, how flashy they were, and of course the moody protagonists. It wasn't until my early teens when I discovered 0080 where the anti war messages and the horrors of it finally clicked. It hit hard, but it made me appreciate the whole package of gundam that much more. Great retrospect as always.
The team at Toonami knew what they were doing when they aired this in November 2001. A bunch of American kids just saw an attack on their country two months prior and war was inevitable.
I had Alex and Kampf action figures as a kid. Crazy combo and are two of the best designed gundams & zeon suits in the franchise. Alex has armor so its OD.
Have to say War in the Pocket's one of my favourite Gundam shows. Yeah, I like the others to varying degrees, some for the story, some for the designs, but I think I like this in no small part for the lack of "teen somehow gets into top secret military mech and saves the world." It's just good.
The Kampfer always baffled me, I get that it's designed for high-speed quick assaults and ambushes, but even then, you'd probably want a bit more than the paper mache-like ceramic armor if 90mm can cut through it like butter.
when my trip into gundam began, this was one of the first I was able to see. 08th ms team, War in the pocket and Wing were my first true introductions to Gundam followed by G gundam and then the original and so on. The Alex with Christina, Bernie and the Kampher were what made this show for me aside from the story and visuals.
This was one of the first things Gundam I watched (aside from Gundam Wing & Endless Waltz). I watched this, Stardust Memory & the First Gundam Movie Trilogy English Subtitled on VHS (remember VHS?). Did you ever hear about the 1st Gulf War, from the 90s? I remember collecting newspaper articles about that. It was the first time I ever saw anything about war on TV.
I think people need to give Berny a bet more credit he should have had no chance at ALL fright the Alex. He did did destroy the gundam in the end but died doing it. that max hem a great pilot if you ask me.
@9:11 This guy really put out a nearly unused cigarette only to pull out another cigarette. Like we get it Sunrise, that guy must be a really war hardened vet. 😆
All cigarettes he is shown with are unlit until the very last one when Cyclops Team realizes they’re on a suicide mission. Then he finally lights up. I took it to mean that this is a guy who resolved to quit smoking as perhaps he had some life ahead of him. Of course the stressors of his occupation don’t let him let go of the pacifying habit entirely, so he stimulates that oral fixation with everything but the smoke. Once he realizes he’s a dead man, he sees no point in not enjoying his cigarette to the full. That minor act of self immolation reflects the culmination of his line of duty.
My co-favorite ova Gundam series Christmas eve themed spectacular, the uniquess War in the Pocket brings from the perspective of war through a young lady named Al, to a big sister like figure and one of the best mobile suit gundam series girls Christina Makenzie, to the best Boi of the Zeon forces (next to Char) and the big brother figure Bernie good people on both ends which makes the final episode so much sadder that you'll burst into tears, brilliant display of anti War mini series 😥
What was next? The franchise's first OVA and the opportunity with it to be experimental with the first Gundam show Tomino didn't have a hand in. As I make my way through the original series, I'm definitely going to alternate between Mobile Suit Gundam 1979 and 0080: War in the Pocket when I reach the final half of the series. Also, I have a Master Grade kit of the Gundam NT-1 (the destroyer of dreams at the heart of 0080's yarn) and am currently waiting for replacement parts of this writing due to how its wrist joints weren't made correctly.
One of the interesting tidbits the movie didn’t mention is how absolutely pointless everything happening here is from the viewer’s perspective. The Federation is working real hard to finish the Alex, but we know the Alex won’t be finished in time. Meanwhile Zeon is desperate to destroy it but, again, it is meaningless. At every step characters do what’s right from their perspective and at every step doing the “right thing” is the absolutely worst thing they can do.
The "Don't worry Al, another war will start soon...!" line at the end of the show is genuinely one of my favorite quotes in fiction.
Worse is that, given their ages, those kids are gonna be just old enough to actually fight in the Gryps War.
i cry in that scene
@@damienhailey118
If they survive, they get to fight in the Neo Zeon wars too. Maybe also Cosmo Babylonia. Pretty sure they’d be too old for Zanscare, though.
Man, that scene of Al crying at the end gets me everytime. It's just incredibly sad that he's the only one who knows what really happened.
And the happy music playing just like in the beginning just aaaaahhhh!
I was like not expecting this type of story from Gundam coming from other series to this one.
The worst part is that his friends just assume he’s upset the war is over and there won’t be any more cool mobile suits and try to console him by reassuring him that there will be another war sooner or later.
Which, considering the history in UC…
And the fact that the one girl who hated him and tattled on him couldn't help to feel bad and comfort him too
The fact that only Al knows the truth bugs me
Al not only lost Bernie in the battle, but learned that Chris was the Gundam's pilot in the same moment. Whoever won that duel, he would have lost someone dear to him.
And Chris left the colony, as well. So Al sort of lost both, anyway. Damn. At least the three of them are seen chilling in one of those Gundam Build series.
I also loved how Bernie's message for Al included a lesson for him that soldiers fight for what they think is right and that he shouldn't hold a grudge against the Gundam pilot. This is something that even the viewers forget and tend to see factions in black and white
Yeah but if you think like Hitler was right, or in this case Gihren, it's pretty black and white.
Zeon was committing massive war crimes.
@@comradeweedity1648The point is more so in believing what's right, not doing right. Originally the Zeon just wanted to be independent and that was exploited so it could become a fascist regime, Germany hated the tready and that was exploited so it could become a fascist regime. Just like Germany we barely see Zeon conscript soldiers, except a few, actually fighting for the power hunger of those who started the war and instead they fight to survive just another day or because they got blinded by the idea of glory
@@comradeweedity1648I think the message is less about the greater ideologies of the factions and more about the motivations of individuals. The Zabi’s wanted to control people like Hitler but many in Zeon just wanted to obtain freedom from Earth. On a smaller scale individual soldiers fight to protect themselves or their friends (like Kira in Gundam Seed at least at the beginning).
In-universe, Sydney is totally obliterated. It was the impact sight from the colony drop at the start of the 1 Year War. Bernie really made a bad call there.
War in the Pocket is my single favorite piece of Gundam media. I have no shame admitting I cried at the end.
Though apparently, by that point, Sydney had not actually been decided as the canonical impact point of the colony drop. So it's a lie that got worse in retrospect.
You know, the funny thing is the reason they got found out was that he said it would be snowing when it would have been summer
Saaame. I cried at the end. Especially at how the other kids didnt get it
@@DraeonKaiser I don't get how that made him suspicious though.
That wasn't his mistake, actually. It's not like everybody raised in a city stays there for the rest of their lives. People move and travel all the time. His real mistake was confusing the seasons and talking about December snow when December is Summer in the Southern hemisphere. Especially easy mistake to make for a guy who's actually from space instead of Earth
“To him, War is just something distant that happens on tv” my man, you’re giving me Ace Combat 04 intro cutscene flashbacks.
This OVA really hit close to me watching it recently. I was once Al. War was just something on TV. Before I joined the army.
0080 is honestly probably the high point of Gundam for me. It's very well animated, honestly up there with CCA for best-looking imo, short enough that it says what it needs to say without belabouring the point, and remains emotionally affecting even having watched it several times.
Having the PoV character be such a direct audience projection for the "wow cool robot kid" is... not subtle, but it is effective. And the relationship between Al and Bernie works so well in both directions.
If only more Gundam media were written to tell a well written story rather than padded out to tell a 25 to 50 episode gunpla advertisement I'd be happy.
@@_gungrave_6802 basically you don't want gundam you want code geass, people who cant appreciate the mecha part of a mecha series shouldn't be watching these shows.
@@mpo48 soy consumer be like:
@@sergeipancake7010 gundam consumer, not a soy consumer, fucking hate soy.
They recycled some CCA animation the colony CGI is reused
The operation being called rubicon is very important as its a reference to the phrase crossing the rubicon which refers to crossing the point of no return.
It's also a reference to the rubicon river in Italy which supposedly crossed by ceaser in 49bc which was risky move that allowed him to win the civil war
@@theHETOBRINE That's what the point of no return means. Once Caesar cross the Little Rubicon he had no alternative but to win. He had violated Roman law by taking his army over the river. It was do or die, literally.
Had it failed Amuro would have gotten the Alex Gundam
@@primusvsunicron1 And if Amuro had gotten the Gundam Alex, it would have changed a whole lot of events going forward.
@@Foxxie0kun char gets 💀
for those who thought the characters look familiar, (especially those brows) 0080 character designer is Haruhiko Mikimoto, famous for being the character designer for Macross and many of its spinoffs. He also designed Gunbuster and was probably the hottest designer back then.
0080 is still my favorite Gundam OVA, but not one I would watch over and over. :)
yeah I couldn’t shake off the macross vibes the whole watch
Just a slight correction, the Zaku has a fusion reactor, not a nuclear reactor. It uses Helium-3 as fuel and the moment the reactor is turned off the reactions inside fizzle out. The reason they sometimes go boom is if a beam weapon of some kind hit the reactor while it is running which leads to an out of control nuclear fusion reaction.
Still nuclear fusion hence a type of nuclear reactor
@@solastro5595 Nuclear reactor specifically refers to nuclear "fission" reactors. Those are reactors that make use of unstable heavy elements whose decay generates energy. Fusion reactors work entirely differently by fusing lighter elements into heavier ones which requires a completely different process.
They are nor are they considered the same kind.
But nuclear fusion doesn't work that way, when the core is breached the fusion just stops. It can release a jet of plasma and superheat the air causing a shockwave for sure, but it won't go off like it does in these shows./
@@DIEGhostfish I ended up making a headcanon for this saying that because the megaparticles used in beam weapons are a byproduct of these fusion reactions, something about getting hit with a beam takes what should normally be a dying fusion reaction and makes it runaway. Of course, this gets scuttled by the scene in 08th where they're suiciding GMs into mines in a bid to get one of their reactors to go off.
Honestly, almost no media gets nuclear reactors right.
@@warmachine5835 I mean that commander is a moron.
I love how that if u had never seen any Gundam lore beforehand... U can still enjoy the story
That's true
True, but you do enjoy the story more with the context of the original show.
One of the little details I love about this OVA is how disassembling of the Zaku as part of the plan created a whole chain of lore that shows up in later entries of the series.
If my memory is right, I believe the first models of Zaku were rolled out as colony construction equipment in order to help Zeon to hide its arms buildup before the war. That means that "under the hood" an early-model Zaku is about as alarming to a customs agent as truck engines and forklift parts.
The Alex's forearm guns will always be one of my favorite features of any Gundam, and it makes sense as it's almost like a response to the shield-mounted guns that you see in the Gouf suits. This anime is so fantastic. It will always be one of my favorites.
One can only imagine how battle at A Baoa Qu would go if Amuro actually received Alex. He would destroy Char.
And Bernie gets huge credit for heavily damaging Alex. He does it through cleveryly set up traps, deception and surprise attack. This is huge achievment because if you have watched original series, you know that Zaku can't even scratch a Gundam.
Too depressing to watch without immediately following up with the Build Fighters episode where the main three are all happily living in the BF Universe.
Al watching the firefight says a lot about his preparedness for war and how little distance there can be. He is seeing people he now knows getting ripped to shreds and dying. That went beyond his imagination
War in the Pocket is amazing. From the heart wrenching story, the gorgeous battle scenes, great mechanical designs and also one of the greatest OST from any anime.
9/10 a must watch for all Gundam and Mecha fans.
Is War in the Pocket canon?
@@kendonl.taylor5111 every anime is canon. Questions about canonicity only really comes up when it comes to side content like manga or novels.
It also has a nice meta-commentary on the whole idea of gundam where it's like yeah war has cool shit in it but at the end of the day it personally affects you and sucks. That tank looks cool until it breaks down your house. Or your friend was in it when it got blown up. Really does a good job of bringing that home in even a fantastical situation
@@jrockoclock7088 Al is, in my opinion, the best reader/viewer surrogate I've ever seen in all the stories I have read. Representing the innocence about war for most of the anime's viewer with his age and viewpoint. It is extremely easy to see yourself in him and empathize when eventually shit hits the fan.
@@thepronoob4039 Thunderbolt is not canon
Great vid!
0080 is probably the most anti-war Gundam has ever gotten, the best Christmas watch since Die Hard, and made me want a kit of the Kampfer like you wouldn't believe. 9/10 I'm ready for some mouth-watering hamburgers.
Holy shit I think I have to do a WITP/Die Hard christmas watch party this year. maybe serving burgers would be in bad taste...
@@Retcon404 the anti-Hallmark movie marathon will be one to remember
Nah, I wouldn't watch this at Christmas. I'd probably actually watch it back and forth with the last episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam 1979.
B-Bernie...
Al IMO is one of the best characters in the franchise, a mirror to the people who partake in the phenomenon that is Gundam. Rich in self-deprecation, naivety, and irony.
He's up there with Char, Garrod, Kihel/Diana and Lockons.
His friends are also sort of the meme of the "war is bad" message going over the guy saying "wow cool robot".
We can have both tho the robots are cool but war is bad
Definitely one of the sadder entries in the Gundam universe.
Now has anyone seen mobile suit girls:a raid in the pocket
Yeah but gundam is sad in general
@Sakata Gintoki Victory fuck man that was something. IBO didn't do it for me probably need to rewacrh it
@Sakata Gintoki It's been a whiiile since I wached it and don't rember everything but yeah definitely the edginess wasn't something I liked but it definitely was pretty dsmm brutal in the fights they were awsome with the mele most unique thing to a gubdam show I'll give it that
@Sakata Gintoki Yeah def gonna rewacth it probably gonna get it on blu ray the fights were awesome and brutal just gonna have to come with more of a open mind to it thanks brody always nice to chat about gundam 😁👍
This is one of the peaks of gundam, no question or doubt about it.
I've watched all the UC Gundam series from '79 to Unicorn and I honestly think 0080 does the best job of actually conveying the messaging the franchise is going for. The mainline series all have a fundamental incoherence to them: "War is hell ... now watch our cast of magical space psychics take on entire armies and win and personally change the fates of nations". We do see devastation and consequences for the cast, but ultimately these are romantic stories of war driven by heroic figures. 0080 shows the hell of war at every level. Leaders are corrupt and spend the lives of their men to advance their own interests. Soldiers are deeply flawed people doing what they feel they have to, just like we all are. And there are no heroes on a battlefield, the random violence of war kills good men, bad men, and innocents indiscriminately and often for no reason at all
You just instictively know that Bernie is going to die when he decided to fight a gundam with a Zaku, and it feels bad...
That's what kills me. The second you learn Chris is a gundam pilot, you know exactly what's going to happen to Bernie
This was to me, one of the BEST Gundam OVAS....and one of the most tragic....the ending with Al just breaking down into tears sums it all up for me.
17:23 it's Christmas time because it's running in parallel with Gundam 0079 late December Abao Qu, to not confuse the audience they called it 0080. It's actually Late December 0079 and the NT-1 did not make it to Amuro due to the attack on the Antarctica base.
Love the Xenogears theme playing in the background, the GOAT mecha JRPG! A life-altering PS1 game IMO. Hiroko Moriguchi is indeed our Gundam Goddess, but I would humbly submit that Christina Mackenzie, Emma Sheen, Four Murasame, Roux Rouka and Bianca Carlyle should be included in that pantheon. 0080 is my favorite UC Gundam series, IMO the Grave of the Fireflies of Mecha anime
This is a top tier Gundam for me. It looks great, tells a good self contained story, anyone can watch it whether they are familiar with Gundam or not (as long as they know what they're in for with "show with big robot"), it's emotionally effective, and even makes good commentary on the folks who consume Gundam. It's just solid. It's a favorite.
I was so impressed by how much money was visible on this mini series. I honestly thought the first episode would be a self contained movie movie but it just kept going! The cuts are short and dynamic(for live action this is the cheap method but for animation it’s the opposite), often the shots are wide and there were times when there were two digit number of independently moving characters on screen. It’s unreal to me how much work was put in, and it’s sad to see we probably won’t ever see this kind of show again from that side of the Pacific.
Oh btw: war in the pocket is a major keyhole moment back into time.
"If only we had mobile phones in this story about giant robots."
Al's parents are not separated. Al's dad keeps him away from Side 6 so he rarely gets time to be at home. It reflects the actual situation in Japan where the father leaves quite early in the day and usually never comes back home until very late at night. If anything, it more of Al's parents just not spending more time with Al and being passive with him.
War in the Pocket is definitely Gundam at it's core. Awesome video as always, man! Looking forward to the next ones!
I've always thought that Al wasn't just dumb kid who was too young to understand war and the consequences thereof. Throughout the show he was shown as incredibly smart and manipulative. He could spin a well crafted lie on the spot. He understood the motivations of people and know what to say to make them sympathetic to his cause. I really think that at that point in his troubled life, Al just couldn't care less. He wanted to experience being the main character in his own story instead of the kid with bad grades and parents on the brink of a divorce. I think if he hadn't experienced what he did, he could have had the potential to grow up into a bad egg. I think he learned empathy and regained his humanity.
"after her recovers from the blunt force trauma" Best line i've ever heard right there.
This is one of my Favorite Gundam series. Excited to hear your takes!
After watching, I have to say you gave a great run down and I love how you explained the characters. The development they did for such a short story is what drew me in. You get so attached so quickly then poof they're gone and it gives such a heavy emotional impact. Going to binge your other Gundam videos now as I build an Exia MG
I'm glad you enjoyed! Good luck on that MG sounds like a fun build
@@Retcon404 You ever thought of doing the 8th MS Team? It's also good.
With a last name like Killing, you'd think he would be a pacifist....LOL.
i see the Gundam Ovas as stories exploring the effects on different groups in war. the common soldier that rises to greatness, a starry eyed ensign that becomes dispossessed with the earth federation, the children that are allowed to glorify war as a game versus its reality
Ngl, Gundam 0080 War in the pocket personally had the best story IMO
This one probably has my favorite music of any of the UC series. That score that plays during Cyclops team's mission at the beginning and the one during the Kampfer fight is straight fuego.
Yeah. That synth is haunting during the kampfer vs the Alex
@@ZombryaTheDark Unfortunately, that particular piece of music is unreleased, and never appeared on the Original Soundtrack, along with a few others.
As cool as the kampfer was it is not a mech designed for open combat. It is purely a hit and run mech as it quite literally has no armor. It is the mobile suit definition of a glass cannon to where even a zaku 1 or the the zaku prototypes from Origin could kill it.
We need more shows like war in the pocket, I always find myself asking how many solders/people die in space battles when each ship blows up, or ground battles when a entire building full of civilians crumbles during a battle
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (OG on HiDive and DNT remake on Crunchy) shows massive scale space tactical battles with millions of casualties- the greatest space opera of all time.
@@hitachicordoba might have to check that out
@@hitachicordoba I found 3 seasons of it, think I found the first season
Yes, F91 is less sad. It's the opening to a new era of gundam in more ways than one (that was the intent anyway). Crossbone Gundam isn't animated yet but it's essentially official material and it's quite a ride being the continuation to F91. I'll say it now before you get to it, Seabook and Cecily are probably the absolutely most successful couple in any gundam show or universe.
On the topic of War in the Pocket, yeah, the movie is basically about the reality of the outside world reaching in and slapping Al so hard it knocks the brat right out of him. There's actually a post-story to War in the Pocket that a few of the japanese gundam channels cover. If I remember rightly, sometime after the events of the movie, Chris leaves the colony again and sends a letter to Al which talks about a number of things such as how she's been doing, checking in with Al and asking about Bernie (she still has no clue and is still interested). I forget the rest of the other details but I suggest you try looking for it if you have the time.
the crossbones fans will be crossbones themselves by the time an adaptation comes out
@@justarandomyoutubeuser5074 At the rate we're going, that just might be the case.
The scene where a shell hits a random mothers head is brutal and then I watched victory gundam and oppffff
@@solastro5595 Victory is Tomino in depression part 2. It's not just Zeta level but even worse. That's why the deaths become more ridiculously over-the-top.
I've made it my goal to watch all of universal century over the past year or so and I'm getting very close to the end. I very much enjoyed watching your video series thus far and I'm looking forward to seeing your takes on later installments in particular 08th MS team and 0083.
Thanks! The UC is quite a trip, I started with my rewatch of the original back in October and have been going strong since.
HamBernie is one of those lines that was so shocking my imaginary image of it is still etched on my soul.
Bernie's final video made be lose it in a way damn near nothing I've watched had. Not a lot hit me like that, but damn that one stung me right in the feels.
Such a great ending to this show.
I was fifteen years old when War in the Pocket was released. The Alex was among the first Gunpla I built.
I watched this over 30 years ago and still remember it as vividly as yesterday. It was my first exposure to the franchise (technically Zeta but only read about it, didn't see it until much later). Gundam has always been about the human side of the story, with complex characters and plot. That's what attracted me to the franchise. I remember when I watched it as a teenager the thing that immediately struck me was the contrast with North American cinema, never mind animation.. which I guarantee.. Al would be able to stop the fight and Chris+Bernie live happily ever after.
War in the Pocket has a speical place in my heart it's favorite ova in general the ending is just fucking depressing also Al's cousin is waifu material
I agree with the last part, and I think this series is pointing a finger at the audience who are like Al. Al's sort of a contrarian who likes zakus, but clearly has no concept because even the drawing he makes at the beginning has a GM shield. He just likes the idea of the adventure and fantastical elements of it, but at the end of the day he is confronted by the brutality, and the pacing of the show is interesting in that regard because it's pretty mellow until the kampfer is completed and the cyclops team is ready for their assault and then everything moves extremely fast.
The point is yeah tanks or mechs or whatever are cool until your friend gets ace'd and it's a childish notion that this can't affect you. Al is the proxy for people who are eager for war but have no concept or foresight for how it might actually impact them.
Also side note about "oh this is so anti war then why are the mechs so cool looking" war machines just look cool and intimidating that's a crucial element. Even WWI razzle dazzle camo looked dope as fuck. If they looked stupid as shit they wouldn't be plausible or intimidating, plus hasbro has to make some money.
theres a japanese commercial for 0080 dvd that has an older al narrating it reflecting on his time with bernie
This is the live action movie 🎥 we need
I love war in a pocket but boy what a downer
Bernie lying about being one kill away from being an ACE pilot isn't much of a lie by the end of the anime. Destroying a Gundam was seen as making you an ACE in the eyes of Zeon.
What's sad about Bernie's death is that he died for nothing. A Zeon fleet was going to nuke the colony if the Alex Gundam wasn't destroyed, but the Federation prevented it.
Props for using Front Mission OST in this video.
I went and watched this show specifically because of how well this video portrayed the show.
I started watching 0080 because of gunpla, my first kit was the HG GM Sniper II. Watching the rest of the shows I can confidently say that 0080 is one of the best pieces of Gundam media behind CCA.
Earlier in the show, it is mentioned that Bernie is bad at lying and that he can't help but look away when he lies. In his video letter, when he is saying some macho nothing about wanting to fight the gundam, he is looking away. But when he is telling Al not to hate Federation soldiers for his death, he is looking straight at the camera. God I love this show.
I'm a fairly new Gundam fan and I just watched War on the Pocket yesterday. I appreciate that it was 90% spy work and 10% robot fights.
I just finished my first watch of this this week, and I just can't imagine getting shellshocked in elementary school. Moreover, Al will likely live with the guilt of getting hundreds of people, including Bernie, killed because he decided to take some photos. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I love it.
I was that age during the First Gulf war.
Same here. The start of realization i would grows up in crazy decade, 8 years later our country's 32 years dictator toppled down and my country almost engulfed in civil war.
Of all the Gundam shows I've watched, this one has cemented itself in my mind the most. I love it.
This is easily my favorite Gundam series, and for me the best example of the franchise. MSG was never really about "cool mecha", but about the horrors of war. Voilence is terrifying, death is certain and no one escapes scars. NO ONE. It does a good job of not making a good vs evil argument, but painting everything is bloody red. Sadly, Gundam would move farther and farther into Big Mecha Fights and standard anime tropes as it went outside the Universal Century timelines.
I just started watching gundam and I’m going in chronological order on the time line. I just finished 0080 and goddamn that was a trip. Thanks for making these videos it helps me reinforce the information thrown at me in the show
I cry watching the end every time
Got this as an afterthought many years ago along with Char's counterattack. I did not expect this to be by far my preference between the two. Highly underrated.
That kid seems like a realistic nightmare! Gundam hits different as an adult.
Differing from my opinions of most of UC so far, I actually love War in the Pocket and is my favorite UC entry and definitely one of the higher points for me. The small scale story when compared to the larger events help ground the One Year War timeline in believability, no Newtype BS in the way. The relationship between all of the characters are engaging, and I cared more about one death in this series than all of the deaths in Zeta and Victory combined. To add to the bleakness of it, it was unlikely the Alex would've done much had it been delivered, with the war being in its final stages, truly being a pointless endeavor and really hitting that anti-war message that is done exceptionally well here. Al may be too on the nose for those shallow Gundam fans that he basically portrays, really only liking Zeon for their cooler looking suits. I don't know what it is about the Alex, but it's another favorite of mine too. I only wish that it were more popular when people seem to only care about Stardust Memories or 8th MS Team as noteworthy OVAs.
I really loved War in the Pocket, great entry that really shows the heart of Gundam.
@@Retcon404 Very true. In all honesty, it is all of what my pre-conceived notions of Gundam were fitted right into one tight package.
08th MS Team may be a shining showcase of what Gundam is, but War In The Pocket is a perfect example of what Gundam is all about.
@@Reragi 100% agree wholeheartedly. 8th MS Team is good at showcasing what Gundam is to a regular person, but the core heart of it is what makes War in the Pocket the best for me still.
whenever someone asks me what's the best entry point for the franchise, when it comes to UC, i always says, start with either MS IGLOO or War in the Pocket.
those are 2 small 6 episode series that really manage to show what gundam is all about, both in therms of the drama of war, but also how it breaks those involved in it, and even how each side has its own story and point of view.
Unable to process it...? Dude, Al is the only one who knows what happened. Anyone would cry over that if it happened to them and their friend, especially when it didn't have to be like that.
Holy shit I missed the frog torture line completely jesus christ.
As a kid growing up with Wing, G, and 0079 back in the Toonami days, the only thing that I got from the shows was how cool the gundams were, how flashy they were, and of course the moody protagonists. It wasn't until my early teens when I discovered 0080 where the anti war messages and the horrors of it finally clicked. It hit hard, but it made me appreciate the whole package of gundam that much more.
Great retrospect as always.
This is easily my second favorite Gundam show after the 08th MS Team.
i mean guns ARE pretty cool and i'd be hyped as hell to get to handle one when i was 11, but i admit this kid getting a gun would be a bad idea
This is my favorite series. This shows what Gundam story is about in a short form.
The team at Toonami knew what they were doing when they aired this in November 2001. A bunch of American kids just saw an attack on their country two months prior and war was inevitable.
War in the Pocket is one of my top 3 Gundam shows, I wish more people would watch it
I just finished watching this with my dad. It's the only Gundam he's watched, and he recommended Gundam because of it.
I had Alex and Kampf action figures as a kid. Crazy combo and are two of the best designed gundams & zeon suits in the franchise. Alex has armor so its OD.
It's one of the strongest Gundam story for me.
Have to say War in the Pocket's one of my favourite Gundam shows. Yeah, I like the others to varying degrees, some for the story, some for the designs, but I think I like this in no small part for the lack of "teen somehow gets into top secret military mech and saves the world." It's just good.
The Kampfer always baffled me, I get that it's designed for high-speed quick assaults and ambushes, but even then, you'd probably want a bit more than the paper mache-like ceramic armor if 90mm can cut through it like butter.
I still remember the ending years later, I remember feeling sad. I love that you incorporated xenogear music in this video!
legit LOL'd at the kill frogs red flag, that was amazing I hadn't heard the dub version before omg that's hilarious
Im loving the gundam retrospective! Looking forward to the next video!
Thank you very much!
@@Retcon404 of course! Thank you for helping me get caught up on my new favorite franchise faster!
My number 1 is war in the pocket My number 2 is 8th ms team.
when my trip into gundam began, this was one of the first I was able to see. 08th ms team, War in the pocket and Wing were my first true introductions to Gundam followed by G gundam and then the original and so on. The Alex with Christina, Bernie and the Kampher were what made this show for me aside from the story and visuals.
The Star Ocean 2 dungeon track made me double take. Love that OST.
Love the series, have never been able to play SO2 all the way through but I definitely want to.
This was one of the first things Gundam I watched (aside from Gundam Wing & Endless Waltz). I watched this, Stardust Memory & the First Gundam Movie Trilogy English Subtitled on VHS (remember VHS?).
Did you ever hear about the 1st Gulf War, from the 90s? I remember collecting newspaper articles about that. It was the first time I ever saw anything about war on TV.
Sorry to hear you were sick. Glad you are feeling better. Good video.
Thanks! yeah it feels good to be not sick for sure
I think people need to give Berny a bet more credit he should have had no chance at ALL fright the Alex. He did did destroy the gundam in the end but died doing it. that max hem a great pilot if you ask me.
Keep up the amazing work! Really enjoying the gundam retrospectives
this was the most tragic gundam that I've ever watched and experienced. Sad
@9:11 This guy really put out a nearly unused cigarette only to pull out another cigarette.
Like we get it Sunrise, that guy must be a really war hardened vet. 😆
All cigarettes he is shown with are unlit until the very last one when Cyclops Team realizes they’re on a suicide mission. Then he finally lights up.
I took it to mean that this is a guy who resolved to quit smoking as perhaps he had some life ahead of him. Of course the stressors of his occupation don’t let him let go of the pacifying habit entirely, so he stimulates that oral fixation with everything but the smoke.
Once he realizes he’s a dead man, he sees no point in not enjoying his cigarette to the full. That minor act of self immolation reflects the culmination of his line of duty.
My co-favorite ova Gundam series Christmas eve themed spectacular, the uniquess War in the Pocket brings from the perspective of war through a young lady named Al, to a big sister like figure and one of the best mobile suit gundam series girls Christina Makenzie, to the best Boi of the Zeon forces (next to Char) and the big brother figure Bernie good people on both ends which makes the final episode so much sadder that you'll burst into tears, brilliant display of anti War mini series 😥
Fuck, even summarizing this show brings tears to my eyes
8:27 im so glad you mentioned this. I was like WTF when i watched it
What was next? The franchise's first OVA and the opportunity with it to be experimental with the first Gundam show Tomino didn't have a hand in.
As I make my way through the original series, I'm definitely going to alternate between Mobile Suit Gundam 1979 and 0080: War in the Pocket when I reach the final half of the series. Also, I have a Master Grade kit of the Gundam NT-1 (the destroyer of dreams at the heart of 0080's yarn) and am currently waiting for replacement parts of this writing due to how its wrist joints weren't made correctly.
One of the interesting tidbits the movie didn’t mention is how absolutely pointless everything happening here is from the viewer’s perspective.
The Federation is working real hard to finish the Alex, but we know the Alex won’t be finished in time.
Meanwhile Zeon is desperate to destroy it but, again, it is meaningless.
At every step characters do what’s right from their perspective and at every step doing the “right thing” is the absolutely worst thing they can do.
excellent breakdown. ive always wanted another story involving Al and Christina to see what became of them