Jason Hidalgo|jhidalgo@rgj.com
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Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice with Captain Obvious...
With a title like "Glorious Demise," it's only natural to expect that someone's going out in a blaze of glory. Last week, I mentioned that honorable Gjallarhorn mobile suit pilot Crank Zent seems to be starting his own death flag collection and, well, guess who just showed up to battle literally carrying a huge red flag? I'm being positively serial here, folks.
Before the mobile suit version of dueling banjos, however, we get a look at life with the CGS crew, who get to take a break from rations and enjoy a hot warm meal after the craziness of the previous episode. One key takeaway is that for all of protagonist Mikazuki's indifferent and sometimes cold attitude toward Kudelia, it appears that he's warming up to her somewhat as he decides to try her less-than-perfect attempt at making food. Then again, maybe Mikazuki is just the kind of guy who's a walking contradiction.
Underneath the comforting vibe of a warm meal, however, is the harsher reality of Orga's plan. After the foreshadowing of the previous episode, his scheme is finally brought into action with cold efficiency, and the slaves finally turn into the masters. Unlike the whiny yet pure tendencies that many a Gundam main character has exhibited in the past, Mikazuki is almost like a freaking machine. Think Setsuna F. Seiei and Heero Yuy mixed with some Terminator T-800 logic. It's almost shocking how easy taking a life is for the young mercenary, which is a complete 180-degree turn from pilots such as Banagher Links and Bellri Zenam. Will it change as the series progresses? Who knows. Still, it's shocking and also disturbing to see, which I'm sure is the point the show is trying to convey.
Another key theme in "Glorious Demise" is the burden of responsibility, which permeates throughout the episode. In Kudelia's case, it involves realizing just how powerless she is in enforcing her ideals and seeing them through. For Orga and the newly renamed Tekkadan or "Iron Flower" group, it's the realization that gaining freedom isn't as easy or as liberating as it seems.
For starters, the tussle with Gjallarhorn has sapped them not just of manpower but finances due to their losses. Welcome to the real world, folks. Add Orga's honorable decision to provide back pay to all personnel who have decided to leave and the former CGS is just three months away from insolvency. Fortunately, Orga had the foresight to retain the services of their accountant and map out their options. Priority one is to get some honest work, which might be tougher given their recent troubles with Gjallarhorn. Then again, this show isn't called Gundam: Small Business-Minded Orphans so it soon transitions to yet another fight.
Mobile suit battles remain a key part of the anime, which comes in the form of Crank's one-on-one challenge with Mikazuki. If Gjallarhorn subordinate Ein Dalton's wistful moping at the opening sequence is any indication, I'm not feeling too good about Crank's odds. Like everyone else, Crank is taking responsibility in his own way, coming alone to ensure that his men aren't further tainted with the blood of children in their hands. It's the classic lose-lose situation as regardless of whether he succeeds or not, he pretty much loses either way. I won't delve too much into the details and results of this particular battle but going against Setsuna F. T-800 Yuy is always a tough and, admittedly, shocking proposition.
Then you've got signs of cracks from within the newly minted Tekkadan group. There's the constant whining of Eugene Sevenstark, who's giving the vibe of one those characters that's bound to make a misguided decision under pressure that would lead to a bad situation. There's also the decision bythe scheming Todo to stay with the group and fester like rot on a flower. I don't know about you but my first reaction is not to trust any dude with a mustache like that. Unless the guy undergoes a remarkable transformation at some point, I feel like he's one of the weak links character-wise as he looks too much like the caricature of a backstabbing toady. Then again, caricatures worked for Shakespeare so I guess we'll see.
In any case, the episode ends with setting the foundation for our ragtag group and a continuation of that trip to Earth that they were originally hired for in the first place. I'm expecting it to start feeling more Gundam-ish at that point as any trip should involve a spaceship, maybe a battleship perchance? At the same time, I hope the show also continues to forge its own identity, which so far has been steeped in a more serious, real-world approach to the kind of disturbing problems that most folks like to avert their eyes away from. I guess you could say that the real story — and challenge from a storytelling standpoint — starts from here and I'm crossing my fingers that the show manages to fulfill expectations.
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: TEKKETSU NO ORPHANS REVIEW ARCHIVE
