Akemashite omedetou to all, and welcome to 2012 on Lost in America.  Out first post of the year is for a series that decided not to take the New Year’s holiday off, Gundam AGE.

One can’t escape the notion that we’re getting close to the end of the first phase of this one, as the climactic battle seems to be imminent.  But most of this episode was spent sorting out things with the Federation warships out to arrest Grodek as a rebel.  And they follow the safely predictable path this show always takes, which is that humans can be stupid and selfish, but when the chips are down bickering parties can band together against a greater foe.  I still have my suspicions that the big reveal is going to be that the UE are like Soylent Green, but for now all is kumbaya when the UE attack while Stoller Guaravan (Kusunoki Taiten) and the rozzers are trying to apprehend Grodek and the Diva.

To be honest, that was eminently predictable, though it does shed some light on just how strategically advanced Grodek is compared to most of the others in the Federation.  But the most interesting portion of the ep, by far, was the last few minutes.  Desil and his UE hoodlums show up at Birming’s house to arrest the fair Yurin, and the look on Birming’s face is a decidedly guilty one.  Desil has clearly determined that Yurin has the “X-Rounder” power, which I’m guessing she passed on to Flit when they touched.  It seems likely to me that Birming’s decision to adpot Yurin was no coincidence, and he was planning to turn her over to the UE all along – but it’s too early to say for sure.