Mobile Suit Gundam AGE - 43

This shocking news just in: Zaeheart lost another major battle. Film at 11.

A couple of thoughts strike me as I reflect on this episode. First, how some of the things that annoy me about AGE haven’t really changed in 43 episodes. Second, how much Seric Abis is the unsung hero of this cast. As I said weeks ago, there are times when he seems as if he’s the only person in the show who wasn’t hit with a stupid stick. And finally – what exactly was the point of wasting two-plus episodes on Girard Spriggan, given that we’ve already had her basic story play out at least once already and that it seems not to have materially changed things at all?

There really wasn’t that much new stuff here. A lot of themes were recycled, and more than anything we see the existing characters more deeply entrenched in their own narrow positions, blind to anything else. Kio remains the idealistic naïf, trying to hug his enemy to understanding in the middle of the battle even as she’s flipping out and endangering everyone’s lives. Flit maintains his keen desire to exact genocide on the Vagan, to the point of trying to shoot wounded enemies in the back as they retreat after a negotiated surrender. And Zaeheart… Well, Zaeheart just seems as muddled and confused as ever, stumbling through defeat after defeat with no seeming plan except to make it in time to lose the next one.

Not for the first time it’s Asemu who’s actually benefitted by not being an X-rounder, as he’s the only one not effected when Spriggan’s X-rounder powers go “Scanners” and take over all the other X-rounders weaponry across the battlefield. That is one new element – that injury and/or grief can cause an X-rounder to go so far off the rails that their powers go rogue. In addition to being immune to that, Asemu is also, in a sense, the only one of the major players who’s somewhat free of an agenda and as such, whichever course he chooses is likely to be critical to the eventual conclusion. He still aims to make Zaeheart see sense, but he’s also willing to kill when he sees it as necessary. I’d call him somewhat adrift and indecisive but there are times where that – like his reliance on “Super Pilot” rather than X-rounder powers – can be an advantage.

Commander Algeruseless can tell himself that the eventual surrender of the Luna base was Flit’s plan, but I don’t buy it for a second and I don’t think he does either. What Flit wanted was to destroy the base and everyone in it, and it was only Abis’ skilled intervention that prevented it from happening. With Flit effectively commanding the Fed forces and Ezelcant still alive, in essence we have two marginally insane leaders in charge of the opposing forces – and that certainly doesn’t bode well. I’m not really sure what the point of the entire Luna battle was, with Vagan’s Second Moon moving into position to invade Earth – but be that as it may, it looks as if the pieces are in place for the final battle and everything is going to have to definitively choose sides one way or the other.

7 comments

Altritter

August 6, 2012 at 11:05 pm

Seric Abis is the goddamned hero of the federation.

Next episode looks like it's gonna advance the plot quite a bit. As usual it doesn't show much but it looks like Zeheart is going to get the Legilis and Kio/Asem/Flit are in for some more disagreeing. I'm wondering if Kio's miserable failure in his understanding is a way of showing that it's stupid and isn't gonna work, or if it's going to end up working for him later.

Also, looks like AGE is on break next week.

info600

August 6, 2012 at 11:52 pm

Unsung hero indeed…

I'm still waiting on that superlaser's return, but the Second Mooon would do for now…

Anonymous

August 7, 2012 at 12:40 am

I was really hoping flit would die in this episode, but no avail.

Anonymous

August 7, 2012 at 12:43 am

It's gonna be a while.

I don't want him to die though, he's my favorite character.

belatkuro

August 7, 2012 at 5:08 pm

Asemu not being affected by Girard. I dunno if that's fortunate or not. It just screams that he's the odd one out amongst the one fighting there. I found it hilarious though.
Well anyways, another female bites the dust as always. Gonna miss Yuzuki Ryouka's voicing.
It's down to the final stretch I guess. Let's see how this finishes.

Arabesque

August 7, 2012 at 10:34 pm

I have been catching up to AGE today, and while I need some time to gather my thoughts on what I've watched (15+ episodes is a lot to take in at once) I wanted to comment on this episode

''This shocking news just in: Zaeheart lost another major battle. Film at 11.''

And yet, it seems he shall be promoted once again … Exactly, have we ever been given the Vegan's measure of success before? Cause you know, when one of your highest ranking generals had been constantly failing in every single military operation he had been assigned to, on Earth that is normally not a good reason to give him a higher position …

'' some of thing things that annoy me about AGE haven’t really changed in 43 episodes''

should be *some things not *some of thing BTW 🙂

And yeah, while I need to collect some of my thoughts on this topic, I can safely say that my earlier fears about Level 5 handling the writing in this show had, unfortunately, ended up being true. There are some good ideas in this show, with a lot of potential and room for them to be explored … and yet it's pretty clear the writers do not possess the talent to fully flesh them out. Hino is clearly operating on a very simplistic, shallow level when it comes to this show, pretty much like every thing else he worked on.

And no, I don't even want to hear about how this is for kids. I have seen kids anime that trump this show in the writing by a wide margin.

''Second, how much Seric Abis is the unsung hero of this cast.''

That is a very funny way to spell Grodek Ainoa!

''the point of trying to shoot wounded enemies in the back as they retreat after a negotiated surrender''

Asem did the same thing though back in Generation 2?

And did he even know about the negotiated surrender? And tbh, in the heat of battle, especially with an enemy you hate, it's understandable to shoot at them even when they are retreating (if a little unchivalrous)

'' I’d call (Asem) somewhat adrift and indecisive''

Again, I have a lot to say about this (later) so I will keep it brief: This show wants to take Asem's character somewhere, but all it keeps on doing is making him look worse than he should be.

They want him to be the cool Pirate dad who is taking the ''middle/third option'', who is supportive of his son and is pretty willing to be flexible with whatever outcome.

He comes off as a man who had been having a mid-life crisis since he was 18 and managed to not get out of it until he was actually middle aged, left his wife and new born son (as well as his mother and sister) to go become a pirate, with no viable plan or goal (''I'll just prolong this war for ever! I'm sure it's not going to escalate to the point where both sides are no longer manageable with a single pirate ship … not like they were in the first place but hey, Pirates Are Cool eh?'') and in general just not a very good adult, father, husband, soldier or even son … sure, he's looks cool as a pirate, but at the expense of making him look like a deadbeat space dad …

''I’m not really sure what the point of the entire Luna battle was''

Padding? And I want to say, the whole bit about the Feds being corrupt last episode and how what they did was evil at whats-her-name? Nope, it was dem damn Vegans who worked to screw her over.

So … lol? That makes the decision to sweep it under the rug the lesser of two evils (since if they did stop it, the Vegans would have succeed in their plans) so …

And yeah, WTF at Second Moon being able to move!? ''Oh noes, the marz rayz are killing us all … oh wait we could just move it so it doesn't okay)

What?

This show only annoys me so much because I care about …

Anonymous

August 8, 2012 at 10:05 am

I think the second moon is a mobile suit.

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE – 43

Guardian Enzo

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