![[sage]_Mobile_Suit_Gundam_AGE_-_17_[720p][10bit][A345DE5A].mkv_snapshot_07.42_[2012.02.12_20.06.24]](https://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/sage_mobile_suit_gundam_age_-_17_720p10bita345de5a-mkv_snapshot_07-42_2012-02-12_20-06-24.jpg "[sage]_Mobile_Suit_Gundam_AGE_-_17_[720p][10bit][A345DE5A].mkv_snapshot_07.42_[2012.02.12_20.06.24]")
Despite the presence of a mobile suit battle, last week’s episode portended a massive slowdown in pacing for this show. I feared it would be a weekly dose of Zeheart’s erstatz Cyclops Team failing at jacking the Gundam, in part due to his growing romance with Asemu. Well, that ended up only being partly true.
Zeheart never got to jack the Gundam. He never initiated further action since the disastrous operation in the previous episode. He just spent the next few months living out this high school idyll probably impossible for the suffering Vagan teenagers who become child soldiers by the time they turn Decil’s age.
How could he ever pull the trigger on Asemu anyway? Asemu’s a genuine saint. We’ve never seen as good-natured a kid in Gundam since Uso Evin in Victory (but let’s not go there, ugh). The only thing Zeheart resents about Asemu is his idol worship of his dad, Flit “Ghiren” Asuno, who advised Flit to ditch the Military Academy and enlist directly. After all, Flit beat the Vagans without any stinking military academics. Asemu’s gonna get the Gundam anyway.
But even so, Asemu reassures Zeheart that he’s doing this out of his own conviction and free thought. Zeheart’s convinced Asemu’s not suited for fighting. Zeheart’s trying to convince himself that. Or, he’s just blinded by the BL sparkles.
![[sage]_Mobile_Suit_Gundam_AGE_-_17_[720p][10bit][A345DE5A].mkv_snapshot_24.09_[2012.02.12_20.13.00]](https://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/sage_mobile_suit_gundam_age_-_17_720p10bita345de5a-mkv_snapshot_24-09_2012-02-12_20-13-00.jpg "[sage]_Mobile_Suit_Gundam_AGE_-_17_[720p][10bit][A345DE5A].mkv_snapshot_24.09_[2012.02.12_20.13.00]")
“All this time you’ve never doubted me?”
“Why would I? We’re friends aren’t we?”
Had Romary worn one of those shock bands/donuts from Aquarion EVOL, we’d see more than just her doing the orz pose in them woods.
![[gg]_Aquarion_EVOL_-_05_[8FA2AB73].mkv_snapshot_15.41_[2012.02.12_17.29.33]](https://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/gg_aquarion_evol_-_05_8fa2ab73-mkv_snapshot_15-41_2012-02-12_17-29-33.jpg "[gg]_Aquarion_EVOL_-_05_[8FA2AB73].mkv_snapshot_15.41_[2012.02.12_17.29.33]")
![[gg]_Aquarion_EVOL_-_05_[8FA2AB73].mkv_snapshot_15.51_[2012.02.12_17.30.12]](https://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/gg_aquarion_evol_-_05_8fa2ab73-mkv_snapshot_15-51_2012-02-12_17-30-12.jpg "[gg]_Aquarion_EVOL_-_05_[8FA2AB73].mkv_snapshot_15.51_[2012.02.12_17.30.12]")
I think there’s something about Asemu’s naïveté that is winsome rather than off-putting. It’s not obnoxious or rubbed in our faces. He’s just a guy who thinks well of others and is trusting, obedient, and loyal. There’s really nothing super extraordinary about these qualities, as even I’ve had friends like this in High School, but these traits are super extraordinary in a Gundam lead.
Flit was like this, but his loud kiddyness got in the way of letting this shine through. The Asemu and Zeheart friendship is more mature and prone to deeper feelings compared to the Flit and Dique friendship. I mean, during high school there are already context for shared suffering that teenagers can reflect upon. This isn’t as easy to do while younger. Everything just means more in high school.
But thankfully, the show spares us from making itself too much about high school. We skip forward to graduation and the drama of identity comes to a head: Asemu is joining the army, and Zeheart reveals himself as a Vagan – proving Asemu’s trust false – at least on the surface, but not really because Zeheart is no traitor. He loves Asemu and spares him even though he knows his words really can’t stop him from fighting.
Based on the OP, we know Romary is joining the military as well. She can’t bear not to see Zeheart again, and this is the only way she knows to force the encounter. Besides, she’ll be very close to Asemu as well.
It’s dramatic but at the same time it feels unceremonious: Next week we get to see the AGE-02 Gundam. Suddenly the show is moving incredibly fast again.
We Remember Love 
Rosmary making a cute face => enough reason to keep watching
*throws out all of yurin’s merchandises*
oh shit don’t turn into nina purplemegaton. ROSMARY! NOOOOOOOOOOO
oh well theres always age 3 =___= and then the movie.
IT’S GONNA HAPPEN
oh well saw it coming from a light year away.
ONWARD FOLKS! TOWARDS THE NEW AGE!
Wow, you speak French?
Haven’t seen the episode yet. Will check it out later.
No. I don’t speak French at all.
Next episode:
Zeheart is Fighting For Our Prayers!
Translation of Monsieur De Sand:
Well said, Mr Crockett. The fire of this rivalry could well yield instead to brilliant passions of love and friendship. Do not lose hope. Love is not always ahead, but she can also come at the end.
Close, but what I wrote in English is far more stupid than that.
ZEHEART WILL BE FIGHTING FOR OUR PRAYERS!
Ummm… I’ve a bad feeling, but Rosemary have the chance of become the Second Yurin or worse… The Second Lalah Sune… The piece are there, Asem-Zeheart rivality(and the reason the later use the char mask IS more clear here) is not like Arthur-Kira, is like if Amuro have meet prior both Char and Lalah as civilian, for that i’m having a disturbance in the force.
The introductory part of the Second generation is closing to a end, next is when the action will come, and I Think there will know how War has changed, if Flit become either a Gihren or a Dozle Zabi, or a combination of both, what will be the pact of Asem… who here come the good
Nice review Philippe(for the name of your country,XD) , the BL sequels were supperated and the objetivity return
You think Romary’s gonna die?
Gundam is the DC of Japan… have a good record of puting female in fridge… and mostly is one being a generational history… she is safe in the short term.. at least other Readhead loom in the horizont.. that will be the first flag.
lmao no.
DC has its branch in japan. Gundam is not DC. gundam is startrek X starwars X some fucked up ideaologies.
most female leads actually do stay alive. Fraw Bow? salya mass? mira yashima who lived despite char’s awesome incoming axis? the ones that ends up dead are the bitches that deserved judgement or needed to be put down for the greater good.
I know Ghost has talked about “BL denial” from fans before – already so early in this “season’s” run – but…I dunno if I’m sold on this whole “boy’s love” thing. I have a few really close friends that, to me, take the place of brothers I never had. One guy in particular is my friend from my days at the fight gym and, even though I’ve known him the least amount of time of all my friends, he and are probably the closest just because of all the times we beat each other up and trained together – we cornered for each other in all our amateur fights – and I visit him whenevever I get a chance even though he lives about six hours away. At no point do I get all “bishi sparkly” on him, but I definitely feel a stronger bond with him than to some of my other friends. The point of all this is, why can’t Asemu and Zeheart just be really really close friends? Is it the suddeness with which they met and were close? The way the animators draw the show? If it’s the first, I call BS, because sometimes people just really it off and are good friends forever. If it’s the second thing, I call it shameful pandering on the part of the creators/writers/animators. If Asemu and Zeheart are actually “in love in love” then it’s a bold direction for a Gundam show to take. If they’re only being shown to gaze lovingly at each other without there being any real romance going on then it’s just a sad attempt at titilation. Who does Sunrise think is watching this show? It sure ain’t teenage girls that get off on this kinda slashfic garbage.
Because Yaoi fan girls can be found in every fandom, its been that way ever since Saint Seiya. Where you find pretty boys, you find Yaoi fan girls. And Sunrise want to cash in on that; I guarantee you that Tiger and Bunny Season 2 will go heavy on the BL shipping tease. Shameful pandering? Yes, but it gets teenage girls watching Gundam, and giant robots can’t accomplish that.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA
Woolf’s G-Bouncer commander-type MS is about as big a Tallgeese shout-out as there can be. Just look at those booster-binders on its back!
It’s a pretty ugly tribute, if it is. Tallgeese is one of the loveliest mecha ever.
It is an ugly, ugly thing, there is no doubt, especially after the very nice-looking G-Exes. To me it’s the spindly legs and that godawful sheild-fishhook sword thing that makes it so hideous.
whoops – SHIELD*
guys its probably a shout out to shiki
remember: zeta was the first to run around with EVA fins on their backs. shiki was the most well known one.
as for the face, that’s ok. its a wolf afterall.
” He just spent the next few months living out this high school idyll probably impossible for the suffering Vagan teenagers who become child soldiers by the time they turn Decil’s age.”
That’s the biggest plus so far in this generation. The fact that the enimeis aren’t just boogeymen for the Gundam to beat, but rather soldiers trained from birth to fight so that they would end their suffering, Zeheart’s entire monologue does show how deep the suffering of the Vegeans affected him that, despite living a peaceful life for a short while, it didn’t stop him from doing what he needed to do.
”How could he ever pull the trigger on Asemu anyway? Asemu’s a genuine saint. We’ve never seen as good-natured a kid in Gundam”
…
”I think there’s something about Asemu’s naïveté that is winsome rather than off-putting. It’s not obnoxious or rubbed in our faces. He’s just a guy who thinks well of others and is trusting, obedient, and loyal. There’s really nothing super extraordinary about these qualities, as even I’ve had friends like this in High School, but these traits are super extraordinary in a Gundam lead.”
I know right? It’s also interesting how of the mark everyone’s expectations of him was so off the mark, with people thinking that he was going to be some hot blooded rebel, when in fact he turned out to be the complete opposite (well, he’s going to rebel against Flit, just not in the stupid teenage way, but in the stopping-his-father-trying-to-commit-genocide way). It’s more intreasting seeing a Gundam pilot who’s had a good life with a balanced family and is filled with so much good will and hope (directed in a more believable direction) take the center stage.
”Flit “Ghiren” Asuno, who advised Flit to ditch the Military Academy and enlist directly.”
Did you mean Asemu here? Because I don’t think Flit needs to advice himself to go to school.
”Zeheart’s trying to convince himself that. Or, he’s just blinded by the BL sparkles.”
Man, those are no sparkles, that’s a freaking Halo around his head that keeps on radiating light! The men of the Asno family are just magnets to everything that walks. Did you see how he simultaneously made Zeheart and Romary fall in love with him? ”I don’t doubt you cus we are buds!” *carries Romary princess style*
I bet Kio is going to find some Vegan princess in Gen. 3 and is going to save her by stopping an meteor that’s about to crush her by his hands or something.
”It’s dramatic but at the same time it feels unceremonious: Next week we get to see the AGE-02 Gundam. Suddenly the show is moving incredibly fast again.”
Of course. That’s the thing I said back in episode 17, there is so little time they need to hit the fast forward button to keep thing going. This is the problem with AGE, the time for each generation isn’t divided evenly at all …
No, it will be a Vagan rival. Who looks like Yurin.
wo hell no. the second axis drop would be saved for the movie.
Kio probably runs around being chased by a haman character while wolf tries to find his footing in the world. the movie comes around woolf drops lol onto earth and everyone goes to save earth blah blah blah blah blah.
She will be a Vegan princess AND rival, and also going to be part of the Gallette family tree (maybe Desil’s daughter, because why not), since it’s not enough that Kio is going to end up converting his Grandfather and Father to the light and become humanity savior with the AGE-3, he needs to hook up with her in order to end the blood feud between the two families.
The last episode will have her giving birth to twins, one of them looks like Flit but with red hair, and the other looking like Desil with green hair.
FFFFFFFFFFFF-
Yeah, thinking about it Gundam AGE has defied a whole lot of expectations.
Yeah I made a typo. Flit advised Asemu.
Yeah the BL here is heavy handed, like a Psyco Gundam.
I don’t mind the fast pace at all though.
Yeah, and I’m glad it did. The amount of hate and rage it received initially made me wish it would turn out to be better than every person who crapped on it thought, so I’m glad it managed to do so. Personally though, the one area that worried me from the start was the Level-5 involvement, since I had history with the sort of stories they’ve done (which weren’t that good) on their games, but thankfully it seems like the show didn’t fall into their typical storylines (well, the Farden bit in Gen.1 with the Zalam and Euba conflict sort of did, but the show quickly grew out of it)
It would be pretty hilarious if Kio, the one character that everyone thinks is going to be a peace loving kid, ends up actually being a complete realist who only believes the only way people can get along is by converting them all into pacifist via superior firepower. And then Flit (who’s going to be like 70 at that point) has to teach him about people needing to understand each other and using his X-rounder powers to telepathically communicate with people lol.
I don’t mind the fast pace at all though.
Well, it’s not like it’s hurting the show much, but it would help a lot more than make it look like:
Zeheart, Romary and Asemu meet -Next episode->Time skip happens, they are all best of friends.
It feels like there is something missing in between there to validate why they are friends. Show don’t tell and all that jazz, you know?
I mean I love fast pacing as the next person, but you need to build ground to run on first.
Well, they’re fast friends because of Zeheart’s abilities with Mobile Suits: INSTANT AND BEST REASON. Not a difficult sell at all.
Romary… LIKES THEM PRETTY BOYS. Not a difficult sell at all.
“It’s also interesting how of the mark everyone’s expectations of him was so off the mark, with people thinking that he was going to be some hot blooded rebel, when in fact he turned out to be the complete opposite…”
To be honest though, I liked Asem’s character, completely opposite of what a lot thought that he’ll be low-rent Kamille (myself included). Ghosty said it himself that given that Flit took care of him well and has everything going on for him, it’ll be stupid if he turned out rebellious.
Although, I have a feeling that everything will go south for him once he gets his hands dirty with the Gundam and with his father’s work.
Oh, he’s going to rebel, just not in the way everyone thought he was going to.
And yeah, things look like they are about to take a turn for the worse for him for sure. Shame, I really liked the kid.
Char looks like he needs an intervention there…
Let the douchebag suffer.
“Well said Mr. Crockett. The fires of rivalry could well give way to the burning passions of love and friendship. Do not get lost hope. The love is not always ahead, but it can also come from behind (?)”
Wait, what? Nice french, haha
Man, Asemu sure is a nice kid.
People (myself included) were probably expecting for this arc to be Zeta, but it feels a heck lot more like Seed. I catch that they’re trying to build up AGE as sort of a digest, or even repackage of the Universal Century to new audiences. There’s been elements from how many previous shows and stories now? 0079, 0080, Crossbone, etc…. But at the same time, it’s still got that AU Gundam flair. And I like what they’ve been doing so far.
Bang- there’s Asemu’s motivation. He’ll probably go to war to try to rescue Zeheart or something. Which means he’ll probably be a lot less genocidal than Flit.
Wonder what Flit’s been doing? There’s been Vagan attacks on him home colony, specifically on his family ranch, furthermore targeting the Gundam, and it doesn’t look like he’s been doing anything whatsoever, even with his position as one of the top brass, at least from our viewpoint.
Got more in mind, but that’s probably going to be resolved in the next episode. Finally, the AGE-2! I wonder what will become of the AGE-1, though.
Good observations about the motivations of Asemu and Zeheart and also about how Age has not “taken the bate” of being a condensed version of the UC timeline. It’s definitely using elements from those stories but it is very much telling its own tale here, and I think that we, the fans,sometimes need to step aside with our comments about “this being from that show!” or “that being from this show!” and just let AGE be AGE. By expecting everything we see to be a watered down or kiddified version of the “hardcore UC” storyline it makes AGE seem less like what it is: a good show in its own right, which is what it’s shaping up to be.
Also, I think there are three things that can happen to AGE-1, and it’s either going to be one or the other:
1. The AGE-1 will be wrecked beyond repair and scrapped just in time for the creation of the AGE-2.
2. The AGE-1 will be wrecked, but it will be intact enough for it to become the core of the AGE-2.
3. Asemu will hand it down to another pilot in the grand tradition of the Mk. II Gundam after he takes possession of the AGE-2.
Yes, pretty much nailed the passage LOL.
I wrote the thing on Google Translate and copypasta’d the result onto the panel.
AGE is everything in Gundam and it’s a great for being so, in that it’s not getting hung up on trying to be anything specific. Remembering love is enough.
AGE-1 maybe the frame of the 2nd. I don’t see how 2 Gundams can exist in the show… and it’s unlikely that the AGE-1 would just blow up like that.
Thanks, I used Google translate as well, haha.
I was kind of hoping that the Vagans would steal AGE-1, then remodel it to be the final-boss mech, either for this generation or the next.
Now that I think about it…. maybe Flit’s cooped up with developing the AGE-2 while the events of the past three episodes were happening. It would explain both Flit’s absence and how the AGE-2 doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. That, or another timeskip.
Damn, I gave you too much credit for knowing French. Google Translate works wonders, it seems. 😛
Hard to tell whether AGE-1 stays or AGE-2 is a completely new suit. I mean, unless Flit retired from piloting and focused on commanding pilots instead, I doubt we’re gonna see AGE-1. Who knows, it will be epic if during the final battle of Generation 3, we’ll see AGE-1 again.
On Flit, his reaction that his son’s befriended a Vagan and a fairly high-ranked one no less, will be spectacular. I can’t wait for the fireworks.
Again, to the rAGErs, you can suck dicks again. This episode pretty much ended your thoughts of Generation 2 being a school days anime with robots and romance in between.
Anyway, that was the rowdiest graduation I’ve ever seen. I mean, we threw our hats up to the air when it was over, not AT someone speaking at the stage. 🙂
And as much as I read some comments that the reveal came to early, but really, it was the best time for Zeheart to reveal himself. I mean, he was already exposed despite Asem being there to defend him. Asem can’t be blamed for being naive about it. Unless he spilled his dad’s military stuff to Zeheart, then there’s the problem, but obviously didn’t happen.
It’s not much, but the fact that by this episode, they pretty much shown us that Asem, Zeheart and Romary were close friends already felt kinda meh to me considering the time skip, but once again, we don’t need to see all of it.
I’m excited for AGE-2’s debut next week. Hoping that Asem does not do an Athrun and spam the transform button.
All is well.
Asemu x Zeheart is kyaariffic~
And then we see some Gundam in space. The gravity-bound combat is pretty dumb. I particularly hate how everyone keeps shooting up with no concern about puncturing the colony walls.
Maybe the beams are set to disperse or…..pfffffft this is so dumb. Of course there’s no consideration for this kind of thing. It’s all for the lulz.
No it’s not all for the lulz, it’s just lazy anime making. It’s a shame, really.
Haters gonna hate. I didn’t mind the Code Gundam school shenanigans bits. Makes their inevitable conflict so much more deliciously painful. I’m not sad to see the plot start up again, but two episodes felt perfectly reasonable for this setup arc.
Plus, Woolf is back. Gotta keep the important things in perspective.
But no Largan makes me a sad panda.
At least Wolf is carrying his bearded look.
Yeah, two episodes is just the right amount of set-up.
I don’t know if this has been mentioned in the comment thread, but given that Zeheart has revealed himself to be a Vagan to Asem (and Romary as well), I can’t see the purpose of his wearing a Char-esque mask as hinted in the OP.
As for Woolf’s return… well, the G-Bouncer just ran… hoping for a more proper introduction.
For good ol’ Char… there’s always Asem’s sister (forgot her name) LOL!
LOL I don’t understand why Char clones wear masks at all.
Aw, poor Asemu got his heart broken. It’s pretty commendable for him not to use his dad’s name during Zeheart’s arrest, though with how things turn out, it’s probably better that he didn’t. Totally agree with you he’s a sweet kid and this fact is a good answer to those Emily-haters who keep saying that the marriage is loveless.
The Vagan big bosses must be very unhappy with Zeheart’s team as they apparently wasted a year doing nothing. The arrest scene was funny with the MPs showing up with a flimsy reason and then lost the big fish with a simple distraction.
Anyway, can’t wait to get back to space next ep.
>Emily haters
>Marriage is loveless
>My fucking face
The whole arrest and escape scene is a kiddy show set-piece LOL
I’m not Emily heater, but her marriage isn’t the happiest one.
Last scene of them in first gen wasn’t happy at all, and during dinner in next ep Flit only looked at Emily when he was saying that Asem would get AGE Device sooner or later.
And we already seen one happy married couple, Emily and Flit are nothing like them. Lalaparly though that her husband was just childish and passionate. Emily herself saw how Flit lost his childish idealism and she has reasons to fear how scary he can be.
She loves him, there is no questions about it. And he does care about her, but he is too much obsessed with his grand crusader against Vagans, so he became colder over the time. Even with all his good relations with Asem and really caring about him, Flit clearly wants to have his own replacement. He is now all “When it comes to Vagans I am ALWAYS right”, first scene of second gen clearly established that.
But I predict that when Flit goes full Patrick Zala on Asem, Emily is going to stop him and do it in epic way.
What disappointed me in scene with police was that they didn’t show her reaction, but just focused on how Zeheart was shocked that Asem is ultimate bro. They could even justify them leaving Zeheart by making her yell “I am commander’s wife and you are allowing a Vagan with gun be so close to me because you wanted to threat my son and his friend?!”.
Yeah it isn’t, compared to my marriage… but then again, mine is a ridiculously high standard. As marriages go wherein the parents are mostly not together due to work schedules, locations, WAR, etc. I’d say they’re pretty happy LOL. It shows in their kids.
Ugh, Patrick Zala. I can’t read anymore. I’ll trust that the rest of your point is rock solid. Thanks for contributing to the discussion bro.
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Wow…. Athrun and Kira would really know about that stuff…. guess athrun is still kinda bitter on the whole, Kira-Stealing-Lacus-Thing… XD
BTW – Awesome blog! I shall be following you…. like a stalker…. a cyberstalker!
Uh, thanks!