The highlight here is not that there were three Gundams. Ever since the very first Alternative Universe series (Mobile Fighter G Gundam) we’ve been treated to multiple Gundam Mobile Suits share the same battlefield, at times fighting each other. Mobile Suit Gundam AGE did well to enforce scarcity on the Gundam design in its narrative, such that the emergence of three units in the same place at the same time is indeed a remarkable and significant event. But no, this is not the highlight of the episode.
The highlight is the quick resolution, consistent with the pacing of this show throughout its 50 episode run, of the distraction that is the Girard Spriggan story. She arrived sinisterly at the very end of episode 41, to launch the arc; railroaded the narrative in episode 42, and died spectacularly in this episode. Her role as device to challenge Kio’s naiveté is arguably successful, but what’s to appreciate here is how she took control of the battlefield before dying the way Newtypes sometimes do, albeit in a barely sensible manner.
Here I look into her brief time in the spotlight.
She took a page from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and put into play something similar to the NT-D or “Newtype Destroy” System displayed in episode 3 of the OVA. The NT-D is a feature of the RX-0 Gundam Unicorn that allows the Newtype pilot to go into destroy mode vs. other Newtypes and commandeer their Psycommu-based weapons (read: Funnels). It was used to devastating, dramatic effect in that episode. Without the technological and world-building touches of the Unicorn OVA, AGE goes for extreme exaggeration and I think this is for the best.
Spriggan asserted her MS’s and her own X-Rounder powers and took over ALL the funnels in play during the six-way duel, and shot at pretty much everyone in sight. Yes, this is an obvious and heavy-handed thing to portray the victimhood of Spriggan and the evil of those who would make weapons of human beings. They are unstable, as were all artificial or Cyber Newtypes. The difference here is that the extent of her powers drove herself and her suit into destruction.
This self-destruction is a cheap trick, but I am not to bothered by it. Why cheap? Kio is absolved of having to fight her or actually convert her. In fact, he gets to keep “fighting his own way” and even stopped Flit from fighting his own motherfucking awesome way. Let us accept that the story wants us to like Kio as the redeemer of Flit, the way Asem cannot. This is how it’s going to be. (And what the fuck is wrong with Algreus assuming that Flit is interested in low Vagan casualties? Completely out of character for both he and Flit).
Zero casualties among the duelists, except from the BSOD demise of Spriggan. I’ve lost the will to RAEG. All in this episode was enjoyable to watch anyway.
We Remember Love 
Oh god, you still watch this ?
I can’t help but laugh at Full Frontal, haha.
I expected Asemu to save the day, but loooooool Zeheart shield.
Seric pretty much won the battle. I found it hilarious that the buggy vehicle survived the crossfire.
Sup Marida
Even more hilarious is Seric’s word wit scaring even his own comrades.
its 08th MS TEAM lol
this episode also had 0 raiser
I found Spriggan completely annoying and baffled that Zeheart even let her onto the battlefield when apparently he knew full well she could go even more bonkers than she already was and turn on her allies–I think one of the unintentional themes of this show is “people/factions making really bad decisions and NEVER LEARNING FROM THEM.” Because Vagan did the same thing with Decil: making an unstable brat a commander and letting him stay one after he retreated from a victory because he was bored, so he proceeded to kill the X-Rounder they just went to considerable effort to obtain–and sure they reduced his rank in G2, but he still got two more of the elite squad killed out of his selfishness before Zeheart finally said FUCK IT and let Asemu deal with it permanently.
You would think someone would say GOSH, MAYBE WE SHOULD STOP RECRUITING UNSTABLE PILOTS WITH PERSONAL VENDETTAS.
Narrative stupidity aside, though, this was an impressive fight to watch.
And I was quite unimperssed with the cheapness re: Kio too–and also found his behavior pretty annoying this episode. His grandpa just saved his life. It didn’t have anything to do with the Vagan thing this time; Spriggan was about to waste him even in the AGE-EasyButton, and it’s been transparently obvious since she showed up that she’s not listening to anyone so his persistent whining at her to ~understand~ was just grating. Argh argh.
Girard did not self-destruct if you look closer. Flit killed her.
*pushes glasses closer to eyes* actually, it could be argued that her Newtype Rage caused her to drop her defenses (the commandeered funnels) while making one last shot at Kio, thus allowing Flit to kill her. By doing that, and not using, say, the AGE-FX’s funnels to block Flit’s shot, she effectively self destructed.
Snark aside, these past couple episodes have been kind of frustrating. I get that Spriggan’s MS didn’t have a convenient-for-fighting-his-way head mounted cockpit, but a bad-ass X-Rounder like Kio should have no trouble disabling that. His funnels are so fast, and so sharp (and they can combine to form a shield like Nu Gundam’s?) that they should EASILY take care of the drill bits (har har) and leave the enemy suit dismembered. Because it’s easier to talk sense into an opponent when they’re NOT in an armed, intact, and fully operation mobile weapon.
Kio: Use your Cheater Gundam to destroy their ability to fight, THEN go on with your hippie babble!
Kio continues to show that he is a bad pilot because he’s not only unskilled but uncreative too. If he had been on the ball, he would have done just that, and he would have been free to maybe do something useful like X-Round the truth at Fram or Zeheart which his dad can’t and Flit sure won’t–
–not that he would because all he seems capable of doing is whining at his enemies to “understand” like a broken record, but again, if he was creative he could try some other rhetorical tactic.
Inky you idiot you need GN particles before you can X – round the truth.
the enemy would need to be HIGHLY GULLIBLE otherwise. Please, take your stupid and huff some GN particles, i’m sure that would help you become more atune with the truth and understanding.
Ezelcant X-Rounded his glorious vision of Eden into the heads of his handpicked followers like Zeheart and did the same to Kio too. I think you might be a little high on Newtype sparkles yourself since they’ve showed that a few times now.
I’m not saying that GN X-rounding Newtypey magic is a good plot device, but it’s a tool Kio potentially has (since he’s been set up as a particularly strong X-Rounder from the start of G3) and if he at least tried to use it, it would be a step in the right direction for making him a good character. Sure he’d have to fail because even X-Rounding wouldn’t convince Zeheart or Fram right away since Ezelcant is their fearless leader, but that’s not the point.
The point would be that Kio would 1. realize that his current tactics of just begging are not working so he needs to knock it off and stop annoying everyone with it and 2. put in some goddamn effort for once in his life, even if it didn’t work.
The law of kid’s gundam (one that you NEVER bothered to check out)
GRUNTS are lvl 1 noobs that doesn’t move, no matter if they actually moved in the anime
ACE are lvl 100; they move too fast, even if they didn’t move in the anime
Learn your laws before you bullcrap please, This episode is fucking GOLDEN! (mainly because Abis trolled the vegans so hard that it hurts to not like this episode)
ABIS FOR COMMANDER! ABIS FOR COMMANDER!!!
lol Full Frontal! Seric Abis pretty much stole the show and won the day! Too much Funneling out of stuff… And for some reason I pity to what happened to Reina, she dies with her way of fighting. But also give thanks to Fram for dealing with turncoat morons like that guy who deserves a good dead strike
And yes! AGE-1 Full Armor!!!
I liked this episode for the action and certain points that were put forward during the battle. Before the whole X-Rounder Runaway, Girard’s calling out of Kio’s naivete is a nie touch, and she made a simple, but very true statement: Some people do not want to understand each other. Sad? Yes. The cause of much destruction and death in Gundam AND the real world? Hell Yes. True? Yes as well. A fundamental truth of war or any type of conflict is that people often deliberately resist trying to understand each other. In Gundam, or any type of argument, there is very often a willing suspension of consideration for the other party’s viewpoint. This is for a number of reasons. It can be simply a case feeling the two points are irreconcilable, or fear that understanding the other side’s point could cause your opinion or convictions to shift or even change. This is easily seen in other Gundam series, such as SEED, where fear and on some level envy between Naturals and Coordinators led to both sides developiing a sort of shoot-first-never-ask-questions attitude towards the other and the recurring comission of atrocities fueled by blind hatred. It can also be seen heavily in UC, where the conflict is between a hopelessly corrupt, selfish Federation that would sacrifice a city for a flimsy reason (ZZ) and borderline religious zealots that act at mostly out of revenge In both universes a willing refusal to communicate led to a situation where communication was no longer possible until both sides were forced to a sate of near annihilation.
Back to the episode. I really liked how Abis was able to save the battle and many lives by ironically using the threat of the Federation’s superweapon to force the battle to a conclusion without actually using said superweapon. This works a lot better than Natola just outright saying no to Flit, though that would’ve been nice too. Algreus is clearly under a Big-Brother worship syndrome regarding Flit, and his expressions make it clear that he’s desperate to find an excuse to convince himself that Flit hasn’t gone over te edge and is no longer a man worth admiring. While Kio stopping Flit shooting Fram and Zeheart is definitely going to bite him in the ass, it was good that Fram made it out alive AND got to deal one Federation Quisling some much deserved karmic death.
understanding is nothing more than a few chemicals in your brain going down the drain pipe. a person who truely understands should first UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT AND THAT CONVERTING THEM FORCEFULLY IS AS BAD AS BEING NAZIS
True understanding is when people realize that they can\’t all agree on something, and still hates each other a little, but knows that fighting will not bring peace. THAT. IS. NOT. WHAT. 00. TAUGHT. US.
00 taught us that sparkling particles = i win button with censored dicks.
but AGE! AGE is redeeming the bad by showing kids that sparkling particles are bullshit. THIS IS WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU AGE! EVEN IF YOU ARE RETARDED AT LEAST YOURE RETARDED WITH SOME SENSE OF CLASS!
Ummm…the Hell?
Still hoping that full armour AGE-1 gets a High Grade.
That’s a very nice observation… up to Gundam 00, all those newtype-like moments always demanded naked action… this show must be really targeted for kids, haha!
And another one of those “Asemu LOL wut?” moments… nice!
No you’re wrong. Absolutely wrong. the nakid scenes of newtype first appeared in Zeta gundam. it actually didn’t happen for Kamille or Haman or anybody else, except for a guy whose not even a newtype yet and a chick who makes people rage.
It hit full force in ZZ where puru strips – trust me this is actually quite awesome if you’re a lolicon back then. and stopped completely for the rest of UC, with the exception of Unicorn.
Amuro and char DID NOT GO NAKID during the last scene of CCA, that is VERY important. No other animed gundam piece had people going nakid for every god dam newtype scene. It started up really bad when SEED came around – but that was the running gag of 2000s, nakid red heads. then 00 hit and everyone was like OMG THIS SHIT’S GETTING OLD but most didn’t care cuz at least for once gundam doesn’t look bad on TV.
if you can read the above message, applauds
if you can’t, then TLDR: Naked newtype scenes normally doesn’t exist in universal century, alternative centuries, and is simply a cheap trick they used on your face.
I was more impressed with Seric than any of the pilots or commanders in this episode. And I’m a bit disappointed, though not at all surprised at Reina’s quick entry and exit. It’s a shame. She would have made an excellent Titan. At the very least, I would’ve enjoyed her replacing Rosamia in the damn story.
And I’m getting tired of enjoying this show “in spite of” Kio. Sure, he’s probably the ONLY thing that can keep Flit from turning into a genocidal maniac, but this may be too high a price. I don’t want him capping Flit’s ability to dominate the battles.
Well next episode Axis er I mean Second Moon comes to the earth sphere. And the return of the Legalis gundam. Wish they would’nt have killed of Girard so early.
they still have the plasma diver lololololol
that shit will rip the vegans a new one.
Next Week On Gundam AGE,The White Devil Asemu Asuno must fight the Red Comet Zeheart Gallete and his Gundam Legilis,next week’s episode,Gundam AGE Zeheart’s Counterattack!
Zeheart’s Counterattack! has already taken place, episode 27.
All I’ll say is more series need episode titles like this.
GREAT SHOCK! MYSTERY OF THE SCARLET TWINS!
DEADLY BATTLE! THE END OF THE FRONTIER FLEET?
seed destiny should had this kind of episode name after launching of strike freedom until episode 50
ORB COUNTER ATTACK??? THE INVISIBLE STRIKE FREEDOM!!! PART 1 etc….
I hope next gundam unicorn will had this kind of tittle
LOOK!!! OVER THE RAINBOW!!!!
If so, there will be one episode title called “Awaken! [Insert Mecha Name Here]!”
ZEO! RY! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
This episode is pretty much Gundam Unicorn episode 4, with a little bit of 00 in it.
I was face-palming when Asemu is like “WTF is going on?” and does nothing when the others were getting shot. Seriously, you’re the only one that got his own weapons in control and you don’t even help your allies?
Flit killed Spriggan, her machine didn’t explode.
Algreus doesn’t know that Flit wants to kill all Vagans, because Flit isn’t that stupid to yell to everyone about it, at last until he is angry. And Flit also stills sees himself as a hero of justice, after all he raised Asem to protect everyone and Kio to be a savior. Funny enough, they turned against him because he raised them well.
Ironic, that it was Zeheart, not Kio, who really understood Spriggan.
AGE is enjoyable, sans Kio. He’s really irritating me.
I did like the little red herring when it was like YEAH ASEMU DO IT and instead he sits around doing nothing, then fails because Zeheart, and then Flit just fucking does it lol
I have nothing really deep or though-provoking to offer, but I feel like I should say this, just because.
Flit Asuno + AGE-1 Full Armor = The BEST THING IN THIS SHOW. “The Horse and the Rider as One” indeed.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing what kind of sinister crap he’s going to get up to in the next 10 episodes.
KIO!!! DISABLE YOUR ENEMY MS FIRST BEFORE TALKING!!!! STAB THE COCKPIT IF THE PILOT ISN’T FACELESS GRUNT!!!!!
KIO!!!! YOU MUST BECOME A GUNDAM AND MAKE THE SECOND MOON CHANGE INTO FLOWER TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER!!!!
I’m late with regards to watching this episode since anyone who lives around Metro Manila knows the hell we’ve been through, which affected me as well. Now that I’ve recovered, I got the chance to see it. How are you dealing with it, ghosty?
Yeah, I was kinda disappointed that despite the title, I didn’t see the awesome tri-Gundam awesomeness I thought was going to happen. Not gonna happen, definitely, especially when Kio does not want to shut the fuck up and Flit having to hold back. Of course, this has to happen at the last battle. It’s unlikely, but if they do end up combining together, that would be the most godlike thing that could happen in this show.
Okay, as much as I really hate Spriggan, this write-up made me see a different perspective to her purpose to this show aside from a crazy bitch whose X-Rounder powers went haywire. Yes, her “powers” was like the anti-X-Rounder, like how the Unicorn screwed with the Kshatriya’s funnels. Still, it was awesome to see Flit actually putting an end to her. It’s like Flit giving Kio the middle finger. “This is how you do in a Gundam, son… er, grandson! Not the whiny stuff you do.”
Seric was definitely the unsung hero of this battle. He pretty much deserves his “Holmes of the Battlefield” monicker as he had thought of such an idea, basing from his deduction of Algreus vague orders. I like the part where he smirked as if he got exactly what he wanted.
As for Zeheart, he continues to show us why he is the worst battlefield commander. He loses again, and I bet my ass that Ezelcant will just claim that this new loss if “part of his plans”.
Now, I’ve been talking smack about Kio and his nonstop whining about understanding. I have nothing against it, considering that I like that he is the antithesis to Flit’s genocidal mind. Now that ghosty has mentioned Unicorn, what he was trying to do here is exactly what happened in Episode 4 with Loni, and we all know what happened there – crazy girl dies and he accomplishes absolutely nothing. Now, given how Banagher redeemed himself in Episode 5, I’d like to see something similar with Kio.
Just imagine the horrific bloodshed that could ensue with Kio going crazy in the AGE-FX..and then Flit being the one to stop him. Now that would be a twist.
As much as that twist is nice, I doubt it’s going to happen. Actually, the reverse is happening – Flit is out for Vagan blood and Kio is there to stop him with the AGE-FX.
A crazier twist is that Flit gets inside the AGE-FX, goes crazy, and Kio will stop him with the AGE-1 Gransa.
That would be pretty amazing indeed. I was just thinking that, since what we’re all expecting is for Flit to be “out for Vagan blood” as you put it (and nicely so), what if something really terrible happened to Kio (like, say, the death of his dear ol’ daddy…or girlfriend…or the whole Diva crew…)and then BOOM – now suddenly he’s a wild dog that has to be put down, killing everyone and everything in sight. Flit, being the only one left who could stand up to him, has to kill his grandson, realizing the error of his ways after much terrible cost – in this case the death of everyone he loves. Now THAT would be an awesome, no-one-saw-it-coming ending to this show! It would make the annoying turn of events in the last few episodes all seem like the ultimate bait-and-switch from the creators of the show; I, for one, would eat up something like this.
This episode shows that although this age’s main character Kio sucks, the series itself can still be good. I liked it.
Ghosty, hope you were able to deal with the mess in your city. Stay save!
I seem to remember Amuro Ray & various pilots on both sides doing the same thing in the books of the first Gundam. It was kind of inspirational, the leaders getting panicky with their death rays while the ships on the frontline were sharing info and plotting a cease-fire..
So ok the bit where it backfired on him Tomino style was more realistic, but for some reason it made sense instead of being nauseating.
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