![[Zero-Raws] Gundam AGE - 15 (TBS 1280x720 x264 AAC).mp4_snapshot_03.14_[2012.01.23_02.12.49]](https://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/zero-raws-gundam-age-15-tbs-1280x720-x264-aac-mp4_snapshot_03-14_2012-01-23_02-12-49.jpg "[Zero-Raws] Gundam AGE - 15 (TBS 1280x720 x264 AAC).mp4_snapshot_03.14_[2012.01.23_02.12.49]")
It was bright and colorful, and was dark as it felt like it needed to be. Mobile Suit Gundam AGE finished its first age of three on a very dark note. The enemies are defeated. Vengeance was served. The hero’s innocence was preserved, even if his love was killed. The girl who loved him was victorious, but we do not see her triumphant – her rival was killed unjustly and the hero will not love her the same way, not for some time. The captain was tried and convicted for treason. The big government reveals itself to be unjust and evil.
The enemies are revealed to be human, and are victims of human negligence and corruption. Everybody loses, as war must go on. As a viewer I claim victory. This is Gundam, and better than I expected.
![[Zero-Raws] Gundam AGE - 15 (TBS 1280x720 x264 AAC).mp4_snapshot_14.52_[2012.01.23_02.13.59]](https://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/zero-raws-gundam-age-15-tbs-1280x720-x264-aac-mp4_snapshot_14-52_2012-01-23_02-13-59.jpg "[Zero-Raws] Gundam AGE - 15 (TBS 1280x720 x264 AAC).mp4_snapshot_14.52_[2012.01.23_02.13.59]")
Grodek carried the whole story. His was the motive and drive that caused action in the narrative. As Flit discovers love, X-Rounder powers, and the different ways of Gundam, it is Grodek that brings urgency to everyone he meets and brings the fight to the UE. My favorite moment in relation to this was when we were spared from watching – Flit was spared from having to pull the trigger on Yark Dole.
Grodek shot him from behind, and once more when he didn’t quite die. No hesitation, just the clear and decisive action of a man who knows who he is and why he does things. It doesn’t make him right, but it makes him a powerful element of the narrative. It was quite touching as well, how he thanked everyone who participated in his vendetta. It was only fair that he took the fall for them.
For a moment I thought he was going to kill himself. But as Legend of the Galactic Heroes tells me, the leaders of any failed uprising must survive so that only they receive the reprisals of the movement’s failure (or success). The soldiers who followed them must be spared from these, and this is more honorable an act that a commanding officer must do. Take the disgrace in the place of his men.
Grodek saved Flit, who retained his moral high ground because he did not have to execute an unarmed prisoner in cold blood. This way he can still vow to be a savior. This is exactly what the narrative needs to proceed to the next AGE. For this all thanks must be laid upon Grodek’s prison cell.
As for the Veigans, they’re this story’s version of the oppressed colonists. Their grudge is legitimized in part by the extreme trials they’ve survived. We know that the Earth Federation is accountable because this is Gundam. What we can expect is that the Veigan everyman just wants to return to Earth, while the powers that lead them want to return to Earth as conquerors. They’ll have to get past the Gundam.
If there’s anything that bugs me about the past two episodes is that we saw the Ambat asteroid get NAILED by the big laser. There is nothing in it that tells us it was damaged in any way.
See you next AGE.
We Remember Love 
I watched the whole episode immediately. Words fail me. *salute*
…and then there’s Char. Stay classy.
Char wants his cake… and lolis too.
“Mobile Suit Gundam AGE finished its first age of three on a very dark note.”
If only we actually had a reason to care about any character in the show…
The kids will care.
This episode finally made me care.
The Mars colony cover-up was inspired, and even seemed to expand the Gundam universe, as well as bringing up memories of the Reavers from Firefly. (Why they’re all dressed as comedy gnomes is a different question).
Careful study of history or Legend of the GalactIc Heroes tells us that Grodeck will get out of jail as soon as they need him anyway.. 😀
Grodek getting out of jail in a perfectly timed dramatic moment would be most ideal.
I just hope he doesn’t turn into a frickin’ Boddhisatva while in prison.
Grodek is definitely a TRUE BRO and a BOSS. He kills the UE boss and tells his kid straight into his face that he killed him AND will live a tragic life. It was expected that the Feddies had to get him for all the shit he did, but as long as he’s still not dead on screen, there’s always a possibility for him to be back – more beardy than ever.
Well, at least last week’s question on why Grodek decided to board enemy territory instead of destroying it was for us to see this revelation. And I agree, it was a victory for the viewers. No one gets their resolution, everybody loses, and the war must wage on.
I’m excited for the next generation starting next week, though first impressions of that preview suggests that Flit’s son is going to be an angry kid. Of course, that’s just me. No basis, whatsoever.
I’m with you on that last note. I think Asem (Asemu? whatever.) will also be an angry kid. I think anyone would be if we inherited their mother’s rat-tail hairstyle instead of their dad’s BA blue hair with horns and stuff. All joking aside, I think that having Flit’s son be kind of a mad kid will be good to contrast him with the perpetually positive and determined Flit.
Yeah, remembering love for Kill Bill vol. 1 I love it. LOVE IT.
Black Mamba said something like this to Copperhead’s kid daughter after she killed her mom with a knife to the chest in her own kitchen:
Yeah, so much badder ass, but still.
Flit’s son as an angry emo ball of rage a la Kamille would be just perfect.
Yeah, that would be perfect considering they’re doing AGE to reference UC in their own way. As long as he doesn’t crash like Shinn did.
And what would you say if Flit’s grandson is like Judau? 😛
Based on the concept art, Flit’s grandson looks like Usso more than Judau.
I KNEW that you guys would pick that detail up! I think that’s what we all want, too.
the MARS colonists. a true successor to the ideals of zeon and jupiter empire. my love for the UE has exceeded my love for all of the gundams in 00 and seed combined! gundam age has also just taught humanity how to understand each other in 14 episodes! whats that 00? you taught aliens how to peace? bitch please, humanity is its own worst enemy, no alien in hell could change that fact. and you never once made a kid cry for his dad. kids > adults hands down in any situation. and i can back up that theory in every fucking possible way. although it might be quite disturbing if you ever go into the 18+ territory.
wait, does that mean age is part of UC? could it possibly be? well, i wouldn’t mind something this tear jerking to join in on the fun. its been years since i cried for the bad guys, oh so long ago.
how to bad guy in gundam: doing it right:
step 1: speech
example:
for the people of our nation, we must fight! we must bring upon the federation the same pain they brought onto us. remember your relatives that died because of the injustice that is this world, remember the pain deep within your hearts as you watched your beloved ones taken from your grasp, remember the inhumanities you have saw with you very eyes and turn the pain in your hearts into anger! let that anger consume your being, let it seep in to the essence of your soul! Let yourself become the avatars of revenge! LET VENGEANCE BECOME THE REASON FOR YOUR BEING! Never forget, my good men, our cause, is a righteous one. when you ascend into afterlife, you will be basked in eternal glory.
HAIL
step 2: proceed to massing earth sphere with either a hell ton of nukes or a single high yield reusable microwave colony laser.
step 3: retry, since the fucking gundams crushed your dreams again
step 4: retry, again! with a different name! fucking gundams!
step 5: RETRY! MOTHER FUCKING GUNDAMS!
step 6: HOLY SHIT WHERE ARE ALL THESE GUNDAMS COMING FROM! NEVER SURRENDER!
step 7: don’t stop… carry on… stand up to the.. victory… the light, its shining… lalah– i – i can see time~
by the way, incase there are people who happens to miss out on obvious plots helpers.
AGE is literally the children’s incarnation of crossbone gundam. with out the pirates.
the martians are literally jovians, and god i hope the old man pulls a ball gundam out of his pocket one of these days.
oh, except the ‘princess’ character actually died and nobody flew into space on hundred year old ballistic missiles. although i think flying into space using old century ballistic missiles just might happen in gundam AGE.
whos made for kids now gundam 00 freaks? who’s doomed to become digimon now? who’s dead in space and/or left to die now disel asshead? eh? and god in hell, how did my rant from almost a year ago about crossbone gundam never getting its anime adaptation while sunrise releases new shitty tittles end up back firing upon myself when i realized this is in both soul and essence the very child of the crossbone vanguard’s epic saga? oh the irony. oh the humanity. i must drink some water now i cried a river for the martians.
I’m glad you’re over the moon about this episode and this show… but are you alright?
over the moon? no i’m all the way down at marshara collecting minerals and vespene gas for the grand fleet of terran armada.
i’m just really glad that gundam’s finally gone back to its roots and that the CG was done nicely and the distortion wasn’t annoying to watch as i would otherwise be complaining about that. the pieces of the gundam falling apart is so awesome ~ that and the fact that nobody in hell went naked to tell aliens how to love peace. seriously, nobody needs to get naked for first encounters, and i mean nobody.
Loved how after all the misdirection throughout this first AGE, we find out without a doubt that the enemy has basically been Zeon all along. Sure, it’s Zeon pushed a bit farther out, a little different. But it’s still refreshing and familiar. Just how I like my Gundam. And I was impressed how dark, and bloody this got. It didn’t give me this weighty, tense feeling that I’ve gotten from other Gundam series that come to this point. But this first AGE was basically Gundam condensed.
And I have to say, when Grodek walked up to that kid and told him he killed Yark Dole and how the kid was gonna live out his days… I got a bit of a shiver. Grodek is one bad ass motherfucker! Yeah! I said it! He deserves the uncensored version!
Fundamentally Zeon, but it remembers love from the Jovians from Crossbone Gundam… who I think have a direct line connecting them with Paptimus Scirocco. I initially thought the UE would be Jovians and not Martians.
That moment when Grodek spoke to Yark’s kid is straight out of Kill Bill Vol. 1 when the Bride spoke to Copperhead’s kid after she stabbed her dead in her own kitchen.
It should be pointed out that my main man Largan is still alive and kicking. He didn’t get to do anything awesome in this episode, but he is still alive so there is still time for him to prove himself to be a true hero (and also to get with Millais…erm, CAPTAIN ALLOY) in the second part of the series.
Surviving is its own reward.
Hey, I’m glad he did make it, no I’m glad no major character bit the dust. Heck, they even teased us AGAIN with Largan getting hit so badly and almost getting killed again if not for the Euba guy saving him.
If he’s gonna be active in the second generation, might as well make him better.
Sadly Largan will not appear it seems in AGE-2, but he WILL play a role in the spin-off comic, at least if the scans and previews are to go by.
Sadly Largan won’t be joining up in AGE-2, though scans and the main website show that he WILL have a role in the spinoff manga (reference here: http://websunday.net/age/).
As for this episode, it’s funny how, even in the last episode, Emily couldn’t get a break at all, since Flit was still torn up about Yurin. So whatever development that will lead to her marrying Flit will all happen OFFSCREEN. This leads some to wonder if the marriage is either a loveless one (with Sunrise, 50:50), or something that only went through due to a LOT of work on Emily’s part.
And now, its on to the next generation. Judging from the previews alone, it looks like Asem is going to be our Camille analogue for AGE. I expect daddy issues aplenty.
my predictions are all coming true D: OH GOD WHAT IS GOING ON! and if zeta is to be followed, the transformation upgrade would come later on! this is the best homeage since after war X (too bad nobody liked it and it was pretty bleh most parts)
also, be expecting Asem is a man’s name. cuz the guy could pass for a pretty cute chick. this is so much more fun than watching all that emo shit sunrise been pumping down my system for the past ten years T__T
I gotta say, I am impressed with the last few episodes of this generation. It started really slow, but boy did it ever grow the beard.
As for the big reveal of the UE, can you say Jovian Lizards meets Zeon? In all seriousness, While Grodek is a pure badass, the nation of Veigan has won my full support. With Flit becoming a racist jerk and the Feddies revealing genocidal motivations, the martian population has become much easier to sympathize with. SIEG ZEON! SIEG VEIGAN!
EXACTLY: JOVIAN LIZARDS MEETS ZEON, BUT, meets actual Gundam Jovians from Crossbone Gundam.
One of the best things in Gundam is how the side of “Good” isn’t actually very good. There’s always more than enough reason to root against them.
Is Char mourning?
Grodek’s last act proved that he has been Thomas Riker all along.
You bet he is.
Unfortunately I’ve not been able to follow beyond the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Or maybe I have… but that was very, very long ago. You’ll have to remind us of Tom Riker.
Prepare for an info dump….
Thomas Riker is pretty much William Riker’s clone. When William Riker was a Lieutenant, he was stationed on some colony where an accident happened and it had to be evacuated. When Riker was beamed out some weird kind of transporter happened and a duplicate of him was created. William RIker was safely beamed out but the duplicate, unbeknownst to anyone, was left stranded on the colony. 8 years later (TNG season 6) he was rescued by the Enterprise and adopted the name Thomas Riker.
During Season 6 the Federation was having border disputes with an alien race called the Cardassian Union and to avoid war a treaty was created. The borders were redrawn and many Federation colonies ended up under Cardassian control. To protect these colonies, a DMZ was placed around colonies close to the border, but the Cardassian Union secretly armed their colonists in the DMZ in an effort to oust the federation colonists. Even though the Cardassian government denied moving weapons through the DMZ, it was clear that it was arming Cardassian colonies and encouraging the attacks and the federation, for the most part, did nothing because they feared any intervention would provoke an all out war. As a result the Federation colonists were abandoned and they created a group called the Marquis to fight back against the Cardassians.
In the DS9 (Deep space 9) series, Thomas Riker sympathized with the Marquis and impersonated as William Riker to steal a Federation Warship, the Defiant. He used the Defiant to destroy Cardassian ships and facilities that he believed were sending weapons into the DMZ. He was eventually apprehended by the Cardassians and was sentenced to life imprisonment in a labor camp.
Hope that wasn’t too much Info
Nah it’s fine, a lot of it is lost on me though not having seen Star Trek for so long.
The concept of a terra-formed Mars has been a long untouched but sometimes mentioned concept in Gundam, so I’d really have to give the creators credit for taking the “Earth VS. Colonies” concept multiple notches higher…
As for Char… I bet he won’t like Emily as much as he does right now as she’ll be like a grown up mother in like her 40’s next week… LOL!
I’m loving the Mars angle too, as it invokes some “hard” SF that I don’t expect from this show, and from Gundam in general. Now when I say hard I don’t really mean very hard SF — as I am a big fan of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Martian Trilogy, but you know what I mean.
Char’s just being himself. He’ll move on to Asemu’s chicks in the next age.
I think you are wrong about Flit – his innocence wasn’t preserved. Look at his logic: After he failed with becoming savior by saving people, and learning the truth about UE he decided to become savior by destroying UE and not care about their reason.
He become far worse than Grodek, who at last was aware of not being a pure force of good.
Amen, Gamer2002.
To paraphrase Dmitry Glukhovsky’s book Metro 2033, you reap what you sow. Force answers force, hatred breeds hatred, and death only brings death. By fighting and killing without thought or doubt about the UE (aka Veigan), Flit’s jumping off a slippery slope. It would be sad to see let his thirst for avenging Yurin’s death cloud his judgment, as he will surely become as morally corrupt as the people who run Earth Federation.
Let me put it this way… he didn’t have to perform a summary execution in cold blood: not in combat, not in self-defense, but someone unarmed and in cold blood.
There’s a big difference — in coming of age mecha anime narratives anyway — between destroying mobile suits and killing people. When the lead character truly gets that the pilots are people who get killed, a hard-line pacifist bent is often taken (Kira Yamato, Renton Thurston).
His innocence is wholly framed from his own limited perspective and not from an overall moral POV.
Do you see what I’m saying here?
The innocence I’m talking about is that which allows him to function the way he does — and not a true and righteous innocence. I look forward to him becoming a genocidal angel of death. His son will probably reject him and become this whiny emo pacifist.
Big Zam-like thing was unexpected, and I really like how unorthodox the design was. I was expecting a shoot-out a la Solomon, but it turned out to be a swordfight. They should make more unit designs like this and the Gells-Ghe (http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/seed-destiny/ymag-x7f.htm)
Finally, some great inside-colony/fortress/asteroid fighting outside of UC gundam.
Kids with guns? That’s a bit hardcore, even for gundam. Regardless of Flit not pulling the trigger though, he did already shoot down all those other UE guys….
Grodek is a true bro indeed. Why this guy isn’t in the Grancieres team or some other Zeon guerilla unit baffles me.
Finally the reveal. I’m relieved that it wasn’t that outlandish (ALIENS FROM THE FUTURE) or lackluster, just taking away from the usual oppressed colonists formula and kicking it up a notch. It’s a bit problematic though, because now I’m more inclined to root for the UE guys. And then there’s Flit. I’m all up for him filling in Grodek’s shoes as a revenge-driven badass who won’t stop until the last traces of the UE are gone, but if he’s going to be that while saying that he’s going to be a savior, then that just makes him a hypocrite.
As for the first half, I love how AGE has been playing it up both sides. Just when it gets too kiddy or dark, the shows tells you otherwise. It also did a good job at introducing the background story and laying out the premise. It’s also interesting how the show’s almost shaping up to be a digest version of the UC itself, though maybe that’s what they’ve been planning from the start.
Federation higher-ups looked like General Revil and Bask Ohm, lol.
The “kid audience” (who am I kidding, we know what age group is watching this show) will grow up with the timeline and this show will educate them in moral character, what it means to be a TRUE BRO / saviour, the true fallout of war, the corruption of the administration, and the loss of innocence.
Hopefully Flit will keep his head screwed on right; we’ll know by the next episode. Just please don’t have him angsting while clutching a pink ribbon….
I totally did not expect kids with guns.
I expected a swordfight at the most since Amuro and Char did go at it… but the Gundam and the mobile armor already had a sword fight. If this is the only time I ever see the Gells-Ghe, I will die happy.
Zinnerman had to be some guy who looks stupid at the expense of Banagher coming-of-age. I would rather not put Grodek under that crossfire.
Rooting for the UE? This was the plan for Zeon ever since the 90s started.
The colonists like Flit are not really represented… unless you count Euba/Zalam as such. Ract is a badass, but his intro was that of him being made of fail along with Don Boyage. The colonists will never be as sympathetic as the UE… but the UE makes them victims.
Agreed. I didn’t expect kids threatening to kill other with guns. I know it wouldn’t pass on American television (thank god I’m a fan of anime.)
Anyway, like NexenGundam said, Flit’s jumping off a slippery slope and I can’t wait to see how his hatred towards Veigan will impact Asem. The second generation is sure going to be a dark and cynical, yet fun ride.
SIEG VIEGAN!
What I haven’t seen before that the next AGE might show us: Father vs. Son dueling Gundams.
so we’re sure that the AGE-2 is a whole new ground-up mobile suit and not an “evolution” of the core AGE system and cockpit block or something?
Actually, that’s the same question I have in mind. I have forgotten the initial idea that the AGE-1/2/3 are basically the same Gundam units “evolving” from each other.
Regardless of which, a father and son duel should be in order.
I have no effing clue, except that I want some Luke vs. Anakin shit, with BEAM SABERS.
Now these are most likeable “enemies” for a long time. Their story is most sad and the Earth Federation has yet again turned out dreadful. However we must not forget the involvement of innocent Yurin and the cruelty of likes as Decil. There’s no good and evil, no black and white.
As I used to be very hopeful for the concept of multiple gernerations, I’m not sure what to expect of the second age. Asemu will be the main protagonist, right? He will be a unexperienced kid, yet to learn and to grow into the role of a Gundam pilot. It would be quite annoying if the next arc will take such a long build up as this one.
Asem will have the benefit of formal mobile suit combat training, in addition to his father’s wealth of experience and ample logistical support. Even if he’s a total dunce, his baseline should supersede Flit’s.
Although your argument is logical, we should not forget, that Flit himself has had a greater base than other Gundam protagonists before. It was he who built the Gundam and while he a craftsman first and not a pilot, I think he always knew that he will pilot the AGE one day. I might frember wrongly, however, but Flit was supposed to be the pilot form the beginning?
Largan was actually AGE-1’s original test pilot. Flit only got into the cockpit because of circumstances. He started with zero combat experience, and improved first through Yurin’s X-Rounder resonance and then later through actual experience and his own X-Rounder awakening.
Asem will likely inherit much of Flit’s X-Rounder ability and more. Unless Flit is an absentee father or workaholic, he would have taught him or imparted to him a great deal of his craft and knowledge. The first episode of the second generation arc is quite fitting (“The Gundam in the Stable”). Asem will be the most thoroughbred Gundam pilot of all-time.
Asemu may start hating his dad… or their conflict would be Flit is becoming Hitler and Asemu wants to hug the UE.
I look forward to this happening. I am all for intergenerational tensions!
Because Asem is a man’s name, right?
Asem is gonna Ace ’em.
EF da UE.
Asem looks angry and all sorts of angsty, lol.
That might be their source of conflict. Flit’s hard-wired for revenge against the UE ever since his mother died, and that happened at a very young age. Asem’s 17 by the start of his arc, by which he’s almost an adult himself. Whatever event drives him to fight the UE, it won’t be strong enough to make him go on the same genocidal UE vendetta as Flit did, he’s bound to have his own thoughts on the subject. I hope they take up this angle and really bring out the generational aspect of the story, how one generation differs and mends (or repeats!) the mistakes of the previous one. It’s really rare to see that trope and to have the characters grow up in fiction in general- and in one series at that.
Yes. Yes to everything.
Fantastic Episode. Very dark for a AU series, and doesn’t pull any punches.
Looking at the current situation with regards to the UE (killing innocents in the name of revenge) the Feddies (killing innocents by covering up mistakes) and Grodek (happy to fight against both sides) I think there is a high likelihood that a third way (aka AEUG) will come into existence with Grodek filling in for Char. It would follow the ersatz UC that seems to be developing.
Also on a side note, I could not stop thinking about ‘Martian Successor Nadesico’ throughout the entire UE backstory.
There was nothing I did not like about the last two episodes of this first arc.
Also, yeah, I liked the Kill Bill bit with Grodek and Yark Dole’s son. I really hope that isn’t an empty promise of an interesting future plot.
Very nice. I love it that the “kiddy”, bright, 0079 era of thiss how ended on such a downer. Grodek’s in jail, the Federation stole the credit for the operation and buried the truth again, and as for Emily… oh man, you decide to devote your life supporting a guy you have a tweeny crush on, only to find out you’ll always be second best. She wasn’t even in the running for that little love triangle. It isn’t quite Amuro moping over Sayla, but it’s close.
I’m thinking Asmeu’s whiny angst will be the result of a whole load of issues with his dad. Focusing on the Gundam and the war with the Veigans over his family, having a murder hard on for the poor oppressed spacenoids, and treating Emily like crap (bet you Asemu is a momma’s boy) in favour of a brunette loli who’s been dead for almost a quarter of a century. Unless grown up Flit goes the way of the mayor in AGE episode 3, he and his son are likely to have a very volatile mentor/student relationship. Fun stuff ahead.
Loved the character arc on Flit. He started off as this optimistic Jesus Yamato Junior who was going to pacifist hug the enemy into submission, and lead us itno peace with Gundamu-sama. Instead he ended up as this bitter, revenge obsessed Dark Amuro. Hope that carries over to his older self in AGE 2. But his son had better make Kamille look well adjusted. I want my wangsty giant robot pilots slaughtering cannon fodder in Gundams and blaming it all on the nasty grown ups.
I’m beginning to think of this as one of the most subversive little kids’ shows ever made. It’s so clearly for the youngin’s but they way it handles (or hints at) pretty mature material is extremely refreshing. It’s kind of like the analogy about automobiles: “it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than to drive a fast car slow.” I think it’s more fun to have kids’ show get deep and dark than to have a show proportedly for grownups be nothing but pure fluff – consider this a revocation of Sacred 7 from my “Favorite Anime” list. lol as if I’ll ever finish it 😦
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