Summary:
It’s summer in Maihama and various students are practicing their sports at school when suddenly the world freezes. When it unfreezes, everyone who was in the middle of an action loses their balance. Inside the infirmary, Mizusawa gets the feeling that something broke. At that time, Kyo in the library looking over all the history that Lu Sheng had taught him when Fosetta suddenly appears on the screen with news about Ryoko. Kyo immediately transfers onto the Oceanus and starts asking where Ryoko is until Shizuno tells him that Ryoko is inside the Altair. Her data can be restored just like Kyo’s was. The AIs explain that this is because a part of Ryoko’s data remained in the apparition buffer on the Altair. Enough of it will allow them to restore Ryoko to her original state. For now, they’re investigating the damage situation of the data. Back in the server world, Mizusawa is still working in the infirmary when she tips over a cup of coffee. As it is shattering and spilling on the ground, she briefly sees the cup and the coffee as pixels. Shaken up by all this, she decides to drive off somewhere. Her departure is seen by Kurashige, who was bringing her flowers and had something to say to her.
With the analysis of the data done, Dita reports that there’s a good probability Ryoko will be able to be restored. However, Shima decides to put the salvage operation for Ryoko on hold so that he can prioritize the development of some new weapons. As he leaves the bridge, Shima walks past Lu Sheng and asks him if he wants to say something. Lu Sheng claims to have nothing to say, and so Shima reminds him that he doesn’t need to restrain himself. Lu Sheng’s father was the main sponsor of iAL and is the leader of the Mao Enterprise Group. Shima says that it was thanks to them that people were able to take refuge in the quantum servers when the extinction of mankind was drawing near. Lu Sheng says that if that’s the case, they will also be known as the ones who led the human race to extinction. Shima also isn’t particularly happy that Lu Sheng is overriding his authority like he did in going to talk with Kyo, though in that case Shima didn’t mind.
Standing on the waterfront, Mizusawa notices that the world is glitching around her. At the aquarium, Ushio and Mizuki are on a date. Ushio gets a feeling of déjà vu and can’t shake it until he falls into a fountain and pulls Mizuki in with him. At school, Hayase is pissed off that he’s the only one here practicing in the pool. Mizusawa, meanwhile, has opted to ride the train, but she soon finds herself exactly right back where she started at South Maihama Station. No matter how many times she rides it, she ends up at the same place. She dejectedly returns to school, only to find Kurashige waiting for her. He says that he tried to chase after her earlier, but no matter what, he couldn’t leave the school. To his surprise, Mizusawa breaks down in tears and runs to him. In the real world, May-Yu and Lu Sheng have set out on the Garuda. May-Yu is complaining about Shima’s earlier decision, but Lu Sheng takes Shima’s side because they really do need a countermeasure for the Anti-Zega. Lu Sheng thinks that this way might be better for Kyo too. Suddenly, the two get a warning about the approaching Anti-Zega. From the Oceanus, Shima sends out Shizuno with Chris on the Hraesvelg.
Back in Maihama, Kyo is riding his bicycle happily because he knows that Ryoko is coming back. He pulls up to an intersection the same time Kawaguchi does. Kawaguchi is his usual hostile self, but the two start racing through the streets while yelling at each other along the way. Kawaguchi still blames Kyo for what happened during that swim meet, but Kyo blames the referee. Kawaguchi wanted Kyo to say that from the beginning. They ride all the way to school where they bump into each other and get thrown off their bikes. Lying on the ground together, the two come to an understanding and reconcile. They go together to the infirmary where they find Mizusawa in tears because she just accepted Kurashige’s marriage proposal. Kyo and Kawaguchi spread the news to the rest of their friends, and Ushio also reveals that he’s now going out with Mizuki. Seeing everyone talking together happily, Kyo feels like they’ve gone back to how they used to be, or maybe they’ve actually moved forward. In any case, Kyo is happy, especially with Ryoko’s pending return. That happiness is short-lived though because Kyo suddenly sees the world around him start to get fuzzy. With their Celebra-Icons glowing, Hayase and Tomigai seem to understand what’s going on.
The battle with the Coatlicue begins with an opening shot from the Hraesvelg. Chris and Shizuno score a hit, but the Anti-Zega immediately returns fire and shatters the Hraesvelg’s light armor. The next shot blows off their left arm, so Chris orders Shizuno to divert all the QL to their light armor. They manage to survive another hit, but lose the mecha’s left leg. The Garuda flies in to help, but Lu Sheng and May-Yu are equally ineffective because the Garuda’s weapons can’t hurt the Anti-Zega. Seeing his pilots fare so poorly, Shima springs into action and orders the use of the Oceanus’ big guns against the Coatlicue. Right as the ship is firing the shells, the Garuda and the Hraesvelg transfer out, leaving just the Coatlicue to be engulfed in the blast. However, shortly after the explosion dies down, a red beam hits the ship. The damaged Coatlicue appears in front of the Oceanus, ready to fire again. Fortunately, it appears unable to gather enough energy for another fight and so the Anti-Zega withdraws. The crew has been saved because the enemy also relies on QL. Still sitting in the cockpit of the Hraesvelg, Shizuno realizes that Kyo is calling.
Inside the Maihama server, everything in the landscape is now fuzzy and pixilated. Shizuno tells Kyo that the server is failing because its processing power has been exceeded since it had to run this world continuously. Lu Sheng explains that it is impossible for the server to simulate the flow of time forever – there is a limit. But he also says not to worry because the server’s not broken. Instead, it just needs a reset: except for the Celebrants, everything in the server world including the people, the memories, and the environment will be reset back to five months ago. Maihama repeats the same period of time, over and over again. Kyo comes to the realization that everything he was so happy about earlier – reconciling with Kawaguchi, the teacher’s marriage, Ushio going out with Mizuki, the swim club, everything – will be gone. Shizuno says that the previous him had actually reconciled with Kawaguchi many times. Kyo wants to stop the reset, but Lu Sheng explains that the purpose of quantum computers are to preserve people, and those people inside can only see realistic dreams repeated over and over. In the world of data, dreams and reality hold the same meaning. Shizuno follows this up by saying that Kyo has lived through this Maihama summer more than 100 times.
At this time, somewhere in cyberspace, Ryoko is calling out Kyo’s name.

ED Sequence

Some more new shots in the ending sequence, this time of the various ZEGAPAIN pilots.

Kyo has gone through this five month period over 100 times? That’s like (*grabs calculator*) over 41 years! That makes me wonder how mature the old pre-losing-memories Kyo was, and how much of a relationship he had developed with Shizuno after all that time. Hopefully we’ll get to see a glimpse of that sometime.
So this whole resetting the server ordeal has to be why everyone keeps getting déjà vu feelings. I’m a little surprised that something that was idealized to facilitate the infinite evolution of mankind by Naaga would repeat over and over again like this. Perhaps Lu Sheng’s line about dreams and reality hold the same meaning/significance will be something important to keep in mind for the rest of this series.
As a random thought, Mizusawa-sensei reminds me of Shion. Or maybe I’ve just been playing too much Xenosaga III…
Next week, the return of Ryoko!

21 Comments

  1. I knew Ryoko wasnt gone! If you remember during the Celebrant awaking tests in episode 12 all the data was ordered to be saved. so backups is the only proper course of action after saving..

    But yea Kyo and Ryoko do make a excellent team =)

    ctjanus
  2. shizuno and chris ? wierd combination . Chris is too kinda reackelss and energetic and doesnt fit the dark personality of Shizuno . in other word…Shizuno , get da hell out of the Hraersvelg !

    kurotsuki
  3. Poor Shizuno, having to be around your lover all the time when he no longer remembers a thing about you, must be hard.
    No wonder she’s not in a hurry to have Ryoko back.

    Baka-Kun
  4. whoa… sux to be them… 41 years of summer… no progress, no change… static… I’d go crazy knowing the truth and wouldn’t want to go back cept to visit once in awhile…. imagine taking the same tests, same fights, same breakups… oh god…

    Blade
  5. 41 years of a damn summer .
    now that explain something .
    cuz i was wondering how old they were since Arque and Chris were married , Arque and Shizuno were friends since Paris , and Shizuno and Kyo ( old ) were dating . that explain why the age dint seem to fit .
    so hum….41 years has passed since Kyo(old ) decided to “boom ” himself with some Runes ?
    and…that’s sad , so now the friends he made up with will get back to be mad at him , ( expect maybe the gay one ….hayase i think . sorry to all his fan , but he juts look gay . ).
    and…the student concil president knew the server will reset , that’s why he allowed Kyo to keep the club open since he knew there would be no member when it resetr XD . what a B*****d

    kurotsuki
  6. Oh man just now when everybody was getting together they will forget it, what a hell. I mean 100 times of bloody Summer (it’s not that I hate it it’s just that…. T_T noooooo same breakups and same things all over again) I do not know how they do it. those stupid dejà vu! No wonder they feel a bit sad (or so it seemed to me since ep 1) ANYways the one who realy deserves my whole mercy and help is Shizuno poor girl…. that’s a hard one…. loving someone that doen’t remember you, and helping to revive the girl he now loves… you don’t have to blame her if after that she becomes a bit sucidal and/or searches for another’s affection

    RickaZ
  7. well..somehow i use to hate her , but..you’re right RickaZ , we should feel a lil bit of sympathy for her .
    i have this onimus feeling she’s the one who will become a Gard-oms
    bloody hell , 41 years of the same damn summer . i’m still chocked by it . damn

    kurotsuki
  8. i kinda like both couples. suxs for Shizuno though. its hard not to feel bad her. i mean, with all she’s been through i wouldnt be surprised if she DID joind Grad-oms.

    azngurl
  9. heh more or lees I hope Shzuno becomes to the “dark side” and then has this fateful encounter with Ryoko and Kyo hehehe that would be a nice battle to see, altough I think I know how the things would result (Shizuno dead Kyo dead and Ryoko a reduced to a strange phantom that sayd My pain never to be Forgotten… you know that thing Kyo read s he passed the level in ep 6 if I’m not mistaken)

    RickaZ
  10. Now one thing keeps me wondering… Shima (and the other ship’s captain that looks like natsuki) keeps calling Shizuno “Ieru (Iel?)”. And now we know that Shima and Shizuno are not from Maihama server originally. Maybe they put their data during/after the reset with false names. Another example, Minato >> she said she was ‘rescued’ and became a celebrant from Signori (Italian city – Google maps?) server. So was Kyo originated from Maihama server in his past, and so when he self-destruct hence the data loss, he was ‘rehabilitated’ in the server in which he once lived… or Shima just randomly choose a normal server and change the whole server data so Kyo is able to blend in with the server’s citizen…

    and also…

    https://randomc.net/image/ZEGAPAIN/ZEGAPAIN%20-%2013%20-%20Large%2026.jpg
    Maybe someone has already pointed this out, Kyo’s icon = vers. 2.0.3

    https://randomc.net/image/ZEGAPAIN/ZEGAPAIN%20-%2013%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
    Shima’s icon = CP-04J ??

    soltaire_rev
  11. As I recall from the beginning of this series Kyo “died”, hence he is now version 2.0.3. ver 2 because he’s number 2 simply and I would think the little .0.3 would reflect the changes or differences in the person (hopefully improvements).

    As far as names goes it seems Mizuno did not originate from Maihama hence her “insertion” into the Maihama server, perhaps she took on the name of a old Maihama resident who wasn’t alive/celebrant dead in order to integrate into the server without causing any more problems than what happened in the beginning of the series ie time glitch resetting etc.

    I would guess Shima’s icon is that of the commander… we have the wizard, gunner and command icons… as I recall there’s some dialogue that celebrants are “awakened” to a specific role and there’s no changing it.

    Blade

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