Dragonaut / First Impressions

Summary:

Having returned to the home where he, Jin, and Toa had lived until it was recently destroyed, Gio picks up a piece of cloth and recalls all the peaceful times that the three had spent together. However, he knows what he has to do and flies off somewhere in his dragon form. Jin and Toa meanwhile are still with Sieglinde and the others camping out in an abandoned building. Seeing them sleeping side by side, Sieglinde thinks about how Toa had revealed that she was going to die soon, and she decides to head outside as the sun begins to rise. On the beach, Raina and Itsuki are currently discussing how Gio claimed to be the successor of Thanatos and how he’s probably no longer the Gio that they knew. When Itsuki comments on how this is like survival of the fittest with wild animals, Raina suggests that it’s more like a type of weeding out. He feels that humans don’t understand dragons and only thought to use them as weapons without regard for who they really are. Joining in on the conversation, Sieglinde talks about how everyone lacks something and how they felt that doing a Resonance with a dragon was making up for that. She is sure that Thanatos got angry because its children were being injured due to man’s selfish desires.

Amadeus eventually interrupts this discussion because he sees a worn Sakaki stumbling out of the water and onto the beach. As he collapses, Sakaki utters Laura’s name. At that very moment, Laura is being experimented on by ISDA scientists who are working on the anti-Thanatos factor. Kazuki watches over the experimentation for a while, and when Widow asks him about Laura being Raum, he explains that the Raum in the giant tube that Nozaki had dropped into the lava was just an empty shell. Communicators normally keep their dragon forms in hyperspace, but in Raum’s case, after doing a Resonance with Sakaki, that connection was lost for some reason. Regardless, Kazuki gleefully awaits the end of Thanatos, Jin, and everything else via the anti-Thanatos factor and Laura. Meanwhile, Nozaki tells Yuuri that he’s running out of time and shows her the stigmata on his back. He then reveals that he, Raum, and Album were probes whose lives were limited from the very beginning. The three of them were created only to guide the dragons left on this planet to Thanatos – in other words, they’re disposable. Nozaki feels that Thanatos’ existence is beyond the range of human understanding, and he tells Yuuri to never forget that everything about Thanatos is different from humans.

Back on the island, Raina and the others question Sakaki about keeping Raum a secret while being the commander of the Dragonauts. They think that he was using Raum as a substitute for his daughter, but Sakaki claims that Raum isn’t Laura. Instead he thinks that the dragon that killed Laura also stole her appearance, and everyone starts to realize that this is why Sakaki was planning revenge on Thanatos and had used the Dragonauts as tools. Sieglinde then deduces that Sakaki changed completely after the Mars incident and tried to capture the Dragonauts because he became afraid of the power of dragons. Sakaki admits that Laura was a splendid tool to hunt the Dragonauts down and guesses that the ISDA is currently implanting the anti-Thanatos factor into her so that they can use her in a missile warhead. When Toa remembers how much Laura had wanted to be useful to him, Sakaki reiterates that she is a tool and suggests that Jin should understand as someone who lost a loved one in the shuttle accident. Jin, however, questions if Sakaki is satisfied with inflicting pain on the dragon that killed his daughter and with revenge on Thanatos. He asks because he can see that Sakaki has a pained look on his face, and he cites how meeting Toa saved him. The other Dragonauts then chime in on how each of them views their dragon partners, and Raina talks about how they want to be needed and can’t be alone. Jin suggests that this is what a Resonance is.

Gio meanwhile launches an attack on Nozaki’s secret hideout and levels an entire city block. Nozaki manages to protect the eggs with a shield, but he’s too weak to keep it up indefinitely, so he urges Yuuri and Yonamine Kou to run away because he knows that Gio is after the eggs. Luckily for them, the Dragonauts come to their rescue and attack Gio. They aren’t able to damage him though, and he shoots down Amadeus and Otohime. Jin tries to get Gio to stop all this, however Kazuki then joins the battle and has Widow tackle Toa. Widow blames Toa doing a Resonance with Jin for Kazuki’s sadness, and she slaps Jin aside when he tries to protect Toa. She vows to destroy everyone who makes Kazuki feel sad and is about to blast the unconscious Toa when Gio suddenly flies in and repels her. He follows it up with an energy blast aimed at her and Kazuki, and although Widow manages to shield Kazuki with her body, she’s heavily injured now. Gio then directs Jin’s attention to the sky where Thanatos is appearing. With Thanatos so close, Gio tells Jin to hand over Toa because this is the only way to save her. Meanwhile on Mars, unbeknownst to everyone, Machina opens her eyes while still in the ice tomb and soon disappears from it with Akira.

Preview

Up until the last few minutes, this was a really slow paced episode spent mostly trying to tie up loose ends about Sakaki, Laura, Thanatos, and the original dragons. Those last few minutes fortunately turned things around, though they did also leave me with a few more questions. For one, it reminded me that, although she talks about why she’s against Toa, I still don’t understand why Widow is so devoted to Kazuki. The bigger thing, however, is what the heck they’re planning to do with Machina and perhaps Akira. I probably shouldn’t have been too surprised by this development, but I was. I’m guess I’m used to the Sunrise Mai-HiME/Otome tradition of not showing the dead bodies for characters who aren’t really dead, and while I did suspect that something like this could happen, I assumed (wrongly) that a tomb of ice was the equivalent of having dead bodies. Regardless, it seems unlikely that the writers are just screwing with us, so I can’t help but wonder if we’re going to have some deus ex machina moment (no pun intended) in the near future.

29 Comments

  7. *OMNI “Are she and Akira coming back?”

    Yes they are omni my friend…they are just like that GUNDAM SEED character that came back on GUNDAM SEED DESTINY from the ashes the famous:

    ” Mwu La Fllaga ” THE SAINT SEIYA FENIX CHARACTER OF GUNDAM SEED DESTINY…..come on Who´s more luck than that guy in that anime to survive a SHIP CANNON SHOT to defend his heart loved captain annnnnnddddddd after that , remaining only dust HE COMES BACK TO THE SECOND SEASON………………………………………………………….ALIVE???
    ;D :D(that´s why I almost hate second seasons from nice animes…………..because they just keep blowing out without mercy 😀 )
    PS: That final scene when kira is shaking hands with shin(and he was crying) was the lamest defeat in history……. T_T

    Tensai Otaku
    Reply

  10. Hmmm… Okay here’s some early thoughts before the summary is out, first of all, WTF is with the writers and Gio? For christ’s sake, they have him disappear, reappear, make him Thanatos successor, he goes beserk on everyone (including Toa), and then he almost kills Jin, then in this episode they have him reconciling over the “good times” and then have him go back to protecting Jin as well? Now I wouldn’t care about characters going through these changes because you see them all the time in shows, but they did it WITHIN TWO EPISODES! The writers/creators/director drag their feet for the first 2/3 of the series and when the show is coming to a end they decide, “Oh shit, I can’t believe we didn’t think of doing that in the earlier episodes, so lets do it for the final five”. I honestly just want this series to be done with already, and for those wondering why I still watch it, it’s because I like to finish what I start and that includes tv series… They could’ve done this Gio successor crap at episode 10-15 and then have him go through the changes up to twenty because atleast then that would’ve given him time to change because no one would ever change their beliefs that fucking fast, within like two days he goes from protecting Jin, to trying to kill jin, to protecting him again, no fucking way I’m sorry… Also, what’s the point of bringing Maccina and Akira back now? I honestly see no reason in bringing them back other than that the writers want to attract back more audience to the show because of the popularity of the characters… Now to the “fan-service-Toa”, WTF?! At this point in the show why do they honestly put Toa into fanservice outfits? I mean common, there’s only three more episodes and they’re pulling out fanservice right now? That just shows that they’re struggling to get more viewers for the last few episodes… I could honestly care less for fanservice, I find it degrading for the most part to anime and that it’s usually just used to gain more viewers to the show, tho sometimes it’s actually integrated pretty well into the show, but that’s very rare to see/watch.

    On a side note, it finally seems that Thanatos has arrived, though the “final conflict” will probably be a very dull one, given to what I’ve said in that there’s only three episodes left… So don’t expect a grand final battle between Earth and Thanatos, most likely it will take place within 10 minutes of one of the final three episodes…

    IfOnlyYouKnew
    Reply

  12. IfYouOnly: I dunno if Gio’s acting all THAT strange, actually. Think about it, his decision may well have been a rather implusive one, one he made out of his desire to protect Toa – but now he may start to sort of regret that decision. Or perhaps his conviction in that the path he has choosen is the right oen isn’t strong enough. In any event, from the pictures I sort of doubt he protected Jin as such – it seems much more likely that he protected Toa as such. But we’ll see…

    SpectatorBeholder
    Reply

  13. Dammit, it looks like Widow protected Kazuki and took a fatal blow. Why can’t he just die yet? It seems in one of the pics that Widow went a little emo after bitch slapping Jin.

    White_Star
    Reply

  17. Yes, i knew they were coming back. Probably they are going to the real ones to prove the meaning of resonance. I mean Akira was the first on to look for the meaning of it and now it is they turn to answer it.

    banzemanga
    Reply

  23. Ppl, ppl, please quit that yaoi/yuri fanfic of Gundam Seed series and other show thingy….. There is nothing funny about this….. You want to do it, you are welcome to! But pls for heaven’s sake dont over exaggerate these….. They are not funny….. An example, just because there are boys that have pretty faces in real life, films, dramas, anime or anywhere….. Not all of them are gay…..

    Just like Akira and Machina….. Pls quit seeing them as lesbian pairing kind of thing….. Only when they are seen intimate or that kind of thing, then it is okay to say things like tat….. Akira and Machina are like sisters….. They care about each other….. Just because the way Machina hold Akira like lesbian kind of thing does not mean straight she is a complete lesbian….. She plays a mama and big sister role to Akira…… Haha, I wish I had someone like her….. Hopefully you guys can prove me wrong for the remaining 2 episodes….. But for now, please stop exaggerating the yaoi/yuri thingy…..

    Kazuki is a bastard and a scoundrel as usual….. I just dont get it why Widow still would side him….. She could have just told and taught him many things on what is life….. And instead, Kazuki just spends too much time of Gio possession……

    If Machina is coming back, good and better! She is perhaps the other key besides Jin and Toa to stop Thanatos! Maybe, I reckon!

    Things are changing and getting wrapped up from now….. Hopefully things will get and change better….. I hate to say that will truly happen, only will say it is faith that things happen when they are to be or not to be…..

    Aiks….. Director ah need stop the chesty thingy….. Eek….. What to do, an important tool to draw more males to watch anime….. lol~~~ Boys like tat one mah….. They like extremely cute and sexy girls wit big chests, big butts and slim fit body figures…..

    C
    Reply

  24. Akira and Machina are like sisters….. They care about each other….. Just because the way Machina hold Akira like lesbian kind of thing does not mean straight she is a complete lesbian….. She plays a mama and big sister role to Akira……

    You keep thinking that…

    yanipheonu
    Reply

  25. Well, yanipheonu, we do not really know what are the two are (Akira and Machina)like….. or do we know….. huh??? From the past episodes, we have seen how both of them care about each other like (sisters)….. why is Machina wrong for caring for Akira like a mama and a big sister? Is she wrong to hold Akira dear in her heart? Well like I said, we need to see further episodes before we simply say things…..

    i had an aunty who holds me like tat since she is my relative….. so does tis mean tat my aunty is a lesbian as well???

    C
    Reply

  26. When the little boy was pointing in the sky to the shining thing and the mother said it was mars, I figured that the shining thing was probably Machina’s ice tomb and that she managed to survive in here or something.
    Its good to see that Machina awake and is coming back, I kind of have a little doubts Akira will be alive because she’s not a dragon, unless she didn’t die completely back then and the ice made her life go on a stand by XD
    But then again since Machina left the tomb with Akira and if Akira is dead, won’t it look wierd she is carrying a dead corpse with her? Wouldn’t she only take it with her unless she was alive or will she do a resurrection on Akira? XD

    Sorry if this doesn’t make sense >_>;

    Alex
    Reply

  27. This ep was not as good as I thought. But it was definitely better than the last one, I was really like wtf when Jin said “Im glad you’re ok” or something like that when he first met his “friend” Kazuki. But this ep is really not as great as some of the earlier ones…however, I have faith in this series going in a better direction and ending on a good note. Wonder if there will be a sequel, probably not as Rosario+Vampire probably beats this in popularity and even GONZO hasn’t decided on making a sequel for R+V yet…let alone Dragonaut.

    Geo
    Reply

  28. Actually Akira will be returning along with Machina, preview pic on Dragonaut’s official sites shows it. Far as a sequel, Gonzo almost never makes sequels…only ones I can think of are Vandread and Kiddy Grade. Vandread was only a half season and KG took 5 years for a sequel. Being that DN was an original work, it didnt have an established fanbase like most manga/novel/game inspired anime do. R+V will prob get a sequel cause it’s only a half season show and it’s more popular, just shows how far a total fanservice anime like R+V can still do…sigh…

    Deen
    Reply

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