「ゆがむコロニー」 (Yugamu Koronii)
“Distorted Colony”

If they had just told me that there was going to be a huge rocket attached to the other end of the colony core and that Bruzar was going to try and escape himself after detaching it, there really wouldn’t have been anything for me to nitpick about last time. Believability on moving a massive mass in a short amount of time? Check. No needless throwaway death for the commander who adopted Flit? Check. Granted, it was still a stretch to completely pull out the core in less than eight minutes when they ran into trouble with debris inside, but it sure seemed a lot more probable than having the Diva do it alone. The race against time made was suspenseful to watch, and I was moved by everyone’s reaction to the loss of their home and Bruzar’s sacrifice so that everyone could escape. He left behind a pretty powerful impression — both for Flit and myself — which was reinforced by the brief flashback of their first meeting seven years ago. At the same time, this episode raised some questions as to exactly what the UE’s intentions are, since they passed on a prime opportunity to destroy the Diva and put a stop to the evacuation completely.

Two possibilities came to mind upon seeing that and a plot hole wasn’t one of them. Either 1.) the UE are pre-programmed artificial intelligence that don’t diverge terribly from their plan (as suggested by their attack patterns) or 2.) they’re purposely attacking mankind without any real intention of wiping them out. It could very well be both 1.) and 2.), but the idea for the latter actually comes from Super Robot Wars OG, where one radical faction purposely went to war with the Earth Federation to force them to further their arms development against a future alien threat that it was anticipating. I really don’t think we’re dealing with a conspiracy of that scale with Gundam AGE, but I thought I’d throw that idea out there for those who are familiar with SRWOG’s storyline and may have thought the same thing. I am however leaning toward the possibility that the UE mobile suits are unmanned, since their flashing visors suggest that they’re learning and adapting to the situation. This suspicion would also support the heartless shown in the first episode, where they were quick to destroy a damaged unit rather than letting it fall into enemy hands. Still, this raises the question on who created them and what the purpose is behind their targeted attacks on colonies. Flit noticed a pattern in their targets, so I suspect that will be revisited some time in the near future.

As for some technical tidbits, I like how the writers had Vargas specifically mention the limitations of the AGE Builder. Dique asked what a lot of viewers were probably thinking about why they don’t use use it to churn out anti-UE weapons at lightning speed, but was told that it needs time to acquire and analyze data to come up with countermeasure. The AGE System is by no means a deus ex machina, since it was properly introduced and established as a integral plot device, but the notion of some limitations should help it from being incorrectly mistaken as one. Yes, the writers can still conveniently have the Builder upgrade the Gundam at crucial moments during a battle, but they have some obligation in showing viewers how things got to that point if they care about storytelling at all. It’s really no different than the GN Drive’s Trans-Am in Gundam 00, so the AGE Builder is something to watch for but not bank on in every situation.

What I’m most curious about from a story standpoint is what Yurin’s role is. She possesses some extrasensory perception akin to a Newtype and used this ability to calm Flit so that he could see through the enemy’s patterns, making her come off as a capable pilot herself, but she likely won’t be around for the next while having been left behind with all the other civilians. There’s little doubt in my mind that she’ll show up again, but I just really hope it’s not under the “painful loss” scenario that I mentioned last time. For now, the focus shifts over to the ace pilot, Woolf Enneacle (Ono Daisuke), who looks like he just woke up from cryogenic sleep. I presume he’s going to nominate himself as the new pilot of the Gundam, but from my understanding the AGE System’s already been imprinted to only acknowledge Flit’s DNA/bloodline — something that was mentioned on the official site from the very beginning.

* Yes, Yurin reminds of Tiffa Adill from Gundam X too. It’s all in the hairstyle.
* Full-length images: 15, 34.

 

Preview

Omake

60 Comments

  1. Has it only been one week since the last episode? It feels like I’ve known this series longer; as in, I’ve gotten used to the style and quality now. Anyway, Flit is developing nicely as a pilot/character. Since last week I wasn’t sure I’d follow this, now I’m certain I will be, this is starting to FEEL like the other Gundam series of yore (and it helps fill the void of waiting for Unicorn eps). Hopefully, named rivals/villains will appear soon. 😡

    Kyzel
    1. I share that sentiment, as I felt haunted by the ghost of Lalah Sune…

      Yurin easily took the favorite character spot right out of the gate… Her presence radiates calm and grace, much like Lacus Clyne and her popularity. But I have to agree with Divine’s outlook on Yurin’s fate – And that ribbon memento feels like a planet-size death flag, which brought back memories of Lalah Sune. And AGE isn’t afraid of killing off characters, as Bruzar demonstrated.

      At the same time, a cynical thought occurred to me that both Yurin and the UE are New Type, aka Zeon from the Gundam. And Yurin is somehow related to the enemy…

      An equally likely possibility is that Yurin awoken Flitz’s NT abilities… and that he would follow in Amuro’s footsteps. AGE is targeted for a new generation after all, which means we might be in for a re-tell of an old story. Considering how Seed turned out the first time around, that’s not a bad thing.

      Bladewind
  2. Oh look, lots of blood from a guy bleeding to death. And then he kills himself. And then an entire colony go of in a massive explosion. You know for kids! Does anyone else want to make the excuse of a kiddie show to bash this?

    Flit’s battle with the UE is pretty much displayed his limitations. He wasn’t doing so well until Yurin helped him. On the other hand AGE now has alot of combat data to make new gadgets. The UE’s behavior is really strange though, since it seems to spare its opponents for some reason, so I wonder how that will pan out.

    fragb85
    1. I think the story is great, and I take back what I said on Age being a kiddie show. But with such serious things happening, non-serious, kiddie-show-like characters just feel out of place imo. it probably doesn’t hurt to have characters that target the older demographic.

      Alec
    2. I am more sad that this shows more blood than the new HunterxHunter. The UE seems really suspicious, oddly, I’m getting some Madoka vibes…you know, where kiddy character designs hide a grim story.

      Also neko-mimi kun confirmed for this show’s fanservice character, what’s with Sunrise and all their male shower scenes recently?

      momogoldfish
  3. Looks like next episode is borrowing its plot from 0083. New character seems good. And we’ve got our first death! Always a good start when named characters start dying early. It bodes well for the future tone of the series.

    And anyone else having trouble trying to figure out what kind of character Beardface is supposed to be? (I can’t remember ~any~ of these people’s names….). In Ep1, he was all nervous and meek kind of like the Nahel Argama’s milquetoast captain in Unicorn. In Ep2 he’s all secretive and badass, and now in Ep3 he acts all honorable and responsible. I don’t get it.

    And the “real” captain and those other guys–what happened to them? Beardface didn’t kill them, he just tied them up. Were they evacuated? Did they die when the colony collapsed?–and if the latter, why didn’t Beardface just shoot them then and there?

    Hojo Joe
    1. It would be pretty twisted if Grudech left them for dead, but it doesn’t seem all that unlikely to ensure they wouldn’t report him for seizing control of the Diva.

      I’m not sure what to make of his character yet either, as I pointed out his trembling last time as well. If we actually are dealing with a conspiracy, perhaps he knows about UE’s true identity and was nervous about what he had to do once they attacked. i.e. Steal the Diva.

      1. Hm, maybe. So far he seems so contradictory I’d almost think he were three different characters.

        Funny: three episodes in and I’m finding more to think about with Gundam Age than I ever had to consider for the entirety of Seed/Destiny/00/Unicorn. Gotta love that the franchise is (FINALLY!) moving in a new direction.

        If only the other big 2 would follow suit–Votoms and Macross. They’ve gotten pretty stale, too.

        Hojo Joe
  4. Dammit Divine. I already used up all my Divine Crusaders jokes back when Gundam 00 aired, and now you want me to do it with Gundam AGE too? What do you think I am, a machine!?

    (BTW, as I type this, “Dark Prison” started playing on my iPhone. Shuu approves of this idea!)

    Anyway, Flit’s an idiot for letting Yurin go, for several reasons:

    A) She’s adorable HHHHHHNNNGGGG

    B) SHE’S A FUCKING PSYCHIC

    Fencedude
      1. Minus the whole kidnap, brainwashing and striping naked things.

        Hey, too early to count those out!

        But yeah, I see the comparison. Of course, so far the UE aren’t swarming the way Bartolls did.

        Fencedude
  5. Yurrin as potential Hinata looking love interest?! At least its not a Head-bashing, pray to whomever, Flay Alaster who wouldn’t die off. She got carried into those flashbacks in Gundam Seed Destiny too.

    MaimeDaifuku
    1. Flay was the best character in Gundam Seed, and its a damn shame she gets no respect.

      Though she still makes out better than the best character in Gundam Seed Destiny in those terms *cough*Meer*cough*

      Fencedude
      1. Ugh…. Meer…. Its just that Flay didn’t feel fleshed out for me (like Louise was in 00). I knew where it was going to head, I just couldn’t sit through episode after episode of her. (probably because I watched it straight through :p)

        MaimeDaifuku
      2. Gundam Seed: an above average to good series that leaves you wanting more. Destiny…. Take a crap over your predecessor and negate all good will that came before it. Anyways, I’m starting to get used to the art style and the story’s getting better. Looking for to next week.

        Heavyarms59
  6. I highly doubt ANYONE saw THAT coming and (IIRC) guessed that Diva was going to pull the core solo.

    and now that people started to compare this show to other gundam series, I’ll just chime in on how the UE is taking out military facilities in a similar fashion to both sides of Celestial Beings (there, we got another Gundam comparison…wait, that did not explain why they attacked the civilian buildings…).

    BTW: Gosh, does Yurin leave a great impression on Flit (and most of the viewers)…

    info600
  7. the way i see it the art style seems to be going more retro than “kiddie.” reminds me of GoLion, the uncensored original version of Voltron, which had some really bloody deaths.

    i kinda dig yurin’s character, she’s definitely channeling the tiffa.

    RickyMack
  8. *sighs* If only they would have gone another art direction…I still have a hard time staring at Flint’s stupid blue super saiyan hair. -__-. Gundam isn’t a Super Robot Series. The first series itself was the beginning structure of “Real Robots/Mechs” types. Why go against that?! WHY!?

    But I have to say, the story and premise is pretty badass. If I can just imagine everyone looking different, I might be able to finish this ha. 😛

    Rin-kun
    1. Ok, first of all AGE is definitely a Real Robot series. The Gundam has so far shown limitations against the UE, and constantly having odds stacked against it.

      Second of all have you actually watched the First Gundam Series? Because that was even more guilty of Super Robot cliches. And don’t get me started with the annoying children characters. If anything AGE has so far payed respects to the retro aesthetic of the original Gundam.

      I’ll agree that Flit’s hair sucks though.

      fragb85
      1. Main Robot that are build by/memento of memento of parent/grandparent? – check
        Main Robot is special in some way others couldn’t compare? – check
        Main Robot is invulnerable most of the time(nothing even scratch Gundam this episode)? – check
        Main Robot is treated as something more than just a mere machine? – check
        New power as plot require? – check
        Kid/Teen hero – check

        Above is the trait of a standard super robot type show and AGE have all of them. On note of original Gundam, even though it is the show that made real robot show possible, itself isn’t really a hard real robot show, more like a realistic super robot show. Macross and VOTOMS is better example of real robot. It was not until it was edited for movie edition that most of the sillier super robot element was removed to create a more realistic feel.

        Granted, it wasn’t a bad thing, super robot is awesome, it just not very Gundam like hence many people complaining. AGE indeed return to the root of Gundam Franchise, blurring the line between super robot and real robot.

        Also, the battle is better than I think. Gundam is no way in any danger but at least UE don’t just stand around like an idiot waiting to be shot, unlike certain MS named after zodiac, they actually dodge.

        hitoshi
      2. The fact that his age Gundam wasn’t even scratched by beam discharges is unreal enough. Have YOU watched the original gundam series? Balls were suffice in destroying zaku II, whereas those GM wana-be MS in age couldn’t even put a dent in those UE mechas. Zaku II 120mm top guns were enough to put dents in Gundanium alloy. Those UE mechas fired a beam cannon like projection and the age Gundam comes out looking like it just got a new coat of paint.

        Genius
      3. The Gundam’s ability to take hits is your only excuse to designate it a super robot. Yet Gundam has constantly done this throughout its series. You’re clearly just grasping straws.

        fragb85
  9. http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-4816.html today its has a rumor on 2ch that a plot of story was leaked from an unknown source.You can follow thats link.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    wahahahahaha
      1. That could just be a red herring. Note that Asem’s eyes are shaped sharper than Flit’s—nothing like Emily’s, but like Yurin’s.

        I say those spoilers are fake, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were true.

        Kiseki
      2. That would be a hell of a coincidence, he has Emily’s: eyes, hair, and even her pony-tail (strangely enough). The only thing Asem doesn’t seem to have is the name Emily, and is otherwise a male version of Emily.

        Vena
  10. Bruzar was the star here. Half expecting he really got blown up and someone else needed to activate the core release, then the old man did it himself while losing blood. In most anime that would be the end of him (possibly with some close up of him saying how its all up to the main character now, blah blah) and further problems would require the main character to solve but lo and behold, he survived for a while longer and solved the other problem.

    His logic was also impeccable. Saving him would only harm the majority and given his age, the potential life in years saved is pretty much dwarfed by the loss of any in the colony core. That said, it still takes courage for an old man to do a suicide run like that. Nice hero character.

    Zaku Fan
  11. First update on the Age after only 3 eps? That’s make it worst than the 00 when it went dry after “going Pontiac” against Bushido Bob. And the fact that Yurin put a Tiffa with Flit when she realize that he really sucks as a pilot is turning this mediocre series in dissaster category. And the whole “we lost our colony, whahh” moment felt way too farfetched and childish, even for a childish show.
    As for the “real robot show” against “super robot”, the Age is clearly a super robot in the fact that the UE can’t even scrath it with any kind of weapon. Not even the RX-78 could withstand an energy discharge and this pile of junk does.
    Another issue here is the exagerated use of flashbacks. After 3 eps there has been at least 6 of them. A sign that the flow of the actual story is way too lineal and they need to fill the remaining time of the eps. How many eps until a clip show? I’ll give them at least 10.

    SeedStriker
    1. The RX-78 was an overwhelming monster when it was introduced, but it was a prototype unit that was completely overdesigned in almost every area. Even then, a Zaku was a threat, Char nearly wrecked it in almost every unit he had, the Gouf almost killed it… etc.

      A little closer to its level of damage negation are the Gundams from Wing, but they used armor tech which wasn’t available to the military. Even then, one of the first things we saw was Wing being shot down by a Leo.

      Here, however, there are the established MP Genoaces, whose weapons and armor are so weak they may as well not have either, and the completely overwhelming armor and weapons (okay, the weapon was “evolved” later, so it gets a bit of a pass) of the AGE, which makes the UE look like they may as well be unarmed. If they had showed even a little bit of damage done to the Gundam, I’d be much happier right now.

    2. The ignorance about the difference between a Super Robot Genre and a Real Robot Genre is astounding. Oh noes the Gundam can resist weapon fire, TOTALLY SUPER ROBOT. Except that still doesn’t make it Super Robot. In SEED, Gundams could resist solid weapons with PS armor. In Wing, Gundamium armor made the Gundams impervious to weapons fire. In 00, Exia took an artillery shell in the face and shrugged it off. These are all still Real Robot shows.

      fragb85
      1. The whole difference between Super robot and Real robot is its relativity in realism. Those examples illustrate the realism vs extreme fantasy-like situations in the two genres. Strike freedom was very much not in the classic realm of a “real robot”, hence the negative criticism of many viewers. The dramatic difference in artillery and mecha capabilities is often a standpoint in distinguishing between the two genres. There is in my opinion no book or set of rules defining the genres of Super robot or Real robot, rather it is a spectrum of realism between the two genres. Gundam Age is not a classical representation of what is accepted widely as the hallmark of Gundam from its early days; that is to simply put it, not a real robot.

        Genius
      2. Wrong. Realism doesn’t dictate a Super Robot or Real Robot. Its all about the show’s presentation. Strike Freedom is a real robot. FMP’s ARX-7 Arbalest and its fantastical Lamda Drive is still a Real Robot. On the flip-side Dai-Guard has far more realism most other mecha shows Real or Super. It’s still a Super Robot.

        Your precious UC has far less realism than any of the AU Gundams. Stuff like the Magic Biosensor or Psychoframe stretch the suspension of disbelief even worse than tough armor.

        fragb85
      3. There’s was no biosensor in the original MSG. And psycoframe is a plausible tech, using brain waves as an input, it’s already been done in the field of computer tech, go look for the mouse pointer moved by brain waves, or DARPA research and fruitful outcome on the subject.

        And if you ever watch the matrix, humans make for good batteries, or processing medium, so it’s not as far fetched as a lot of tech in other AU shows, so Banagher being used as an additional processing mechanism is not so surreal.

        With Newtypes having innate telepathic abilities, they are will having a natural affinity with a system that’s more reliant on using brain power to achieve the full potential of MS using a psycomu weaponry.

        And no, no other AU series hold a candle when you are arguing about realism with the original series (0079) and its OVAs: A War in the Pocket is simply magnificent.

        cain
  12. I smell time travel. Does anyone else smell time travel popping up way down into the plot? They’ve brought aliens into this one so I wouldn’t put it past them to bring in time travel.

    UnFear
    1. The aliens are not confirmed. In fact i think its more possible that its an AI ala skynet with the thin light band in the UE mechs head turning on and off. Who is controlling it (Psychics, Federation, Colonists, Celestial Being secret groups, aliens, its self aware, etc) is hard to say.

      Zaku Fan
  13. Dog man in Gundam?!?! Serioulsy?!?! Way to butcher the franchise. Since when was Gundam some loli/dog man anime? I was fine with the new style of art work until the Dog man showed up.

    Genius
  14. I think I’ve been one of the harsher critics of this show here, and they’ve (kind of) redeemed themselves this week… but they’re really invoking anime physics HARD here and not doing much for internal consistency either.

    First, I’m still bothered by the Gundam’s invulnerability. UE beam sabers, beam vulcans… nothing works on it. What I said at the beginning about how the Genoace shouldn’t even bother to try fighting the UE works in reverse here. Without heavier weapoons, the UE shouldn’t bother with the Gundam, especially since they can already outrun it.

    Second, Drace. Wasn’t he injured in the first episode (only a few hours ago)?

    Third, anime physics. Even assuming the engines were strong enough to actually push the core clear in eight minutes, when the debris fell, the core should have been either pushed through anyway, or come to a long grinding halt, and probably end up looking like the Titanic.

    Fourth, is the EFF really okay with their new ship being taken over? Sure Grodek’s been saying that they approved, but there’s no actual on-screen evidence to back that up.

    1. Oh, and the UE. WTF is up with them? The Zedas gets the Diva’s bridge targeted at point blank and just flies off. It then just flies off when Flit does its “thou shall not pass” thing. It’s like they’re just trolling everyone.

      The Gafran isn’t much better. Flit can shoot it down because it attacks in a set pattern? The UE AI is worse than something on a modern Ace Combat game?

  15. I held off on making comments regarding this series because of the overwhelming number of facepalm-worthy/tiresome rants of the Gundam fan dumb about it. Okay, I’ll admit that the “kiddy character designs” might have dissuaded me from watching AGE at first, but I remember watching Turn-A after all that BS about “how the Gundam has a fugly moustache” died down and it was a good Gundam series in its own right. Why not give AGE the same chance as Turn-A?

    And for those bashing AGE because it ain’t Universal Century, there’s still the next installment of Unicorn coming up, right? Go and wait for that instead.

    Anyway, with that out of my system, I’m gonna make my own guess as to why the war will last 100 years:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Wolf Eniackl – a shout out to Shin Matsunaga (a.k.a.: The White Wolf)?

    Oh well, back to archive binging Gundam X while waiting for the next episode… Damn, Yurin’s expyness to Tiffa Adill is uncanny! Makes me wonder what would happen to Yurin if a lot of people were to die around or near her…

    Incognito
  16. For my episode 3 impressions:

    Am I the only one who got teary-eyes from this episode? I don’t really know, but it really struck me hard that amazing scene where Diva and the colony’s core made a break-away from the collapsing colony — that particular break-away scene, the music, and how the people reacted when they saw the destruction of the place they called home, to the people at the bridge, and that act of desperation of Flit when he finally uses up all his ammo — it all came powerful to me and my emotions became pretty high. I always like it when people was able to pull-off something against an incredible odd. I’m particular worried that the series might do a Gundam SEED scene Show Spoiler ▼

    I’m glad Gundam AGE didn’t turn out something like that.

    For the meantime, I’m really curious of Yurin and her newtype/innovator abilities, she is the most interesting and probably my most favorite character at the moment. However, it seems she will be in the sideline for the next couple of episode judging how the final scene turns out to be some sort of goodbye, but I’m betting she will have a very important role in the future — hopefully a romantic (sort of) one with Flit.

  17. Yurin reminds you of Tiffa? Lol! I thought I might be the only one so glad to see that people thought the same. This time the hero is quite different though. Flit is rather quite compared to the other guy who is quite the “brat” so I like Flit more although Garrod is not bad or anything.

    Silver
  18. wow it is rally hard to be fans gundam you must like it no matter it chara design not suit your preference, you must think over and over to make conclusion “this series not bad, may be good” even others say it bad

    because i’m not gundam fans, i simply drop age just in 1 episode, the other can read in randomc

    bandai too greedy, want more new fans children and adult, with simply mind “character design for children, and make story with death flag and blood bath for adult”…get real, i doub level 5 (that only make child stuf like inazuma dll) can make complex story with full of SF

    well no need to be fortune teller to say AGE in danger, go see amazon.jp, bd/dvd order too low ,age will bring gundam back to dark history like x

    stream-59
  19. All the bio-sensor and psyco-frame stuff were very rare though. ZZ and CCA were the only ones to take them to the extreme. Even Zeta only made it seem like just a simple super-charger more than anything. ZZ had it repairing and recharging the ZZ out of nowhere, but then again, that was more or less the point of ZZ; being more super-robot oriented with all the high-powered weapons, big transformations, etc (but even that was still off-set by weak frame, power consumption, etc at least). CCA…well…more or less just a dramatic way for Amuro and Char to go out, lol. Then again, even in-universe, very little was/is known about the psyco-frame.

    Yes, there are definitely super-robot moments in UC, there’s no denying that, just like there are more realistic aspects in the AU series’, but to class the WHOLE UC as a super-robot series because of those few moments? No.

    As for the episode, I’m already feeling far more emotionally invested in it than I ever did throughout ALL of Wing, SEED, and SEED Destiny combined, lol. Still not quite as emotional as I felt during Victory Gundam and the final kamikaze charge of the Reinforce (I actually DID cry at that), but it was up there. I can only hope that things keep up with good story and character development and not end focusing solely on flashy MS combat, plot armor, deux ex machina, etc.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
  20. If the colony center is turning together with the colony, shouldn’t the cables holding it into Diva twist as well??? I’ll let it pass as some new tech.

    The episode itself was just for some Gundam-ish stuff: colonies being destroyed, super comandants and the savior Gundam!!! OH and the new Innovator Yurin. The only difference is the AGE Build System (lol, I was already thinking that that gun had infinite ammo), and as i’m not a Gundam zealot, i’m not sure this system had its appearance some other time.

    I reaaaally hope this series get “more mature” as time goes on, I mean, there’s still 100 years of story, so when the kid becomes a boy might be a good chance to wow the audience.

    RoOtZ
    1. We know it’s been hundreds of years since space colony migration but what happened to Earth?
      Diva should be visiting Earth sometime I suppose.

      According to the JA wiki G-EXES is piloted by Wolf later on.
      http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A9%9F%E5%8B%95%E6%88%A6%E5%A3%AB%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%83%80%E3%83%A0AGE#.E3.82.AB.E3.82.B9.E3.82.BF.E3.83.A0MS

      Next the start of the Fardain arc?
      Maddona Workshop?

      The 2 monoeyes are units used by the leaders of the two opposing factions (‘Zaramu’ and ‘Euba’) at Fardain.

      Shaldoll is still listed under unknown faction.

      iron2000

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