「赤いモビルスーツ」 (Akai Mobiru Suutsu)
“Red Mobile Suit”

In case it wasn’t already apparent from the opening sequence, Zeheart is well on his way now to becoming the Char Aznable of Gundam AGE. His red Zeydra mostly resembles the other Vagan mobile suits, but comes in a red just like Char’s Rick Dias, Sazabi, and most the recent addition that’s graced television screens, “Full Frontal’s” Sinanju. Design-wise, I didn’t find anything all that compelling about Zeheart’s Zeydra, outside of its speed/responsiveness designed for X-Rounders and beam rifle/saber, but I did get a laugh out of the excuse “reason” they came up with for him to wear a mask. Looking back, I should probably just be grateful that the writers established a pretext for it though, rather than leaving it entirely as a homage to the franchise.

In any case, friends clashing head-on with Zeheart sparing Asem and telling him he’s not suited for the battlefield is not an uncommon scenario in Gundam, but I’m most reminded of Athrun and Kira in Gundam SEED from what I’ve seen so far, simply because I can already picture Zeheart continually sparing Asem while he “returns the favor” by repeatedly getting in his way. That’s actually not a bad thing for me, as I quite enjoyed the teenage angst in the original season of SEED; however, I am hoping that AGE will try and distinguish itself in some way — especially if Zeheart and Asem’s reluctant rivalry is going to drag out for the entire arc — since the story is open to a wealth of possibilities at this stage. In some sense, it’s already strayed from the norm with Millais ready to pry into what’s going on had it not been for Woolf, and the preview already showing AGE-2 in desperate need of an upgrade with Zeheart “outskilling” Asem by a long shot, so that’s definitely a step in the right direction.

As for the grown-up Desil, now voiced by Terashima Takuma, I actually found it amusing how he’s been made out to be an arrogant psychopath. When he was a kid, it was easy to chalk up his personality to being childish and self-centered brat, but now that he’s a lot older, it’s hard not to see him as some sort of a serial killer. He was quick to realize that Zeheart knows Asem, so it’s probably safe to assume that he’ll be as much of a pain in the ass now as he was before. I gather he’s actually Zeheart’s older brother too, judging from their Galette surname, which just complicates things further. At this rate, someone’s going to die before this arc is all said and done, and I don’t think it’s going to be Asem. (It better not be Arisa or Romary either.)

* Arisa is far from being a great pilot, but her butt-slapping and tomboyish behavior are big pluses in my books. Who needs Romary?
* Full-length images: 25, 30.

 

Preview

Omake

38 Comments

      1. I swear, if Arisa dies, it’ll be pretty clear that the only reason that Flit didn’t end up with Yurin is because she died.

        Y U DO THIS GUNDAM AGE. Stop making your protagonists settle for second place!

        Da5id
      2. If Arisa dies, then the writers clearly aren’t even trying.

        Right now, my money’s on Woolf providing us with the dramatic death this time around. He’s had the flags since I saw the second OP.

        Actene
      3. Kind of the opposite of Inazuma Eleven. The chemistry part is subjective, but the first girl had the most flags raised with the main character (some foreshadowing about her being the great-grandson-from-the-future’s great grandmother too), but the second girl ended up marrying him, and the third becoming the optional other wife. Yeah. Hino. (What a good husband he is, going out to cabaret clubs in another game.)

        I do hope more happens between Romarie and Asem than what little happened between Flit and Emily. I doubt Arisa will die though. I think she’s been established as the bro Asem won’t be able to see as anything else.

        Kiseki
  1. Finally a real Red Mobile Suit that is THREE TIMES FASTER(!!!!). Always knew the AGE-2 Strider Mode was just a poser. Pretty good fight too, though I think Zeheart was pretty dumb sparing the Gundam. He couldn’t just force Asem out of the cockpit and destroy the AGE-2? That’s going to bite him in the ass.

    And wow Arisa. She’s probably the most likable character around but her second sortie was even worse than her last battle. I’m not very optimistic about her chances of surviving if she keeps being a terrible pilot.

    fragb85
    1. On the contrary, it’s Gundam AGE-2 (the sharper-looking shoulder and skirt armor give it away). I do think AGE-2 vs AGE-1 battle in the next episode is thru simulator though

      Exiled_Gundam
  2. Desil feels like Ali Al Saachez.
    He is awfully pissed to have woken up late 😛
    Wonder if he will plot to overthrow Zeheart?
    Or cause a faction split in the Earth Subjugation Force?

    Wonder if Zeheart will come over to the Fed side then if Woolf dies Zeheart can be the next mentor character 😛

    Will AGE-2 have a third form?

    Asem, will his X-Rounder abilities surpass his father’s?

    Flit’s story brought about the revelation of the Vegan, wonder what will Asem’s story bring.
    So far the Federation seems pretty good guy on the whole but theres the bad corrupt side which gave rise to the Vegan, could the bad side of the Feds rise up to make a 3 way battle of sorts?

    iron2000
  3. The explanation for the Zeheart’s mask kind reminds of the magnetic coating the gundam, in the original MSG TV series, got when Aumro’s Newtype abilities advanced to the point where the gundam’s response time was lagging behind Amuro’s. Except here instead of upgrading the mobile suit the pilot’s ability (x-rounder)is downgraded/limited.

    Zetatrain
  4. Zeydra was way too powerful. I’m concerned about the power creep. I don’t see how AGE2 getting an upgrade is going to help in that regard. It’s the pilot’s ability and skill that makes the difference. When will Asem discover his X-rounder ability?

    bertman4
  5. Zeydra’s way too powerful right now. If they’re going to keep this rivalry going, they’ll probably need interference from Decil and Woolf and to train Asem so they’ll be evenly matched. I’ll be disappointed if Zeheart just happens to spare his life every damn time. Asem has to at least be able to push back, if not there’s no real reason for the Zeydra not to rip them all to shreds.

    Josh
  6. Right now, this has been my favorite episode of the series. Regardless of how overpowered Zeydra is, I think the biggest difference between Zeheart and Asem is that Zeheart seems to have a far better understanding of why he’s fighting than Asem does. I think there’ll be some turning point at which Asem gets a “reason to fight” (a standard trope for Gundam and combat anime in general), though I’m also wondering if he’ll actually put some effort into getting better without simply relying on machine upgrades and innate powers. I’m curious to see if more will be made of Woolf turning Asem and his fellow rookies into more of a coherent squadron, though based on the OP and my experience with anime, I’m waiting for Woolf to buy the farm, most likely as part of that “reason to fight” turning point. Much as I hate to be expecting the demise of a character I like, but there’s almost as many flags up for him as there were for Yurin.

    As far as characters that actually need to die quickly, Desil has reasserted himself as a completely pathetic character for the second time. He’s still an all around dick to everyone and he hasn’t really been established as a super-competent pilot. At least Al Saachez, the franchise’s last complete monster, was cool and entertaining to watch. Desil’s just annoying.

    Actene
  7. I think it would be really interesting if Asemu does not become an x-newtype….
    Or are there any spoilers out that already say he will be one?

    I lol at the excuse have Zeheart dress as a char. I was wondering what reason they would have, since he already revealed himself as a Vegetarian.

    derp...
  8. No matter how I look @ this and last week’s episodes, Arisa and Asemu’s relationship looks more of a “Bromance” than the standard relationship that we used to see….

    On the other hand, the 1.5 year timeskip during high school just got us more flashbacks now (without being bothersome aka. Gundam Seed / Gundam Seed Destiny

    oh, the “race”…looks like AGE-2 Strider is “slightly faster than” or “just as fast as” Zeydra as it actually caught up…

    info600
  9. I think that AGE-1 vs AGE-2 preview scene is asem’s 1-UP moment, similar to the 1st time Woolf and Flit dueled, somehow Flit is going to dominate the first 4/5 of the fight then Asem pulls out some latent X-rounder ability that surprises his father. Back some episodes ago, they did say that the AGE-1 would be modified at the big ring so it that it wouldn’t need the AGE-device. Guess it’s spanking time.

    HKsun
  10. Desil needs to die, Zeheart’s the superior pilot here and a true Char successor.

    I’m so sure that Arisa’s going to die, if only for the reason that the writers accidentally wrote a more compatible female character after already deciding that Asem would get together with Romary. “WHOOPS GOTTA KILL HER OR WE CAUSE A TIME PARADOX.”

    Watching the preview makes me wonder how a RX-78-2 vs Mk 2 would have gone in Z Gundam. Amuro so would’ve won.

    Anyway, I gotta save my energy for the GC post. RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE

    Da5id
    1. So Kio gets a bigger mech than his father and grandfather. I feel so spoiled. Clearly all the intrigue of this show has been ruined, so much so that I will not be surprised by any further developments.

      Woe is me. Woe is me.

      Da5id
  11. I don’t mind so much since he got to it in the end, but Asem’s really starting to bore me with this nonsensical ideal of his that just because Zeheart is his friend, they shouldn’t fight. Honestly I don’t want him to win as long as he’s spewing naive, childish crap like that around.

    Zeheart is by far more awesome in pretty much every respect right now. I’m hoping he goes as far as he possibly can.

    Shinn Kamiyra
  12. I’ve just read through the entire Age verse from beginning to end on this site and while i will allow myself to admit that AGE is not the total train reck i predicted. It does seem to leave me wanting in several various ways. Gundam Wing SEED and 00 are all very good and very popular franchises. In my mind AGE fall someware into the area of G Gundam and the like.

    Now any fan of Gundam or more particularly a fan of the SEED verse but is not totally hooked on the Destiny sequel season need to check this out. On the website fanfiction there is a author named Maderfole who has potentionally rewritten and revamped the SEED verse.

    For those who have no idea what fanfiction is. It is simply Authors takeing anime manga tv shows movies and books and writing their own stories about them. Now Maderfole has done this for the SEED verse. But he has taken his story up to a level beyond any other author on the site has ever done. He has written three stories so far based in the SEED verse. The first The Golden Age: Chaotic Cosmos which starts off right after kira wakes up form his fight with Rau at the end of SEEd season one. Just to tell you right now the SEED DEstiny season gets compleatly written off at this point. Not that Durandel the Destiny plan and all the other noteworthy characters from Destiny dont show up. Its just that entire useless season gets destroyed as it is.

    Not the first of Maderfole’s three stories starts off a tad slow but cut him some slack. It was his first story ever and it was years ago. Not to say that it was not good at the start just that some less patient people might get bored. Maderfole really likes character development. But the main thig you should know about this first story is that it is over a MILLION words long. Paperback that is about 1900 pages worth of everything you love about Gundam. The sequel novel The Eden Disaster is slightly longer and the final in the triology The Reclamation War is only slightly over half done at this time and it longer than either of its prequels. These stories are indepth have many well thought out OC’s both good and evil all your favorite SEED cannon characters in roles you can’t even imagin. And im serious when i say that we Maderfole’s readers truely beelieve that Maderfole can get his fic turned into a real anime. And i believe that these fics are worth the time of ANY Gundam lover.

    Did i forget to mention that Maderfole has a whold line of Custome designed Gundams and massed produced MS that the model designers back in japan would be drooling over if they knew of their existance. Don’t believe me. Then here is a taste of what Maderfole has to offer.

    Designation: Lucifer

    Pilot: Executor Kira Yamato

    Height: 20 meters

    Weight: 120 tons

    Power Plant: FPR

    Armor Type: LCR

    Flight Speed: 7000 mph (atmosphere), up to 20000 mph in space

    Ground Speed: 250 mph

    Maneuverability: 21

    Weapons (Location):

    15mm Beam CIWS x2 (head)

    50mm Ion Disintegrator “Holy Wrath” x2 (R/L hand)

    “Lucifer’s Grasp” GMFG (Hands, Gravitic Manipulation Field Generators)

    Quantum Crystal longsword x2 (R/L hand)

    “Fractal Wings” MDDS (Multiple Detached Defensive System) (36 feather pods. Can project either Citadel Lightwave Barriers, Positron Reflector Shields or Geischmedig Panzer Shields around themselves. Can operate for up to five minutes at a time without recharging, at distances of up to 200 meters from the Lucifer. Individual barriers and shields are linkable into larger, more complex and stronger shields or barriers.)

    100mm “Hellfury” FRALA x4 (two per side of torso, very long range, unlimited use, use ultraviolet light (easier to split) so the beams are purplish in color)

    “Wings of Light” Beam Redirection and Multiple Target Engagment Program (uses the Fractal Wings to bounce, redirect the blasts of enemy beam weapons, allowing Kira to shoot in any direction no matter which way he is facing. By precision maneuvering of the Fractal Wings, the pods can also be used to create “prisms” that refract the FRALA beams into multiple smaller beams in a wide spread of angles. A single FRALA beam can be split into up to twenty smaller beams. The pods are rated to handle energy discharge of up to Lohengrin class weaponry.)

    Salvation System (adds up to 108 extra Fractal Feathers, including specialty Refractor Pods, can only be used in Seed Mode, can further access 108 more feathers from Shark Party upgrades in Ascended Seed)

    Equipment (Location):

    Citadel Shield Projector x2 (R/L Forearm)

    Positron Reflector Shield x2 (R/L Palm)

    Vari-Camera (head)

    NIC IV Control System

    GRS 3

    Holoshroud

    Mirage Colloid

    Ultra Fast Nanological reconstruction system

    Heres the link if any of you are interested.
    http://www.fanfiction.net/u/919751/Maderfole

    Give it a shot. I don’t think that you will be disapointed if you try.

    Kaleb Yamato
  13. One more thing Madefole has in the works right now a sequel triology to his Golden Age. At its base it similar to the 00Movie if the 00 Movie was split into three long seasons and has many new Gundams. Now these three new stories are set to be told for the children of your favorit characters point of view. And whild Maderfole has taken lisence with anything after the end of SEED season one anything before that is strictly cannon. Everybody who died then is dead flay tole nichol rau all gone. But at this point in time i dont even see the characters as the same people from SEED. Kira Athrun Yzak Dearka Lacus and Cagalli have all been developed so much that i see them as Maderfoles characters now.

    As for the Lucifer i realised that some of the things in Executor Kira’s gundam might be hard for you to understand so i’ll give you a little help.

    FPR stands for Fusion Pulse Reactor

    LCR stands for Liquid Crystal Regenative Armor

    FRALA stands for Focused Repetedly Ampilifed Light Array

    NIC stands for Nural Interface Control System

    GRS stands for Gravity Reduction System

    All of these are Maderfole copyrated designes. You must ask him for permission to use them. The same goes for the Lucifer. Enjoy.

    Kaleb Yamato

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