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「シャル・ウィ・ガンダム?」 (Sharu Ui Gandamu?)
“Shall We Gundam?”
Well one week off didn’t seem to affect things too much if this week of awkward introvert meets big giant robot Witch from Mercury is any indication. We are still a way’s away from revealing the real plot at work in this story (two cour woes, sadge), but we are certainly getting closer as key character motivations emerge and tensions are acted upon. Or as is quintessential Gundam, kids be acting up and putting the adults in their place.
Right out the gate is the obvious twist in plain sight: yes Aerial is a Gundam, and yes mama Prospera ain’t mincing words with her daughter (who may in fact not even be her biological daughter). Admittedly this was always a reveal in plain sight, but as is growing common in this show there are still plenty of underlying questions. Just what sort of Gundam is Aerial? Does it follow in cybernetic footsteps of Piel’s Pharact, or is it a true improvement on the original concept? And if different just what makes both it and Suletta special given the now confirmed tidbit that the girl isn’t exactly normal. With cloning and wetware-based AI now becoming increasingly viable explanations the only major unknown is when we get the answer for this, because one way or another Prospera is clearly itching to let her objectives be known.
The other interesting bit this week happened to be Miorine, particularly in regards to her role in the upcoming maelstrom. While it could be said that Prospera helped Miorine break through her shell and recognize the value of humility (say what you will of her father but her pride certainly held her back at times), it clearly wasn’t entirely for Miorine’s sake. Much as Suletta piloting Aerial is deliberate on the part of Prospera so is getting Miorine to enter the fray in favour of GUND technology. Sure, maybe not specifically planned out step for step on Prospera’s part, but I’d fully wager getting someone to throw back the ban on Gundams and openly develop the technology was the goal – and if getting the daughter of her loathed adversary in Delling to do it, all the better. We’ll have to see how this one plays out, particularly in regards to a couple of companies irked at being outflanked (again) in their Gundam desires, but much like Prospera working plans within plans I suspect the next big development isn’t that far away.
After all, with Suletta (and Miorine) now front and centre in both school and business, it won’t be long before some (if not all) of those smiling faces grow tired of the game and look to take advantage of the situation.
Preview
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If there is one thing i really disappointed is how offhand and easy that Prospera admit; yeah, it is a Gundam. I lied btw. ……
Kinda letdown because i expect clever answer instead of some crookish remark.
Well after all the Utena set up, at least we are entering a phase of business intrigue and economical thriller where power struggle never cease within a zaibatsu. Miorine proposal for Merger and Acquisition is very daring (though Deling wasn’t wrong. Who guaranteed it?), it was more grounded plot than any hostile take over story i often heard or read. The future episodes now looks exciting.
Btw Deling now seems more reliable, generous, understanding and benevolent compared to all existing characters.;
– He put a stop to inhumane and morally questionable and possibly unethical weapon experiment that have high possibility of being harmful even to the point of endangering lives.
– He is strict and unforgiving. Highly disciplined individual who have no qualm to punish yet reasonable enough tongive a chance for redemption (three period of financially failure, and you are off the team).
– Put important matter first before his own personal matter. Even if it is about family and his daughter.
– Impartial, fair and just ; he allowed inquiry to be held while being attended by opposing party instead of arbitrarily deciding it himself (though he have his personal bias on this matter due to personal insight).
– Visionary and Magnanimous; He knows GundArm concept is a danger due to the lack of technological capability of the time hence he restrict its development, yet when he realize time is changing he is willing to make a compromise no matter how he disliked it (i expect him to be stubborn for no reason)
– Protective and Caring greatly for his family; only allow the strongest and most capable to get his daughter hand in marriage (well any sane parent wouldn’t just let any questionable fellow to get close to his precious daughter, and… perhaps he try to back off his own words by trying to sabotage Sulletta’s victory in 1st episode was because he expect a conventional family who will give undisputed heir to inherit his great zaibatsu.)… and no matter how ridiculous and borderline crazy stupid her daughter business plan is and no matter how unsound it is.,,, he is still soft hearted enough to support it (3% of 240 bills; it is at least 7,2 bills)… a plenty of money when earlier we saw someone struggle to get support for 100 mills.
Delling is what caught me this week, it’s clear he’s being set up as the baddie of the moment (until the real one is revealed at least), but there’s thankfully some nuance to his character. Depending where this story goes I wouldn’t be shocked it came out he is who he is because of his position and this is his way of training Miorine to play the game. Wouldn’t be the first Gundam to have an adult be a dick for the supposed sake of their child, particularly when the child winds up successfully rebelling over it.
Quite looking forward to seeing how this angle develops.
I welcome the nuance and the potential at a hidden heart of gold, although I must admit I dread it.
At this point in the story, Delling stopped Gundam research by massacring researchers, and the worst offenders of unethical research we’ve seen so far are from the same company he helped put in a position of privilege and impunity. His meetings are monologues, his inquiries are kanagaroo courts, his plan to marry Miorine encourages leaving her future and the future of his company to bullies, cheaters and murderers, and he only backs down when he is put in the spot in public.
Anime and manga tend to be more forgiving of villains with Freudian excuses, well-intentioned plans or secret hearts of gold, but the excuse really needs to be good. Even if it was all for the good of humanity and Miorine, it still makes him appear tyrannical and inept in the execution.
I don’t think it was a bad thing for Prospera to lie to her “Daughter” seeing how honest Suletta is right out of the gecko. Knowing Suletta’s behavior, trusting her “Daughter” with this info could be a risk in Prospera’s revenge plot.
On a side note, blood is thicker than water but thinner than love. Regardless if Suletta is or isn’t Eri, we have yet to see Prospera truly sees Suletta as her daughter like Eri. If Suletta is but a tool a means to an end then Suletta will need to find new meaning in what she does with this GUND-ARM business that Miorine just pitched.
That saying is shortened, and the full version is the blood of the sacrament is thicker than the water of the womb. Its actually meaning was that the bond of friendship, shared purpose is stronger than family ties. Just an interesting thing that language has changed to literally mean the opposite.
I do agree you couldnt tell suletta anything important.
Lol no. That version was by Henry Clay Trumbull in 1885 appropriating the original “blood is thicker than water”, which goes back in various forms to the 12th century.
I don’t mind her lying. I mind how she just handwave it off as if she is talking about existence of Santa Claus to fifth grader.
She could have worded it better like in Futurama by saying; The best kind of correct, technically. It ain’t gundam because permet bs or no data storm or newer concept.
Or at least saying; i don’t lie to you my sweet daughter clone, i merely refuse to give you more detail (as star trek puts it; omission of truth is still a lying) … it is the same idea yet conveyed better.
I mean even if Turn X is Turn A’s brother, it never considered as gundam…. she could have used the same reasoning.
Agreed. The lying itself is understandable; Suletta can’t keep a secret for the love of it, and this secret is so big and grave that it could have cost them their lives. Parents lying to their children to keep them safe is a tried and tested tactic since times immemorial.
However, the nonchalant reveal? It makes it sound as if Prospera didn’t care too much about Suletta’s reaction or disappointment to soften the blow. That’s more problematic. Suletta idolizes her and, as far as we’ve seen, Prospera’s been an attentive and supportive mother to her when they meet. This might be the first time Suletta has seen beyond her mask, in more ways than one.
Yeah Prospera most likely kept it hidden because it would’ve only negatively impacted Suletta’s mindset. Although the ease at which she dropped it now does suggest she doesn’t really care who knows, either suggesting it was never important to begin with or her plan has already advanced far enough for it to no longer matter.
I feel that Miorine basically ruined her life to save Suletta if Gundams are indeed built through the sacrifice of live humans. Her reputation will go completely down the drain when this information is made public in a future episode. I hope being happily married to Suletta will be worth it for what she has to go through.
This is where I expect things are heading. Miorine is being set up as the quintessential Gundam tragic hero(ine), the one character who gets caught in the middle and must decide who is more important to side with. She’s leaning towards Suletta right now, but if the truth behind GUND technology is bad enough, she’ll have a major dilemma on her hands.
Also I wouldn’t say she’s happily married, she’s treating it more as a marriage of convenience right now. That’ll definitely change over time but outside of yuri baiting the marriage itself is unlikely to factor hard into Miorine’s decision making.
Delling is just a man suffering from Megalomania.
That attitude cost him his company and at the same time the rebellion of Minorne.
I do not like the LGTBQ tropism.
I felt bad for Suletta in this episode. Led into a trap by (Real) Elan, exposed in public again, and noticing for the first time that her mother might not be as perfect and benevolent as she thought.
Dastardly as the trap was, I’m nevertheless glad that the issue of Pharact being a Gundam was addressed from the get go. It was too obvious, yet Peil Rechnologies used it to go on the attack. Clever.
Also, what an irony that Delling and the group that stopped Gundam research with utmost ruthlessness are now accepting it. As before, it hints that the real problem with the Gundams was never the human costs (which the corporation branches couldn’t care less about), but who was building them.
It really is an irony and also quite realistic. In the end you can never eliminate a technology once it’s invented, only control it at best. Obviously those with the power to regulate its use and manufacture will want to ensure only they can do so, leading to these theatrics. It’s quite nice seeing Gundam take a stab at the idea given it’s tailor made for these sorts of universes.
I think all the noble slogans about protecting humanity from gundarm technology was just a smokescreen to hide stopping Earths attempt of regaining dominance from the Spacefaring factions.
Now just the ideology has become a ballast and everyone is racing to drop it and become first to realize pwoer from that techology.