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「ケレス大戦」 (Keresu taisen)
“Battle of Ceres”
After a string of character-driven episodes, it’s about time things started to heat up again and that’s exactly what we got in the Battle of Ceres! The action and suspense, as expected, were ratcheted up to the hilt in the latest episode and it has just about everything I wanted in an epic mecha flick – great space battles, strategic warfare planning, cut-throat rivalry and some unexpected revelations at the end to tie it all together. Better than half of the episode was consumed by large-scale space combats and not surprisingly, the clash between Izuru and Jiart was right at the center of the fierce battles. As it turns out, Jiart holds a peculiar enthrallment with the pilot of Red 5 and their most recent collision underscored once again the stark difference between the alien race and the humans – not physically, but from an intellectual standpoint. Jiart can be compared to a potential powder keg in this war and he is indeed, the perfect embodiment of unconstrained free will – not only does he answer to no one, he also doesn’t show a blink of qualm in taking out his own allies. He sees the entire war as a sick hunting game – one that exists solely to satisfy his personal bellicosity – and presumably, that’s where of his fervent interest in Izuru stems from.
Jiart, of course, did emerge as the victor of this dogfight – there was never any question that he was the superior pilot, not to mention the technological advantage that his bio-mecha possessed. Izuru’s imminent rout was more than apparent, but the precise instant of his downfall was also where the real surprise of the episode started to transpire. Similar to the ones he calls “Lamata”, it appears that Jiart has no conception of a human appearance and the sight of Izuru – made visible through a fissure on Red 5’s damaged body – led to a somewhat haunting moment where the two different humanoid beings meet eye to eye for the first time. The unexpected convergence raised a number of interesting questions as to the Wulgaru, but more importantly, it brings the human one step closer towards understanding the enigmatic being. It’s not pure happenstance that Izuru was able to connect the alien race to the silver-hair maiden almost immediately – his unusual fascination with the girl has been made conspicuous from day one, but how would the latest revelation changed the character dynamics is something that is worthy of our attention in the coming weeks – especially as regards Teoria, who will most likely received a proper introduction next week!
There’s no question that Izuru was yet again, a clear stand out of this cast, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the Zannen 5 were pushovers or sitting ducks in this imposing battlefield. In fact, the entire team received a fair share of the spotlight and Asagi, in particular, excelled in this mission as the substitute leader of Team Rabbit. The pilot of Blue 1 has always been the most inscrutable member of the main cast and more often than not, his uncompromising sensibility and excessive deliberation keep interfering with his ability to perform. I was ecstatic to learn that things were not working against him this time around and it felt like a well-deserved reward to finally see Asagi’s hard work paid off, in a spectacular fashion at that – not only did he courageously serve as the sole vanguard of the lineup, he also succeeded in motivating the team when it seemed like the cooperative effort was breaking apart. The action-packed set pieces of this episode have impressed me to no end, and as everything start to wind down next week, it’ll be interesting to see where Team Rabbit goes from here and how will they hold up after the latest unveilings – some of which, no doubt, are bound to lead to more questions than answers!
Random tidbits:
- I’m embarrassed to say I can hardly keep up with all the weaponry jargons in Majestic Prince – Tactical Heavy Laser System, Sublight Missiles, laser canons, force shields, missiles and more missiles!
- While those petty decoys from Red 5 didn’t faze Jiart one bit, it was pretty impressive from a viewer’s perspective.
- Izuru’s keen survival instinct saved his life once again – seeing the JURIA-system at work left a silly grin on my face!
- Team Doberman survived for another week! It looks like they could very well breeze through the first cour without any casualty – did I just jinx it?
- First Rin Rin and now Kei – I approve of Randy’s superb taste in woman!
- Komine’s ineptitude was recorded by the reporters – let’s hope he gets removed by the top brass next week!
- Have a break, have a… protein pack?
- Both Kei and Teoria were featured in the preview for next week’s episode. A love triangle in the making? – I’m probably reading too much into this!
tl;dr: @SeishunRC – #MajesticPrince 08: The Battle of Ceres was easily the most action-packed set piece yet and it has just about everything I wanted in an epic mecha flick! #Anime
Full-length images: 01, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 11, 20, 28, 29, 34, 35.
Preview
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I’m finding that I am falling in love with the quirkiness of this show more and more.
Moreover, it’s nice that we seem to be done with establishing Team Rabbits (former Fail 5) character baselines and we’re finally introduced to the plot (hello there).
It would be interesting to see what they might do as I do feel that inevitably, there’s gonna be a death in the family… and I have a sinking feeling it’s gonna be pervy-girl-kun.
Laxus, errr, I mean the Laxus-lookalike-girl is someone that’s obviously gonna be central to the plot, although I’m not sure if they’re gonna stray from the formula-esque “Princess of the Enemy” thing from Gundam Seed + Valvrave (LOL). Well, it’s all good.
I’d be shitting bricks like any fanboy if we get to see OP MCs again :3 If you know what I am saying LOL And I’m not gonna be surprised if it has some “SEED-like” animation to it.
I take a different view. The fact that there wasn’t any death in this large-scale battle, not even Team Doberman, is quite telling – it’s likely MJP is the not the kind of show that kills off its characters easily :3
I wonder to an extent why the prince decided to spare Izuru when he had the chance? Although he seems to enjoy to take on “prey” and battle tough foes, what kind of motive does the prince of the Wulgaru have since the two forces are fighting a war right now?
– Loved the comedic bits like the muscle guys’ philosophy,great action scenes, I enjoyed this episode greatly (even with the faulty commander not listening to his assistant)
Simple, he doesn’t care about the war. It was all for his own entertainment.
That and his lust for battle got kinda killed when he saw Izuru. He was pretty shocked.
This is only speculation on the PV that they showed for next week, but the girl gave the same reaction as Jiart did when he saw Izuru. They might happen to know him in some way. If you remember when Suzukaze-san was talking with the doctor after the examination in episode 3, she said that Izuru need another examination to pinpoint unknown problem. Could it be he’s he’s half human and half Jiart’s specs? Mother who left and secretly entered the human society? That girl seems to be mingling with humans or at the vary least staying at an resort.
It’s like what JHN said, Jiart simply doesn’t give a damn about the war and he’s only interested in his own desires. Izuru is his prey and to a certain extent, a toy that caters to his personal amusement – he’s not going wreck it just yet, not before he has more fun with it 😉
Yep. I think he made it pretty clear that he wants to “hunt” Izuru again.
He’s just toyin with his prey.
The action was great.I liked how Asagi handle the team as a Co-Captain of sorts.The teamwork between him and Satoru was awesome.Kei did her part well and then there was Tamaki…
What is the point of Tamaki’s Unit exactly lol?I know it has shields, higher speed than the other 4 units, and missles.Is that all it can be used for?I would’ve said recon, but Kei pretty much has that role amongst other info she sends out.
Izuru did a good job holding his own against Jiart and only lost because his weapon broke.Jiart probably spared Izuru because he noticed Izuru got stronger and being the predator that he believes himself to be, Jiart wants to see Izuru get stronger, as most stereotypical rivals do.
That wasn’t supposed to be a reply, just my thoughts on the episode lol
Tamaki unit specializes in fast combat. It’s fast and shields cover their whole body. From my point of view if them to add some laser to Rose3 would have best combat power. To me it seems odd that does not have them, should be something basic in a mecha-fast ship, such as missiles.
If it was used more like a jet I’d get that, but I don’t think Tamaki’s unit even has machinegun like weapons, just missles and a shield.I agree that she’d need lasers or something else like it.
Her unit is described in the first episode as being basically a high-speed decoy. It’s supposed to confuse the enemy by flying all around the battlefield at high speeds.
I’m loving this show but rose 3, and it’s pilot, are easily my least favorite parts (thought I still like them). The other characters are goofy, but they have depth as well. Tamaki just seems like they let a four year-old on the team for no apparent reason, and it doesn’t help that her suit has the least clear purpose.
Like you say, giving her some basic weapon beyond the one shot missile spam would go a long ways towards making her seem like less of a gimmick. The others really feel like a team, and you can see the use of all the units, but rose 3 just feels like the odd one out.
Don’t forget, it was Rose 3 that saved the team from the depth of the huge explosion in episode 5. Everyone would be dead by now if it wasn’t for Tamaki 😉
I can’t help but think that Theoria was the one that raised Izuru before he had his memories wiped…
That’s… a pretty interesting theory, anything is possible I guess XD
It could be going the Final Fantasy VIII route and maybe they were raised together? I don’t think it’s going to be QUITE this obvious though, because I feel if Izuru were her former child or brother, she would have had a stronger reaction when she saw him in the resort.
She just seemed sort of confused.
First, “let’s hope he gets removed by the top brass next week!” YES. PLEASE.
Haha with that out of the way, was so glad that the teamwork was kicking ass this week. Great to see Asagi pick things up with Izuru busy with the duel (which was amazing). Everyone brought their A game, with the exception of a certain commander..
Also nice to see that they are actually putting up a good fight against the Wulgaru. The useless “head” is unfortunately not at all thankful for his incredible “arms” and “legs”. Couldn’t help but laugh when he cried out that his perfect plan was ruined.
All in all, another great episode!! Preview shows Izuru meeting Ms Mysterious. Can’t wait for it!
Just fire that pathetic fool already – though admittedly, politics at the top level is never quite as simple 😡
Yeah, I hope he gets removed. Because other than him, despite the regular humor, the series seems pretty well put together. Believing that Earth would let this moron continuously threaten their entire war effort though really pushes the boundaries of skepticism and actually drags the plot down.
He is the weakest element of the plot for me. Other than him I am LOVING this show. It’s just so much fun.
Was I the only one at the edge of my seat thinking any of Team Rabbits and Team Doberman were going to die this week? Despite their mechs, there was just something about the situation that screamed one of them was going to die/get seriously injured and forced to retire…
From henceforth, I deny all Izuru/Theoria in support of Izuru/Kei– even should I be called delusional for denying so! D:
Lastly, wow, that duel was amazing! I hope the studio can keep up this level of animation.
The animation was godly! MJP never disappoints when it comes to large-scale mecha battles.
I’m shipping Izuru x Kei very hard as well, but to be fair, my preference is probably highly skewed at the moment since Theoria has yet to received a proper introduction – who knows, I could change my mind next week 😡
No Seishun! Don’t give in to the temptation!!! D:
Please support Izuru/Kei ship! Dont let it sink!
Given that this episode used a bit of repeat footage, I think it’ll be okay.
I don’t mean that as an insult, I mean if they’re able to cleverly use already produced shots to reduce cost I think we’ll be able to maintain the overall battle quality.
You know, I’m not going to lie, when I saw the PV with Kei looking out the window, and then Izuru sitting by the fountain, with Theoria starting to walk around it into you view, you know what was going through my head?
“…I don’t believe this, Izuru, you totally stood Kei up to go flirt with some white-haired girl you may or may not have seen a grand total of one time before!”
And you think you’re reading too much into this.
+100 Seishun Points!
I bow to your vastly superior power of imagination, but who knows, what you said could very well happen next week XD
Here’s an interesting tidbit I picked up. The Wulgaru seem to value things like following your primal instincts, especially Jiart, what with the whole kill/rape thing. They also seem to consider the human race as misguided in their direction.
But doesn’t the JURIA-system also operate on primal instincts, this one being the fight-or-flight/survival instinct? I think it’s likely that Jiart has picked up on this and has singled out Izuru because of that. Komine serves as a great point of comparison, in that his strategies involve artificial motivations created by society, like looking good in front of cameras (i.e. he’s got a huge freaking ego). Izuru, on the other hand, fights for the sole purpose of survival, and while he may not realise it, the JURIA-system definitely feeds off of that (or in Freudian terms, it’s the id).
There are probably more connections to be made, but right now this is what I have. I’m not sure if this entire theme of primal instinct vs. societal constructs will play a heavier role in the show (i’m thinking Evangelion heavy), but it’s definitely something to think about here.
How the JURIA-system operates is indeed very similar to that of the instinct-driven Wulgaru. I’ve mentioned in the comment section last week that there’s a possibility it was Theoria who shared the JURIA technology with the humans, that might explain her enigmatic relationship with Commander Simon 😉
The greatest reason Izuru lost was because his sword broke, if it had not he had a good chance to at least make it a tie.
This really does speak volumes about Izuru’s skill, or how much they have grown.
Am I the only one thinking that Theoria is the Princess they spoke about in ep 7?
I highly doubt that – even before his sword broke, Jiart was clearly the one who had the upper hand, he disabled Red 5’s long/mid-range weapons with ease and it doesn’t look like Izuru was able to even land a single hit 😡
Yamato railgun!!
If only they have those Cores like the ones in Heroic Age.
This ep pretty much shows why MJP is my personal fav of mech anime this season. The actions are definitely one of the best (if not the best) I’ve seen. Both Vaivrave and Gargantia really needs more of these (especially Gargantia). To me, the actions in Valvrave are OK for most parts, but not as well choreographed as MJP. I guess I’m just too used to seeing a mech-fight between a humanoid mech and humanoid mech rather than a humanoid mech and a flying mechanical crab. XD
Off-topic:
It seems that Megahouse gets the first dib and decides to make an action figure of Red 5. No word on release date, the price, or if there’s going to be more action figures from the series (Blue 1 and etc.). I was hoping that Bandai would have announced a Robot Damashii for Red 5 and the rest of the mech, but I guess this is a good news. Knowing Bnadi, half of it would probably be exclusive, especially Rose 3.
So, anyone interested?
While MJP is undoubtedly my favorite mecha show this season as well, I think it’s a bit unfair to compare it to Gargantia. Gargantia is a completely different kind of show. Much more focused on the EFFECTS of war on a soldier (at least so far) as opposed to the war itself. And I think it’s really good on that level.
I’m really enjoying gargantia as well as MJP. Valvrave on the other hand is proving a bit too insane for my tastes. It’s pretty though, so I may give it another try.
That’s great news – I’ll be happy to get a Red 5 model kit. Purple 2 and Rose 3 are probably next on my list, if we do get those as well :3
I was very pleased with this episode, since Asagi got to step up his game (along with everyone else) and didn’t get crippled by his stomach aches again. What impressed me the most was how much of a tactician he turned out to be, using the combat data supplied by Kei to coordinate his fellow team members effectively and plan several steps ahead.
I agree, in many ways, Asagi’s actually a better leader than Izuru, but his inability to stay calm during the critical times is holding back his true potential. Let’s hope this is not the last time we see him in a leadership position, it was pretty damn fun 😉
Just had a thought which I forgot to mention in the previous episode: If Prince Jiart is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa, does that make his bio-mech a Wulgaru-fied expy of the Cybuster?
Only a true fan of SRW can make that connection, bravo my friend XD
Deleted memories…
Human-like enemies…
Semi-sentinent robots, almost bio-mech (They coded their DNS in it)…
I got a wild idea… Is the pilots in the MJP projets really humans, and the JURIA-system is really human invention?
Okay, I’m not totally following your grammar here, but are you suggesting that the kids, and the robots, might actually be Wulgaru that have been mind-wiped?
If so, I doubt it but I see where you’re coming from.
I agree, the JURIA-technology probably originates from the Wulgaru. I’m not so sure about the pilots not being human though. All we know is that they’re genetically modified soldiers, but whether that pertains to the Wulgaru technology or not hasn’t been made clear as this stage.
Damn you Sei! you got me fangirling over the possibility of Kei having rival >.<
You show ’em, Majestic Prince. You show ’em detractors!
Episode 8 left me breathless. It was pretty exhilarating, to say the least. The battles, the explosions, the hordes of enemies and fleets of battleships, the bravery of Doberman and Zannen 5 as well as some slick moves (Pretty swell to see Asagi pull off some nice ones here). Loved every moment of the episode, and there’s nothing like seeing humanity do their hardest to fight off adversaries with the odds stacked against them.
Asagi takes the plaudits. Feels like it’s a telling sign that the team are improving slowly but surely (what you can do in 10 seconds, Kei does in 5!), with an added bro moment with Izuru and Asagi. Zannen 5, becoming more and more lovable every episode. 🙂
I also quite like how the producers teased us with Theoria, where we catch glimpses of her over the last several episodes, get us speculating, then finally leave us hanging with Izuru’s revelation on the similarities between her and Jiart.
Can’t wait for the relationship dynamics to get rolling more once again. More please!
Is there anyone here that don’t agree with my opinion that this series deserves more love from the viewers?
Indeed, at least I was quite put off by the Zannen 5 and how pathetic they are. However, it was probably intentional to develop their characters. I’m really happy I did not drop this show, at first I was like “This is so meh, gonna watch it just because I have nothing else to watch. Kinda boring and the characters suck”
Now the characters themselves have grown on me and when they dropped the plot after the character development, I’m like “Oh hell yeah, you show them babies!! This damn anime is awesome! Oh yes!! When is the next episode coming out? I want to see what happens next now”
Seriously, I do think this anime deserve more love. The 3 episode rule shouldn’t be applied to this show. People should watch at least until this episode before dropping and if they did, I’m sure most would be enthralled by this anime.
definitely a great episode as usually.
some folks would probably insist that asagi should be the leader, since he showed great commanding skills in this ep, but i think izuru is still the best one for the position. he now knows how to effectively rely on his teammates to carry out his orders and does not try to do everything himself (as what randy pointed out that he needs to learn). it was a wise decision on his part to hand over command to asagi, since he was aware that he will have a hard time handling the task while also battling jiart.
also, some other viewers are complaining that it seems a little too late for the proper introduction of the wulgaru, so that the audience could care more. but i think that is intentional on the part of the writers. we are probably not to care about the wulgaru, not yet. this is shown well with the different reactions shown in the beginning and end op the episode. that little chat among the zannen 5 about the wulgaru probably being weird alien monsters is a stark contrast to izuru’s reaction when he saw the wulgaru being human looking (or they might in fact be humans after all).
some things also keep me wondering. if theoria is indeed a wulgaru (already obvious), and that her race supposedly comes from a far off planet whose condition is probably unlike that of the earth, then how is she able to live amongst the humans and breath the air without any special equipment? also, anyone else notice that jiart’s unit somewhat looks like a brother unit to red-5?
definitely looking forward to the kei-izuru-theoria love triangle. and yeah, komine should die a horrible death, that scumbag >:)
This. Was. Awesome.
Hard to say anything more about the episode; the action, visuals, character moments, and suspense were all superb and had me on the edge of my seat more so than any other show (so far) this season! The only criticism I can think of is that after a decade of war, you’d think that any incompetent commanders would have been killed off or sent to improve coastal defenses in Montana.
The main feature was the fight between Jiart and Izuru, which was extremely well done. I had expected Jiart to win but let him go for another fight, but didn’t expect his surprise at finding that the humans looked like them. I had assumed that the Wulgaru knew more about the humans than the humans knew about them, but that clearly is not the case. Perhaps the Wulgaru actually are humans, descended from some ancient tribe uplifted by aliens as footsoldiers or something? That would explain the similar yet slightly different looks, the primitive tribal/hunter-gatherer culture combined with mysterious advanced technology, and Jiart’s reaction to seeing Izuru. Would be a nice twist for both species to find that they aren’t so different after all…
Anyone else notice Izuru’s callsign “red 5” is the same as another young hero’s from a certain beloved Sci-fi franchise?
epic episode!!! 😀
Really nice ep. There definitely needs to be more Asagi and Izuru bro moments, maybe a hardcore two on two action fight scene since they both are good at close combat with some of the main wulgaru cast.
But yeah good to see that asagi can get things done when it counts and be a tactician of sorts and that Isuru continues to grow as a leader placing trust his comrades. I also like that doberman team is working well with the 5, it’s not (well not yet) just 5 mechas takes on everything alone like the more one man army gundam series. I really hope they keep the main 5 improving and going forward but also keeping the army and support cast relevant.
Plus protein power up was hilarious. Kei is so cute when serious, and tamaki having extreme faith in her comrades and charging in head on is very Admirable (she has the qualities to definitely have a GAR moment that could save her comrades in later episodes, maybe if a doberman bites the dust as a trigger).
Asagi was definitely the main highlight of the episode as he gets to show his skills as an effective leader.
MJP is fast becoming my favourite series of the season.
Not only does MJP have epic space battles,it also has likeable characters and genuinely funny comedic moments. Also love how MJP feels like an old school mecha show that doesn’t take itself to seriously(yet).
So far no other show this season has come close to being as enjoyable as MJP and it breaks my heart to see Shingeki no Kyojin get all the attention. This show definitely needs more love.
This episode left me amazed and wanting more. But I’ll have to wait patiently for the next match and enjoy our characters after this intense battle in the next episode.
I got what I was looking for action from the Red5 and Izuru. I left without improvement Rose3 and Tamaki. Suruga impressed me in his handling of Gold4 and extensive new weapons. And at last we saw Asagi capacity as second in command and his ability with Blue1. Kei showed how capable it is to guide the team. in short, THE “TEAM RABBITS” SHOWED THEIR VALUE AND POTENTIAL AS A TRUE TEAM. XD
For a love triangle we first need Izuru and the other members of Zannen5 more as characters develop and grow their relationships, otherwise will be forced and this anime does not deserve that. To do something well takes time and a good pace, this episode was great by the previous episodes, without them it would not be the same emotion.
Go ahead Sheishun, the fun is just beginning XD
This was awesome. Favorite series of the season so far.
I don’t think you’re imagining the potential love triangle. I’ve considered that Kei may have a thing or developing one for Izuru for a couple episodes now with little things like how she seemed more mad about him watching that porno than the others. I’d sort of prefer not to have a love triangle, but if it happens it happens.
I’ve also got this idea that Asagi might have a thing for Kei. Of course, the only basis for the idea I’ve got is that whenever Kei would excuse herself from the group he would as well and tag along with her.
I’m quite curious about Theoria and learning what sort of person she is as well as what her relationship with Izuru as well as the rest of the team will be.
Asagi proved quite the capable leader in Izuru’s place. I’m not entirely sure there’s going to be some conflict about who the leader should really be or not though. It could simply evolve into both being comfortable where they are with Asagi being the trusted second.
Watching this after Valvrave this week can be daunting: While Valvrave was an emotional episode this week, MJP upped the action with stunning visual effects and impossibly cool moves. Fail Five? Nope. The guys clearly showed their skills.
10/10 fast-paced action.
This episode was beast. Hope they can come close to this level of action in future episodes.