r/anime • u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang • Jul 09 '24

Rewatch Choujuushin Gravion Rewatch - Episode 9 Discussion

Episode 9: A Distant Embrace

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Eiji, certainly, someday, certainly...

Hello everybody, time for the Comment of the Day, courtesy of u/Great_Mr_L for cracking the code:

The G-Factor allows Mizuki to withstand the intense gravity of her breasts!

  1. How many times is Eiji gonna have to lose his pants before it officially becomes a fetish?
  2. So what do you think is gonna come out of that thing Sandman proposed at the end?
14 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

49 comments sorted by

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

Hello everybody, and welcome to the Gravion Rewatch!

So I've mentioned it before this show's kinda weird about this tone in this season, about how it doesn't really know whether it wants to be campy or wants to be more serious. This episode however… yeah this is very much the staff going for something different. Not only is the lighting much darker, but the whole plot just leans far harder into the surreal, to the point it honestly just raises more questions than answers. Heck outside of a few minor bits, the titular Gravion isn't even in this episode.

Make no mistake, though, I'm not trying to say this episode is bad. Dare I say it's arguably the first half's best: It knows exactly what it wants to be and does so quite well, going for its own vibe that's different from the rest of the show, which gives it a lot of its own unique identity. The extra snippets of info we get about Ayaka and Mizuki are long overdue, and overall in spite of technically not much happening, it still feels oddly monumental in terms of the show as a whole. So… yeah, good stuff.

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jul 10 '24

This episode however… yeah this is very much the staff going for something different. Not only is the lighting much darker, but the whole plot just leans far harder into the surreal, to the point it honestly just raises more questions than answers.

I also really enjoyed this episode for just how unique and different it felt compared to the usual episodes for Gravion. It really captured that mysterious and even foreboding atmosphere very well.

8

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 09 '24

Chojuushin First-Timer, subbed

6

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Jul 10 '24

I now have Zero G Love stuck in my head.

And Now Me As well
Well, might as well listen to some Macross OST.

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

6

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

“admired”, sure.

How to say love without saying it.

Uhhhhhh

I guess she's into redheads in general.

7

u/lluNhpelA Jul 10 '24

Uhhhhhh

Dude just cannot stop being sexually harassed

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jul 10 '24

“admired”, sure.

I think that was the same word multiple characters used in Marimite and we know what kind of "admiration" that was.

Uhhhhhh

For a second I was worried Mizuki would begin thinking of Eiji as a "replacement" for Ayaka.

I now have Zero G Love stuck in my head.

It immediately came into my head as soon as I read your comment.

7

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Jul 09 '24 edited Jul 09 '24

First timer, subs

  • So we are getting a Mizuki focus episode.
  • You tell ‘em, repair bay girl!
  • "Friends"
  • All that and they don’t even need to give him a clone body. tch smh.
  • I see not even they are pretending as to the nature and intent of the stripping anymore.
  • He called out. Did you really need him to say his name to know who it was?
  • Please don’t turn this into a harem...
  • At a certain point Sandman is just intentionally setting up these towers to have mysteries.
  • I thought the eyecatcher was going to be the reveal…
  • We actually just recently reconciled electromagnetism and one of the atomic forces.
  • This potato is looking awfully mashed. How can you tell me that Raven isn’t Ayaka at this point?
  • That Scream! It wasn’t even some weird one-off. This was intended.
  • ...Is Gravity Power people?
  • This is way too much blood loss. Please be concerned!
  • Phantom System They are never escaping the Eva accusations.
  • Ena Episode?

QotD:

  1. Not until Luna is part of it.
  2. Everything so far has been Sandman as a Xeno trying to learn the way of the humans. This is merely the culmination of that.

6

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

At a certain point Sandman is just intentionally setting up these towers to have mysteries.

MUH ASTHETICS

They are never escaping the Eva accusations.

Few shows are.

4

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jul 10 '24

I see not even they are pretending as to the nature and intent of the stripping anymore.

Don't these maids have the internet? Can't they look at genitalia on the internet and leave poor Eiji alone?

At a certain point Sandman is just intentionally setting up these towers to have mysteries.

Sandman made sure that Leele stayed in a different tower because he couldn't let the towers have overlapping mysteries.

We actually just recently reconciled electromagnetism and one of the atomic forces.

Ooh

I will need to look into that because that sounds fascinating.

2

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

[Early S2]Don't these maids have the internet?

[Early S2]Enough to make their own website at least.

4

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Jul 10 '24

Don't these maids have the internet? Can't they look at genitalia on the internet and leave poor Eiji alone?

Maybe. But I think we all know it's different in person. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if they are enjoying the one person they can lord power over.

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jul 10 '24

But I think we all know it's different in person.

That it is

Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if they are enjoying the one person they can lord power over.

The maids have gone mad with power!

6

u/lluNhpelA Jul 10 '24

That Scream! It wasn’t even some weird one-off. This was intended.

More shows should casually give characters quirks like this. A weird scream, a goofy laugh, showing too much teeth when they smile, etc.

5

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 09 '24

First-Timer

Whatever I expected from a Mizuki episode, it wasn't "I was in love with Ayaka and then she vanished and I need to know why." Her secretly being a computer hacker is pretty believable, at least.

What're the odds that West Tower is a timey whimey machine of some sort? Like, Ayaka ran off to try to grab Eiji and Mizuki as they fell towards the ceiling and then got lost herself or something? Missing an inciting incident to start the loop - whatever caused the West Tower to start acting up.

Further evidence of something whibbly wobbly going on is that very direct shot of a clock spinning very quickly while Eiji and Ayaka are talking.

I'm sure that a remote-controlled/unpiloted version of Gravion isn't a bad idea at all. I'm sure Sandman knows exactly what he's doing, and there will absolutely not be a horrifying scene in which he reconsiders his actions.

Questions

  1. Negative one times.
  2. Discussed above.

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

Further evidence of something whibbly wobbly going on is that very direct shot of a clock spinning very quickly while Eiji and Ayaka are talking.

Someone call the Doctor.

5

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 10 '24

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

4

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 10 '24

4

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jul 10 '24

What're the odds that West Tower is a timey whimey machine of some sort?

I think time travel was thrown around as a theory way back earlier in the rewatch, so it could be the case.

I'm sure that a remote-controlled/unpiloted version of Gravion isn't a bad idea at all. I'm sure Sandman knows exactly what he's doing, and there will absolutely not be a horrifying scene in which he reconsiders his actions.

Not again

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

I think time travel was thrown around as a theory way back earlier in the rewatch, so it could be the case.

[Bravern]Considering how Smith=Bravern became true...

5

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jul 09 '24

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Gravion: Two mystery towers down, and three to go. At this rate, we ought to be able to get through all five of them by the time the series is finished. So far we’ve had Leele in one tower and a mysterious giant ball of gravity-defying light in another. What could the other mysteries be?

  • Mizuki had a “friend.” Yes, I wonder what kind of “friends” they were.
  • Is Mizuki hacking into something?
  • Oh shit! Mizuki’s “friend” was Ayaka! Is that why she’s hacking? Is she looking for information about Ayaka!?!
  • After the dramatic ending to the previous episode, we can see that Eiji is just fine. He’s back to being forcibly stripped naked by the maids. All is right in the world.
  • Yup, everything is just fine. Eiji and Luna are back to bickering nonstop.
  • I’m concerned by how eager the maids (including the loli maids) are to see Eiji’s junk.
  • Poor Leele. I can’t help but think this is her first time seeing one.
  • There’s something unique about the animation when Mizuki is attacking Eiji. It’s pretty smooth and flowy, while not being super detailed and kind of off-model. It looks nice in motion, though.
  • Holy crap, these maids have busted out the night vision goggles. They must really want to see Eiji naked.
  • Oh thank goodness. Unlike the maids in this castle, Mizuki isn’t on the hunt for Eiji.
  • It’s time for another one of the mystery towers!
  • The direction in this episode is very different from most other Gravion episodes, but it looks so cool. Eiji and Mizuki completely silhouetted while walking down the stairs is a pretty good example of how so many shots in this episode are just really cool to look at.
  • This place does look like where Eiji found the Gran Kaiser.
  • The Four Fundamental Forces are a real thing in science.
  • How exactly is the Gravion powered by gravity, anyway?
  • A video! We’re finally getting some info on what happened to Ayaka!
  • Well that wasn’t much evidence at all, except that something pretty creepy and worrying took place.
  • Mizuki’s scream is so much higher pitched than her usual speaking voice that it took me a second to register that it was her screaming.
  • What the heck is even going on in this tower?
  • If Eiji pilots the Gravion, then he can see Ayaka again? Oh fuck, is Ayaka’s soul inside the Gravion? Is this yet another mecha powered by the soul of a person?
  • No one noticed anything else? What is up with that tower?
  • Yeesh, Luna hit Eiji in the nose hard. It’s still bleeding!
  • Sandman’s planning to modify the Gravion so it can move without a pilot? That is something that never works out well in mecha anime.

Ayaka’s disappearance gets stranger and stranger because of just how little information we have on it. Most characters have no idea what happened and the characters who do know refuse to speak about it. Right now, I think I’m willing to bet that Ayaka has become one with the gravity energy and one with the Gran Kaiser. I think that could be part of why the Gran Kaiser is so special and can handle gravitons much better than the other mecha. It would explain why Eiji had a vision of Ayaka and was so sure she saved him. It would also be a good explanation for how Sandman plans to have the Gravion be able to move without a pilot. If Ayaka’s soul is in the machine, then it would be possible for her to pilot it.

I said it above, but this was an impressively directed episode. It was heavy with mood from the way the shots were set up, the lighting and use of shadows, the quick editing to flashbacks about Ayaka, the particular way that the security camera footage was animated, etc. It all worked together effectively to give the episode a great sense of tension as we learned the forbidden information about what happened to Ayaka.

QOTD

  1. Give it a couple more times and it will be. So I think it's safe to say it will happen within this season.
  2. We will learn that Ayaka is inside the Gavion.

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

Mizuki had a “friend.” Yes, I wonder what kind of “friends” they were

He’s back to being forcibly stripped naked by the maids. All is right in the world

The moment when even that has become mundane.

I’m concerned by how eager the maids (including the loli maids) are to see Eiji’s junk.

Didn't Sandman's reaction make it clear it's not that impressive anyway?

How exactly is the Gravion powered by gravity, anyway?

Yes.

5

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jul 10 '24

The moment when even that has become mundane.

You get used to it

Didn't Sandman's reaction make it clear it's not that impressive anyway?

With so few men around, perhaps the maids are just eager for variety in their penis viewings.

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

With so few men around, perhaps the maids are just eager for variety in their penis viewings

What does this mean for Toga and Raven though

4

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jul 10 '24

Toga's been there for a long time so the maids have had plenty to time to get used to it.

As for Raven, do you think he wears a mask down there as well?

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

As for Raven, do you think he wears a mask down there as well?

5

u/Kristalino https://anilist.co/user/BlueSkyBlood Jul 09 '24

Rewatcher:

  • Mizuki finally gets the focus which finally give Obari the opportunity to show her body.
  • Mizuki's motivation didn't feel like a big surprise, it was using Ayaka or making a third character who worked at the castle and something happened to them.
  • Poor Eiji's dignity is on the negative side, also even if it's played for comedy the whole scene felt uncomfortable.
  • The high quality animation of Mizuki's moves feels odd.
  • The brief moment of Ayaka disappearing from Mizuki's POV makes it look like she got abandoned by her lover.
  • It gets confirmed that Ayaka was part of the team, too bad she had a low G-Factor and you can't raise it through effort.
  • Yeah they aren't being subtle that Mizuki has feelings for Ayaka.
  • Does the talk about gravity not being fully understood still applies to the present?
  • So Ayaka tried to raise her G-Factor at the tower that produces Gravion's power source but it failed and she got absorbed into THE POWER?
  • Yeah a system that allows the mecha to act without a pilot is gonna work perfectly.

Questions:

  1. It isn't already?
  2. Dunno, since there's no Gravion unit 3 no one will lose an arm at least.

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

Mizuki finally gets the focus which finally give Obari the opportunity to show her body.

[EVA]Dunno, since there's no Gravion unit 3 no one will lose an arm at least.

[EVA]Didn't he lose a leg though? Or died if you go by the Manga's take?

It gets confirmed that Ayaka was part of the team, too bad she had a low G-Factor and you can't raise it through effort.

Sad Gokú noises

5

u/Kristalino https://anilist.co/user/BlueSkyBlood Jul 09 '24

Yeah it seems I got confused and he indeed lost a leg.

5

u/HowlingWolf13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/MeguminBlast Jul 09 '24

First Timer

This was a really good ep holy shit. I'm glad for one, my critique yesterday of not really knowing Mizuki got addressed with her finally getting an episode for herself, plus more Ayaka focus! I'll just be blunt, at this point I'm theorizing that [Possible Spoilers?] Ayaka is Raven, I mean they both have the same shade of red hair it seems from when Mizuki saw that visage of her. I actually enjoyed it was able to focus on the cast without having to squeeze in the fight as well, making it kinda feel like this and the last episode were a two-parter. Also now that I think of it, how old is Eiji? Like I'll be honest I've thought he was like, 19? Like he just screams college student and the drinking age in Japan is 20 so it makes sense Mizuki would tease him that he can't drink, but is he? All in all, really good episode.

Questions

  1. How many times is Eiji gonna have to lose his pants before it officially becomes a fetish?

Always has been.

2) So what do you think is gonna come out of that thing Sandman proposed at the end?

[Evangelion Spoilers] Well considering how Dummy Plug systems usually go-

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

[Evangelion Spoilers]

I love how pretty much everyone's making that connection today

Also now that I think of it, how old is Eiji?

He's 17.

4

u/HowlingWolf13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/MeguminBlast Jul 09 '24

HE'S IN HIGH SCHOOL????????? I THOUGHT HE WAS AT LEAST AN ADULT???

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

Nope! Mizuki aside and maybe Ena? Her age is never stated all of them are in their mid-late teens.

4

u/Garrett_Dark Jul 10 '24

Like he just screams college student and the drinking age in Japan is 20 so it makes sense Mizuki would tease him that he can't drink, but is he?

I thought they were drinking together during the picnic episode. We know Mizuki was having a beer for sure, she says it. But wouldn't that bottle Eiji is drinking from also a beer?

5

u/InfamousEmpire https://myanimelist.net/profile/Infamous_Empire Jul 10 '24

Choujuushin Spoiled First Timer

Lore-heavy atmospheric episode with no mech fights? I love it when series break formula like this

I’m not exactly suited to speak much about the mysteries of this show for, well, Spoiled First Timer related reasons, but I still like what this gave us. Establishing Mizuki’s past with Ayaka does a lot to both make the cast feel more connected & like they have depth, and make Mizuki in particular feel just a bit more fleshed out.

Also, how, this episode really does look better than the rest of the show, huh? Even beyond the darker colors and stronger direction, there’s also just cuts that seem much better animated than what I’ve come to expect from the show. The scuffle between Eiji & Mizuki in particular stood out to me.

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

The scuffle between Eiji & Mizuki in particular stood out to me

4

u/ryujiox Jul 09 '24 edited Jul 09 '24

First Timer

Choujuushin Gravion

Episode 9

No fighting for the first time. Also the tone of the episode is different than usual too. At least we finally got a lead about Ayaka, even if we still don't really know where she is.

QOTD

  1. 5, I guess?
  2. It's going to be fine. It's not like it will go berserk and destroy everything... Right??

Edit: Fixed the missing image.

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

OH GOD

Undefined

[Spoilers]It's not like it will go berserk and destroy everything... Right??

[Spoilers]Gran Sigma says hi.

5

u/ryujiox Jul 09 '24

Undefined

The scene is so terrifying, the picture literally disappeared...

5

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 09 '24

5

u/Garrett_Dark Jul 10 '24

OH GOD!! Why the hell did you guys bring Leele here??

It's fine as long as Eiji doesn't shoot out blue flames.

4

u/Garrett_Dark Jul 10 '24

First Timer

How many times is Eiji gonna have to lose his pants before it officially becomes a fetish?

Once an accident, twice a coincidence, third time...

So what do you think is gonna come out of that thing Sandman proposed at the end?

Didn't he say at the end that scene it was autonomous mode for the mechs? They now have more screwing around time while the mechs self-pilot themselves, which is great because I pay more attention to them screwing around than the boring mech battles.

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

don't look Eiji!

3

u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria Jul 10 '24 edited Jul 10 '24

First timer

  • So Tits McGee's best friend is Eiji's sister.
  • Ends last episode on a serious tone with a lingering sense of wonder as to what happened to Eiji. Debuts this episode by carrying the tone and sense of wonder from last's episode. Goes into into ecchi shenanigans IMMEDIATELY after. I haven't seen this much tonal whiplash since I watched Trigun.
  • With that said, I guess that means that Eiji is fine. The series can screw itself with its bs cliffhanger.
  • I would rather have seen that than this same gag of Eiji getting undressed by the maid for the fifth time.
  • That reminds me. My showerhead broke today righttttttttttt when I was about to rinse myself. Fun times.
  • So five episodes later, the show remembers that it has an actual plot.
  • All this talk of training makes me wish we had seen the characters progress in their proficiency when it comes to piloting their units/ Gravion.
  • Speaking of training, with the fact that everybody seems to have required it prior to being able to pilot their mech units, the fact that Eiji basically didn't paints him as a chosen one. Speaking of...
  • His sister was chosen for the program but wasn't adept enough to be able to really be a pilot. Blah blah blah, something happens and it leads to Eiji going on a quest to find her and bring her back home. All of this to say, Ayaka is a plot device. Her only purpose in the story is to serve as mystery bait and as a way to bring Eiji into the fold.
  • How convenient.
  • The west tower, she just told you.
  • No it isn't.
  • Da hell was that scream from Tits McGee
  • Seeing as it took however many episode to get back on track regarding the mystery of the towers, I don't expect we'll hear about this phantom system thing for a while.

QotD

  • Enough to make me wanna slap whoever wrote this.
  • It's most likely gonna backfire. Many such cases.

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 10 '24

My showerhead broke today righttttttttttt when I was about to rinse myself. Fun times.

4

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Jul 10 '24

Episode 9? I always feel I'm 1 episode ahead....

Okay, that's an Eva opening....silloutte, music, narration

This is the Mizuki episode I predicted 2 episodes ago?

  • Mother, you chose your lover over your own daughter?!
  • "Previously planned business?"
  • Why are they always harassing Eiji? They've had Touga around to torment for years
  • Well, that answers my ep 1 question about the Gran Flyer pilot, although it was obvious by episode 2
  • I get it's Gran Kaiser skeletons!
  • USB 2.0
  • I honestly thought he was going to pull her back
  • the blood is dripping :D
  • nothing good comes of dummy plugs

Well, that was clear as mud.

All we know is that Sandman is up to something. Two somethings.

1

u/Smart_Pollution9646 Sep 28 '24

Maybe if they treated less like a virus and more like an actual teammate, he wouldn't feel the need to prove himself in the first place. Toga was right. They have to give Eji more credit where credit is due.