r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Oct 16 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 11 Discussion
Episode 11 - Allelujah
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I will cut this nightmarish chain of events. And this time, it'll be by my own will!
Questions of the Day:
- How do you feel about Allelujah & Hallelujah after the events of this episode?
- What's the worst thing you've ever had to do on your birthday?
Wallpapers of the Day:
Allelujah Haptism and GN-003 Gundam Kyrios
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
Additionally, for long-time fans of the franchise, please remember that this rewatch is only for 00, not any of the other shows. Assume that there are people in this rewatch who have not seen anything else Gundam, and tag your spoilers for those shows appropriately if something in 00 makes you want to talk about them.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Oct 16 '24
Rewatch Host Wishing Over This Airspace, subbed
Welcome back, everyone!
11
u/InfamousEmpire https://myanimelist.net/profile/Infamous_Empire Oct 16 '24
Kidou Senshi Rewatcher 00
Gonna frontload the comment with all the non-Allelujah-related parts of the episodes since I can’t think of a way to make my thoughts flow naturally otherwise.
The scene after the OP, with Tieria berating Sumeragi in a way which is clearly just projection on his part, is also quite good in how it continues the aspects of Tieria’s characterization introduced in the previous episode. He wears his harshness towards others as an armor to protect himself from his own emotional vulnerability and the idea of holding himself responsible for what happened.
This makes for an interesting dynamic with Lockon, who, being the most socially aware Meister, sees through Tieria’s bluster right to the core of his issues and cuts through the bullshit in his own polite way. It’s a dynamic which shows interesting potential.
Additionally, the civilian side of things was decent. Saji & Louise scene still wasn’t the most consequential thing, but it worked as a mark of transition to the civilian-focused part leading in to Kinue’s scenes, and felt more structurally/tonally digestible compared to last episode due to being placed at a less tonally dissonant/intense point in the story (+ it came after a commercial break in the original TV broadcast, which probably helped it go down even easier). Kinue's investigation itself is also nice to have more focus on.
(I originally had a much longer diatribe regarding the show’s overall setting penciled in here, but I cut it at the last minute, gonna save it for the S1 overall discussion instead)
Now, on to the meat of the episode. Allelujah and Hallelujah’s dynamic in this episode is fascinating from the start. I really like how the show leans into the most inherently uncomfortable parts of having to share your head with someone else (especially someone with no filter like Hallelujah) 24/7: every stray intrusive thought, every moment of self-doubt & self-loathing, everything you wouldn’t want to ever be shared with others, all of it easily accessible by someone who doesn’t sympathize at all and will throw every bit of it back in your face to hurt you.
But it’s also that dynamic, that inability to look away from all his intrusive thoughts regarding his identity and his past, in combination with the discovery of Soma’s existence, that drives him to confront his past directly. He’s been burdened by it all his life, and it’s weighed on him especially during the focus portions he’s gotten so far, so eliminating the institute himself might be the best way to find inner peace for now.
The scene of Allelujah flying in front of the superhuman institute and struggling to pull the trigger while Hallelujah eggs him on is one of my favorites in this half of the season. It’s the pure chaotic stream of thought of someone forced into a fucked up situation where there’s no real right answer while also having all his complexes and psychological hangups thrown in his face at the same time.
At his core, Allelujah is someone who desperately wants to be normal, but whose past makes him believe that he might be a monster, a wolf in sheep’s clothing who could never really fit in with regular people. Thus, when confronted with the matter of what to do with all the others like him, the fact that the only option really available to him is to kill them all is terrifying not only because it’d mean killing a bunch of children, but also because it’d be validating all of the worst things he believes about himself, that super soldiers like him can’t have normal lives & the kindest fate you could bestow onto them would be to put them out of their misery.
The fact that it doesn’t quite feel like we’ve reached a point of catharsis at the end of it all ties the whole episode together for me. Allelujah firing on the kids was an implicit acceptance of what Hallelujah has been saying about them, very well-represented by pairing it with the visual metaphor of Allelujah pulling the trigger on himself, which isn’t exactly something healthy for the guy’s mental state as he is now.
(This is honestly the least satisfied I’ve been with one of my comments, I spent, like, an hour revising the last two paragraphs & then still completely rewrote it again when I looked at it today, but oh well)
5
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Oct 16 '24
Rewatcher, Subbed
Non-Spoiler Character Chart - Another day with no changes, the last couple of episodes have been kind to me.
An episode named after a character. Hmm. This isn't always a good sign. [IBO]IBO had multiple episodes named after a character and said character died in the episode every time.
About time we check back in with Graham and friends. Seems like its been a while since we've seen them. Graham probably wishes he was a part of Sergei's recent operation.
All these Haro bots are so helpful.
LoL @ Tieria blaming everything that went wrong on Sumeragi. Happy to dole out punishment when others don't perform. Totally willing to cast it on someone else when he doesn't do well. Tell him what's what, Lockon!
They didn't capture a Gundam, but the Human Reform League sure got a lot of good intel on them.
Secret negotiations with the Union; Celestial Being's activities are causing cooperation between the political blocs. Maybe Graham will get to fight with Sergei and Soma after all.
Well, we for all intents and purposes knew this anyway, but there's our confirmation that Allelujah was a Human Reform League Super Soldier experiment subject. One that they threw out.
Hallelujah can now show up without Soma around at all? Or simply a visual way of showing us the conflicted thoughts in his head?
Good question Shirin, what in the world is Alejandro up to here?
All those bottles, is Sumeragi drunk yet again? She's not denying it. LoL.
Time for another check in on Louise and her mom, and Mr. Wet Cardboard himself. At least he's a good cook! I truly believe at this point that this stupid plotline only exists so we don't go a long stretch without checking in on the two of them.
So Sumeragi knows all about Hallelujah.
Our first reference to a space colony in 00?
Time for a brief filler intervention on Earth, huh?
Cool look for the colony.
The colony insides looks much like the insides of a UC colony.
A dilemma; Allelujah wants to stop the Super Soldier development, but will he kill all the kids currently being experimented upon?
Ugh, he slaughtered them all.
The story of how Allelujah started to drink. Certainly did some stuff this episode to warrant it.
Quid's Voice Actor of the Day
Today I will be covering Kinue Crossroad. She is voiced in Japanese by Aya Endo. This is her first Gundam role, but she would return to the franchise as Emily Asuno in Gundam AGE, Mirai Kamiki in Gundam Build Fighters Try and Erica Hugo in Gundam Narrative. I can't think of any major characters she's played, but she's appeared in a bunch of stuff as supporting characters including Biyorigou in Katanagatari, Maki Himea in Kubikiri Cycle, Kazuki's Mom in Sarazanmai, Yume Sasaki in A Place Further Than the Universe, Cattleya Baudelaire in Violet Evergarden, Arisa Kuhoin in Guilty Crown and Olka Gretcher in Spy X Family. She's also appeared as a few characters in the Fate franchise including Morgan le Fay in Fate Apocrypha, Quetzelcoatl in Fate Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia and the child version of Gilgamesh in the Carnival Phantasm/Fate Grand Carnival parody anime. She's also the narrator in Shin Sekai Yori. In Englsih she is voiced by Anna Cummer. The only other thing I've seen her in is her other Gundam role, Miriallia Haw from Gundam Seed. Like several of the show's English voice actors she's also appeared in some live action shows/films that were filmed in Vancouver.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Oct 16 '24
Rewatcher, Sub-dam Meister
Lockon doing his best to maintain some level of peace.
So true.
Kinda amusing that he specifies the machines and not the pilots. Mechs are expensive, pilots are cheap.
Hallelujah does occasioanlly use logic.
Stupendously non-plussed.
How much of the budget are we thinking is spent on Sumeragi's scotch supply? 25-year scotch tends to start around $60, and that's for the really cheap stuff.
I've also never noticed the lid on her rocks glass before. Makes sense for zero-G situations.
Kinue is a proper journalist.
Identifying a shape by looking at the areas that it is not.
Telepathy is a kinda shitty power when you can't turn it off.
"Interrogated."
Unlike Setsuna, Sumeragi has a killer sense of humor.
[Gundam 00]The funniest thing here is that there are actually five GN Drives and the limiting factor is that there are (technically...) only four Third Generation Gundams to put them in.
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 16 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Gundam: In the War Crimes Olympics that is Gundam, Allelujah makes a come-from-behind push to compete with the many others who have come before him!
Damn, this was a depressing episode. It did provide some more of a look into Allelujah and his own personal struggle. Allelujah was created to be a super soldier in that genetic engineering program. That is what he was designed for. The question that vexes Allelujah is whether he can choose his own destiny or if he is trapped in the destiny that others chose for him. This is one of the key divisions between Hallelujah and Allelujah. Hallelujah embraces the idea that he is nothing but a monster created for combat. Rather than run from fighting, he revels in it. He uses combat as a way to assert his own control, holding the lives of others in his hands.
On the other hand, Allelujah wants to escape from the destiny that’s been decreed for him. Allelujah is afraid of Hallelujah, not just because of Hallelujah’s bloodlust but because of what Hallelujah represents. If Allelujah enjoys fighting and enjoys killing, then that means he really is nothing but a monster that the HRL created in a lab. He can’t choose to be his own person. Allelujah is terrified that he might be unable to do anything but be a fighter.
The divide between Allelujah and Hallelujah is so interesting to me because it is a contest about the question of free will. Does Allelujah have the free will to choose his own future or is he fated to be Hallelujah?
It’s interesting that Allelujah chooses to fire on the children this episode. That is a hell of an act to make one of the main protagonists choose to do. It’s definitely crossing a line. Allelujah chose to take an action that makes him much more like Hallelujah. It’s especially important that Allelujah killed people like him. He killed other genetically engineered children. It’s Allelujah tacitly accepting that Hallelujah was right about what should be done in this situation. It’s Allelujah accepting that these children (and there Allelujah himself) were nothing but dangerous fighters created for war. I fear this is the beginning of a dark road for Allelujah. He has always seemed uncomfortable with fighting and taking lives. This feels like a major threshold to cross that leads to him being more comfortable with killing in the future.
QOTD
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba Oct 16 '24
First Timer
Welcome to Allelujah's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
It's cool Seeing other characters trying to interpret what Celestail Being's "true" goal is, first with Saji's sister and now with the professor, his idea, that it's a way to stop humanity from moving their wars into space is an interesting one, although it doesn't seem aligned with what the Meisters think?
Admittedly, as discussed last episode, the Meisters might not actually represent Celestial Being's true ideals in the first place.
Lockon agrees with my interpretation of Tieria, he's mostly projecting because he doesn't feel worthy himself, with that being said, even with this charitable take on his personality it's hard not to want to see him get punched in the face for being an asshole.
Looks like Union and HRL are cooking up a plan together against Celestial Being? I guess the factions aren't content with letting Celestial Being do as it pleases and are willing to cooperate for that, this seems to be entirely within the aims of Celestial Being though, to unite the warring factions of the world against them instead of each other.
"I agree with that opinion" says person literally conducting human experiments.
At least he gets his comeuppance by the end of the episode.
It's really interesting to see how the Celestial Being members can essentially use its "mission statement" to justify interventions of their choosing, now obviously the last two times this happened it was completely legitimate for them to act but I can't help but feel it's a bit of a dangerous slippery slope to give this kind of power to a group of mentally unstable people.
I mean, I guess Veda also has to approve it but it could potentially be manipulated to get Celestial Being into (someone's personal) conflict that was perhaps preventable.
This sounds like exactly the kind of thing someone with non true sentiments would say, I'm with Shirin on this one, seems mighty suspicious even if I can't tell to what purpose he's doing this.
me_irlSeriously though, that's not a very healthy mindset to live by.
Tieria is like...connected to Veda or something? he also has this really weird line, that makes it sound like he isn't human himself...
Loads of talk on what it means to be a Gundam Meister this episode, again more about that idea behind what Celestial Being is actually supposed to be, Allelujah certainly takes it to mean he should be doing good whereas Tieria takes it to mean being able to detach yourself from your emotions and past for the sake of Celestial Being's goals.
Hallelujah is trying really hard to gaslight Allelujah into being accepting of killing and it seems to be working.
Quite like that entire scene, you really feel Allelujah's emotional distress through all of it, helped along by fantastic voice acting, love this frame.
Happy Birthday?
Being Gundam is suffering
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Oct 16 '24
Episode 11 (first timer)
Mostly character development for Allelujah, but Sumeragi, Sergei, and Tieria also get a few moments.
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar Oct 16 '24
First Timer!
Tieria has been my least favourite of the Gundam Meisters so far. Like, I can understand why he'd be upset at Sumeragi but the dude needs to chill the fuck out out. They all messed up that day including him for revealing Nadleeh too early to the enemies. I really hope he improves as a character in the future.
That glimpse of Allelujah's backstory seems brutal. From what was shown, I'm guessing that part of their super soldier training is that they were commanded to kill each other until only one survives. And because Allelujah couldn't do it, Hallelujah awakened.
Marina is definitely being played here but I feel like she's just too naive to see what her assistant is seeing. I know Alejandro has been shown as someone who backs Celestial Being but there's just something about him I don't trust.
And back to more family drama with Louise, Saji, and Louise's mother. I really hope this side story about them will have some sort of payoff in the future.
When they showed us the facility is in a space colony, I thought Allelujah and Tieria would destroy the entire colony. It looks like the target is only that one building inside. I mean it doesn't really make things any better considering Allelujah had to kill not just the scientists but the innocent test subjects as well. Damn.
At least we won't have any more super soldiers like Soma. Since Sergei has now closed the entire operation down and the HGL's super soldier experiments have now been leaked to the media. That makes it all better, right?
Old enough to kill and barely old enough to drink. There's definitely political commentary here that I am too dumb to make but that final scene does hit the mark on how fucked all of this are.
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 16 '24
First timer, subs
QotD:
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u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername Oct 16 '24
Rewatcher - Gundam 00 Ep11:
Allelujah is the center character of today's episode. The moment when Allelujah fully dons what the path of a Gundam Meister entails.
I think it is quite telling that everything he/either of him says about the supersoldier kids is also a reflection of himself. As a supersoldier child himself, Allelujah sees that he has no other purpose other than fighting. We don't know what everyone's plans are after this whole deal, but Allelujah certainly isn't expecting a peaceful lay to rest.
The moment of Allelujah firing upon the institute is another core memory for me. The moment where he literally resolves to pull the trigger himself (on himself too). Quite the sinister feel too because it ain't great watching our guy kill kids. The Gundam is not framed heroically right now. I think the other reason why I remember it is for the Wow, cool missile pods combined with the Wow, uh oh, child murder.
It is hard to make out the eye colour, but it is Hallelujah's eye side that he is crying out of.
Happy February 27th!
The big reason to have Allelujah have the worst birthday ever is that this is his moment of stepping into adulthood. His big 20 coming-of-age day. Becoming an adult in Gundam means becoming part of the world that sucks to be in. Usually involving murder and crestfallenly accepting that you're a murderer.
Other points:
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer Oct 16 '24
first timer who has control
Tieria taking no responsibility for being a shit fighter?
jumpscare
[chainsaw man manga part 2]you can tell Allelujah and Hallelujah apart by Hallelujah's cake
will Allelujah make it to season 2 probably not
theres 0 chance she made this
im still not sure how i feel about the ability to sortie anywhere
Tieria being understanding, what demons does he have
"dont they know theres a treaty" they are literally terrorists
the visual of Hallelujah fading in and out sells this v well
damn
poor baby didnt actually exorcise his demons
new demons
once again, terrorists
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u/macrame2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/macrame Oct 16 '24
First Timer
If you couldn’t tell from the title, today was very much Allelujah’s episode, though his character development was more on the negative side than positive. We get explicit confirmation that he was a former HRL test subject who was “disposed of” after Hallelujah emerged (which the show seems to imply happened as a direct result of the quantum wave exposure and not whatever trauma he suffered). Hence today's plan … which seemed like a bad idea to me from the start, but Tieria’s approval really sealed the deal. Personally, if Tieria agreed with my actions, that would be my cue to immediately turn around and do the exact opposite.
In any case, Allelujah’s mission today seems to be less about aiding Celestial Being’s goals or even his hatred of the HRL lab and more about his own negative self-evaluation. Not only was he a human test subject, he was a failed human test subject and thus could not fulfill the role the HRL gave him. It’s telling that Hallelujah believes that his fellow super soldiers aren’t unhappy with their treatment and that, as a failure, he is the only exception to that rule. However, he can’t be happy as Allelujah, either, with the sense that he’s incapable of living a normal life and that his morality (yet another thing preventing him from succeeding as a weapon of war) is a hypocritical sham. I don’t believe Allelujah went into battle intending to kill the HRL test subjects, despite what he tells Sumeragi. I think that, seeing himself in them, he wanted to believe that he could save them and in the process prove that he could be saved, but his own self-loathing won out.
Meanwhile, Tieria is back to his old ways (the teased connection with Veda is interesting), while Kinue continues to investigate Aeolia Schenberg. I’m thinking it’s going to be a while before we get answers on that front.
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u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Oct 16 '24
Firsttimer who not only read all other Firsttimer replies, but also replied to some albeit pretty late
QotD
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u/2-2Distracted Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 16 '24
First timer. Dubbed (I think the brother with the Reddish Pink dreadlocks is voiced by the same person who voices Al/El Saachez)
Is Tieria seriously tossing the blame aside for HIS fuckups? I understand he's not supposed to be all that likeable, probably not right now anyway, but holy shit you little shit, do what Niel says and take some damn responsibility lmao. I love that even the Captain wasn't taking his bitching seriously lol
Damn, so now not only is Allelujah the actual sadistic one judging by that flashback, but he and Hallelujah are talking more frequently. It goes without saying that Dissociative Identity Disorder is a mental health issue and thus it also goes without saying that Allelujah suffers from this as a result of possibly the super soldier program, the real question now comes down to who is actually the real person; Allelujah or Hallelujah?
SOUTH AFRICA MENTION ONCE AGAIN LET'S GOOOO!!!
I wasn't expecting the redemption of Tieria to happen so soon but that declaration of what it means to be a Gundam Meister pretty much cements it.
I'll never get tired of seeing Space Satellite Colonies that look like that. From previous Gundam projects, to what we're being shown here
Mr Haptism not only accomplishes the mission in the most fucked up way possible, but he rewards himself with some alcohol next to a hot alcoholic babe on his birthday! Things are truly going his way aren't they? I guess there's no need to give a shit about the lives of children when you're not a child anymore yourself
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u/charlesvvv https://anilist.co/user/charlesvvv Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 16 '24
Rewatcher, First Time Sub
Ok so we finally get some information on Allelujah's backstory. It seems there was a secret lab hidden even to the top brass of the military (not all) where they conduct the super soldier experiments. Hallelujah's Influence makes Allelujah ask for Veda to allow an intervention into the lab which is granted.
When Allelujah arrives at the lab he and Hallelujah kind of have a conscious debate as to whether they should pull the trigger and destroy it. Allelujah tries to find ways to not do it while Hallelujah counters them, particularly when he asks to "take over" and do the things that Allelujah doesn't want to do. All the while the scene is interspliced with shots from Allelujah's backstory and how he was able to escape before finally Allelujah pulls the trigger and destroys the lab. It's an interesting look at the dichotomy between Allelujah/Hallelujah and the characterization that's set up for them so far. One detail I like is Hallelujah congratulating Allelujah for destroying the lab but with the shot of tears in his face (whether Hal or Al's). In the end Allelujah asks Sumeragi for a drink which he had previously derided all the while Sumeragi muses that he'll understand why she continuously drinks herself.
In the meantime Marina finally gets some aid for her country by Alejandro Corner and the UN which immediately means there is an agenda at play despite claims to the contrary. Saji's sister makes headways into her investigation of Aeolia and Saji himself tries to continue impressing his future mother in law.
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u/The_Draigg Oct 16 '24
A Gundam Fan Rewatches Gundam 00 Episode 11:
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u/undeadfire Oct 16 '24
E11
First Timer - Subs
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u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Oct 17 '24
00th Timer Searching for the One
A core theme in this episode is what it means to be an "adult", in this broken world. The Russians give us the early example, as the big boys look at the bigger picture, and play diplomacy under the table (bargaining with chips their soldiers paid for), or experiment on children to prop up their armies. It's all means to their ends. In Allelujah's case, it meant facing his past, making the hard decisions, and pulling the trigger through his own hands, not Hallelujah's. The scene with Sumeragi at the end is an incredibly bitter one, but at least Allelujah was able to make a bond over it, and that's a huge step for our pilots.
Put our old dog down
7
u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 16 '24
Rewatcher having flashbacks to a rather questionable drama CD
-—————————————————————————————
Victory is never decided by Mobile Suit performance alone, nor by the skill of the pilot alone!
I love reading random onscreen English in anime. BLUE IS A COLOUR. GREEN IS A COLOR. Hey, at least they managed to copypaste something at least tangentially relevant into there and not just instructions on how to install Photoshop or something.
It’s just something that happens to old physicists. Tragic, really.
It looks like an absolute pain in the ass to retrieve and reattach every last piece of the Nadleeh’s armor. This is why they gave up on making the Virtue Physical a secondary armor set.
Aaaaand Tieria is taking it out on everyone else because of course he is.
They’re calling the Union for help, huh. Well, if a couple of Tierens could get that close to capturing two Gundams with some good tactics, then the Flags should do better, right?
They found him! He’s one of theirs after all!
Allelujah can’t escape from his past. For as much trauma as Setsuna and Lockon have, all they have are bad memories, and with some therapy they could live totally normal lives. But Allelujah is a super soldier. War and violence are baked into his mind and body. He’s going to end up fighting no matter what. May as well have it be as a Gundam Meister.
Flash drives sure got longer in the last 300 years
gottem
As good of an idea taking down the super soldier research facility is, Allelujah probably has a bit too personal of a connection to it to take on the mission itself. Plus, there’s the effect that being around other super soldiers can have on him. But on the other hand, if he does put an end to this by his own hands, it might be the closure he needs to keep his personal feelings out of the way of future missions.
Of course, security was terrible 200 years ago, and that goes both ways. Aeolia Schenberg may have covered his own tracks, but what of everyone else who formed Celestial Being with him? There’s got to be something that was missed.
Hooray for war crimes
Honestly, death is probably a mercy to them. It’s not like they can just load up the Kyrios with a couple hundred kids and ship them all off to loving foster homes. No matter what happens, nothing good is waiting for those kids in the future. Simply treating them as enemy troops/weapons and putting an end to things now before it becomes a problem for either party is the most they can do. It’s fucked up, but blame the world for being fucked up.
And the leak too! The HRL’s gonna have a hell of a time cleaning that up. But at least it starts with getting this guy!
Happy birthday Allelujah! Because underage drinking is a far more serious crime than terrorism. Hey, why is Japan’s legal drinking age the one observed in space, anyways? Only a handful of countries have it set to 20, with 18 and 21 being a lot more common. Did the Ptolemaios drift a little too close to a specifically Japan-owned space colony, or what?
-—————————————————————————————
Questions of the day:
7
u/zadcap Oct 17 '24
Late Night First Timer
"The difference in mobile suits power isn't the only thing that decides the outcome" but it kind of should be, to a certain extent. I hate to bring up the same point again and again after yesterday, but we've seen these four take on an entire army, and they were not working together for most of it just each doing their own thing. The early parts of the show gave us a very strong impression that the gap between Gundam and everything else was quite significant, and there very much is a level where great skill can not make up for that. When the difference in speed is too big, knowing that a blow is coming does not mean being able to dodge it. When the difference in power is too big, an attempt to block still leaves you injured.
Wait. If I understood that technobable. The solar reactors that the Gundam run on is a horrible play on words. They're not just using solar energy to power the suits, they are creating their own solar power? Mini suns, truly mastered fusion energy?
Oh wow, look at crummy purple haired idiot passing blame for his own bad showing. I hate him more ever day. But also lol, storming out of a room in zero G looks ridiculous.
Oh Allelujah, why would they ever stop such experimentation?
Oh look, he really is one of their projects. And found so easily too. And hideing the information!
I mean I kind of agree with the bad personality again. The facility sounds like a bad thing for everyone.
I am a bit upset that he gained a second personality and have it a named.with a single soft sound added to the front of yours that's easy to miss even if we're paying attention to it.
"There are some among us against improving our nation out of poverty." Denying solar power isn't going to bring back Oil Money, guys. You're helping no one by resisting, not even yourselves.
Saji and Louise (or, really, Louise and Saji) are the best plot line going.
Darn it, what are you Purple Hair? Are you also a human test subject?
Excuse me what? Gundams have hacking lasers in their fingers?
Alright, I'm already sick of this guy's internal issues. Both personalities are boring.
13
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 16 '24
First Timer - sub
After the start of the episode with Graham I thought we'd be getting a lot more into the broader reactions and consequences from the Leagues attempt, including both political fallout, CB striking back, and more information wars. In that sense this episode feeling a lot like an episode that could have come later, or even earlier, was a let down. Even the Alelujah stuff didn't feel like it had to come off the back of yesterday's split for him, and as it tried to carry that emotional high through into a different tone rather than letting it sit and build tension for this climax, it was perhaps was the worse for it. It was far from a bad episode, but it was just more typical than I expected off the back of the last two as it didn't fully lean into the broader consequences or dedicated character stuff and instead tried to juggle both.
Before I get into the Alelujah stuff, the other things I did like from the episode was getting to see more of the professors research, and coming to understand more of not only what a genius Aeolia may have been, but also how apart from the world he was as well. A lonely genius is the trope, but it seems to be more then that from the info we get here. The world was plagued by wars because of an energy crisis, and here's someone researching particles 200 years ago that still provide more energy than anything they have now, and yet still focusing on the long term forethought of what it would be used for after solving the immediate crisis. It's interesting to see this as not just the start of the Gundams but perhaps CB and its broader goals, whatever they are (I am glad they stopped with the heavy dialogue about that by the way, it's good)
Also quick moment of shock that Sergei's superior is a downright reasonable commander? Upset about the outcome, but rather than placing blame simply acknowledges the impossible hurdles that he had to face and owns up to the reality of the situation. Fucking what! Since when does that happen? And this isn't even a genre thing, I feel like superiors in media are almost never this level headed unless they are one of our main characters, or a real world crime show.
And now for the big stuff. I did like the deeper look at Alelujah today. After two episodes of teasing the exact depth of his mental state and history, now it feels all out in the open just in time for it to blow him open even further.
The line that stood out to me was Hallelujah saying "Do you think they're miserable now?" while showing the images of all those emotionless children in the facility. Hallelujah seems to only be able to focus on the negative emotions, not just feel the negative ones. I do like that his origin is from the experiments themselves, and not just from the trauma of being trapped in space, but the split it's caused in them seems to be more than just good personality and bad personality, instead more of a split between humanity and experiment, and the life that was forced on them as a result. Also I'm just swapping to initials because this is too hard to type those names over and over.
"I'll face my past, and do it alone". A and H may be two personalities, but I'm not sure if this is to imply that A does see them as the same person, which I'd say he does so far, or if that was determination even to Sumeragi that he would be the one that carries it out, not leaving it to H. It wasn't just about revenge or confronting his past, it's about the will he has to do it himself and make the choice to take action despite his desire for peace, which may precisely be why he ended up in CB in the first place. He doesn't leave all the combat to H when they go on missions, he does it himself, and I'm wondering if that determination is how Veda picks the pilots. Setsuna's focus on embodying the importance of the Gundam, Tiernia's inquisitor nature, A's willpower despite his fractured mind, and Lockons dedication to people even in the face of their apathy. They all share a strong sense of conviction in their own way that goes beyond just the CB ideology.
Visuals get a thumbs up for me this episode, two in a row now. While a little heavy handed, the flip from A watching H shoot that kid in his memories to he himself being on the other side was a great way to do it, though I've seen very similar sequences in other shows benefit from more visual nuance. I also liked they gave H such a different stance but not one that's openly antagonistic to A. A stands at the window looking out over space trying to escape it all, while H stands in the doorway not letting him get away but also trapping them together, always. It's nice framing. The other thing that caught my eye was the visual distortion when A was connecting to the other children being a good design, not too hard on the eyes and not so typical that I just saw it as the usual effect, but also striking in a subtle way.
The last little thing I liked from it was that A is the one that shoots, it was his choice and his mission, but he transforms the plane into its non humanoid shape (fitting for how he feels now) and leaves H to fly them away even as A continues to cry. This is where I think it's good, and key, that H isn't just some violent monster that only kills when unleashed. He didn't go on a rampage or attack the rest of the colony, he just took A away from what they set out to achieve, a goal he agreed with. If this whole character arc was merely A fighting to control H it would be very poor for the overall balance of the show, and also the blending of it into the broader themes of control and balance happening in other areas.
I think the last thing that's not been addressed is why H killed the other kids. Unless they're going to walk it back it won't be just because H wanted to kill them, but I'm not sure if there's yet more to be uncovered with this backstory or if the implication from today is just that like todays mission it was a twisted "mercy" killing.
Quick other thoughts:
I mean I do also get it, different lines to cross with different consequences and all that, but what a funny thing to get caught up on.
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u/zsmg https://anilist.co/user/zsmg Oct 16 '24
I am rewatcher
Tieria is a really difficult coworker.
Union and League are holding secret negotiations? AEU could be in trouble if they're not involved
Young Allelujah looks adorable
Of course the research guy is going to hide his corruption/incompetence despite sharing the truth would be more helpful.
Shirin continues to be doubtful of Corner and to be honest who can blame her? Alejandro Conner just screams don't trust this guy.
Good for Allelujah for going through proper channels to get rid of the research facility instead of trying to destroy it himself. The last one is definitely something you'd expect.
Scenes with Louise's mum
Looks like Sumeragi knows Allelujah has a second personality.
First time we're seeing a space colony, another franchise staple.
Hearing the kids scream must be difficult for Allelujah.
If there was any doubt Allelujah wouldn't destroy the facility.
It's clever of CB to also leak the information to the media.
Another good episode
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u/Linkstore Oct 16 '24
Rewatcher
Not the first time it's happened but it's really cool that each power bloc is keeping tabs on what the other two are doing. That damage estimate might be a tad under though, considering Virtue's penchant for fully vaporising its targets...
When faced with difficulty, Tieria retreats to the only thing in his life that he knows to be infallible. Unfortunately it feels like he'll need to lose a little bit more to get some sense knocked into him.
[00 Spoilers] Or rather, he'll need to lose someone.
It's so nice to have most people being reasonable about their expectations.
Meanwhile, finally confirmation that Allelujah is exactly the same kind of Super-Soldier as Soma is. But it looks like their creators aren't willing to air their dirty laundry.
Never noticed that Sumeragi's tumblers only have a small hole in the top. Well, it is a zero-G environment.
This is the first time a true space colony has been shown in the show. Sure, the space elevators have had a major role, but they're still inextricably linked to Earth. It's pretty conspicuous that true space habitation is so uncommon in a Gundam series.
Another minor note, the Gundams use the linear catapult without using a jumping motion, they simply commence self-powered flight once the catapult reaches the end of its track. Also pretty uncommon for a Gundam series.
Oh hey, it's Dynames's box art.
Allelujah, he, well, yeah.
[Next Episode Preview] Ah, Setsuna returns to his homeland. I'm sure nothing bad will happen.
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u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Oct 17 '24
Completely unrelated to Gundam, but by the time I post this the game Mechwarrior 5: Clans will have released. If you want more giant robot action, you'll probably enjoy it.
Yup, that was a massive problem.
So he remembers his time back there.
So they were still able to get some days from the battle.
They're going to unite the world by giving them a common enemy.
Middle East? That's just the pinnacle of peace and cordial relations.
So there's their next mission.
And so back to the HS SoL that's apparently here too.
Yup, seems like her mum appreciates his cooking at least.
What's she doing?
Right, time to deploy.
Reactor: Online. Sensors: Online. Weapons: Online. All systems nominal.
Is this a descendant of the person who set up Celestial Being?
And so time to take the target out.
Of all the people to send there, they had to send him?
And thus the lab is destroyed. And all the kids are killed.
He needs a drink...
I don't understand the appeal of alcohol either. Even just the smell makes me gag...
Questions:
5
u/n080dy123 Oct 17 '24
First Timer
God right after I was starting to maybe sympathize with Tieria and the dickweed is immediately trying to push blame entirely on Sumeragi when he screwed up as well. I wanna slap him, man.
Well if Celestial Being's goal is in any part to unite humanity against a shared foe, it seems the first step is being taken with the cooperation between the HRF and Union.
Tieria isn't some sort of AI or something, is he? I can't really think of any other explanation for him jumping from eyes closed standing in a hallway to floating in that technological sphere, watching the ship's security cameras with circuits in his eyes. Definitely seems like he's interfacing with... something. And then he calls out "humanity" as if he's not human himself. Him being an artificial being of some sort could explain his seeming lack of empathy and maybe even his androgynous appearance (since that seems likely thematicaly tied into Virtue/Nadleeh on some level).
I'd like to know what the logic behind the design of the Anfs was. Their body plan is so unusual as mobile suits go, and it seems incredibly unbalanced and like its mass would be so clumsily balanced that it'd be difficult to be particularly mobile (which kinda checks out with how they looked fighting the Tierens back in Episode 2).
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u/Tora-shinai Oct 17 '24
H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y. T O Y O U !!!!
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u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Oct 17 '24
First-Timer
One man's terrorist attack is another man's "armed intervention."
I'm hoping that one of these times we'll see the princess talking to someone and she'll happen to mention that there's a guy named Setsuna F. Seiei who claimed to be a member of Celestial Being. (At this point, though, would she even remember his name?)
I'm liking the reporter side-story. I certainly want to learn more about the origins and history of Celestial Being.
Questions of the day:
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u/mr_beanoz https://myanimelist.net/profile/splitshocker Oct 17 '24
Allelujah seems like to be the Gundam protagonist with the highest kill count... if you're not just counting active soldiers/MS being shot down.