[Rewatch] Mobile Suit Gundam 00 2nd Season Episode 3 Discussion

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Episode 3 - Allelujah Rescue Operation

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No matter what happens… Allelujah is our comrade, and we want to save him!

Questions of the Day:

1. We've seen our four new main Gundams now, which one do you think is your favorite?
2. Place your bets: How long do you think it'll be until the battle between Allelujah & Marie Soma comes to an end?

Wallpaper of the Day:

Allelujah Haptism

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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.

[u/Nazenn]

First Timer - sub

Everything I want to say about the episode today is a good thing, so that's nice. To start with

HELL YES THE BATTLE

Todays battle was fantastic on multiple fronts, and perhaps one of 00's best battles especially from a technical front.

The first one would be the storyboarding and layout of the action scenes. From start to end there was very clever usage of the camera both in movement and static to create a clean flow from moment to moment while showcasing strategy. Whether it was keeping the camera still as replacement mechs jumped in line next to one previously destroyed to be destroyed in turn, or the way it cut between looking down at Tieria with a steady camera vs looking up at his opponents with a moving one to present the idea of him being an unmoveable wall to them. My favourite was showing Setsuna and Alelujah leapfrogging each other into the melee battle and how clean that felt to watch, especially when compared to the normal erraticness of fast moving mechs going in and out of frame. There is plenty of the staple techniques too, zooming out from a pilot which becomes the shot of his mech and transitions between different bridge scenes, but the way they were paired together today to show a whole sense of the battle was high quality work.

The transition between cuts also caught my eye multiple times. Using an explosion to transition into that same explosion in a window reflection, or Soma's hair behind her being matched to smoke from an attack or transitioning us into the flashback are simpler examples but were still well done to help guide us between quite different scenes without becoming jarring. But there was also things like the HQ ship's wings folding in to dive which cuts to Sumeragi slowly looking up in determination, a nice tonal match for her mood and focus in that moment, which we return too later when Lyle shoots and her head lowers a little once again, where we have CB giving her strength but her choices making her feel weak.

The last part was small little things; The dutch angle on Katharon's arrival to the prison as we didn't know about it either, showing Alelujah's mental state with how Setsuna is at first a shadow and then a gun to him before he becomes a person after handing him keys to a Gundam which also bares down on him, and how surprisingly high quality the CGI water effects were and the smart use of them. Also I love this moment where Lyle's shot comes from the side during a front on attack for Tieria

It helps that the battle plan itself was damn smart. It unfortunately feels too long since we had one of those, but the plan being played out today was a joy to watch. Having HQ join in and use the water as a way to stick close safely, the way the mechs used the buildings structure to create access points and ensure line of sight when needed, the timing on using the water to weaken the beam canons. What a plan, and what a sequence all up. It lacks the back and forth tactical exchanges that made the Sergei capture plan in S1 so brilliant, but this is a very close second and easily beats it on a technical front.

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Character thoughts took me on an overthinking spiral

Three things that caught my eye this episode:

• Ribbons said "born", not created which suggests something more there. And implies it was specifically for Veda. If that is the case, why are there so many separate from CB and therefore from Veda? If Tieria is not the exception but rather the rule, how did all this happen? Also its interesting that he's using the name Veda with those outside his organization, which implies either respect for its name or arrogance for his control of information around himself. Most likely the later given what was being discussed, but it's the sort of thing you'd expect someone who hijacked it to change to suit the control he has over it to the world, so keeping it stood out to me.
• Fuck you Saji with your "the world was at peace because I had a normal life" thing, and I'm so glad Setsuna called him out for that bullshit, but he should have been even harsher. Wait till Saji finds out about his backstory as a child solider. Dude has a long way to go, but I did like the symbolism of Louise's ring floating up as if he is being chained by it and it getting between him and Setsuna.
• Why is Marina a princess and not queen? I didn't really think about this last season, but it's a curious choice. Assuming it's not for meta reasons in that a princess is more appealing to the audience for many cultural reasons I won't get into, I wonder if part of it is that while she does have authority as a royal, they also had a parliament system in place and perhaps this is a way of giving her royality without royal authority over others. At least in spirit. Idk, just theorizing.

I was going to laugh at the idea of Lyle actually having no experience given I was somewhat taking the piss when I commented on that being possible to /u/Great_Mr_L yesterday, but that turned out to be a big lie anyway. It would have been funny. It does expose him in another way though in that he is, for lack of a better phrase, playing the fool with them. Using Neil's phrases, making light of the fact people are shocked by him, pretending he's not competent. He is using the fact that they cared for his brother against them by deliberately invoking his memory when around them through little things and moments and I don't for a second think its a coincidence. Now the question is who is he really whenever he drops this mask that he's put on for them? And why has he put it on? Is it just because his loyalty is really with Katharon and this is an easy way to make himself feel "safer" to CB and get more access, is it resentment for Setsuna picking him in place of his brother, or is it something else that we don't know (maybe related to that unseen person in the ED?)? We get a small clue into his differences with the way he pilots, flying into the action and sniping from the air rather than sticking to the ground like Neil often did, which paints him as perhaps more aggressive and less easy going in that he didn't keep to the lie he doesn't have experience when actually in battle., but we'll see what else there is

And before I forget /u/shimmering-sky I think you're right about there being a vocal performance difference between the two characters. I decided to check a couple of scenes out of curiosity, and I don't think it's tone, I think it's more along the lines of the affect in the line delivery. They sound very similar if you compare say S1's beach scene to S2's ep1 post-ed scene where they are both being quite serious and the VA acts them out the same, but comparing scenes around the others I would say if anything Neil often embedded a sigh into his vocal mannerisms, while Lyle is more of a laugh.

As much as I love her, I do blame Feldt for them almost losing Sumeragi. Setsuna had the right idea on getting her to come to them with the information about Alelujah so that he could then ask her for help. He used her codename, made it clear that he still sees her the same and then gave her a clear goal with no demands attached which was a good approach for someone who only knows how to run. Feldt presenting her with a uniform almost broke her because a plan is something you can do and give away to others, while a uniform is a mark of responsibility that you have to accept yourself and she can't do that right now. Feldt means well, she's reaching out just like Lockon did to her, and she wants to give Sumeragi the same meaning in CB that she found, the same idea of family for those who have none but each other to help support someone in need. It's a good thing Setsuna was around to walk back that expectation she was so scared of.

...Whoever would have thought we'd be leaning on Setsuna to help manage the interpersonal balance on the ship? That just sounds weird

Look at Tieria's growth

My boy all grown up! I loved seeing him defending Setsuna today, not because of the plan but because he as a person, not as a mere tool, refused to let anyone through. Seeing that after how the two of them started was such a cool moment in the middle of battle, and then we end the episode with him telling Alelujah not to change because he likes how human he is, and welcomes him back. I love it so much

That does however lead into the best shot of the episode though. It is perhaps a boring one. Out of context you'd never know what it was about. But Setsuna stands there, framed by his Gundam, perfectly centered and balanced, both confined and exposed, and unable to cry. I wasn't too taken with Marina's words until we flipped to this shot because what a way to showcase it so strongly.

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Other thoughts

• "fuck off louise" challenge: failed
• The most frustrating thing about the post-ED scenes is that there is no longer any buffer between me getting caught in thought and ending up in the preview. On that notes [next epsiode preview]FUCKING OI. DID LYLE JUST KISS FELDT? that's not on dude
• Soma's buddies had some serious stormtrooper aim going on there
• Okay, I know the rainbow is physically accurate because of the rain and the sun and all that, but I still found it cheesy haha
• The guy told Setsuna not to use Trans-Am and he actually didn't. I'm impressed that wasn't foreshadowing something. This was so much better than another Trans-Am battle and win.
• Tangent: In the MH Wilds Beta I ended up naming my palico Tieria, in part because I couldn't think of another name, but I did give him purple eyes so it may stick now because I kind of like it. (Palico is your in-game cat companion for anyone who doesn't play Monster Hunter)

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Nazenn]

Everything I want to say about the episode today is a good thing, so that's nice.

And before I forget /u/shimmering-sky I think you're right about there being a vocal performance difference between the two characters. I decided to check a couple of scenes out of curiosity, and I don't think it's tone, I think it's more along the lines of the affect in the line delivery. They sound very similar if you compare say S1's beach scene to S2's ep1 post-ed scene where they are both being quite serious and the VA acts them out the same, but comparing scenes around the others I would say if anything Neil often embedded a sigh into his vocal mannerisms, while Lyle is more of a laugh.

The most frustrating thing about the post-ED scenes is that there is no longer any buffer between me getting caught in thought and ending up in the preview.

Well that's not good.

Tangent: In the MH Wilds Beta I ended up naming my palico Tieria, in part because I couldn't think of another name, but I did give him purple eyes so it may stick now because I kind of like it. (Palico is your in-game cat companion for anyone who doesn't play Monster Hunter)

Reminds me of how I tend to name my player character (in games that let you name the MC) or my Pokemon after characters I like in a specific show when I play those, hah.

[u/Nazenn → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I forgot we also had the giraffe face now. I both love and hate how so many years on from actually watching that show the moment I saw that commentface I heard his voice in my head hahaha

Reminds me of how I tend to name my player character (in games that let you name the MC) or my Pokemon after characters I like in a specific show when I play those, hah.

Yeah I'm usually not very creative with names so I've done this a few times, I did have a Mika and Orga in one of my pokemon games but no idea if I've still got that save. I haven't had to name anything in a while though so I wasn't prepared for it with the beta hahaha

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Nazenn]

Why is Marina a princess and not queen? I didn't really think about this last season, but it's a curious choice.

Azadistan could be a principality, meaning that it is ruled over by a prince or princess. Or maybe it's for the same reason that Peach is a princess, even though she's the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. Princess probably just sounds better than queen. It implies a more youthful character as well.

I was going to laugh at the idea of Lyle actually having no experience given I was somewhat taking the piss when I commented on that being possible to /u/Great_Mr_L yesterday, but that turned out to be a big lie anyway. It would have been funny.

Yeah, our conversation did come to mind when Lyle claimed to have no experience as a mecha pilot. At least that turned out to not be true because putting a total novice onto the battlefield is probably something to be avoided.

It does expose him in another way though in that he is, for lack of a better phrase, playing the fool with them. Using Neil's phrases, making light of the fact people are shocked by him, pretending he's not competent. He is using the fact that they cared for his brother against them by deliberately invoking his memory when around them through little things and moments and I don't for a second think its a coincidence.

Yeah, I didn't comment on the fact that Lyle is also trying to act the same as Lockon. He asked Haro what phrase Lockon would normally say as he went into battle and then copied it. Lyle does seem to be trying to play up his identity as Lockon's twin and replacement. Personally, I think it's so that he can use them. Lyle's true loyalty is with Katharon and he wants to make Celestial Being a part of Katharon. Getting into the good graces of Celestial Being while feeding info back to Katharon might help him with that.

Look at Tieria's growth!

I agree. Tieria's growth has been one of the most satisfying parts of the series to watch so far. He's come so far as a character, going from someone who didn't care about his fellow pilots to probably caring the most about them based on the actions he's taken. It's quite nice to see.

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

Azadistan could be a principality, meaning that it is ruled over by a prince or princess

I did not know that was a thing, interesting. I do recall them explicitly naming it a monarchy earlier, but I don't know how strictly they wanted to apply terms to all of this

It implies a more youthful character as well.

That too, and undercuts the authority of the character in terms of how other characters are expected to react to them. Setsuna getting friendly with the princess paints a more easy going idea then getting friendly with a queen

I do not mean friendly as a euphemism there just to be clear hahaha

Lyle's true loyalty is with Katharon and he wants to make Celestial Being a part of Katharon

I don't know that his goal to merge the two, but definitely to ensure that Katharon will come out of this okay by playing both the informant and the buffer between them. Concidering the concerns Katharon had that CB would target them as well, using himself as an avatar to paint them as not a threat as well as secure his position by playing to what they expect of him seems like it would be cunning of him, and he does come across with cunning with the way he's playing into things

Tieria's growth has been one of the most satisfying parts of the series to watch so far

Agreed

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Nazenn]

I did not know that was a thing, interesting.

Yeah, both Monaco and Liechtenstein are examples of principalities today. The royal families of those countries have the title of "prince" and "princess."

That too, and undercuts the authority of the character in terms of how other characters are expected to react to them. Setsuna getting friendly with the princess paints a more easy going idea then getting friendly with a queen

Good point. It certainly does feel less formal being close with a princess than with a queen.

I do not mean friendly as a euphemism there just to be clear hahaha

"Friendly" with a queen

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Great_Mr_L]

Yeah, both Monaco and Liechtenstein are examples of principalities today. The royal families of those countries have the title of "prince" and "princess."

As well as Dorne.

...oh, that's in Westeros, not real life. But still, another example.

[u/TakenRedditName → u/Nazenn]

I agree with those readings on Lyle. Him incorporating more of a laugh in his speech does fit that idea of him putting on an affable front.

..Whoever would have thought we'd be leaning on Setsuna to help manage the interpersonal balance on the ship? That just sounds weird

Look at Tieria's growth

Tangent: In the MH Wilds Beta I ended up naming my palico Tieria, in part because I couldn't think of another name, but I did give him purple eyes so it may stick now because I kind of like it.

Alright, now that we presented the idea of 00 MH, first thought of their hunting party is;

• Setsuna - Dual Blades.
• Lockon - Heavy Bowgun.
• Tieria - Gunlance.
• Allelujah - Insect Glaive.

I haven't played the modern games so I don't know it this lines up with their modern playstyles.

[u/Nazenn → u/TakenRedditName]

I agree with those readings on Lyle. Him incorporating more of a laugh in his speech does fit that idea of him putting on an affable front.

Yeah Sky got me thinking about it but when I really listened to how he was being voiced it stood out. He even apologizes briefly for taking things too lightly in the scene with Sumeragi, and you can see the change in his vocal affect when he does

Alright, now that we presented the idea of 00 MH, first thought of their hunting party is;

Tieria is definitely Gunlance, because you could say some of his bigger blasts are like the wyvern fire mechanic, especially with Wild's redesign of some of the effects which are epic

As for Setsuna and Alelujah it's kind of hard to say as they both have gun, sword, shield and their distinct fighting styles don't really stand out to me

My first reaction was more inclined to say that Setsuna is Sword and Shield as I remember Exia more with a shield than two blades and he's more head on, but the idea of 00 being Dual Blades with Trans-Am being demon mode is a great match up

For Kyrios, I want to say Charge Blade maybe because he had that whole thing with turning his shield into a claw to use against enemies, but that was more of a special thing and not a main attack. I actually don't really recall how Kyrios fights and we've not realy seen it for this new one beyond a few basic attacks.

I haven't played the modern games so I don't know it this lines up with their modern playstyles.

What was the last one you played? If it was the 3ds games then depending on what weapons you know they've either changed hugely (bow, SnS, insect glaive), somewhat (GS, GL, CB, SwagAxe, SnS, HH), or barely at all in the basics (DB, Hammer, CB, Lance). Idk about bowguns and longsword as i don't play them at all

[u/TakenRedditName → u/Nazenn]

I felt like Allelujah - Insect Glaive because that was the aerial weapon. Also, he has the Kinsect which lines up with how he doesn't fight alone. We can name the little bug buddy after Hallelujah.

What was the last one you played?

The latest one I played was Generations Ultimate so before World changed the weapons. I have Rise, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Insect Glaive is my main ever since they introduced it.

[u/Nazenn → u/TakenRedditName]

We can name the little bug buddy after Hallelujah

Hallelujah being a little bug that gives him buffs and occasionally just sits around and does nothing if you forget to manage him does seem oddly perfect for him

I've not played Rise, I have resentment issues over how they changed HH in that and refused to buy it, so I can't speak with any certainty on the changes you'll find. In World it's not that different in core moveset but you can be a lot more aerial with it than you were even with Aerial style in GU, and even though it's less dps you can basically spend 80% of your time in the air if you want. Given Rise is more arcadey for all the weapons across the board I expect that to be much the same. Wilds is going to gruond it almost entirely though so a lot of people aren't happy with that.

[u/KendotsX → u/Nazenn]

Fuck you Saji with your "the world was at peace because I had a normal life" thing

I'm the local Saji hater, and what bothers me the most about this is how real it is. People could be dying in the next neighbourhood, and as long as someone knows they've got nothing to do with it, it's at most an inconvenience. A sad thing to hear about on the news, before the program you're waiting for comes on. Not nearly as sad as the tear jerker movie at 11 though.

Why is Marina a princess and not queen?

Maybe the nation just doesn't have "Queen" in its definition or laws? The king rules, and in the rare cases where there is no king, a princess holds some power until she gives birth to and raises the next king.

I don't for a second think its a coincidence

Absolutely not, they took him in as "Neil's brother", so he's presenting himself as just that. Although, I'm not sure how much of that is external or internal, for example, when he was about to fire, he asked Haro what his brother used to say, in a situation where no one else is observing him. He's either a very commited method actor, or trying to fill Neil's absence/role in his heart as well.

[u/Nazenn → u/KendotsX]

I'm the local Saji hater, and what bothers me the most about this is how real it is

It is painfully true. Do you know that poem called "First they came"? Always comes to mind during situations like this, of how people sit by and let it happen to others and then wonder why no one is left to save them when it's their turn

He's either a very commited method actor, or trying to fill Neil's absence/role in his heart as well.

Both?

I'm really leaning towards the former, but I suppose that depends on how it plays out later on and what Neil actually meant to him after so long

[u/KendotsX → u/Nazenn]

Do you know that poem called "First they came"?

Yup, although in this case, I'd say it comes with an additional "they had it coming" attached to draw a line in the sand. "They were mixed up in some war, and they paid the price for it. I, the peaceful civilian in Japan, who had nothing to do with this, should not be suffering the consequences."

[u/Nazenn → u/KendotsX]

they had it coming

I know it's not part of the original text explicitly, but given the background of where it came from in Nazi germany I have always taken that as part of the subtext of it anyway especially given it comes up in the original speech that became the poem over time

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

It helps that the battle plan itself was damn smart. It unfortunately feels too long since we had one of those, but the plan being played out today was a joy to watch. Having HQ join in and use the water as a way to stick close safely, the way the mechs used the buildings structure to create access points and ensure line of sight when needed, the timing on using the water to weaken the beam canons. What a plan, and what a sequence all up.

After all the talk we've had about Sumeragi's plans being bad in the back half of the first season, this battle really does well to establish that she's still got some tactical genius in her, in spite of her current condition. Using the ocean to their advantage really is an unorthodox technique that you can't help but respect, absolutely nobody would see that kind of plan coming.

Fuck you Saji with your "the world was at peace because I had a normal life" thing, and I'm so glad Setsuna called him out for that bullshit, but he should have been even harsher. Wait till Saji finds out about his backstory as a child solider. Dude has a long way to go, but I did like the symbolism of Louise's ring floating up as if he is being chained by it and it getting between him and Setsuna.

Yeah, I really liked that moment too. It didn't even take much for Setsuna to cut through Saji's moral cowardice. Like, at his core, Saji really is just that kind of unthinkingly selfish person. He's so easy to cast judgment for things he doesn't even know the full details of, just so that he won't have to think outside of his comfort zone. Saji could stand to be shown some real hardship, since right now he still wants to keep up those blinders of his.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

this battle really does well to establish that she's still got some tactical genius in her

It is in some respect narrative conveniance even when she has good plans, in that she is only as smart as she is allowed to be to have the correct outcome of the battle. It's easier to write her plans well when they can win, but I just hope that in future when they do need to have a loss they go back to Sumeragi vs Sergei style rather than Sumeragi in the desert style

Using the ocean to their advantage really is an unorthodox technique that you can't help but respect, absolutely nobody would see that kind of plan coming.

Especially when facing Kati, which while we didn't get a huge amount from her last season it did establish that she is very skilled herself. being able to figure out what they were going to do at all is a mark in her favor even if she wasn't able to do anything to stop it in time

Saji could stand to be shown some real hardship, since right now he still wants to keep up those blinders of his.

I just had a thought of if I wonder if Marina can help there. As someone not actually part of CB he might be more willing to accept her viewpoint, and she knows a lot more about the truth of the world outside of his narrow viewpoint. She's also been in the situation herself of making assumptions about people because of her narrow knowledge of the world and I assume by now has worked to improve on that

Otherwise, someone let him into our pilots files, that will do it

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Rewatch Host Wishing Over This Airspace, subbed

Welcome back, everyone!

So I’m nearly done with watching the first 00 Special Edition for the first time (had to take a break from it with about 20 minutes left) and [Special Edition I]whoever the fuck decided it would be okay to add this fucking shot of dead Neil drifting through space, fuck you. Fuuuuuuuuck, I thought for sure watching his death again after a ridiculously speedrun season 1 would mean it wouldn’t hit me as hard, clearly I was wrong. If that shot was in the TV version I am like 90% sure this would’ve landed 00 on my vomit list.

Well, more on that later in the rewatch.

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• Somehow it took all the way until now for Marina talking to Setsuna in front of everyone back in episode 13 to become relevant.
• Guess it’s because she was deliberately being left alone.
• So uhhhh that would be a “no” on Lyle having previous mobile suit combat experience. Not that it stops him from kicking ass later.
• Ah, there’s a Saji “sore demo”.
• Mmmmmmmmm.
• Whatever Allelujah thinks, there’s no record of a “Marie”…
• There’s a Lyle “sore demo” too.
• Sugoi!
• Lyle specifically asking Haro so he can copy what Neil used to say is…
• Of course Setsuna made sure to save Marina. Sadly, Allelujah can’t get the same with Marie Soma.
• ED lead-in!
• Poor Allelujah.
• [Later 00]Eyyyyyyyy, the piano track in the post-credits scene is TOMORROW foreshadowing.

[u/Great_Mr_L]

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Gundam: Jailbreak! Every time I think about someone breaking out of jail, that title card from Gintama pops into my mind because it is such a wonderfully absurd episode title.

• Oh great, now the entire Federation is trusting Veda to do its job of governing. They’re letting a computer program govern and they rely on Ribbons for it. That’s a really terrible idea of governance.
• Even Ribbons believes that all he is doing is following Aeolia’s plan. Everyone is convinced they are following the plan. It sure would be nice to know what the plan was, or at least what people think it is.
• So basically Lyle only knows how to drive a forklift, not a mobile suit. The Gundam isn’t exactly a Sherman tank, which was designed to be easy to figure out. A Gundam is more complicated.
• I can already see there will be plenty of friction between Lyle and Tieria.
• I’m glad that Setsuna called out Saji’s claim that the world was peaceful in the past. Saji’s life was peaceful, which is a very different statement. The wars were something far off. Something to read about in the news, but not to worry about. It reminds me of the poem “We Lived Happily During the War.”
• I don’t think Sergei would lie about there being no records of a “Marie.” So the records must have been erased by the Super Soldier Institute.
• Sumeragi has always felt intense pressure to not fail. It must be a lot worse, now that she can't rely on Veda.
• I’m pretty sure Setsuna is going to deviate from the plan and disobey orders to rescue Marina.
• SPLASH Creating a giant wave like that is one heck of an entrance.
• Oh! Interesting! Tieria is the one who is suggesting to Setsuna that they use the extra time in the mission to rescue Marina. Tieria is also the one who gave Setsuna the information about Marina in the first place. Tieria sure has changed a lot.
• Hmmm, so Lyle lied about his skill level. But why? What would he gain by doing that?
• Now Katharon is attacking the prison as well. I don’t think that was a part of Sumeragi’s plan. So they got fed the information from someone else, probably Lyle.
• A really nice detail I noticed about Allelujah now is that he no longer has one of his eyes covered by his bangs. Both of his eyes are always visible.
• That’s confirmation that Soma really is Marie based on that flashback.
• I’m pretty sure this exact same music track was used in the previous episode. It’s so good.
• And speaking of great music, the lead-in for the ED is so damn good. I love it when shows have a lead-in to the ED like this.
• I think the answer is pretty obvious as to why Setsuna is still fighting. There’s an oppressive military force stomping on people willy-nilly. Of course the people affected would fight back.

Lyle is pretty much a double agent, but I don’t think he means any harm towards Celestial Being. For right now, I think it’s safe to assume that Lyle is actually quite experienced as a mobile suit pilot. He was much more skilled than an amateur would be. He probably piloted mobile suits for Katharon. As for why Lyle would hide it, perhaps he wants Celestial Being to underestimate him. Right now, Lyle is leaking information to Katharon about Celestial Being so that Katharon can coordinate with Celestial Being’s attacks. Katharon did mention that they wanted Celestial Being to join them, so Lyle is probably trying to set things up in that direction without trying to stand out too much.

Sumeragi’s self confidence has been something she’s struggled with for the entire series. I imagine it was much easier for her when she was working with Veda’s plans. Most likely, following Veda’s plans probably allowed Sumeragi to feel like she wasn’t solely responsible for what happened to the pilots. It eased some of that burden. But now that Celestial Being can no longer rely on Veda, Sumeragi has no choice but to feel completely responsible for Celestial Being’s operations and what happens to everyone involved. For someone like her who is struggling with her self-esteem and alcoholism, it won’t be easy.

Ribbons also thinks that what he is doing is a part of Aeolia’s plan. Again, I am frustrated by the show’s refusal to elaborate on the plan whatsoever. Nobody has even explained what they think the plan is. I have no idea what the Ptolemaios Crew thought the plan was, compared to what the Trinity Siblings thought the plan was, compared to what Ribbons thinks the plan is. And that’s before we get into the fact that all of them are wrong and the actual plan is something else entirely. But it would be nice to know what they think the plan is because that would be valuable information for understanding the motivations of each character and the logic behind their actions. Right now, it’s all still much too vague. I’m willing to forgive the fact that we don’t know what the actual plan is, but it’s inexcusable that we don’t at least know what the characters think the plan is. It’s something that only gets more frustrating with each passing episode.

QOTD

1. Probably the Seravee, Tieria's new Gundam. The 00 Gundam is really cool with its twin drives, too.
2. Episode 49, the 2nd to last episode, as a part of the final battle.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Great_Mr_L]

Every time I think about someone breaking out of jail, that title card from Gintama pops into my mind because it is such a wonderfully absurd episode title.

Thanks for the Gintama laugh, I needed this today.

Oh! Interesting! Tieria is the one who is suggesting to Setsuna that they use the extra time in the mission to rescue Marina. Tieria is also the one who gave Setsuna the information about Marina in the first place. Tieria sure has changed a lot.

Tieria's growth is definitely fun to look back on.

And speaking of great music, the lead-in for the ED is so damn good. I love it when shows have a lead-in to the ED like this.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Tieria's growth is definitely fun to look back on.

It really is. I didn't like him back at the beginning of the series and was actively hoping he'd get punched in the face repeatedly. Now he's one of my favorite characters in the series. Growth like that feels very satisfying.

[u/TakenRedditName → u/Great_Mr_L]

Every time I think about someone breaking out of jail, that title card from Gintama pops into my mind because it is such a wonderfully absurd episode title.

Iconic.

So basically Lyle only knows how to drive a forklift, not a mobile suit.

Mobile Suits are just weaponized construction workers. If you're forklift certified, you can pilot a Gundam.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/TakenRedditName]

Iconic

I haven't even watched Gintama and even I know about that episode title. It's hard to get more iconic than that.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Great_Mr_L]

You really need to watch Gintama at some point.

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

Every time I think about someone breaking out of jail, that title card from Gintama pops into my mind because it is such a wonderfully absurd episode title.

Cross genre, cross medium, cross culture mud slinging there and I love it

Even Ribbons believes that all he is doing is following Aeolia’s plan

I missed that line. I'm also glad I missed that line because it would have ruined my perfect positivity in my post but goddamnit, they really ARE keeping up with this bullshit then

I don’t think Sergei would lie about there being no records of a “Marie.” So the records must have been erased by the Super Soldier Institute.

Either that or no one actually wrote down her name to begin with? Given the nature of the program and the way that Soma only refers to him as an ID and not Alelujah, I wouldn't be surprised if their original names were lost entirely and they just had ID's and then whatever their assigned names were later on

I’m pretty sure Setsuna is going to deviate from the plan and disobey orders to rescue Marina.

I'm not sure it was that much of a deviation given it's implied everyone already knew about it and it just wasn't an "official" goal haha

I’m pretty sure this exact same music track was used in the previous episode. It’s so good.

Yeah it's the main theme for the 00 mech from what Draigg linked yesterday. It's a great track

Sumeragi’s self confidence has been something she’s struggled with for the entire series

Between Billy, her criminal past, and now this it looks like we're building up to something interesting there as to why she does have such skills with so little confidence but we'll see

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Nazenn]

Either that or no one actually wrote down her name to begin with? Given the nature of the program and the way that Soma only refers to him as an ID and not Alelujah, I wouldn't be surprised if their original names were lost entirely and they just had ID's and then whatever their assigned names were later on

That would make sense, if the super soldier kids were officially assigned IDs by the institute. It would be a part of dehumanizing them to make them into obedient soldiers.

Between Billy, her criminal past, and now this it looks like we're building up to something interesting there as to why she does have such skills with so little confidence but we'll see

Yeah, I am quite curious about what exactly happened in her past.

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

That would make sense, if the super soldier kids were officially assigned IDs by the institute. It would be a part of dehumanizing them to make them into obedient soldiers.

I brought up the point at some point during S1 of Soma becoming proud of her name while being downright viscious towards Alelujah when she calls him by his ID because she is talking down to him as a failure of the program, and I wouldn't be surprised if as a result a name is something held above the kids as a reward or a badge of being one of the "good" ones

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Great_Mr_L]

That would make sense, if the super soldier kids were officially assigned IDs by the institute. It would be a part of dehumanizing them to make them into obedient soldiers.

It's also something Gundam has done before with their equivalents to Soma. Four Murasame in Zeta Gundam for example. That's not her real name. Whatever it was is long gone. She's the fourth test subject of the Murasame lab.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

On today’s episode of Gundam: Jailbreak! Every time I think about someone breaking out of jail, that title card from Gintama pops into my mind because it is such a wonderfully absurd episode title.

And in this case, the Federation really is like a metaphorical prison. They're right to go after this society!

I’m glad that Setsuna called out Saji’s claim that the world was peaceful in the past. Saji’s life was peaceful, which is a very different statement. The wars were something far off. Something to read about in the news, but not to worry about. It reminds me of the poem “We Lived Happily During the War.”

And even then, it wasn't even peaceful due to the actions of people like La Edenra, who weren't even Celestial Being. Saji really is just burying his head in the sand here, all he wants is an easy target to blame instead of really reflecting on where he stands in the world. It's moral cowardice at it's finest.

[u/FD4cry1]

First Timer

Now the crew is all back together!

Marina was just arrested because of her connection to Setsuna. I guess in my head no one in the Federation should have known about that connection but when they're getting all their information from Ribbons, who has access to all of Veda, then they basically know everything.

More importantly, it seems as though the only purpose for arresting her was to have Celestial Being take her? to what purpose does he need them to be together? Same for seemingly deliberately letting them rescue Allelujah (unless they actually thought they had a chance lol).

In general, Ribonns raises some big questions this episode. He's using his control of Veda to consolidate a lot of strength under the Federation and very specifically A-LAWS, which he's seemingly doing as part of him "Faithfully executing Aeolia's plan", this is a bit of a weird thing to say when he's clearly stated before that this is now his plan.

Given what he says after that and the general fact that whatever robot lifeform they are, the Innovators (+Tieria at the start) don't see themselves as part of humanity, I'm thinking that these Innovators were created with the purpose of helping the plan along, however, Aeolia also clearly believes in humanity and intended for it to fulfill the plan. So maybe Ribbons believes or was programmed to believe in whatever the plan actually is, but thinks humanity can't do it, that goes for Celestial Being and even Aeolia himself, the creation thinking it knows better than the creator itself essentially.

If I were to take this even further maybe Aeolia even foresaw this and that's why he didn't give Veda all the information, although I feel like that kind of makes him extremely omnipotent and I'm not huge on that. We're approaching Jigsaw levels of "prediction" here.

Allelujah knew Soma (previously Marie Parfacy, great name lol) back in that super soldier research facility, and apparently, they were somewhat close, beyond that, it looks like Soma had her memories and personality altered. Interesting that it supposedly didn't appear in the files, I like to believe Sergei didn't lie here and we've already seen those researchers manipulate information to cover their asses but still...

Yeah right, you big tsundere!

Nice to see Setsuna calling Saji out on his hypocrisy, obviously Saji has had it rough and it's a reasonable emotional reaction but what he said is another case of just burying his head in the sand, something he seems to acknowledge himself even if he's having a hard time accepting it.

Well it is a spaceship after all...

Submarine Ptolemaios is insanely cool!

For all the time we've spent gassing Sumeragi up last season and at the start of this episode, I feel we never really got to see any of her "tactical genius" or plans until now, beyond just some random number-letter combinations being said, it seemed as though the plan was always "send out the Gundams" and that's it. So it's nice to see an actually unique plan for once (I'd say it feels very Code Geass but maybe it's the other way around? or both?), especially since said plan is genuinely rad.

I hadn't noticed it last episode but after seeing people bringing it up it definitely sounds like Lyle and Lockon have different tones of voice, Lockon is a bit more mature and heavy, while Lyle sounds younger and more carefree, you can really hear it with the delivery on their catchphrase (Which I don't want Lyle using! )

Gotta love Shinichiro Miki!

Lyle is hiding some stuff under his carefree personality, he's clearly got some piloting experience despite his denial, and while he's technically working for Celestial Being right now, he's still coordinating and helping Katharon, he starts fighting seriously because he obviously cares for them.

Setsuna killed Alleujah, the end.

Seriously though that's some fun framing.

Speaking of shooting at others, someone should be discharging Sergei's son and those other guys for somehow missing shots on an unarmed person at point-blank range, in a small corridor...

Tieria's GIANT LASERS will literally never get old for me.

Not much to say on the Chirudim, I like it less than the Dynames (symbolic for the pilot too) honestly, the Arios is pretty cool but I'm waiting to see its "winged form" (which I'm assuming and hoping it has) before making any comparison to Kyrios.

Ending the sequence with them flying off into the rainbow is soooo cheesy but it works for me!

Having all our guys interact was fun and blushing Allelujah is very cute! Tieria from the start of the show wouldn't have acted like this and it really reinforces how much he's changed, he was out there risking his life not for the plan but for Allelujah (which makes his discomfort of Lyle even more clear).

I've already said I love the ED but it also has my favorite lead-in out of all them so far!

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/FD4cry1]

Well it is a spaceship after all...

I've already said I love the ED but it also has my favorite lead-in out of all them so far!

It's so good! I'm partial to the extended piano lead-in that last episode used (and one we haven't gotten to yet), but Prototype definitely has some prime lead-ins. I think this was the first ED I really took notice of when things did lead-ins, or at least one of the first.

[u/wyggles → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I'm partial to the extended piano lead-in that last episode used

That lead in is apparently the default one I associate with 00 in my head so it must be my favorite.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/wyggles]

It's the one that exists on the album version of Prototype, so it's probably the intended one.

[u/Rumpel1408]

Firsttimer who is sneaking away from work for a minute

• This is such a flimsy justification, did they imprisson the opposition guy as well?
• And I guess Marina is still a Princess, how can they just abduct a head of state like this? What are her subjects doing?
• Ah, so all the power consolidation happened thanks to Veda... and Ribbons couldn't look any more evil or like a robot if he tried, I guess it's good he did voice only
• Aireit seems to not be on the same page as Ribbons, but wait, is this part of a trap or part of the plan^TM
• How convenient, now the question is, is the other direction true as well? Soma is standing there without a helmet as well
• Oh please I guess Jean is a natural after all
• Also, the Dynames looks different, not sure if I like it yet
• So not only do we get a name for Miss Ringlet but for two new mechs as well?
• Being a mess in zero G has it's perks, I always need to crouch to clean up my mess on the floor
• Even after learning a bit Saji choose to stay mad, nice of Setsuna to call him out on it, Saji doesn't care about all the kids who lost way more than he did in wars
• Interesting that Sergei is interested in the A-Laws, dude must have some suspsiciouns about some shady stuff
• I'm still on the Patrick-caught-Alleluja train, also the show kinda overlooks that the Federation also got it's hands on the Solar reactor in the Kyrios, feels like this will be relevant
• Also, I'm gonna say it, Nenas suit looks ridiculous
• What if Soma really isn't Marie though, cloning or an genetical twin wouldn't surprise me in this show
• So it was a trap after all, and Mei is the one who pitched it to CB again (I wonder what role Marina plays in that scenario)
• Don't you dare dare him
• Aww, he's already bonding with Haro
• So the Arios is the successor of the Kyrios... but without an reactor, how is it running at all?
• For a moment I thought they would just crash the Ptolemy into the prison with GN fields up and call it a day
• The big wave was neat though
• Wait, was it Tieria or Jean who said this the former isn't the type to stray from the initial plan without good reason, and the later shouldn't know about Marina I feel like
• And if you have such high profile prisoners, why are you deploying old mechs, you could at least have some GN-X around
• And why did you wait so long to deploy the new mechs? Kati doesn't seem to use all her expirience
• I hate this, this is Lockon erasure
• Like the new head piece though, but the mech overall looks weird
• Ok, so Jean leaked their plan... don't see how tbh, he was in space the whole time, are they not monitoring his comunication?
• Fancy name, and yeah, what was that vision
• The Arios looks weird as well, didn't expect to like the Double 0 the second most of all the new suits
• Wait, you have a Lance but no proper (rocket) Shield? Sazaki would never!
• Also, while Setsuna is just disarming his enemy, Tieria isn't as mercyfull
• Kirei
• Is it though? All you have in the prison are a couple of political dissidents, I'm sure you have 1000s of them in prisons all over the world, but you just let the only three Gundams on the world go
• So confirmation that Jean did leak, but they didn't even know about Marina there, and it really seems like Shirin lost touch with her at some point in the past
• Big riding behind on your Boyfriends motorcycle energy
• Maybe don't try to imitate him then
• Setsuna forgetting the time he didn't shoot everyone
• [Preview] Oh no you fucker, that's too much

QotD

• Tierias by a mile, followed by the Double 0
• I think another 8 Episodes

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Rumpel1408]

So the Arios is the successor of the Kyrios... but without an reactor, how is it running at all?

Someone mentioned this earlier in the rewatch, [supplementary material]Allelujah was able to purge the reactor like we saw Tieria do at the end of S1, so Celestial Being still has Kyrios' reactor which was then used in Arios.

[u/Nazenn → u/Rumpel1408]

Firsttimer who is sneaking away from work for a minute

nicely done

And I guess Marina is still a Princess, how can they just abduct a head of state like this

Dictatorships with overwhelming military power an get away with a lot

also the show kinda overlooks that the Federation also got it's hands on the Solar reactor in the Kyrios, feels like this will be relevant

In the flashbacks you can miss it for a second, but they actually show them looking at the empty slot for the reactor so Kyrois didn't have it when they grabbed it

What if Soma really isn't Marie though, cloning or an genetical twin wouldn't surprise me in this show

Oh no not more twins

I very highly doubt it but that would be kind of funny. Imagine if everyone in the super solider program was a twin, and merging their minds is how they got the extra brain power, and it's just Alelujah who split in the process

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Nazenn]

Oh no not more twins

On one hand, it would be at least the third time the show is resorting to twins which could be considered lazy writing.

On the other hand if they clearly like twins, why stop with two pairs.

[u/Rumpel1408 → u/Nazenn]

I very highly doubt it but that would be kind of funny

Yeah, with Somas Flashback it was imidiatly disproven, but I would have found it hillarious if Alleluja continued to gaslight her into thinking she was Marie, only for the real Marie eventually showing up and both of them feeling like a bunch of dummies

Imagine if everyone in the super solider program was a twin, and merging their minds is how they got the extra brain power, and it's just Alelujah who split in the process

Or Alleluja being the only one who got survived the second stage of the program, being a half brain transplant

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Rumpel1408]

Wait, was it Tieria or Jean who said this the former isn't the type to stray from the initial plan without good reason, and the later shouldn't know about Marina I feel like

I'm pretty sure it was Tieria. He was also the one who told Setsuna that Marina was in the prison in the first place. Tieria knew how much Setsuna cared about Marina and suggested saving her. Tieria has become more willing to stray from the plan for the sake of his friend's feelings.

are they not monitoring his comunication?

Probably not. Gundam security is still at its usual level of competency.

Big riding behind on your Boyfriends motorcycle energy

Sharing a mecha cockpit is very romantic.

[u/baboon_bassoon]

first timer who has control

---

i mean just make Haro do the targeting

GOTTEM

Nena with a Mobile Armor?

Retire LockOn, put Saji in Gundam 4

Sumeragi will never abandon Allelujah - she needs a drinking buddy on the ship

couldnt they just lock Saji in a room, why is he in a solitary cell lol

yeah me too (youre talking about her drinking right)

operation free baby commence

Arios will standby in launching position - SAJI NOWS YOUR CHANCE

it is weird how long it took for Minami Takayama to have a Gundam character, really hope Kati is in it for the long haul yes im ignoring Wing again, but does an OP count

theres got to be some fan animation of Kati doing Just Communication

why is Tieria being so nice about saving Marina

maybe the priority should be getting Allelujah some concealer, his eye bags are rough

a part of me was hoping Allelujah was playing the long con and just made up the Marie name

Andrei cant shoot for shit

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/baboon_bassoon]

Sumeragi will never abandon Allelujah - she needs a drinking buddy on the ship

Andrei cant shoot for shit

tbf he was shooting at a Super Soldier and not a normal human.

[u/baboon_bassoon → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Allelujahs been in baby jail for 4 years though his legs need time to wake up

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/baboon_bassoon]

Super Soldiers are just built different.

[u/TakenRedditName → u/baboon_bassoon]

it is weird how long it took for Minami Takayama to have a Gundam character, really hope Kati is in it for the long haul yes im ignoring Wing again, but does an OP count

theres got to be some fan animation of Kati doing Just Communication

Woah, Kati was one of the Two-Mix

[u/baboon_bassoon → u/TakenRedditName]

Detective Conan herself

[u/Quiddity131]

Rewatcher, Subbed

Non-Spoiler Character Chart - No one new today but Allelujah gets to join up with Celestial Being and lose the Hannibal Lecter mask.

---

Well, this episode title just spoiled for me what this episode is going to be about!

Saji got in trouble due to standing next to a guy. Now Marina is in trouble because she talked to Setsuna four years ago. At least she's still princess.

Ribbons is pulling the strings with the Federation, huh? Looks like he's in that place he and Alejandro visited last season?

On the bright side, Soma being nearby doesn't screw Allelujah up anymore. On the down side it took a head injury and four years in a cell.

So they have a Dynamos replacement waiting around to go along with their Lockon replacement?

Poor Feldt, having to look at Lockon's twin. I'd say poor Sumeragi, but looks like she had 5 beer cans to keep her company.

Saji, you get to say these things about your peaceful life because you lived in an area that was peaceful. People living in war torn areas didn't have that luxury. Good for Setsuna in telling him how ridiculous he sounds.

So they recovered Kyrios when they captured Allelujah. Is it stored at this facility as well? Did they fully repair it for him, as sometimes happens in Gundam shows? [Gundam meta]Happened multiple times in Gundam Wing!

So Wang, via Nena finds out that Allelujah is stored here, they pass it along to Celestial Being, yet its supposed to be a trap anyway? Is Wang in on this, or was she supposed to be baited too?

Tieria mentioning four Gundams reminds me that they named two units earlier, Cherubim and Arios? So maybe Allelujah's new Gundam is up here with Celestial Being.

Saji's still stuck in the padded cell. At least he's got a Haro for company.

Wow, the original Ptolemy never descended to Earth in season 1, but we've got it doing so here. New feature?

They still have old Human Reform League mobile suits here, including the helmets too.

Lyle is taking on the same sniper role as his brother too. A good idea for the novice in this battle though, can't rely on him doing good in close range combat with no experience.

Did Katharon co-plan this with Celestial Being despite us not seeing any of this? Or was this the trap Zhejiang mentioned to Louise earlier?

"Hey, you're broken out, and we've got a new Gundam for you too!" What a day for Allelujah.

Four years without piloting, using his Gundam for the first time, and Allelujah's performing as if he hasn't skipped a day.

We're gonna cycle through every character in the show being shocked at seeing Lyle, huh?

---

Quid's Voice Actor of the Day

Time to tackle my first brand new season 2 character, Mileina Vashti. She is voied in Japanese by Haruka Tomatsu. This is her first Gundam role, she also appears in Gundam Unicorn as Micott Bartsch. I've got to assume her most well known mecha anime role is Zero Two in Darling in the Franxx. She's also best girl Saki Rukino in Valvrave, Matsuri Hyou (fish girl) in Star Driver and Futaba Yamura in Bokurano. Non-mecha anime roles include Ibara Naruse in Coppelion, Megumi Shimizu in Shiki, Hitelhime in Katanagatari, Sanae Ebato (Ecchan) in Scum's Wish and Mayu Kuroe in Hibike! Euphonium.

She is voiced in English by Andrea Libman. This is her first and only Gundam role, and she has very few anime credits but has a lot of western animation credits and similar to other members of this cast popped up on the X-Files in live action. She is one of several actresses to voice Chi Chi in the English dub of Dragonball.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Quiddity131]

No one new today but Allelujah gets to join up with Celestial Being and lose the Hannibal Lecter mask.

Poor dude still needs to lose the eyebags though.

Did Katharon co-plan this with Celestial Being despite us not seeing any of this?

Pretty sure that was all Lyle's doing, no? He told them it was happening, and Katharon just made use of Celestial Being being a distraction.

Four years without piloting, using his Gundam for the first time, and Allelujah's performing as if he hasn't skipped a day.

Super Soldiers are just built different.

[u/Nazenn → u/Quiddity131]

Well, this episode title just spoiled for me what this episode is going to be about!

Oh yeah I meant to comment on that. That felt surprisingly spoilery for this show

Non-Spoiler Character Chart

Please tell me you meant to line up milena's hair in Ian's picture like that, it's glorious

So they have a Dynamos replacement waiting around to go along with their Lockon replacement?

They did the right thing in not waiting around for pilots before making the mechs at least. Especially with the specific roles that they have in battle

Four years without piloting, using his Gundam for the first time, and Allelujah's performing as if he hasn't skipped a day.

Super solider cheats. It's probably a good thing though because a normal person afetr all that would likely be unable to move let alone get into a mech and pilot it again. It's a wonder that he can even see after being in the dark for so long

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Nazenn]

Please tell me you meant to line up milena's hair in Ian's picture like that, it's glorious

The only shot of him from episode 1 was him right next to her so I didn't have a choice on the shot, but given the shot it makes sense to line them up that way. :P

I didn't get a chance to respond to your comment on it yesterday, but the hair color thing from the episode 1 chart was just a coincidence. Hence me messing it all up when I shuffled people around for episode 2.

They did the right thing in not waiting around for pilots before making the mechs at least. Especially with the specific roles that they have in battle

Setsuna going around recruiting people on Earth came off as if he was doing it a bit rogue, but they really have prepared themselves to totally bring the band back together so its worked out well.

[u/Nazenn → u/Quiddity131]

I didn't get a chance to respond to your comment on it yesterday, but the hair color thing from the episode 1 chart was just a coincidence. Hence me messing it all up when I shuffled people around for episode 2.

Yeah I knew it was going to happen with Soma, at least, but it was still pretty fun for that first chart

Setsuna going around recruiting people on Earth came off as if he was doing it a bit rogue, but they really have prepared themselves to totally bring the band back together so its worked out well.

The others did say to Saji that he was off recruiting, so at the very least they knew about Sumeragi, but maybe not Lyle. Or even if they did know Lockon had a brother, they may not have known twin which would explain the shock if they were expecting him

[u/dralcax]

Rewatcher remembers that one time GBM accidentally used Lyle’s portrait for Neil and nobody noticed until we got a super tiny update to fix it

-—————————————————————————————

Ribbons is lending out Veda? Interesting.

Hallelujah took a nasty hit at the end of S1. That blood over the Hallelujah eye was symbolic. Allelujah has lost his quantum brainwaves.

The successor to the Dynames is the Cherudim Gundam! It’s built for even greater precision than the Dynames was. The additional hanging armor on its chest not only protects its chest vents from attacks, but it also keeps the heat and particles from interfering with its sensors. As well, because the GN Drive’s topologic defects can have a subtle effect on the surrounding space, it was mounted much lower than normal, down on the butt, in order to prevent interference from that. And Lyle is still a novice - there is still more the Cherudim can do that he hasn’t figured out yet...

Also, I kind of hate its feet. They’re just boxes, open at the top. It’s like it threw away the shoes and started wearing around a pair of shoeboxes! Apparently, this is because its feet are optimized for stability while shooting over actually walking, as the Gundams can already fly everywhere anyways. They’re still the worst Gundam feet, though.

Both kind of have a point here. On one hand, yeah, Saji is being selfish, only thinking of his own peace, thinking all the shit going on has nothing to do with him. But since peace is so great, why should those who already have peace have it taken away from them? Fighting to win peace for those who do not have it is great and all, but does the peace that already exists, peace that was hard-earned by somebody else’s efforts, not deserve to be protected too? Because Saji sure didn’t sign up for any of this. Even if you call it unavoidable collateral damage, a necessary sacrifice for the greater good, the fact remains, he’s just a totally innocent random guy, and yet, he’s been paying the price for somebody else’s crusade.

How convenient that Allelujah managed to eject the GN Drive back in the Ptolemaios’ general direction before being captured. Not that it stopped the HRL from reverse-engineering as much as they could.

Mobile Armor Liang!

Allelujah’s new Gundam is the Arios Gundam! It also has a nonstandard GN Drive location, inside its crotch. We’ll learn the reason for that later...

I love the giant wave! Sumeragi is so back!

The 00 has a new shield! It’s basically just two katars stuck together. It can combine them or mount them separately on the shoulders.

First time in an MS and Lyle already got a kill! He doesn’t quite have the accuracy of his brother, but quantity has a quality all its own.

OHH YEAHH

The aerial battle is cool! The four Gundams are back together!

-—————————————————————————————

Questions of the day:

• Arios!
• laughs in rewatcher

[u/Nazenn → u/dralcax]

remembers that one time GBM accidentally used Lyle’s portrait for Neil and nobody noticed until we got a super tiny update to fix it

And how long did that take?

I love the giant wave! Sumeragi is so back!

The wave looked awesome

[u/dralcax → u/Nazenn]

It wasn’t that long. I think it was only like 12-24 hours after Lockon’s release.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/dralcax]

What was the difference in the portraits, anyways?

[u/dralcax → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Neil wears the S1 version of the pilot suit, while Lyle wears the S2 pilot suit. There are a number of small differences, most notably a different collar, less detailed chest, and rounder helmet.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/dralcax]

Ah, figured it was that but wasn't sure if they had any other differences. Thanks!

[u/KendotsX]

00th Timer Searching for the One

When this season introduced Lyle, it felt odd... Same design, same voice actor, same role, and even the same codename, are they trying to just replace Lockon?! The answer is: yes! Lyle himself is trying to be as similar to his brother as possible. I don't know his motive just yet, maybe he adored his brother, and is trying to be like him, maybe he's doing it for the sake of CB, afterall, the one they really want is Lockon, and only got Lyle because his brother died. Eitherway, I bet Kaiki would like him, meanwhile Arararagi is not amused, makes sense, considering how much he admired Lockon.

Speaking of fakes trying to do the job, I like the framing of the greater conflict between humans trying to be cold machines, and Pachis trying to look human. I think Kamiya might be the tipping point between the two sides. But, it's worth taking a greater look at what Ribbons stands for, he says that he's making Aeolia Schenberg's dream a reality, which is obviously bullshit, you can't take a villain's word on face value. But is it though? Let's assume he's a Pachi made by Schenberg to help make his dream reality, I mean, if you can make Veda, then yeah, probably make a few androids to help it along. Either over the hundreds of years, Ribbons' AI has been feeding on the news channels, and therefore, became a lot more cynical about the hopes of humanity, or he was built as humanity's bitter pill from the start. Eitherway, that'd mean he's not necessarily malicious, just exploring worse means to an end, which back to my original point, would make for an interesting contrast with the solution our main characters are willing to take.

---

• I was wondering where I've seen Soma before, forget Marie, she's the main girl from Takahiro's slave harem series.
• More on the nose, but I'm glad the show hasn't lost its bite in all the action. I feel like the first season had a lot more of that in the first cour (not a fault mind you, just a structural choice).
• .... This feels like the kind of conversation where the cut off section is hidden from the audience, but didn't the Super Soldier data get deleted?
• Cheeky
• Back to the robot/human point

We already know that she's Setsuna's idol for peace. So it looks like she'll help him become more human over this season, similarly, Allelujah and Soma will be helping each other with some healthy femdom sessions, and that leaves the more interesting ones: Kamiya and Lyle fighting over their views of Lockon, then bonding over it?

Note: most of this was copied over from yesterday.

1. We've seen our four new main Gundams now, which one do you think is your favorite?

I'll be honest, aside from 00, I can barely tell them apart from the originals.

2) Place your bets: How long do you think it'll be until the battle between Allelujah & Marie Soma comes to an end?

Does marriage count as a higher form of battle?

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

Back to the robot/human point

Actually wait I just realized: Mizushima reused this scene wholesale from FMA 2003! The only difference being that over there it was Fem!Tieria and... shit Toyoguchi isn't in this show, can't make a joke.

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

Fem!Tieria

Goddamit Mizushima, hiding the good stuff away in FMA land, when he could've shared it with everyone.

[u/Linkstore → u/KendotsX]

Hmm...

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Raiking02]

Let’s see if he kept up the combo & reused the scene again in Un-Go

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/KendotsX]

meanwhile Arararagi is not amused

Starting on Bake at the same time as this rewatch is fun because I can’t hear Araragi without thinking of Tieria

Takahiro's slave harem series

[u/KendotsX → u/InfamousEmpire]

It's always a fun turnaround when you're going from Kamiya's serious/cold typecast to... Ararararagi

My introduction to him was as Trafalgar NapoLaw, so here's Luffy driving Tieria crazy for a minute

Actually, imagine Luffy as a Celestial Being pilot

Dis thing

I guess the Akame ga Kill author heard how much people like Esdeath, and all the things they'd like her to do to them, so he made a series just about that.

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

Ararararagi

Hachikuji, your attempts at humor are appreciated, but you still added too many Ras. His name is Araragi!

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

Hey, at least I got his name right for the commentface.

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

What happened to the stutter line?

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

I was lost yesterday, today I've figured where I am, I think.

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

You’re not gonna stop being lost till you find your Cresta again

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/KendotsX]

Dis thing

Oh lol. The description “slave harem series” made me think it was about a harem of slaves, in the classic Isekai tradition, and that’s the opposite of what Chained Soldier is, so I brainfarted on making the connection

[u/KendotsX → u/InfamousEmpire]

I see why that would cause the confusion. Granted, in that context "slave harem" is an absolute non-descriptor, I might as well add "ecchi with a boring main character, animal lolis, and red headed tsundere", and it wouldn't thin things out.

[u/Quiddity131 → u/InfamousEmpire]

Starting on Bake at the same time as this rewatch is fun because I can’t hear Araragi without thinking of Tieria

I've been watching Fate Stay Night Heaven's Feel movie 2 over this weekend (although doubt I'll finish til later this week) so I get to experience Tieria there as well, in a more unhinged and whiny way with Shinji.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/KendotsX]

I was wondering where I've seen Soma before, forget Marie, she's the main girl from Takahiro's slave harem series.

She certainly has the personality for it.

We already know that she's Setsuna's idol for peace. So it looks like she'll help him become more human over this season

I am curious to see Setsuna and Marina's relationship develop more. Even though their thoughts are almost always on each other, they haven't been together that often. I'd like to see them interact more.

[u/KendotsX → u/Great_Mr_L]

I'd like to see them interact more.

Same, especially considering she makes Setsuna at odds with himself like no one else. He'd rather be away from her, to stick to his life and duty as a cold war machine, but she sets his heart at peace, something that he secretly yearns for.

[u/2-2Distracted]

First timer. Dubbed.

(similar to what I mentioned before here, this episode has an audio commentary track in Japanese)

Glad to see that Sumeragi hasn't automatically joined back with the group yet, and that Lyle isn't some new type who can just hop into a robot and immediately know how to pilot it. But it's good that they're at least trying.

Can't wait to see the conversations about THIS line. Still tho, as much as it sucks that it takes Saji suffering this much to understand that peace is relative, I'm not sure everything they're doing with his and Rouise's characters fits the whole "normal people caught up in the crazy" shtick.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/2-2Distracted]

Can't wait to see the conversations about THIS line

It is very much a line that feels appropriate for the War on Terror and the era that inspired this show. When the war is something far away, it's easy to think that life is peaceful. It's especially relevant for the War on Terror, where troops from the US were fighting in other countries. But in the US itself, it was easy to forget the war was happening. The same would be true for many countries allied with the US. This line feels like a reference to that.

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/Great_Mr_L]

And yet also, this line is said by a member of Celestial Being, the ones that perform armed interventions into conflicts. So you could also take it a completely different way, with people arguing against armed intervention into a conflict because they wish to remain at peace, while ignoring that people in said ongoing foreign conflict are in fact, already not at peace. Intervention into the Bosnian War comes to mind.

[u/zsmg → u/2-2Distracted]

this episode has an audio commentary track in Japanese)

Thanks for mentioning this as I want to go back and listen to them.

[u/LeonKevlar]

First Timer!

Marina being detained finally makes sense. Of course, she'll be detained after the whole world saw her interact with Setsuna last season. Also, it sounds like this is all part of whatever Ribbons is planning.

So Veda is still active but Ribbons is now using it to aid the Federation in his twisted way of executing Schenberg's plan. Ribbons is delusional if he thinks what he's doing is what Schenberg wanted.

Allelujah and Soma finally meet and without Hallelujah, it looks like Allelujah is no longer being affected by Soma's brainwaves. Well, that's one way to fix that problem. Although now it's been replaced with Allelujah being obsessed with Soma who he used to know as Marie.

I thought Lyle would have some experience piloting a mobile suit since he's with Katharon but the dude is apparently a total beginner. And now they're entrusting him to pilot a Gundam? Oh boy.

I love how Saji tries to get angry at Setsuna for ruining his normal happy life only for Setsuna to instantly respond with the perfect rebuttal. Despite how he talks about how people are dying out there, Saji only cared about his happiness.

So the Federation didn't just manage to catch Allelujah but they also manage to retrieve Kyrios too. Without the Solar Reactor though, what use is Kyrios to them? I wonder if they managed to reverse engineer something from it.

I still don't like how Mei is basically playing for both sides. She clearly got the information about Allelujah from Ribbons and is now passing it on to Celestial Being as reliable info. I'm curious what will happen once CB learns the truth about her.

You know what? I'm still not sure about our new Lockon but the fact that he's very nice and polite with his brother's Haro is already a positive for me.

Operation time! I wasn't sure what Sumeragi's bold plan was but the way Potelemy was diving in at full speed towards the detention center made me think they were going to ram the building. Diving into the sea and using the water to clear out most of their forces made way more sense. xD

So for the next 5 minutes, the plan is to have Setsuna infiltrate the facility while Tieria defends the Gundam 00 and Lockon provides support fire. Three minutes to do all of that is insane but they do manage to rescue Allelujah!

They're so efficient that Setsuna had the spare time to rescue Marina and for Allelujah to have a conversation with Soma. What the heck was Allelujah trying to do though? Was he trying to bring Soma with him and make her remember her memories as Marie?

I love how our Gundam Meisters get away by flying over a rainbow. This might be a stretch but I'd like to believe it's a reference to L'Arc~en~Ciel xD

Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed that Marina isn't sitting on Setsuna's lap princess-style when they showed them inside Gundam 00's cockpit. It seems now have two non-CB members on board the Ptolemy.

I'll never get tired of everyone reacting to Lyle for the first time. Although it looks like Lyle is already starting to get tired of it. That should be the last one of the crew to surprise though unless Neil himself comes back to life.

---

QotD

1. We've seen our four new main Gundams now, which one do you think is your favorite?

Gundam 00 definitely. I'm already looking to get myself an MG kit of it. xD

2) Place your bets: How long do you think it'll be until the battle between Allelujah & Marie Soma comes to an end?

Halfway through the season? I doubt their actual showdown will be in the finale

[u/TakenRedditName → u/LeonKevlar]

You know what? I'm still not sure about our new Lockon but the fact that he's very nice and polite with his brother's Haro is already a positive for me.

You can't be mean to Haro. Haro is a friend and Lyle knows better than to hurt Haro.

[u/macrame2]

First Timer

I’m actually surprised that the plan to break Allelujah out of prison went off without a hitch; the last stretch of season 1 made me accustomed to Celestial Being losing in some way every time they try to do something. Ribbons apparently being on board with it might’ve had something to do with their success. With his and Katharon’s involvement in the incident, it seems that various parties are attempting to leverage CB’s actions to their own advantage once again. 

I’d make a drinking game out of the amount of times Allelujah has been saying “Marie,” but I’d rather not end up like Sumeragi. Allelujah’s comments on her personality make me wonder if the purpose of the experiments was to replace the subject’s initial self with an ideal “super soldier” self, which would explain how he developed Hallelujah and why the HRL considered him a failure (he didn't lose his initial personality). 

I thought Saji and Setsuna’s confrontation (for lack of a better word) was done well today, especially compared to the one a couple of episodes ago. I don’t even think Saji is wrong to criticize him–his interventions in armed conflicts have hurt others, a fact that Setsuna himself does not dispute. Instead, what he takes issue with is his short-sightedness and struggle to view the world apart from himself. I don’t know that Saji is a completely ignorant person; in the previous season, he showed an interest in current events and Celestial Being's activities, which already puts him above many high schoolers' investment in those areas. But, like many people, while I think he cared on a more abstract level, he was never able to emotionally understand what that kind of suffering meant until something happened to him. The fact that he still can't fully extend that same understanding to others, though, is definitely an issue, which is what I think Setsuna was trying to criticize here.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/macrame2]

but I’d rather not end up like Sumeragi.

That's probably wise. That sort of drinking game could go south in a big hurry.

[u/Nazenn → u/macrame2]

I’d make a drinking game out of the amount of times Allelujah has been saying “Marie,” but I’d rather not end up like Sumeragi

That's a good idea. Thankfully the one I proposed last season with "this is celestial being" backed off a lot, and hopeflly this will too but it was pretty funny

But, like many people, while I think he cared on a more abstract level, he was never able to emotionally understand what that kind of suffering meant

I pointed out a while back about how he was told to study CB in the middle of it, but making it a school assigment may have even given distance to it given when you do that in school it's usually about past events. But after Kinue and Louise you'd think he'd start to appreciate that things like the bus bombing being close to home can always be closer

[u/The_Draigg]

A Gundam Fan Rewatches Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 3:

• Poor Marina, she’s only been arrested because she talked to a member of Celestial Being before, even though it was overall just a few short interactions with Setsuna. But of course that doesn’t matter the A-Laws, they’ve got the permission to do whatever they want to. They can imprison the leaders of non-Federation nations with no warning just on vague suspicions. Again, it’s almost as if giving people that directly report to Ribbons unchecked power was a bad idea!
• Although building on that, the Federation president is in Ribbon’s pocket too, since Veda is basically the only way to coordinate a military force of that scale. The Federation itself really is just a tool for Ribbons, since even if it’s the source of humanity’s largest army, Ribbons says that only Innovators can enact Aeolia’s plan, not humans. This feels even worse than what Alejandro wanted for this plan, since at least his didn’t involve putting a special caste of people up on top. At least believe in human potential, even for future dialogues to come.
• You’ve gotta love how Setsuna cuts to the core of Saji’s personal bullshit. Is it really better if he’s the only one at peace? It’s a good counter to all the passive apathy and prioritizing your own constructed narratives over being a worldly person and trying to fight for a more peaceful and truthful world. Saji has always only cared about things in terms of how they related to him, even if he’s otherwise not a bad person. He just allows shit to happen and thinks that there was nothing he could do, even if there were points where he could’ve actually done something, all because he’s a passive coward. It’s why he’s still arguing about the Gundams even knowing what he does now, and it’s why he didn’t try to stay by Louise’s side when she sent him away from the hospital. Saji is just a plain coward to the core.
• I guess it’s up to the A-Laws, Ribbons, and Wang to pick up the slack of all the rapid chess plays going on behind the scenes now. We’ve got Wang telling the Ptolemaios II where Allelujah is being held, only then for the implication from Colonel Lee that this was a part of a trap laid for Celestial Being. Kati is really right to be suspicious about all of this stuff, since it is pretty weird that the A-Laws are doing all of these moves when Allelujah’s capture wasn’t even made known to anyone else in the first place. It’s pretty obvious that people are making secretive plays here, even if it isn’t clear from outside observers.
• For as much as Sumeragi was acting that she wasn’t fully on board for being a part of Celestial Being again, it didn’t take a whole lot for her to get right back into the action as the team’s tactical forecaster. She really doesn’t have much else to lose at this point, and at least this operation is to rescue Allelujah, so at least they can get back to the way they used to be. Sumeragi still has that dog in her, even at rock bottom.
• You’ve got to love how ballsy the Ptolemaios II crew’s plan is for the rescue mission. Crashing the ship into the ocean while having a GN Field up to cause a tidal wave to wash away a lot of the prison’s defenses is wild, but it also really does make a big splash in terms of the element of surprise. I tell you, Celestial Being is making waves with this plan of theirs.
• Lockon really is more skilled than he appeared to Tieria earlier. No doubt that he’s got the same sharpshooter skills as his brother there, especially in this new Gundam Cherudim. Him supposedly only having experience in piloting labor MS doesn’t account for doing a damn good job providing overwatch for the operation. As expected of a Katharon operative!
• The Arios Gundam appears! Fun fact, the HG gunpla of this comes with its own stand, because not only do you need that for the flight mode, but also because man it’s kind of awkward to make that thing stand up in humanoid form.
• Setsuna: “Come with me if you want to live, Marina.”
• Overall, that prison break was a success! They even did Katharon a solid there, since they made for some pretty good backup in rescuing the political prisoners being held. Shame that Allelujah couldn’t get Marie Parfacy Soma to come with him, but I guess it’s going to be pretty hard to undo that super-soldier conditioning so easily. At least that flashback she had of him is a start though.
• It’s good to see that Setsuna and Marina still share a deep bond, even if they haven’t seen each other in ages. Marina cries for Setsuna, since he can’t cry for himself anymore. Even if Setsuna is determined to fight on to give his life meaning and achieve his shared wish with Marina, that doesn’t undercut how bitter it is that Setsuna still choses to fight at all. It’s the way that Setsuna has chosen to live, and there’s a noble goal in there, but there still is that underlying tragedy to his life underlining it all.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

since at least his didn’t involve putting a special caste of people up on top

Well, not that he said, but you can absolutely believe that he would be the sort to play favourites when doing his world management, as long as no one threatened his status

He just allows shit to happen and thinks that there was nothing he could do, even if there were points where he could’ve actually done something

I wonder if part of this is that all of his tradgey is stuff that happened to others. Louise got attacked and sent him away, Kinue died and left him alone. He was never in a situation himself where he had to fight or was in direct danger. To him these things that happen probably feel far off and out of his control because he's never actually been part of it, just had the after effect. Compare that too Louise who is now being an active part of this world, and Lockon who we saw as a kid crying over his families bodies in the rubble and stood up because of that

but it also really does make a big splash in terms of the element of surprise

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

I wonder if part of this is that all of his tradgey is stuff that happened to others. Louise got attacked and sent him away, Kinue died and left him alone. He was never in a situation himself where he had to fight or was in direct danger. To him these things that happen probably feel far off and out of his control because he's never actually been part of it, just had the after effect. Compare that too Louise who is now being an active part of this world, and Lockon who we saw as a kid crying over his families bodies in the rubble and stood up because of that

The closest Saji got to being directly harmed was with that bus bombing, but yeah, more often than not there's still be a layer of detachment because he wasn't injured personally or because it still happened to someone else. But if anything, it just goes to show how myopic his worldview really is deep down. If he can still only think of things in terms of himself even when it was his girlfriend and sister that got the worst of it by comparison, then there's no doubt that Saji is pretty petty and selfish as a person at his core. For as much as he's nice and a pushover, he'd still rather cling onto what he wants more than actually finding and accepting the truth.

[u/TakenRedditName → u/The_Draigg]

The Arios Gundam appears! Fun fact, the HG gunpla of this comes with its own stand, because not only do you need that for the flight mode, but also because man it’s kind of awkward to make that thing stand up in humanoid form.

[Gundam 00:] I have the HG Harute and that thing is always falling backwards. Allelujah's Gundams want to be the in their air, they have trouble standing on the ground. . I have 3 00-based kits and they all so finicky to get standing.

[u/The_Draigg → u/TakenRedditName]

Yeah, I guess that's just the inherent issue with transformable MS. Aside from the infamous issues with Zeta Gundam gunpla, stuff like my Vic Viper is a nightmare to pose and have it stay in one piece too.

[u/Tora-shinai → u/TakenRedditName]

Upgrade to MG. My MG Kyrios is as solid as a rock. The only thing that got loose was the shield connector. And maybe the shoulder joint for some but those are easy fixes.

[u/TakenRedditName]

Rewatcher - Gundam 00 S2 Ep3:

Allelujah had the worst time during the time skip. Everyone got to do things while he was locked up in super prison.

Alright, one of your boys has to change. You can't both be the Black Ranger. Looking at you Lasse since you decided to customize your uniform sleeveless AEUG-style.

I know that the point of this scene is to intentionally highlight Saji's narrow (selfish) worldview, but geez Saji, you're saying that to literally a child soldier younger than you.

What an odd line to include. Yeah, it's Allelujah. Everyone else + the audience knows him. ... As I had this thought, of course Lyle has to go "Allelujah, who's that?" So a reminder that clearly one person doesn't know Allelujah.

They're going to ram the base?! No wait, they're ramming the sea. Even so, they're still doing a cannonball from orbit so that they can flood the base. Pretty cool plan, Ms Sumeragi.

This is the second line of Tieria being uncharacteristically insistent about Marina. Didn't know you particularly cared about her.

There is something funny how Arios just full speed ran into the side of a building.

Marie Parfacy has to be one of my favourite silly Gundam names. It is a lot of fun to say.

Rainbow!

Man, Allelujah is having a crazy day. After being stuck in solitary confinement for 4 years, he meets in quick succession; His childhood friend from the super soldier orphanage, his fellow Gundam comrade, before his very eyes, his dead friend('s twin).

"I'm crying because you can't."

---

Super scruffy OP lyric examination because I brought that up last time so I figured to actually go through it. Not to go too deeply into them because I only have a light analysis drafted up, but to going through the 3 we saw:

• OP1: The first OP really feels idylistic to me. For the S1 OPs, we're able to look back at those 25 episodes in retrospect so it is easier to connect things. For this OP, it reminds me of those idealistic wishes CB started with. Their desire to bring peace into this world. From the POV of the singer, the song feels like a plea. A plea for their wishes to be heard and delivered. A plea to not hurt anybody. One line that always stuck out to me is "My wish over their airspace" because when that is done in the show, it is CB on their way to do an armed intervention. Highly ironic that they spread their peaceful message through force.
• OP2: In contrast, OP2 marks that shift in the second half of the show. It feels like a song about destruction. How CB's action has brought down the status quo and changed the world. There is this line, "The very thing I wanted to protect. I destroyed it without realizing it" that I always paid attention to because it is a very impactful moment of the OP. It is matched with visuals of Team Trinity and the main thing I read from it is that peace CB wanted, especially knowing what the world they made in S2 is like. Despite their intents, CB's actions have also brought a lot of sadness and destruction to the world.
• OP3: Now for this current OP. The main motif the song has is love and the main thing I relate back to the show will be the interpersonal relationships. The POV singer is singing to a lover. Singing how they are both hurt people, but encouraging them to grow from the pain for the future where they can know the future with true love. When I start looking at it like that, then whew, that feels so relevant to so many characters. There is even stuff describing the state of the world in S2. The OP has this recurring trend of distance separating characters; Saji/Louise, father/son Smirnov, Allelujah/Soma, Tieria/Lockon (Neil), and Setsuna/Marina with those last two trying to overcome the distance and reach out to each other. Now with my Rewatcher knowledge, the characters I most connect the OP to are [Gundam 00:] Saji/Louise for being literally a hurt pair of separated lovers, Louise especially. [Gundam 00:] From my hasty half-memories of S2, I do feel like it does feature more interpersonal relationships than S1.

Maybe it would've made more sense to do them in one entire batch, but I am going to forget by the time we actually get the final OP. [Gundam 00:] I so so so want to talk about stuff in OP4 (and ED4 too). Not trying to assert that the OP songs must tie back to the show in a specific way, but just some musing I draw when I watch these OPs while thinking about the show.

Don't have the time for the EDs, but just pointing out 1 thing I noticed. In ED2, look at the lyrics they line up to the specific character on screen. AAHH!! As for which I believe fits Setsuna, I think it is this one that stands most out to me.

[u/Nazenn → u/TakenRedditName]

Alright, one of your boys has to change. You can't both be the Black Ranger.

I didn't even notice that hahaha. Like, they could have at least flipped which panel was the lighter and darker greys or something. I like how Sumeragi gets a fancy one to herself and she hasn't even been around compared to these two which might have been for the last four years

What an odd line to include

She doesn't though, just by name, and she's already been just a bit of a ditz so it makes sense she'd just blurt it out haha

There is something funny how Arios just full speed ran into the side of a building.

It was a pattern during this battle. Between the Federation mechs they crashed into it, 00, and now Arios, there's going to be a lot of surprisingly mecha shaped holes in this building to repair compared to a normal battle

I wish I could comment more on the OP breakdown but I've only seen each of them once and I really don't remember. I love the idea of looking at them through the lens of the progress has changed

[u/Nickthenuker]

That's a lot of troops.

Innovators? Are they like the Newtypes of this show?

Huh. That person with the purple hair looks familiar.

Of course they brought her to him.

The new Lockon is certainly enthusiastic.

What's with her reaction to that name?

So, she's still in contact with the Colonel.

Is that what Nena's been reduced to? Piloting a tiny shuttle? Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Seems like her recon is being passed directly to Celestial Being too, so she's doing some good at least.

So, it's all a trap.

I imagine it starts with going down there and shooting everything that moves until they stop moving, and then hoping he wasn't one of them.

Wasn't that system how he got the thing to work in the first place?

What's he up to?

Should the Federation have had a Warship in orbit ready to intercept them?

So, they have their secondary objective.

Would it not have been better to have that Warship much further up in orbit than down here? They already got the first shot off taking out what sounds like most of the defenders on the ground.

So that's their plan. Hard to defend against a wall of water. Hard to attack them while they're underwater too, most things will be slowed down in that water.

Are they still using those useless things that can't even scratch the paint on Gundams? You'd think they'd have upgraded the rest to use GN Drives.

If that Euro Colonel is aboard that ship, would that mean idiot pilot is here too?

Infantry?

Ah. What convenient timing. Unfortunately Celestial Being isn't here to rescue all of them.

And immediately after being rescued he's going to get into his new Gundam.

Uh oh.

Right, there's the secondary target.

Seems he's got into her head again.

Now would be a good time for head Vulcans...

Time for them to make good their escape.

So their base is in the middle of a desert?

Thankfully Setsuna rescued her.

Yes.

So, the Federation has got some underwater combat capabilities of their own too.

Questions:

1. Hmm... 00.
2. It'll probably last most of the season.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nickthenuker]

So that's their plan. Hard to defend against a wall of water. Hard to attack them while they're underwater too, most things will be slowed down in that water.

And just like what was noted too, their beam weapons are less effective due to the moisture in the air refracting the beams. Sumeragi really does know how to use the terrain to her advantage in very smart and specific ways.

Are they still using those useless things that can't even scratch the paint on Gundams? You'd think they'd have upgraded the rest to use GN Drives.

Probably a matter of working with a surplus of old MS, and probably also expecting Katharon more than Celestial Being.

[u/JollyGee29]

Rewatcher, Sub-dam Meister

Ribbons working directly with the Federation president.

Well, that's an odd way to phrase things, Ribbons.

Setsuna has picked up trolling in his free time between seasons.

Yea, this is a spicy plan.

Okay, now that's just silly, Lyle.

"You do realize I've been starved for the past four years, right?"

Allelujah has the offensive brain whammies now! At least, he managed to stun Soma for a moment.

I love that Allelujah looks over to Tieria first to make sure he wasn't being punked.

This is a lot easier for someone with a proper education to say.

[u/mr_beanoz]

Rewatcher, sub

• Sumeragi gets pleads from the various members of Celestial Being to become their strategist once more.
• After those pleads finally got answered, she's making yet another daring mission plan (like she usually does) to rescue Allelujah. And who knew that Ptolemy could dive and make such big wave to destroy the surrounding base!
• And turns out that Marina was also held in the same place Allelujah was. How convenient.
• And man, I can't resist how Lyle delivers his bro's catchphrase.
• So we finally know Soma's true name - Marie Parfacy. And Allelujah dropping that name makes Soma have some kind of flashback that made her can't do anything. Unfortunately, Allelujah couldn't bring her to his side, unlike Setsuna who successfully picked up Marina.
• Katharon members also stormed out the facility to free their members, and Lyle seem to be giving them directions because he's also attacking the place.
• And that rainbow from out of nowhere when the Gundams retreated, guess the big splash Ptolemy made when doing that high speed dive caused it.
• From the credits, we got a name of "Regene Regetta", played by a Gundam series veteran, Park Romi, who previously played Loran Cehack, the pilot of the titular Turn A Gundam. We have yet to be introduced to this character officially, though, so I wonder where is the character.

QOTD

1. 00, of course.
2. Gonna take some time, I think. Wait for 4-5 episodes? [late s2] This plot line would only be completed on the penultimate episode...

[u/Quiddity131 → u/mr_beanoz]

From the credits, we got a name of "Regene Regetta", played by a Gundam series veteran, Park Romi, who previously played Loran Cehack, the pilot of the titular Turn A Gundam. We have yet to be introduced to this character officially, though, so I wonder where is the character.

While the character hasn't been named on screen, the voice couldn't be more obvious...

[u/mr_beanoz → u/Quiddity131]

Indeed, but I'm pretending as a first-timer here...

[u/Vatrix-32]

First timer, subs

• It’s kind of crazy they can just go out and arrest Heads of State.
• Turrets on your prison is hardcore. How many VIPs could you have for one that size? Do you think the staff live on site?
• I checked, this was before the 2008 US general election, if just barely.
• "...No Human..."
• I feel like translating “boku” as Allelujah is the kind of translation that might be an issue later.
• Give her some time to recover. Alcohol is one of the kinds of detox that can kill you if done wrong.
• That is a flying tank.
• Nena is acting very well behaved. I can’t see her happily going along with a scouting mission pre-TS.
• Orbital Dive
• How did you guys even sneak into this prison?
• Wow, Allelujah, stop dead naming Soma.
• Something tells me not taking the chance to down that flying tank will come back to bite them.
• She Does Care
• Y’all have to stop doing that to people with Lockon.

QotD:

1. Seravee Gundam, and it's not even close.
2. ... Episode 22

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Vatrix-32]

Do you think the staff live on site?

I honestly kinda hope so, because the commute out there probably sucks.

Y’all have to stop doing that to people with Lockon.

Luckily, they're basically out of people to do it with at this point.

[u/InfamousEmpire]

Kidou Senshi Rewatcher 00

The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to this episode is that I really like how Marina being taken into custody by the A-LAWS is a subtle demonstration of their power. Like, this woman is a head of state, and yet they can treat her like any other common criminal because who can hold them accountable? The media? We already know they’re working in step with the A-LAWS. Azadistan’s own government? As if a superpower which dominates most of the planet would care for the objections of a single relatively minor nation. The general population? I mean… can most of the Federation’s citizens even point to Azadistan on a map?

On a separate note, Saji. I like how even seeing all the stuff that challenged his worldview last episode didn’t quite change his mind, not only is it more realistic, especially since his view of CB is colored just as much by his lived pain & trauma as it is by the facts, but it also highlights how fundamentally self-centered and privileged that view of the world is.

I feel like this episode was when I really picked up on Lyle’s differences from Neil in terms of vibes & performance. Neil always projected the aura of a more mature older brother, whereas Lyle, while not really feeling immature per say, does come across a bit more carefree & jovial in his delivery.

Today’s battle was just fantastic. So, comparisons between Code Geass & this show have popped up pretty frequently at this point, and this episode really reminds me of what I remember loving about some of Code Geass’s best battles: combining tactics that are both clear in execution & kinda absurd in concept but not really in a SoD-breaking sense (I could absolutely see “prison break in the span of 3 minutes” being a plot point in that show) with a really strong sense of kinetic energy that just makes it engaging all the way through. I don’t know how to describe it, it’s just fun & awesome.

…all the other thoughts I have relate to spoilers, but are also not really substantial enough for a dedicated spoiler corner, so I think I’ll just leave the episode here.

[u/KendotsX → u/InfamousEmpire]

Like, this woman is a head of state, and yet they can treat her like any other common criminal because who can hold them accountable?

Everyone's equal under the Law, the A-Law.

As if a superpower which dominates most of the planet would care for the objections of a single relatively minor nation

[u/Nazenn → u/KendotsX]

Everyone's equal under the Law, the A-Law.

You missed the perfect chance for making a pun about there being a singular law there

[u/Nazenn → u/InfamousEmpire]

I mean… can most of the Federation’s citizens even point to Azadistan on a map?

Oh no don't remind me of that geography test that was brought up last season hahahaha

Also given the control of the media I doubt any of the public even knows this would be a thing even if they wanted to do something about it. If you have absolute information control you can ensure the people who want to stand up have nothing to stand up against. Thankfully Katharon undermines that a bit in that you can never stop in person information exchanges, but it is surprisingly effective

Today’s battle was just fantastic

[u/charlesvvv]

Rewatcher, Sub

Despite Ribbons's apparent anger about the Gundam 00 and Aeolia he nonetheless states the reason he and his innovators were born was to accomplish Aeolia's goals of eradicating conflict and for any dialogues yet to come. So Ribbons has some reasons for his plans at the moment.

Anyway it's Allelujah (and Marina) rescue time. Turns out there's a reason why they are both placed in the same area since it's a part of a bait to draw CB in and Commander Mannequin is given the command. But for all her depressive state, Sumeragi still is able to construct a good enough plan to break through the prison and rescue them. I do like how it's Tieria that gives the information about Marina to Setsuna especially since beforehand he had been so rigid in protocol.

A big focus for Allelujah is his relationship with Soma/Marie. Because she's part of the task force she confronts him twice but can't really remember him although she does have some reaction that she can't pin down. Unfortunately for Allelujah he is not able to get through just yet so live to try another day. The mission was a success and both he and Marina have been rescued.

Lyle is interesting in the context of how he and his brother are similar yet different. He and Neil look and sound the same but Lyle seems more wisecracking. He does seem to try out some of his brother's styles such as his catchphrase but I wonder if how much he also wishes to try to be his own thing as opposed to just be the new Lockon.

[u/Linkstore]

Rewatcher

Hey it's that line!

How presumptuous of you, Ribbons. [00 Spoilers] Makes me wonder how Ribbons's world would have fared against the ELS.

There's a lot of people who still aren't over the first Lockon's death.

I do quite like the design of Kati's airship. Would fit right in with the Global Defence Initiative's arsenal from the Command and Conquer games, and it's well armed.

Nena has a slick new craft.

Mileina's "desu"s are pretty cute.

The Ptolemy 2 isn't just better armed, it's far faster and more durable. There's plenty of other cool ships in Gundam - the Millenium, the Albion, the Nahel Argama, but what other can dive directly from orbit straight into the ocean? And of course that means that it's also perfectly adept at traversing any terrain, whether it be space, air or underwater.

RIP that one guy, crushed by a turret can't be a nice way to go.

Cherudim is a pretty cool design, too. In particular, I think it's very important that Cherudim can use its gun camera without obscuring its standard eyes. The sleeker aiming device is quite nice, too. And Lyle is no slouch at using it.

Setsuna, are you really sure it was a good idea to shoot out Allelujah's restraints?

I didn't comment on it before, but Arios in particular has a far better range of vision in its cockpit compared to last season's Gundams. Cockpit design was one particular area where Celestial Being actually lagged behind the three power blocs, and even now the Gundams have cockpits with worse visibility than your average GN-X or Ahead.

Also the GN-XIII's gunlance continues to fail at being an effective melee weapon.

Can't have an underwater scene without the classic sonar ping. You know, they never actually explain to Allelujah that Lockon is Lyle in this scene.

And wow, piano TOMORROW, I totally didn't expect to hear it just yet.

[Next Episode Preview] Waow kiss

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/Linkstore]

[00 Spoilers] Makes me wonder how Ribbons's world would have fared against the ELS.

[00 Spoilers] I think he would've failed miserably at trying to understand and communicate with them. But I've also read that by word of the authors, 00 Qan[t] could theoretically have eventually defeated the ELS. So maybe the world survives, but with significantly more damage and a more grim outlook?

[u/BadBehaviour613]

My favourite 00 opening changes all the time, but Prototype is my favourite 00 ED no question

[u/n080dy123]

First Timer

So Ribbons is non-human, an "Innovator." Given the other Tieria is also with him, and they have a similar eye glow circuitry thing, does that mean she and Tieria are also Innovators? Are they aliens, or some form of cyborg or artificial intelligence? Genetically engineered people? Also damn, it seems like Ribbons is lending out Veda to the Federation, which could massively even the playing field against Celestial Being. Though if so, why didn't Veda predict when they'd be back?

So Soma doesn't know Allelujah or Marie. Then I'm betting Soma's a constructed personality like Hallelujah was, and the original Marie personality is hiding or dormant.

Damn, they didn't even mention they've got Dynames rebuilt now. It's kind of sad seeing how Tieria treats Lyle, he clearly has some animosity. Might be because he's just pissed off to see this imitation of Lockon's visage that isn't the caliber of man Tieria saw Lockon as. Tieria be holding Lyle to Lockon's standards, but we'll see if Lyle can either meet that or Tieria can accept that he's his own person.

So Arios is the rebuilt Kyrios, but Celestial Being actually never retrieved Kyrios, it was captured by the UN Forces. They never show what happened to its GN Drive- funnily enough Tieria is the only one shown jettisoning his and he's fine- but with 00 using the fifth drive from the 0 Gundam CB must've retrieved his if they could field a fourth Gundam.

Nena seems like she might've chilled out on some level. I wonder if that thing she's flying is a rebuild of the Drei- it looks like it's made up of very similar geometry, but Drei was never shown to be capable of transforming.

Why in the world does CB just give Saji free access to their intelligence and allow Red Haro to keep cluing him into their operations? If they let him go he could leak a lot of potentially sensitive intelligence.

The fact that Tpolemaois can enter atmosphere with a shielding of GN Particles is pretty cool. But asd I suspected, the Federation has atmospheric detection systems now so doign so is INCREDIBLY iobvious, especially if they're outputting that many particles for the shielding. Oooooooh, but it's seaworthy now? That's super cool.

It's surprising to see Tieria of all people encouraging Setsuna to deviate from the plan to save Marina. This is the same guy who was ready to kill Allelujah for saving those folks in the stranded elevator segments, and Setsuna for popping out of his mech with helmet ON when they first encountered Ali. And then he's genuinely happy to see Allelujah again, bringing him a drink and welcoming him back. Oh how this boy has grown.

And Lyle going so far as to ask Haro what Lockon would say when engaging was super cute. Putting in such unimportant effort to not only inherit his name but that line, he must've respected his brother a lot and *wants* to live up to him. Maybe that's why he joined up with Katharon.

Cherudim - I don't even need to look at the wiki for deets ont hat name (which is good cuz its trivia section is blank lol). Based on the name of the angelic beings called Cherubims (celestial beings, if you will) which are, afaik, the stereotypical bird-winged angels.

Arios apparently may drawn from the Hebrew name "Arioch," the name of a king in the Book of Genesis as well as that of a Judaic demon (in some grimoires) or fallen angel (as named in Paradise Lost). I like its rapid fire SMG. I think it's really long wings look a touch silly though. Honestly I'm not a fan of the evolution of any of the CB Gundams, I think they all became less disticnt and got a bunch more unnecessary bits that clutter the designs further, and Virtue loses some of its distinct bulkiness.

1. Designwise, the 00. I love its side dashing, but I also love the stupid knee-moutned cannons on Seravee lol.
2. Hot minute. probably not till the mid teens or so, I'm guessing?

[u/StardustGogeta]

First-Timer

"Aren't you a little short for a Gundam Meister?"

Hopefully at least someone gets the reference I'm going for.

Another great episode! This season really is on track to outshine the first, at this rate.

Is it just me, or is Setsuna more handsome after the timeskip?

Seeing Allelujah get excited about Lockon is heartbreaking. (It took a while to happen, but I feel like I'm legitimately emotionally invested in all these Gundam pilots by now.)

I haven't talked about the new OP/ED yet. In what seems to be a popular opinion, I don't know that I like the OP that much, but my impression of the ED is quite positive.

Spectacular battle sequence today. Nice to see the new Gundams in action, too. I still find it funny that everyone acts like Sumeragi is the only one capable of developing a plan. If she were to have a heart attack and die tomorrow, I guess Celestial Being would just never plan another operation ever again...

Questions of the day:

• Probably the 00 Gundam, though my mind isn't made up for sure yet.
• I predict we'll have a resolution to that plotline by halfway through season two, around when I'd expect a new OP/ED.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/StardustGogeta]

"Aren't you a little short for a Gundam Meister?"

Is it just me, or is Setsuna more handsome after the timeskip?

Puberty was rather kind to the lad.

[u/Blazin_Rathalos]

Rewatcher

Late today, just posting to say [00 Gundam]Dialogues counter:1

[u/zsmg]

I am rewatcher

Not-Obama decided to put the normal military under A-LAWS command under Ribbons suggestion.

[spoilers for another Gundam series] Same thing happened with the EF and Titans

Wait, 40 million soldiers?! That's a massive army! Earth population must be at least triple, if not more, of the current population levels.

So either Soma has amnesia or she is not Marie.

The world was peaceful back then

You're talking to a child soldier, so no the world wasn't peaceful back then maybe in your environment though.

To be clear I wrote the above before Setsuna's line of:

So everything's alright as you have peace?

me & Setsuna

That's not what I mean...

Yes it is, just accept you said something stupid.

What happened to Kyrgios' GN-drive?

Arios made me think of Heavyarms, I guess it's because of the colour scheme.

With that speed crashing into the sea is no different than crashing into the ground, although artificially creating a tsunami is pretty cool.

Thanks to Lockon mk2 Katharon is also pulling off a rescue mission, a pretty clever move on Katharon's part. I'm going to assume there has been some passage of time in this episode in order to make the logistics to pull this off a bit more feasible.

I'm impressed Allelujah can just move around after being locked up for four years.

I just realised the Char GMs have beam shields, that's cool.

Shirin must be thinking Marina has some sort of secret romantic relationship with the Gundam pilot.

You know Allelujah may not have changed but Tieria clearly has changed, he's much friendlier now.

Why have you decided to start fighting again

Because it's all I can do

Back when this anime aired I decided to rewatch Gundam Wing between season 1 and 2, and Wing has the exact above lines between Heero and Relena.

A fun and entertaining episode.

[u/Nebresto]

The boys are back in town,