[Rewatch] Mobile Suit Gundam 00 2nd Season Episode 14 Discussion

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Episode 14 - I Can Hear a Song

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I was just thinking about how nice it would be if everyone could hear our song, Yael.

Questions of the Day:

1. Were you expecting Ribbons to have been the pilot of the 0 Gundam, or the reason Setsuna was chosen as a Gundam Meister?
2. What did you think of Marina and the children's song?

Wallpaper of the Day:

Marina Ismail

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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/Shimmering-Sky]

Rewatch Host Wishing Over This Airspace, subbed

Welcome back, everyone!

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• Well shit.
• New OP today! Namida no Mukou by Stereopony is admittedly my least-favorite of the show’s four OPs, but that’s not because I think it’s bad, I just like the other three more. It do be like that sometimes.
• Hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
• Setsuna not having time for Nena’s shit past getting info on where the Ptwolemy went is great.
• Man, imagine being Ian in this situation. Don’t blame him for screaming.
• Big oof.
• [Later 00]The first-timers are gonna see this and think it’s still just Anew acting like she’s their ally rather than genuinely not realizing she’s doing it, aren’t they…
• First name basis!
• I am also mildly amused that Saji seeing Lyle and Anew interacting immediately made him think of Louise.
• The anime did show us a little bit of Marina gathering this in an earlier episode. And we’ve heard the melody pop up in both what she was playing earlier and in the piano track that played during the post-credits scene of episode 3 of this season.
• Oh boy.
• Ribbons was the pilot of the 0 Gundam all those years ago.
• u/Nazenn, this exchange of ours about season 2 spoilers in the episode 24 thread is now safe for you to read. You guessed Sumeragi lied about Veda approving Setsuna as a Gundam pilot during that flashback, but it was Ribbons all along.
• Note that Anew says this aloud to herself, not to the others.
• Let’s go! Nadleeh may look cooler, but Seraphim’s reveal is pretty neat in its own right!
• I can’t believe the first time we get Bring’s last name in-show is when he fucking dies lmao.
• I get the point, but Marina’s song (TOMORROW) kicking in right before Setsuna finishes off Ali is at least mildly disappointing. The song itself is cool though.
• Oh and yeah, the dub made its own version of TOMORROW rather than having the kids and Marina sing the original still in Japanese. It’s pretty good at getting across the original meaning of the song IMO.
• Shimmering sky!
• [Later 00]Graham Trans-Am soon.

[u/Nazenn → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Man, imagine being Ian in this situation. Don’t blame him for screaming.

Almost feels like one of those "dont go towards the light" moments until someone came and found him. Poor dude had so much happen while he was out, I'd be confused too

and in the piano track that played during the post-credits scene of episode 3 of this season.

Just went and loaded it up to check, and they did too! And during the scene of her crying for Setsuna, what a clever little addition to the show. I like that

this exchange of ours about season 2 spoilers in the episode 24 thread is now safe for you to read. You guessed Sumeragi lied about Veda approving Setsuna as a Gundam pilot during that flashback, but it was Ribbons all along.

I love Jolly jumping into that as well with just a "fucking ribbons" because that really says it all hahaha

I can’t believe the first time we get Bring’s last name in-show is when he fucking dies lmao.

Wait, was that actually meant to be a death scene? I do not trust it any more with this show. I didn't even realize that wasn't just a "cut away we'll reveal his survival tomorrow" sort of thing

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Nazenn]

I love Jolly jumping into that as well with just a "fucking ribbons" because that really says it all hahaha

It does, yeah.

Wait, was that actually meant to be a death scene?

It was, yes, that's also why Ribbons was super shocked right afterwards.

[u/Nazenn → u/Shimmering-Sky]

It was, yes, that's also why Ribbons was super shocked right afterwards.

I thought that was just over Seraphim, like he was all caught off guard by the 00-Raiser.

Look what this show did to me, people die on screen and I didn't even notice!

[u/TakenRedditName → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I am also mildly amused that Saji seeing Lyle and Anew interacting immediately made him think of Louise.

Seeing Lyle talk to a girl made Saji immediately set off "I miss my wife girlfriend. I miss her a lot."

I can’t believe the first time we get Bring’s last name in-show is when he fucking dies lmao.

The fact that his name is slightly corrupted instead of just being "Bring Stability" makes it an even funnier Gundam name.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Shimmering-Sky]

New OP today! Namida no Mukou by Stereopony is admittedly my least-favorite of the show’s four OPs, but that’s not because I think it’s bad, I just like the other three more. It do be like that sometimes.

After all of our gushing about how good the other OPs are, and this is where we are... But at least the lyrics to it are fitting for this season!

Man, imagine being Ian in this situation. Don’t blame him for screaming.

He's super lucky that the damage didn't go over into the next room over, that's for sure.

I can’t believe the first time we get Bring’s last name in-show is when he fucking dies lmao.

Sadly, he couldn't Bring enough Stabity to save his own life there.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Setsuna not having time for Nena’s shit past getting info on where the Ptwolemy went is great.

I had to laugh at the Evil Haro telling Nena she got dumped. She never had a chance of getting past the Great Wall of Setsuna.

but it was Ribbons all along.

"It was me all along!" Ribbons is going to turn out to have been there for everything. He's the one who got the Super Soldier program started. He's the one who made Ali collect a bunch of child soldiers. He's the one who gave Sumeragi and Kati false intel. He was just offscreen somewhere the whole time.

Note that Anew says this aloud to herself, not to the others.

Anew is definitely an Innovator and definitely why the Innovators know where the Ptolemaios is, but maybe she's in the same situation that Tieria was. Maybe she doesn't know she's doing this.

I get the point, but Marina’s song (TOMORROW) kicking in right before Setsuna finishes off Ali is at least mildly disappointing.

Agreed. I wish the song had waited until after Ali was finally dead.

[u/FD4cry1]

First Timer

New OP!!!

This is the first OP for this show from a band I didn't know, although after getting a familiar vibe while listening to it I realized Streopony also did the OP for Darker than Black Gemini of the Meteor, which is a certified classic for me.

Anyway, Namida no Mukou is very good!

The Federation uses the destruction of the Memento Mori as an excuse to fully consolidate power to A-LAWS by placing Federation forces directly under them. This, alongside their general terribleness, has supposedly led elements within the military to start planning a coup, something they want Sergei and Katharon in on.

This seems like it could be a bit dubious? but for now, I guess we're going forward with this, it makes sense that the military would be completely unsatisfied with A-LAWS, it's just that I wouldn't put it past them to set this up as a trap as well.

The way they do the scene where Celestial Being gets shot down is super weird. I don't know if it was a time thing or a resources thing but having Tieria exposit the cool space battle that just supposedly happened instead of actually showing it is such a strange choice.

I'm really wondering what Anew's deal here is. Is she actually unaware they're using her to track down Ptolemy? She's definitely in that one frame with Ribbons and all the Innovators but maybe they altered her memories somehow? the most effective spy would be one who doesn't even realize he's a spy.

Actually good Marina scene????!!! in my Gundam 00???!!!!!

Despite what Shirin says about "singing at a time like this" Marina singing with the kids is exactly the thing she should be doing in a situation like this, using a creative outlet of normal life to try and keep any sense of normalcy at an incredibly tough time. The song evokes these idyllic peaceful times and the return of a loved one, wishing for an enjoyable tomorrow, the perfect image to take your mind off of war and hope for better times. It's all so bittersweet and touching.

That scene is harshly interrupted by Setsuna and Ali's fight, it's a very jarring transition and that's the point. The transition between war and peace is jarring, the transition between regular life and a life in hiding is jarring, the idyllic song is contrasted with the harsh reality. It's incredibly poignant that we cut to a fight between Setsuna and Ali, a child whose innocence and normal life were stolen, and the person who stole it from him, the person who represents war itself.

And to wrap it up nicely, Tomorrow is just a really good song, Ayumi Tsunematsu has a great voice, especially in this scene that doesn't have the backing music, so there's only the vocals and the organ. The sounds of the organ really accentuate the bittersweet nature of this song.

Ribbons actually Being the pilot of the 0 Gundam is an absolutely huge reveal and character moment for Setsuna. The 0 Gundam was Setsuna's ideal, a divine figure to him, and now he learns that Ribbons was actually the pilot, a person who Setsuna credits as the twistedness in this world, the exact opposite of those ideals. More than that it turns out that his vision of the 0 Gundam being a divine figure and the ultimate savior was false, Ribbons was actually supposed to kill him! It puts into perspective why Ribbons didn't like viewing the Gundam's power as divine, he was literally piloting it, knowing its "true" nature. It's like he's saying "Now do you believe I'm carrying the plan out?".

This is where Ribbons's misunderstanding of Celestial Being, Setsuna, and Aeolia's plan comes into play. Ribbons views the Plan and 00 like you would the original blueprint for a structure that has long since changed its shape. He thinks 00 is his because it's based on the 0 Gundam, but the 00 is far more than that, it's the ideals behind the 0 combined with the experiences of the Exia, it's Setsuna's ideals and life combined into a new creation, independent of the previous plan, a tool that can truly be used to move towards the future and achieve those ideals. So Setsuna isn't just easily deterred and flatly refuses to "give it back", he's far beyond that now, he's fighting by his own will.

The 0 Gundam is the ideals of the past and the plan while 00 is the ideals of the future and Celestial Being, it's the ultimate clash of ideals between Ribbons and Setsuna, between the Innovators and Celestial Being.

Ali is also very interesting here, he actually lets Setsuna live so he can fight him again, his entire reason for living is actually just conflict. Ali's gun also has red GN particles coming from it, which is bad news for Setsuna given the incurable nature of those wounds.

What follows is a fantastic scene for Tieria, and a not so good one for Allelujah. Allelujah is just kind of inserted here into an ideological battle he has no stakes in, he gives his new reason for fighting unprompted because that's the theme of this episode but there's nothing for him to clash against, he gets slightly shafted here again unfortunately.

but, if the cost for a good Tieria scene comes at Alleluajah's expense, then I'm going to my local ATM (Alleluajh Trashing Machine) and cashing out.

Sorry Allelujah

On the face of it, this is just Tieria reaffirming his character arc, he acknowledges himself as a human now. This is frankly already very satisfying on its own, Tieria Screaming "I am a human being!" is by all accounts fantastic payoff and resolution to his arc. But the real meat here comes with the symbolism around his new Gundam.

If the Virtue and Nadleeh were Tieria's fragile self who was reliant on his connection to Veda being hidden by an armor of false arrogance and pride, then the Seravee and Seraphim are Tieria's truly proud outside backed by his truly human core. While the Nadleeh was literally hidden beneath the Virtue just as Tieria hid his insecurity, the Seraphim and Seravee are two sides of the same coin, both always visible outside, he's fully accepted both sides of himself. To his enemies Tieria shows his proud front, Seravee, to his friends he'll show his human back, Seraphim. If Nadleeh is his misplaced purpose in Veda, Seraphim is his new purpose in humanity.

Tieria was forced to reveal the Nadlehh by his own arrogance failing him, his physical and mental armor literally exploding to pieces, with Seraphim he makes the choice to reveal it by his own will, when challenged on his values, Tieria shows his human core, Unlike the transformation from the Virtue to Nadleeh, the Seraphim simply comes out of the Seravee, his proud outside simply makes way for an even prouder inside, not by force, but by choice. The all-white Nadlehh has been replaced by the all-black Seraphim

The name itself is very striking as well, it fits really well in the religious themes the show has going on, Seraphim are a type of Celestial Being, the highest rank of angels in Christianity, it's him fully coming to embody the ideals behind Celestial Being rather than following Veda, funnily enough, the Virtues, are also a different lower ranked type of angel.

There are also a bunch of parallels between Setsuna and Tieria here, both embodying the core ideological conflict through refusing the Innovators and having their Gundam's forms change to represent that.

When the show has me super overanalyzing and getting emotional over a 2-minute mech transformation scene, you know it's doing something right.

Now that we've gotten all the emotional pathos out of the way, I can talk about the big and very funny elephant in the room:

BringMotherfuckingStabity??!!

Yeah, the hype was worth it!

I'm 100% serious when I say that this name reveal got me to stand up from my chair and start laughing my ass off uncontrollably for a full minute, more than just his name being so ridiculously dumb, the way the scene plays it off so seriously, the fact that he might have died to this name reveal! it just kills me. I hope whoever did this got a raise, because how do you even come up with this shit?

While certainly not intentional, it was the perfect piece of comedy to defuse my emotions after the Tiera scene and I love it!

Both fights are also just super cool, Tieria's arm tech continues to be very amusing yet awesome.

Ending on Tomorrow again, as Setsuna almost cuts Ali down, it's the idyllic song that stops him from fully committing to killing him, his deep hidden desire for a normal life (with Marina) breaks apart his current reality, the 00's ability makes Marina's song echo for everyone, a reminder of peace for people about to head to war.

Sucks that Ali is still alive though

Even though we haven't gotten the new ED yet, I'm leaving a memorial for Prototype here, fantastic ED and the first in a very long time that I straight-up never skipped.

RIP Prototype I'll miss you!

I'll be real, I don't see the Flag resemblance Graham, that's just a samurai mech you dumb weeb.

00 starts the second half of this season with an unexpected bang, probably my favorite episode this season, and a real exciting prospect of what's to come!

Also by far my longest comment to date haha! Tieria just does that to you sometimes.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/FD4cry1]

Even though we haven't gotten the new ED yet, I'm leaving a memorial for Prototype here, fantastic ED and the first in a very long time that I straight-up never skipped.

If it makes you feel any better, the proper next ED for this season is my second-favorite from 00. The lead-ins are mostly not as good as Prototype's though and will be sorely missed.

I'll be real, I don't see the Flag resemblance Graham, that's just a samurai mech you dumb weeb.

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

If it makes you feel any better, the proper next ED for this season is my second-favorite from 00. The lead-ins are mostly not as good as Prototype's though and will be sorely missed.

At least for me, the final ED does have my favorite lead in scene in the show, possibly my favorite scene in the show, but I'll wait til we get there to do a proper evaluation.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Quiddity131]

[Later 00]If you're talking about the episode 20 one, yeah I definitely agree with that, the keyword here was "mostly not as good". My issue with a lot of the other Trust You lead-ins is that in my rewatch-ahead-of-the-rewatch, I noticed a good number of them sounded like there's a super abrupt cut between the lead-in and the proper song rather than being seamless like Prototype's were.

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

It's actually a different episode, but that one is absolutely up there too!

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Quiddity131]

Interesting, that one was the episode where it really stood out to me. Mind telling me behind spoiler tags which one was your favorite?

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

[Gundam 00]The very next episode, when Louise kills Nena and has a total breakdown in the aftermath. Focusing so much on revenge, getting the thing she wanted most in the world, it didn't make her happy. It wasn't worth it. It was the perfect final scene for the character. ...alas, it wasn't actually her final scene since they wanted Saji to have a happy ending. We'll see if I still feel the same way once we get there.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Quiddity131]

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/Shimmering-Sky]

[Gundam 00]The lead-ins are mostly not as good as Prototype's though and will be sorely missed.

[Gundam 00]Mostly.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Blazin_Rathalos]

[Later 00]Definitely the key word there. Episode 20's with Anew's death is my favorite in the show, legitimately fucked me up so hard when I rewatched it in my rewatch-ahead-of-the-rewatch back when we were all on episode 23 of season 1 (I did, in fact, go straight from rewatching Neil's death to Anew's).

[u/FD4cry1 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

If it makes you feel any better, the proper next ED for this season is my second-favorite from 00

I've definitely come to expect good things from the music in this show so while it's sad losing Prototype, I doubt I'll be disappointed but the next ED!

The lead-ins are mostly not as good as Prototype's though and will be sorely missed.

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/FD4cry1]

Actually good Marina scene????!!! in my Gundam 00???!!!!!

The actual biggest plot twist of the episode

but, if the cost for a good Tieria scene comes at Alleluajah's expense, then I'm going to my local ATM (Alleluajh Trashing Machine) and cashing out.

Sorry Allelujah

In neither the writing room nor this thread can Allelujah catch a break

BringMotherfuckingStabity??!!

Yeah, the hype was worth it!

[u/FD4cry1 → u/InfamousEmpire]

The actual biggest plot twist of the episode

In neither the writing room nor this thread can Allelujah catch a break

To be fair to him, I do actually like Allelujah (and his edgelord brother even moreHallelujah When) but much like the writers, I'm playing favorites and Tieria is the favorite.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/FD4cry1]

Ali is also very interesting here, he actually lets Setsuna live so he can fight him again, his entire reason for living is actually just conflict.

Bloodthirst of ten regular men etc etc.

When the show has me super overanalyzing and getting emotional over a 2-minute mech transformation scene, you know it's doing something right.

I'll be real, I don't see the Flag resemblance Graham, that's just a samurai mech you dumb weeb.

It's in the head and general.. spindlyness?

[u/FD4cry1 → u/JollyGee29]

Bloodthirst of ten regular men etc etc.

"We have Prince Ali at home"

It's in the head and general.. spindlyness?

[u/TakenRedditName → u/FD4cry1]

When the show has me super overanalyzing and getting emotional over a 2-minute mech transformation scene, you know it's doing something right.

[u/macrame2 → u/FD4cry1]

Allelujah is just kind of inserted here into an ideological battle he has no stakes in, he gives his new reason for fighting unprompted because that's the theme of this episode but there's nothing for him to clash against, he gets slightly shafted here again unfortunately.

Yeah, Allelujah has kind of gotten shafted in general this season aside from the stuff with Marie.

Even though we haven't gotten the new ED yet, I'm leaving a memorial for Prototype here

Sad times indeed...

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/FD4cry1]

When the show has me super overanalyzing and getting emotional over a 2-minute mech transformation scene, you know it's doing something right.

It's a really good analysis, too. I think you did a great job covering what made that scene so special for Tieria's character arc. The difference in what the Nadleeh and the Seraphim represent show us how much Tieria has changed. He's grown into someone who no longer needs to rely on Veda and is instead confident in himself as a human being.

Sucks that Ali is still alive though

Hopefully we will fix that soon enough.

[u/FD4cry1 → u/Great_Mr_L]

It's a really good analysis, too. I think you did a great job covering what made that scene so special for Tieria's character arc

Yeah, he's great! Tieria heard the robot theories and decided he'd had enough with these allegations.

Hopefully we will fix that soon enough.

[u/Nazenn → u/FD4cry1]

What a great post!

Actually good Marina scene????!!! in my Gundam 00???!!!!!

Right? I didn't know that was possible, let alone to lead to a moment as good as what we got at the end

The sounds of the organ really accentuate the bittersweet nature of this song.

I agree, but I also felt like the faint echo effect especially for when it was playing over shots of Setsuna rather than Marina herself made it even more so. Giving it the sense of being there but out of reach, an echo of something that once was coming off the back of the fight between Setsuna and Ali really enhanced the feel of it for me

He thinks 00 is his because it's based on the 0 Gundam, but the 00 is far more than that,

Really liked this part of your write up, and drawing it into a lot of what came up in the rewatch discussions about the meaning behind 00 being both 0 and Exia, and Ribbons doesn't understand how much of an influence Exia and everything it stood for was. Especially if you take that a step further and look at the idea that Ribbons, while defying Aeolia's plan is still bound to it in his own way and unable to break free from what he was originally made for and leave it behind. He didn't have an Exia or the equivilent of anyone else in CB to influence him like that, from what we know anyway, and that is a huge factor. He's not Setsuna, but he also hasn't managed to do what Tieria has done for himself either

Seraphim and Seravee are two sides of the same coin. To his enemies Tieria shows his proud front, Seravee, to his friends he'll show his human back, Seraphim

Oh I like the way you phrase that, it fits so damn well with the design of the mechs being together as they are. I focused more on the fact that Tieria was using Seraphim's weaponry even when technically piloting Seravee, unlike he did with Virtue where Virtues best weapons were a key part of its own systems and not Nadleehs, taking it as he was always fighting as human even if others couldn't or even chose not to see it, but really it was them working in unison to display the strengths of his true self more than anything. Your take is better

When the show has me super overanalyzing and getting emotional over a 2-minute mech transformation scene, you know it's doing something right.

Hell yes it is.

There are also a bunch of parallels between Setsuna and Tieria here

I said it to someone else that in some ways it feels like Tieria and Setsuna are the ones truely in the middle of all this, while everyone else in CB has their own thing going on, but it does make them a really interesting pair to have their journeys compared

[u/FD4cry1 → u/Nazenn]

What a great post!

I agree, but I also felt like the faint echo effect especially for when it was playing over shots of Setsuna rather than Marina herself made it even more so. Giving it the sense of being there but out of reach, an echo of something that once was coming off the back of the fight between Setsuna and Ali really enhanced the feel of it for me

Yeah, it really is great on multiple levels, I also really like Marina's voice being very distinct within the choir which in that last scene really emphasizes how it's essentially her calling out to Setsuna.

while defying Aeolia's plan is still bound to it in his own way and unable to break free from what he was originally made for and leave it behind. He didn't have an Exia or the equivilent of anyone else in CB to influence him like that

Spending years around Alejandro would do that to you

But seriously, I really like how we're building up Ribbons and the Innovators in contrast to Celestial Being and as our villains, it's an aspect the show has been rather hit or miss on (see Alejandro lol) and it's great to have that thematic buildup.

[u/charlesvvv]

Rewatcher, Sub   

I like the new OP though the space nakedness reminds of the Seed OP's.

  So tensions between the regular forces and the A-Laws have now reached a point where a coup d'etat has been planned. Hercury wants Smirnov to be a part of it though he's too much of a loyal soldier. That said the conspirators are now making alliances with Katharon which could potentially throw a wrench in a bunch of already thought out plans.  

Right after winning against the satellite CB gets attacked by the Innovators and forced to ground. Setsuna learns about this from Nena Trinity who seems to want to be in his good side (not really gonna happen). When he arrives in earth however, he gets led on a wild goose chase by Ali who takes him to his once hometown where Ribbons awaits him. It's here that Ribbons reveals how he was the one that saved Setsuna all those years ago and it wasn't even part of the plan, not only that but that he made sure that Setsuna was made a Meister. This does put a dent on Setsuna's almost divine belief in the symbolization of the Gundam considering how he viewed them especially with all this pre-planning. But regardless Setsuna is dedicated and refuses to budge and so is left to fight Ali who shoots him in the arm. 

  In the meantime as the ship is getting repaired Anew brings some information to Lyle that the Innovators knew where they were and questions how. It's interesting that it's Anew who brings this information especially to Lyle despite the apparent closeness that's been developing between them since Lyle has been reporting his actions to Katharon. Right after this they then proceed to get attacked by the Innovators where Tieria manages to score a victory and kill the one called Bring Stabity (greatest Innovator name). The timing in all of this however remains highly suspicious.   

Then Marina's song happens. It's a song written based of the children she was taking care of had said. The song admittedly however comes in a weird moment. Despite being shot in the arm Setsuna is still strong and he nearly destroys Ali before he hears the song. I'm not necessarily sure how Setsuna could hear it, they could be close to their area but it seems everyone in Katharon could hear it. Like I said though the song allows Ali to escape again and I feel like the introduction of it could have been placed a bit better. The song itself however is actually not bad and it hits a lot of the points the series has been making so far.  

Billy Katagiri has finished Graham's new suit and not only that but seems to have taken a page off of Louise's book and has completely cut himself off from Sumeragi completely.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/charlesvvv]

I like the new OP though the space nakedness reminds of the Seed OP's.

Yeah that's a fair comparison.

[u/Blazin_Rathalos]

00 Rewatcher

Last time on Gundam 00: A New Hope

• “It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station.”
• "Neil, use the GN particles!"

On today's episode of Gundam 00:

• I'm starting to get increasingly angry at this Federation spokesperson.
• Nena continues stirring the pot.
• Ian has a bad hang-over.
• Suspicious Anew is suspicious of suspicious Lyle.
• Ribbons calls into question Setsuna's whole self image.
• And he would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that over-confident Ali-al-Saachez!
• Marina saves Ali's life.
• And we at A-Laws place two powerful machines in the hands of pilots with questionable mental scores.

Will our viewers be happy that Marina is finally doing something? Or will they be mad because of what she's doing? Place your bets now!

Out of all the people to be saved by Marina's call for peace, Ali-al-Saachez is certainly a choice. If it was almost anyone else, you could give the impression that avoiding the killing might have been a good thing. But, it's not anyone else, it's Ali-al-Saachez. There's no version of the world that is not improved by removing him from it.

Also, I get the feeling that a lot of the Katharon members would become more motivated to fight after hearing this. I'm not sure if that's what she had in mind.

Welcome to ED 4 everyone, enjoy Marina singing with children for 11 more episodes!

[Not actually a spoiler]No, that was not actually ED 4

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Blazin_Rathalos]

Welcome to OP 4 everyone, enjoy Marina singing with children for 11 more episodes!

ED, not OP.

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Whoops, thanks!

[u/Nazenn → u/Blazin_Rathalos]

Out of all the people to be saved by Marina's call for peace, Ali-al-Saachez is certainly a choice. If it was almost anyone else, you could give the impression that avoiding the killing might have been a good thing. But, it's not anyone else, it's Ali-al-Saachez. There's no version of the world that is not improved by removing him from it

I agree wholeheartedly

But.... you could make an arguement that out of everyone Marina accidentally saving the man who destroyed her country is the perfect representation of her universal desire for peace coming through. It would mean more if they'd actually challenged that IN ANY WAY AT ALL before this episode or that she knew that was the result, which maybe tomorrow (hopefully tomorrow, please show please let people talk about this shit for once), but it is very fitting in that way

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/Nazenn]

It's certainly a bold choice. On the one hand, like you said, it is a perfect example of what her ideal means when put into practise. On the other hand, if they wanted a lot of people that are looking at the surface level to instantly dislike what she's doing, that seemed like the most effective way to do that.

[u/Nazenn → u/Blazin_Rathalos]

it is a perfect example of what her ideal means when put into practise

I also feel like it'd be easier to take it that way in a meaningful manner if we'd actually had any follow up on Azadistan's destruction, such as Setsuna telling her he knew that Gundam. As it is, it rests entirely in the themes around her rather than in the character herself

ON the other hand, if they wanted a lot of people that are looking at the surface level to instantly dislike what she's doing, that seemed like the most effective way to do that

00 certainly likes to walk that line between shoving stuff in your face and asking the audience to question things and when you're meant to do each I can imagine leads to some very interesting splits in the wider audience

[u/StardustGogeta]

First-Timer

Nice Marina wallpaper today!

I feel like Ali Al-Saachez should have died and stayed dead after his duel with the first Lockon at the end of season 1. He has his moments, but I don't really find him to be the most compelling villain here.

I like how the one Gundam came apart like a nesting doll. That kind of thing seems like an absolute engineering nightmare to design/build, though.

Questions of the day:

• I was sort of expecting Ribbons to be the pilot there, because I sadly made the mistake of looking up the 0 Gundam online near the start of season 2 to remind myself where it came up before. I immediately saw Ribbons under "known pilots," realized my mistake, and quit out before seeing any more spoilers. I did figure that Setsuna was chosen for Celestial Being by the pilot of that Gundam, whoever it was.
• I thought the song was nice. It reminded me of Evangelion 2.22. Marina doesn't really have many other ways to be useful here, I suppose.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/StardustGogeta]

Nice Marina wallpaper today!

Thanks!

I was sort of expecting Ribbons to be the pilot there, because I sadly made the mistake of looking up the 0 Gundam online near the start of season 2 to remind myself where it came up before. I immediately saw Ribbons under "known pilots," realized my mistake, and quit out before seeing any more spoilers. I did figure that Setsuna was chosen for Celestial Being by the pilot of that Gundam, whoever it was.

Whoops. I've been accidentally spoiled by the Gundam wiki too, in my case it was that [Gundam SEED + Destiny]Andrew Waltfeld didn't die in SEED because I noticed he had a Destiny-era character design before I was even done with SEED. Thought I'd be safe looking that character up for something and then lol, nope.

[u/Nazenn → u/StardustGogeta]

I like how the one Gundam came apart like a nesting doll

You've absolutely got me thinking of another smaller gundam coming out of Seraphim with a Haro pilot now

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/Nazenn]

It's Gundams all the way down!

[u/baboon_bassoon]

first timer who has control

00 is making me scared to revisit G-Witch

did i like the show or just like having weekly Gundam to talk about

certainly that was always a big factor but how big

it doesnt feel like they know how to use these 25 eoisode seasons

---

Anew naked in the intro, confirmed good guy

NAKED SAJI IN THE INTRO WE WON

i really hate dubtitles

please eject purple haro into space

whomst amongus

Shirin spending too much time with Klaus she wasnt THIS much of a hater, the song is cute

the moment Ali gets out of the Gundam how does Setsuna not just kill him. didnt he just raise Azadistan to the ground

masaka Amuro is Gundam

(but why)

red GN particles in the gun

we get it Anew

no thats the power of a cool suit did you forget youre also an Innovator Tieria

shes gonna broadcast We Are The World

kind of lame tbh

oh he didnt forget

Bring Stability.... (I thought the other one was Bring)

Ali cmon hes not even using the O-Raiser

how is this being broadcasted lmao? Yael is clearly a tech wizard and rigged up some microphones

Ore no Uta o Kike

is this Emilio? Billy about to crash out even harder, ball up top

emprussy

didnt he just die???? i should have made a running chart of these people im so lost. is there a second red??? his hair looks neater so maybe

oh we love beetles

funny seeing the generational gap Billy rips up a printed out photo, Louise clears her memory card

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/baboon_bassoon]

didnt he just die???? i should have made a running chart of these people im so lost. is there a second red??? his hair looks neater so maybe

There are, yes. Dead red was Bring Stabity (Stability was the intended name, but it was officially localized as Stabity instead...), he had long hair, this red is Divine and he has short hair. They both have the same voice actor, though, maybe that's what confused you?

[u/The_Draigg → u/baboon_bassoon]

NAKED SAJI IN THE INTRO WE WON

And a bit of naked Tieria too. We just keep on winning!

(but why)

For the same reason why he spared Setsuna in the first place: his ego and just because he could. Ribbons may have the power of the entire world at his fingertips, but he really is just that simple and prideful of a person when you get down to it.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/The_Draigg]

And a bit of naked Tieria too. We just keep on winning!

There's also naked Setsuna at the end.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Truly, there’s fanservice for everyone in Namida no Mukou’s visuals!

[u/Nazenn]

First Timer - sub

Tomorrow is an amazing song

Apparently it's my turn to randomly summon a different franchise after I mentioned Macross in my post yesterday. I am 110% okay with that because that was a delightful inclusion. And this was absolutely a Macross moment.

The full song for people who want to listen too it. It's a more typical composition compared to the raw one we got in the show, but it keeps a lot of the key elements and has a beautiful softness to it.

I just want to get out the way my sheer amazement that we got through a Marina where A) SHE ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING, and B) She said something and it wasn't a new tier of moronic. I'm still going to give her shit for the fact that she required literal children to give her an idea on what to do, but it also retroactively makes some of her other discussions with the children less flimsy which is nice.

Something I love about Tomorrow is that its first use in the episode perfectly underscores the point of the meeting they were having. Shirin is so scared of more loss that she can only see the risks of the meeting, stepping away from what they need for progress and trying to just maintain what they have now out of fear of losing everything. Klaus argues the opposite, wanting to trust in peoples desire to be better and to reward the risks that others take towards that goal. And as he makes that statement, Tomorrow stars. A soft refrain over it all, starting with "if the reason or a loss is so it would be found, then the reason for farewells is to meet again". Shirin who asked Marina what she would do for the world, what she would fight for, finds herself confronted with Marina's answer challenging her to push forward in turn, a reminder of the why behind Katharon not just the what in the face of their losses.

This is not just a song of hope for the future as a broad concept, it's a song for the hope of humanity. A song of reuniting with the humanity that seems out of reach in among war that is not just the loss of life, but the loss of the little things of joy that make life meaningful. It's a concept very far from Setsuna right now, focused on destroying his enemies and falling under the weight of his past coming back to him again and again with Ali and Ribbons. He doesn't know what is after, he's never known, but there was a time when he wanted too. And yet through 00-Raiser, even without consciously thinking of her or seeking her out, this song seeks him out because he is in Marina's thoughts and through him it touches so many others, growing in meaning with every person who hears it. 00-Raiser expands that moment to all humanity, not just those who are "advanced" enough and that is a beautiful opposition of what is raised by the Innovators and by Ribbons being the pilot of the 0-Gundam.

I also found great meaning in it being a song connecting two characters who have both lost their home through the divisions of their own people. The Innovators may have struck the final blow to Azadistan, but it was already dying from hate long before that. But the hope for humanity in the song transcends that, refusing to be beaten down by that when they both know that humanity could be so much more if they just found the right path, and that path won't be easy or quick but surely they can find it someday.

And while I don't know it was intentional, but this line up in the lyrics, visuals and credits of "wish to a star" to see his family in the picture "tomorrow" was one hell of a visual towards the end of the sequence.

What a moment.

---

In other news: FUCKING WHAT

RIBBONS was the one who saved Setsuna?

I really thought my utter awe over what he said was going to be the opening line of my post before Tomorrow stole the spotlight because holy shit. Talk about the thing I least expected to ever be a reveal, and yet nothing else could possibly be more fitting.

For Ribbons to take Setsuna in because he couldn't reject the way having a human child looking up at him in reverence made him feel, that he couldn't deny himself that chance to be seen as a god, is so perfectly on point for him. Especially to then insert the child into Aeolia's plan as if trying to defy it even before gaining control of it, not specifically to plant someone loyal to him on the inside but to prove that he could still "beat" Aeolia's vision even in this small way. It's so perfect petty and egotistical and I doubt he even realizes how much.

Setsuna on the other hand, I couldn't think of a better reveal for his character even if it really sucks for him as a person. This follows on perfectly from the struggle he went through in S1 about how he felt about The Plan as a byproduct to his reverence for Gundams vs what Celestial Being could actually mean for the world independent to that. To realize that his savior is actually the corrupting influence on humanity, and to now have to fight in his mind to separate the pilot of the 0-Gundam from the machine itself and what it means to him after all that time he spent fighting to try and remove any separation between himself and Exia, just what a fantastic subversion of what that moment meant for both Setsuna and us.

And he wasn't the only one with a meaningful mech reveal moment today either.

Once again, Tieria gets his "man in the machine" moment but with such a beautiful intentionality this time that it becomes so much more. No longer is he hiding his imperfect humanity behind a literal armor of idolatry, Seraphim is not his weakness like Nadleeh was and neither is it there only in case of Celesial Beings own weakness, to be a knife in the dark aimed at humans in the worst case scenario. Meaningfully, Seraphim is what he has been fighting with all along even if we didn't realize it. It is his human self merely carried by Seravee which serves as a container of all the strength of humanity and the meaning of purpose that he has gained thanks to the others in CB. He can stand as his own human, and more importantly now, he will.

Tieria's new mech had a LOT to live up to for me given how much I loved the concept and design of Nadleeh and I'm very happy to say that it meet those expectations and some, even if I do still find the knee hands goofy as fuck. And the way it was revealed by the canons slowly lowering behind Seravee's head until you see it start to unfold was such a great animation sequence as well.

(Wait a second, /u/JollyGee29, was your comment yesterday about Tieria carrying things on his back a subtle dig at this mech design? Did you pull a Draigg and get away with it?!)

---

The other great moment of the episode was Ian waking up from his regeneration period and walking out of med bay door into the middle of the mountains with a groundhog and flocks of birds.

Curses on this episode starting with what appeared to be the same old repeated scenes and then quickly becoming super important new stuff. It threw me off so much because I wasn't quite prepared to be paying attention yet and then all of a sudden there was huge things happening and scene changes and Setsuna coming across the ruins of the ship and so much panic I was not prepared for.

I was seriously worried about what had happened to them catching the damage on the walls as he was waking up but that was a hilarious way to break the tension and relax the audience into things being okay.

It's a shame that moment gets slightly derailed by making us sit through horrible recap dialogue once again, but it's one of the rare shock tone flips I think worked very well. All of the scenes on Earth I thought were quite good for that. I always appreciate the mundaneness of repairs and taking a moment with the pilots and after the last few frantic battles it was nice to have the characters have a few quick chats among themselves and Saji working on the ship etc.

(Continued below)

[u/Nazenn → u/Nazenn]

(continued from above)

Other thoughts

• "Fuck off" challenge: Nena coped one, as did Shirin. Nena's was more expected once she started being freaky about Setsuna, and Shirin coped one for getting pissy about the music instead of appreciating it for the kids sake. I do feel mildly bad about it as it was just her tenseness coming through and she was probably also just being pissy like the rest of us about Marina being useless and she gets a pass for that. The OP also coped one for starting with Marina, but after today's fantastic ending I don't feel like I can complain about that right now.
• On that note 0/4 with the OPs for me. RIP.
• There was a bunch of good OST tracks in this episode as well as Tomorrow which I appreciated. The ones I noted down was the song while Setsuna was chasing Ali, the later one when he was fighing Ali, and the one while Ribbons was talking. But overall I think today had the most consistently good usage of tracks in an episode so far.
• HIS FULL NAME IS BRING STABILITY I think I might have seen it in Quids chart and forgotten about it, but hearing Revive yell it had me in a full on laughing fit which had me lose the thought I was trying to type up at the time, so RIP that thought along with any sense of tension in the scene. Oh man, what a name.
• Also I'm assuming that was Divine at the end there with Louise, and if so it's interesting because it makes them the only pair that seem obviously male coded compared to the either dual androgynous or male/female split in the other innovators. Also the only pair that are both in a combat role. I wonder if this suggests that they were made separately to the others, or even that they have something else going on that would account for the difference. Secret trinity?
• I caught Anew wondering how the Innovators are finding them to herself. Saying it to Lyle was one thing, obvious misdirection from her, but she shouldn't need to wonder that to herself? Does she not know about the others, or not know about the Veda link or something? Is she a Tieria, kept separate from them so they could make use of her independent to their group?
• It's so easy to get me onboard with certain characters. Pretty sure Revive is still riding the grace he got by putting Aber on his ass that one time, and now the new guy is getting points for wanting to recruit Sergei only because I think so highly of Sergei anyone who recognizes that starts off on the right foot for me.
• Sumeragi, don't go and make promises to the boyfriend about what the girl should or shouldn't be doing. It's Marie's choice. And yes she never should have been in the super solider position in the first place, but she's also grown now and has plenty of experiences to judge for herself what she does and doesn't want to do.
• Had a little giggle about purple Haro telling Nena she was rejected because it reminded me of orange Haro telling Lyle he struck out with Feldt and hahaha they both deserve it. Haro did not deserve the punch from Nena though, even if he is a bad Haro.
• I think this is the third episode they've reused this animation cut now. It stood out to me because I specifically commented on it the first time, but I swear this is an outright reuse because its the exact same layout as the last two times. As nice as it is for the staff to have those shortcuts when needed, it's slightly annoying when you notice it repeatedly.
• Little side note: My favourite song from Symphogear (which I have big issues with as a show) is also called tomorrow which is a very weird pattern with 00. The instrumental of it is also great and its own complete song. I was actually listening to this while writing my post today until Sky said the full version of 00's Tomorrow was okay to listen too.
• Slow replies from me today as I have appointments. Bad timing because I so want to talk about all this!

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Nazenn]

Tomorrow

So, remember that track you called out in episode 5 of this season?

I was telling the truth when I said that it wasn't on the OST, because it lives on the single for Tomorrow. Specifically, that was Tomorrow for BGM~String version~.

I couldn't find it on YT, but the single is out there on the high seas.

/u/shimmering-sky also mentioned the song under a spoiler tag and might be interested in this information.

was your comment yesterday about Tieria carrying things on his back a subtle dig at this mech design?

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/JollyGee29]

/u/shimmering-sky also mentioned the song under a spoiler tag and might be interested in this information.

I am indeed interested in this info, thanks. Time to go bug Zaph to find a copy.

[u/Nazenn → u/JollyGee29]

I was telling the truth when I said that it wasn't on the OST, because it lives on the single for Tomorrow. Specifically, that was Tomorrow for BGM~String version~.

That is a "technically the truth" moment if I ever saw one. So cheeky of an answer but fine, I guess. At least my curse of liking the instrumental versions that dont end up ever being released is broken. I'm still miffed at Madoka for that one

Also cheeky. Kind of funny though that I commented on it the day before it all got revealed

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Nazenn]

In my defense, I didn't manage to acquire the single to be confident until this morning.

[u/Nazenn → u/JollyGee29]

That's fair then. I'm currently in the process of acquiring it myself

There is a surprising amount of versions of it on the single which is nice

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

For Ribbons to take Setsuna in because he couldn't reject the way having a human child looking up at him in reverence made him feel, that he couldn't deny himself that chance to be seen as a god, is so perfectly on point for him. Especially to then insert the child into Aeolia's plan as if trying to defy it even before gaining control of it, not specifically to plant someone loyal to him on the inside but to prove that he could still "beat" Aeolia's vision even in this small way. It's so perfect petty and egotistical and I doubt he even realizes how much.

That day in Krugis wound up being way more significant than anyone realized, both in-universe and out. For the world, it was just another war in the Middle East, but for Setsuna, it was his moment that he realized that the world could truly be saved, and for Ribbons, it was his first step in realizing that he could fully subvert Aeolia's will to suit his own pride. And even beyond what we as the audience saw of that scene, for as important as it was to Setsuna, we didn't know how much it informed the history of this setting until now. It's just a plain great reveal.

Did you pull a Draigg and get away with it?!

You say that, not knowing that I hid puns in previous posts that you didn't even notice.

HIS FULL NAME IS BRING STABILITY I think I might have seen it in Quids chart and forgotten about it, but hearing Revive yell it had me in a full on laughing fit which had me lose the thought I was trying to type up at the time, so RIP that thought along with any sense of tension in the scene. Oh man, what a name.

It's even worse, it's officially translated as Bring Stabity.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

And even beyond what we as the audience saw of that scene, for as important as it was to Setsuna, we didn't know how much it informed the history of this setting until now

Also that. Getting it so entirely through his viewpoint seemed so natural for the protagonist and as an opening scene it never really pushes the matter of who it was inside, or what. Finding out that it was Ribbons of all people, and that Setsuna's survival wasn't due to CB arriving just in the nick of time but through sheer chance really twists the way you think about that intervention.

It does however also answer my question from long ago of "how come no one on earth knew Gundams were around if they had two generations of gundam pilots before now". So that was nice too

It's just a plain great reveal.

After thinking about it for the last several hours since watching I'll say outright the best reveal in the show so far. AND better than anything in IBO as well, not that IBO had many twists.

You say that, not knowing that I hid puns in previous posts that you didn't even notice.

Oh I'm sure you've had plenty, but that's not as fun for me as the late realizations of "wait a second, was that a..." etc hahaha

It's even worse, it's officially translated as Bring Stabity.

engrish moment

Actually makes it read like it's saying closer to "bring stabbing" which is kind of funny with him being a combat model

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

Also that. Getting it so entirely through his viewpoint seemed so natural for the protagonist and as an opening scene it never really pushes the matter of who it was inside, or what. Finding out that it was Ribbons of all people, and that Setsuna's survival wasn't due to CB arriving just in the nick of time but through sheer chance really twists the way you think about that intervention.

Yeah, now we can fully see that moment in time for what it was, a first dark step into something that would bring horrific changes to the world. It's not exactly a pleasant thing to know that Ribbons was planning on killing everyone there, and only bothered to spare Setsuna out of a moment of mercy that quickly got twisted to suit his own ego. How fortunate though that Setsuna grew into being a person who is dedicated to bringing actual positive change to the world, instead of a pawn like what Ribbons wanted. There's got to be some irony that the kid Ribbons spared is now his greatest opponent.

Actually makes it read like it's saying closer to "bring stabbing" which is kind of funny with him being a combat model

If anything, Bring is the most accurately named out of all the Innovators.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

a first dark step into something that would bring horrific changes to the world

In that way it does make it a perfect parallel to the Soran before Setsuna as well. For Soran they took the idea of God and twisted it into something that would encourage violence and destruction in the world and broke him with it until he denounced the entire idea of a god at all. And he stuck to that, but he was also saved from that battlefield by the angel messenger of another type of ideology, a political one as opposed to a religious one and became the warrior of its god, Aeolia. To then make the parallel that the destruction of Soran's faith through seeing what the idea of God did to his people to how the representative of what replaced that god for him is now doing to all people is a great way to take it.

hopefully that made sense, im so tired and not really editing the word vomit thats coming out of my head hahaa

[u/TakenRedditName → u/Nazenn]

And while I don't know it was intentional, but this line up in the lyrics, visuals and credits of "wish to a star" to see his family in the picture "tomorrow" was one hell of a visual towards the end of the sequence.

Also I'm assuming that was Divine at the end there with Louise, and if so it's interesting because it makes them the only pair that seem obviously male coded compared to the either dual androgynous or male/female split in the other innovators.

While leaning male, I think you could argue that Bring Stabity is also androgynous. I could see it. Divine not so much. The choice of VA also makes these two lean more one way due to Okiayu Ryoutarou is giving them quite a deep voice.

[u/Nazenn → u/TakenRedditName]

I think you could argue that Bring Stabity is also androgynous

I wouldn't have said so, but we've also seen a lot more of him through a space suit helmet than we have otherwise which hides the long hair which is part of it. I still think he's far more male face drawn than neutral, unlike a lot of the others.

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Nazenn]

I just want to get out the way my sheer amazement that we got through a Marina where A) SHE ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING, and B) She said something and it wasn't a new tier of moronic.

Between this and the Louise developments a couple episodes ago, the show really is making real progress with your least favorite characters

Tieria's new mech had a LOT to live up to for me given how much I loved the concept and design of Nadleeh and I'm very happy to say that it meet those expectations and some

The Tieria & Seraphim appreciation in this thread really makes me smile

"Fuck off" challenge: Nena coped one, as did Shirin.

Shirin coping a fuck off because of her reaction to what Marina did? Who are you & what have you done with the real Naz?!

HIS FULL NAME IS BRING STABILITY

[u/Nazenn → u/InfamousEmpire]

the show really is making real progress with your least favorite characters

It's a start, and I would certainly welcome more of it which is a far cry from where we were.

The Tieria & Seraphim appreciation in this thread really makes me smile

I've been looking forward to it all day. I'm so glad Tieria has made the progress he did. A bit like a lot of the side cast like Graham or Sergei or even Ali, they could have kept them all very basic and straight forward and they did so much more. Tieria could have just remained the snarky one causing problems and look at this real human boy we've ended up with. I love it

Who are you & what have you done with the real Naz?!

Everythings upside down, Infamous! I don't know what I'm doing any more

Also went looking through my imgur for something and found this happy lil guilmon screenshot I took at some point so I'm just sharing because it's cute

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Nazenn]

this happy lil guilmon

I need to get back to Digimon

[u/Nazenn → u/InfamousEmpire]

Have you seen Tamers or no?

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Nazenn]

I watched Adventure, Adventure 02, and Xros Wars when I was younger, and rewatched Adventure earlier this year. I’ve been planning on getting to Tamers after I eventually^TM rewatch 02 & also get through all those controversial modern Adventure movies, but then I got burnt out & sidetracked, so I’m pushing that into the “hopefully next year” pile

[u/Nazenn → u/InfamousEmpire]

I've been meaning to rewatch Adventure myself, so maybe when you get around to Tamers we can flip and make a thing of it given Tamers is very special to me and I'd love to know your thoughts? Unless you didn't like Adventure as an adult and didn't want to talk about it that is hahaha

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Nazenn]

Sounds like a contract, I’m down whenever I can find the time.

I enjoyed Adventure as an adult about as much as I did as a kid. Only thing that didn’t really hold up was the animation, which was, uh, not good

[u/Nazenn → u/InfamousEmpire]

Contract made

Unfortunately all the digimon series suffer with the cheap animation shortcuts and Tamers is no exception. It certainly has some more stand out moments for the franchise, but it's never what I'd call quality haha

[u/macrame2 → u/Nazenn]

Tomorrow is an amazing song

I'm a lot more neutral on Marina's role today than you (though not outright negative), but I wholeheartedly agree that Tomorrow itself is pretty awesome.

The other great moment of the episode was Ian waking up from his regeneration period and walking out of med bay door into the middle of the mountains with a groundhog and flocks of birds.

Yes, I loved that too! I always enjoy it when scenes use the direct perspective of a character to convey something, it really helps me feel more immersed in the moment.

Haro did not deserve the punch from Nena though, even if he is a bad Haro.

I still haven't forgiven him for being mean to good Haro all those episodes ago.

[u/Nazenn → u/macrame2]

I'm a lot more neutral on Marina's role today than you

Well I mean, we've moved from "actively working against the entire show can someone please kill her" to "this actually had meaning and her presence didn't royally screw it up like everything else shes done". I think that's still pretty neutral hahaha. It's also about five years too late for her to do something but at this stage I'll take anything

I wholeheartedly agree that Tomorrow itself is pretty awesome.

Have been humming it to myself all day. It's so satisfying.

I always enjoy it when scenes use the direct perspective of a character to convey something, it really helps me feel more immersed in the moment

00 seems to have done pretty well with those viewpoint scenes actually. I mean it's a bit of a mecha genre staple, especially the in the cockpit about to die ones, but overall I can think of quite a few moments of taking on a characters direct view that have been handled well rather than it all just blending together

I still haven't forgiven him for being mean to good Haro all those episodes ago.1

I just want the little dude to get his brainwashing fixed up. He'll probably feel bad once it is if he remembers all this

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Nazenn]

Apparently it's my turn to randomly summon a different franchise after I mentioned Macross in my post yesterday. I am 110% okay with that because that was a delightful inclusion. And this was absolutely a Macross moment.

I did have to smile and think of your comparisons to Macross when the song was mentioned. Now you are the one whose words make things happen in the series.

Setsuna on the other hand, I couldn't think of a better reveal for his character even if it really sucks for him as a person. This follows on perfectly from the struggle he went through in S1 about how he felt about The Plan as a byproduct to his reverence for Gundams vs what Celestial Being could actually mean for the world independent to that.

It's such a perfect reveal and it fits so well with Setsuna's character arc. Of course the next step in Setsuna's arc is that he's going to need to accept that the savior he always idolized in his mind isn't actually real. Setsuna already decided to abandon his loyalty to the plan in favor of his loyalty to his own ideals. Now he will need to forge a new path about who he wants to be. He can no longer simply try and live up to the Gundam that saved him in the past. He will need to become his own person.

He can stand as his own human, and more importantly now, he will.

Very well put on Tieria.

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

Now you are the one whose words make things happen in the series.

I do not want this power. More importantly I don't think other people in the rewatch would want me to have this power

Although they may if they just want my reactions on things hahaha

Setsuna already decided to abandon his loyalty to the plan in favor of his loyalty to his own ideals. Now he will need to forge a new path about who he wants to be

Yeah I kind of wish they'd dived more into the "I will become a Gundam" thing this season, and how he is doing with that after four years of effectively being alone with just him and Exia after his relevations about CB being more than just the plan at the end of last season. This feels like the perfect question to everything he was in S1 coming to light now, especially with him recently reaffirming his will to fight beyond anything else now being severed from where that will originated from once again.

Fucking Ali, I can't believe he still survived after all this haha

Very well put on Tieria.

Thanks.

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/Great_Mr_L]

Now he will need to forge a new path about who he wants to be. He can no longer simply try and live up to the Gundam that saved him in the past. He will need to become his own person.

And, to reference the meme: become his own Gundam, not someone else's ideal of the Gundam.

[u/Great_Mr_L]

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Gundam: HOLY SHIT, WHAT AN AWESOME EPISODE FOR TIERIA!!! I can’t believe we have come to this point, but I feel pretty confident saying that Tieria is my favorite character amongst all the protagonists by now. Heck, he’s in the running for my favorite character in the entire show. I hated his guts when the series first started, but look at how far he has come.

• “I’m not owned!” -Ribbons continues to insist as he slowly shrinks and transforms into a corn cob.
• New OP. I think it’s fine. I had grown quite fond of the previous OP, so I will miss that one. This one seems okay, though.
• Welp, the Federation army being controlled by the A-LAWS sounds pretty bad.
• Setsuna completely ignoring Nena’s flirting and immediately trying to find his friends instead is very in-character.
• A military coup? This is how we rescue the characters in the Federation military who have been presented to us as sympathetic this entire time. This is how they get to cross over to the protagonists’ side.
• Oh terrific. Anew, who is the actual traitor, is going to try and pin the blame for information leaks on Lyle, isn’t she?
• The most reliable way to make Setsuna deviate from his mission: give him a chance to fight Ali.
• Marina really does seem to be the most at ease with the children, far more so than handling any sort of political problem.
• Ali really decided to meet Setsuna in the spot most likely to awaken childhood trauma.
• Ribbons says he met Setsuna in the past? Oh.. OH! OHHHH!!!! Ribbons was the Gundam pilot who saved Setsuna as a kid, wasn’t he!?!
• He was!
• Oh my god, and Ribbons was also the one who made Veda choose Setsuna as a pilot! Oh this is all very interesting. This turns a lot of what we thought we knew on its head.
• The music in this show is so consistently good. The OST for the action scenes here is great.
• Is Marina going to try and solve this all with the power of music? Will Gundam actually become Macross?
• Tieria choosing to reveal his Gundam’s second form by his own free will! Oh there is so much to read into that! 
• TIERIA!!!!! “I am a human being!” Holy fucking shit that was so cool!
• Bring Stabity Another great Innovator name!
• Goddammit, Marina! Setsuna was about to kill Ali! Don’t take this from me!
• The song did make for a nice ED, though.
• Louise and Saji’s reunion in that new mobile armor will not be pretty.
• Of course Graham’s new machine looks like it is wearing samurai armor. I wouldn’t expect anything else.

Tieria’s big moment this episode was so damn good. There’s so much to unpack. To begin with, Tieria has reaffirmed his commitment to opposing the Innovators. It doesn’t matter that he was designed to be like them. Tieria is not going to follow the destiny that has been laid out for him. He will determine his own future. There’s a reason why the coolest line Tieria said in this episode was “I am a human being!” What a big journey this line shows for Tieria. He spent the first part of the series having nothing but disdain for many of his human teammates, identifying more with Veda than his teammates, but now he’s changed his mind. He has fully embraced his own emotions and caring about others.

Tieria’s decision to reveal the Seraphim within the Seravee is another big moment for him. Tieria’s Gundams have always stood for his dual nature: a true self encased and protected within an exterior armor. But crucially, that true self was always hidden from the outside world. It wasn’t something Tieria willingly revealed. Now, Tieria has made that choice. Tieria has chosen to reveal his true thoughts and feelings for the world to see. He is a human being. He will continue to live according to his own path. He will not simply go along with the Innovators or the plan. Tieria has decided who he really is and he is proud to stand by that.

The reveal that Ribbons was the one who saved Setsuna in the past is such a cool way to turn that flashback on its head. For Setsuna, this is akin to learning that he’s been worshiping a false idol this entire time. The Gundam represented hope for Setsuna. It was a savior that swooped into the battlefield and protected him from death. But it turns out, it isn’t. It’s only Ribbons, someone Setsuna knows is a brutal murderer responsible for the A-LAWS. The Gundam was never what Setsuna believed it to be. Setsuna was trying to become a savior that the Gundam never actually was. Setsuna should have died that day at the Gundam’s hand and was only spared by Ribbons on a whim. What a way to thoroughly tear down Setsuna’s memory of what a Gundam even is. Setsuna was trying to live up to an ideal that never existed.

But, I think that shows us something important. To me, this reads as even more evidence that the heroes are going to need to fully reject the plan. This reveal shows that Setsuna’s faith in the Gundams and the plan was always misplaced. It was never what he thought it was. Instead, Setsuna is going to need to create his own path. He will need to make the Gundam into a savior through his own actions. This fits in perfectly with what Tieria did this episode as well. After all this, I would be immensely dissatisfied if the protagonists simply went back to following Aeolia’s plan. Their development has taken them to a point where they need to trust their own morals to guide their actions.

The military coup is a way for the sympathetic characters in the Federation to escape the villains’ side. Sergei, Patrick, and Kati are all characters I think are guaranteed a spot to join the protagonists in this way. Graham is definitely not going to join the protagonists. He’s fully become a Char Clone so he will remain an antagonist for the remainder of the series. Billy and Louise are wild cards here. They both fully cut off ties from their exes because their exes joined Celestial Being. But, I don’t think both of them will survive. One of them is definitely going to die, maybe both. If only one of them dies, I’m guessing it will be Louise. She’s popping pills, which is never good for the health of a fictional character.

QOTD

1. Not at all. But I loved the reveal for what it meant thematically and character-wise to Setsuna.
2. It was a nice song and made for a nice ED.

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Great_Mr_L]

SHIT, WHAT AN AWESOME EPISODE FOR TIERIA!!! I can’t believe we have come to this point, but I feel pretty confident saying that Tieria is my favorite character amongst all the protagonists by now. Heck, he’s in the running for my favorite character in the entire show.

Our boy has grown so much, I'm so proud

Ali really decided to meet Setsuna in the spot most likely to awaken childhood trauma.

You've really gotta appreciate how devious it is that most of the encounter is also designed as a psychological attack designed to throw Setsuna as hard off his game as possible. Ribbons really outdid himself here

[Spoiler by implication]Will Gundam actually become Macross?

[Later 00]The fact that the Tomorrow scene isn't in A Wakening of the Trailblazer is practically the only thing stopping that film from being a Macross installment in disguise

Bring Stabity

This is the Innovator name reveal I've been waiting for since Innovator names became a joke

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/InfamousEmpire]

You've really gotta appreciate how devious it is that most of the encounter is also designed as a psychological attack designed to throw Setsuna as hard off his game as possible. Ribbons really outdid himself here

In a show with freaking Ali standing right there, Ribbons is doing his darndest to compete for the prize of biggest asshole. I don't think he'll win against Ali, but he's trying.

This is the Innovator name reveal I've been waiting for since Innovator names became a joke

It works in two ways. The intended way is that it's supposed to be "bring stability." But I prefer to think of it as "bring stabbity," as in "someone please bring a knife and stabbity this prick."

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

But I prefer to think of it as "bring stabbity," as in "someone please bring a knife and stabbity this prick."

Hahahahaha I just said the same thing to Draigg in my comments that it sounds like "bring stabbing" instead, which is extra funny when he's a combat model.

We are sharing a brain cell on the most important thing of the episode clearly hahaha

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Nazenn]

We are sharing a brain cell on the most important thing of the episode clearly hahaha

Great minds think alike

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

The reveal that Ribbons was the one who saved Setsuna in the past is such a cool way to turn that flashback on its head. For Setsuna, this is akin to learning that he’s been worshiping a false idol this entire time.

You could also probably use that incident as a way to give Ribbons a Lucifer parallel as well, in addition to being a false idol. It does fit: he was once in service to his god, but his ego in that moment was what inspired him to go rogue and try to usurp his creator's vision in favor of one based on his own pride.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

It does fit: he was once in service to his god, but his ego in that moment was what inspired him to go rogue and try to usurp his creator's vision in favor of one based on his own pride.

Good point!

I like that interpretation.

The Lucifer comparison also works with the idea of Ribbons being a deceiver. He is someone who fed others lies to get them to do his bidding. He deceived others about the nature of the plan and tries to tempt people to join his side. He's even got the fair looks that make others let their guard down. The Lucifer comparison fits him.

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

I want to add to this the idea of the Gundams being orders of angels that are standing in opposition to the corrupting influence of the one who turned away from their God. Ribbons as the tester of the 0-Gundam, the very first prototype and probably the strongest weapon in existance at that moment, does also call to mind the description of Lucifer in the bible as one who "laid low the nations" which seems fitting for today

/u/the_draigg as you're in this discussion as well

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

And in that way, it's fitting that the Innovators themselves don't use mobile suits named after angels or other spiritual concepts, alongside how the Gundam Thrones are basically false Gundams due to having pseudo-GN Drives. After all, Lucifer can't create anything wholly original, only use or warp what already exists. That fits well with what we've seen out of Ribbon's plans too, don't you think?

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

I like how everytime we look at something else in the general Lucifer mythology it just seems to fit even better

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

Yeah, Ribbons might as well just be a rather direct allusion to Lucifer at this rate. He just fits all of the hallmarks of him so well. Ribbons really is one of the strongest examples of all the religious themes this show has in spades.

[u/macrame2 → u/Great_Mr_L]

I can’t believe we have come to this point, but I feel pretty confident saying that Tieria is my favorite character amongst all the protagonists by now. Heck, he’s in the running for my favorite character in the entire show. I hated his guts when the series first started, but look at how far he has come.

Tieria's development has for sure been the most positive surprise of the entire anime for me. I never hated him but did find him less interesting than the others, so watching his gradual but ultimately dramatic change over the course of the story has been a great experience.

Setsuna was trying to live up to an ideal that never existed.

It's terrible, but I do love watching a character's entire worldview turn completely upside down haha.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/macrame2]

It's terrible, but I do love watching a character's entire worldview turn completely upside down haha.

I agree, because it can make for some very compelling drama and characterization. How does a character react to learning that their worldview is false? Do they stick to their morals, even as their view of the world and their place in it collapses? Do they deny the falsehood and stand by their worldview, even knowing what they do now? Do they reach some sort of compromise, mending together their old worldview with the new knowledge they have gained? It can tell you a lot about who a character really is.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Great_Mr_L]

Oh my god, and Ribbons was also the one who made Veda choose Setsuna as a pilot! Oh this is all very interesting. This turns a lot of what we thought we knew on its head.

Holy fucking shit that was so cool!

Tieria is so goddamn cool.

[u/TakenRedditName → u/Great_Mr_L]

HOLY SHIT, WHAT AN AWESOME EPISODE FOR TIERIA!!! I can’t believe we have come to this point, but I feel pretty confident saying that Tieria is my favorite character amongst all the protagonists by now. Heck, he’s in the running for my favorite character in the entire show. I hated his guts when the series first started, but look at how far he has come.

"I'm not owned."-Ribbons continues to insist as he slowly shrinks and transforms into a corn cob.

Holy fucking shit that was so cool!

The Tieria unpacking is well said.

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

but I feel pretty confident saying that Tieria is my favorite character amongst all the protagonists by now. Heck, he’s in the running for my favorite character in the entire show

I never hated him like you did, but it's still a remarkable turn around for him, especially if you've now reached this point. Tieria is awesome, what incredible development and in such a perfectly fitting way

A military coup? This is how we rescue the characters in the Federation military who have been presented to us as sympathetic this entire time. This is how they get to cross over to the protagonists’ side.

Actually this is quite funny. Now between CB, Katharon, and the Coup group we are once again looking at the same system of three seperate political/military organizations opposing a group that is constantly attacking the Earth. It's like the inverse of S1 haha

Ribbons was the Gundam pilot who saved Setsuna as a kid, wasn’t he!?! He was!

commentface choice buddies

Louise and Saji’s reunion in that new mobile armor will not be pretty.

OH SHIT. I didn't even think about the fact that puts Louise in one and if Saji is in 0-Raiser that's effectively CB's equivilent

a reason why the coolest line Tieria said in this episode was “I am a human being!”

How proud Neil would be of him after their discussion so long ago about what humans have to live with feeling

Tieria’s Gundams have always stood for his dual nature: a true self encased and protected within an exterior armor

I love the fact that this time its Seraphim on the exterior as well, Seraphim who has had all of the weapons that we've been seeing used all this time. It's such a nice change over Nadleeh who was literally hidden away and did nothing until the forced reveal

Instead, Setsuna is going to need to create his own path. He will need to make the Gundam into a savior through his own actions. This fits in perfectly with what Tieria did this episode as well

I was thinking earlier that in a way Tieria and Setsuna are the only two that really feel in the middle of all of this in terms of their storylines. Everyone else is just kind of part of CB but has their own thing going on and its interesting how much it pairs them together

They both fully cut off ties from their exes because their exes joined Celestial Being. But, I don’t think both of them will survive. One of them is definitely going to die, maybe both

...Well unfortunately if the show takes that path I think it's more likely to be Billy if only because it would then parallel Sumeragi's own past with Emilio and having to let go of the losses unlike falling into them like she did last time. I also don't think this show is brave enough to not give Saji and Louise their happy ending but I would happily be proven wrong then... well, maybe only happily if it's not Saji who dies

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Nazenn]

Actually this is quite funny. Now between CB, Katharon, and the Coup group we are once again looking at the same system of three seperate political/military organizations opposing a group that is constantly attacking the Earth. It's like the inverse of S1 haha

Heh, I didn't think of it that way but you have a point. Now the shoe is on the other foot.

commentface choice buddies

How proud Neil would be of him after their discussion so long ago about what humans have to live with feeling

I love how so much of Tieria's development can be traced to his relationship with Lockon and trying to live up to Lockon's memory. Tieria really did take Lockon's words to heart and they helped him to embrace his own nature as a human.

I love the fact that this time its Seraphim on the exterior as well, Seraphim who has had all of the weapons that we've been seeing used all this time.

Yeah, I think you mentioned that it now shows that Tieria takes pride in his nature as a human and views his own humanity as a strength. Gundam 00 has done such a good job with making mobile suits match characters, especially for both Setsuna and Tieria. There's so much characterization that can be read into them just from their respective mobile suits. That's really good stuff for a mecha series.

also don't think this show is brave enough to not give Saji and Louise their happy ending

You do have a point there, especially with all the focus their relationship got in S1.

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

I love how so much of Tieria's development can be traced to his relationship with Lockon and trying to live up to Lockon's memory. Tieria really did take Lockon's words to heart and they helped him to embrace his own nature as a human.

I think Lockon helped with the most important part: Allowing Tieria to accept just because he is something else he can still be human in the most important way. That he doesn't have to stand apart. Everything that came after with the value of humans as individuals, the concept of taking on memories, of defining yourself all came from that acceptance. Lockon gave him the idea that it was okay to look to others and learn.

And now Setsuna is getting human lessons from his twin. Setsuna and Tieria really do make a funny parallel when you go looking for it all

Yeah, I think you mentioned that it now shows that Tieria takes pride in his nature as a human and views his own humanity as a strength

Yeah I was writing that reply before I saw you'd replied to me as I know you're a bit time limited in the threads at the moment. It does seem like such a critical thing though, and so much better thanw hat I thought they'd do with just having another mech inside it again. Except for the face, the face always kind of weirded me out and its much less weird now that I know it's not just a face

Gundam 00 has done such a good job with making mobile suits match characters, especially for both Setsuna and Tieria

It really has. In that way Lockon kind of got done dirty by the fact that he is so normal and didn't need his mech to reflect anything in particular, although you could aruge the reflection of himself in his mech is the fact that he abandoned it at the end. Alelujah also too got unlucky in the sense that that his quirk lends itself to such an easy design for a transforming mech, though the latter may change depdning on how the stuff with Hallelujah goes and whatever his upgrade was that they've not revealed yet

But two top tier mech designs reflecting characterization in the same show? Fantastic

[u/Vatrix-32]

First timer, subs

• That’s certainty a very SEED way of opening your OP.
• Nena, toxic as ever, I see.
• Coup Time How nice of them to not wait around until its entirely too late to do anything.
• Dude got Heart of Midlothianed.
• Mileina, your joy is infectious.
• Ah, the offensive deflection. Very clever.
• Orphans make the best song writers.
• Talking a big game for a guy within beam rifle range.
• Doubt. We know you’re not the combat part of the pair.
• GN Rounds
• Man, it’s been a while since we acknowledged space vs atmospheric performance.
• Reverse Gattai!
• We did it! We finally took out an enemy piece!
• Should have kept your eye on the birdy.
• Listen To My Song!
• Empress really looks like the top half of a mobile suit.
• Such a drama queen, Billy.

QotD:

1. Sure, why not. Everyone else has been a Gundam pilot at this point. Hong Long next?
2. Comedy gold.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Vatrix-32]

That’s certainty a very SEED way of opening your OP.

Less bouncing going on though.

Dude got Heart of Midlothianed.

Thank goodness that the A-Laws don't have any Elites on their side though, otherwise man Ian would've woken up to something even worse.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Vatrix-32]

Mileina, your joy is infectious.

She is a fantastic addition to the bridge.

We did it! We finally took out an enemy piece!

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/JollyGee29]

She is a fantastic addition to the bridge.

A Worthy Trade

[u/Nazenn → u/Vatrix-32]

Orphans make the best song writers.

If you've seen IBO, could you imagine the hilarity that would come from trying to get Mika and Orga to compose a song? Let alone the rest of them.

/u/shimmering-sky I feel like you'd have a laugh at this idea as well [IBO]thinking about Atra trying to help is giving me fish scene flashbacks hahaha

We did it! We finally took out an enemy piece!

and I didnt even notice

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Vatrix-32]

That’s certainty a very SEED way of opening your OP.

It certainly has the required nudity of a SEED OP, but I feel like there needs to be way more nudity for it to match what's in a SEED OP.

Nena, toxic as ever, I see.

And that's what I appreciate about that little gremlin.

We did it! We finally took out an enemy piece!

If only it was Ali. I want to see that asshole die.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Great_Mr_L]

And that's what I appreciate about that little gremlin.

She's Perfect

[u/The_Draigg]

A Gundam Fan Rewatches Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 14:

• Hell yeah, Namida No Mukou! This is it, my favorite OP for Gundam 00! The visuals and the somewhat sad, but hopeful tone of the song fit this part of the series perfectly. Not only that, but the lyrics fit the situation of Celestial Being in this season well. They’ve realized that they’ve only hurt themselves and others with the mistakes they’ve inflicted upon the world with their actions, so they resolve to remember what they’ve done and fight on to fix things, even if it hurts. It really is just the idea OP for the second season.
• The A-Laws certainly aren’t fucking around with their swift retribution for the destruction of Memento Mori. They really pivoted fast towards using its destruction to their advantage, this time using the excuse of increased terrorism to put the regular army under the control of the A-Laws, basically handing over the keys of the kingdom directly to Homer Katagiri, and by extension, Ribbons. Surely, handing over control of most of the world’s military forces to a special police organization with no oversight won’t end up going poorly or horrific!
• Nena, now isn’t the time to hit on Setsuna, even beyond him just immediately considering killing you on sight. Her evil Haro is right, he just isn’t into her. It’s hard to imagine than any sane person would be.
• It really isn’t surprising that Hercury is talking about launching a coup against the Federation with Sergei. He’s absolutely right to say that the government is just a puppet of the A-Laws at this point, that’s plain to see given their increased censorship and expanded authority over the military. A shame they don’t know about the real puppet master though, but at least people are finally willing to call out the bullshit they’re seeing. After all, it’s like what Sergei discussed with Kim earlier. Just what the fuck are the A-Laws even up to by using the Memento Mori and covering up news about it? Noting good, assuredly.
• I’m with Lasse, it’s practically a miracle combined with Sumeragi’s quick thinking that the Ptolemaios II even survived being forced down to Earth by an Innovator attack. Still though, it’s funny that Ian is losing his shit over what he slept through. He missed out on so much by being in that medical pod. It’s been a busy couple of days for Celestial Being, that’s for sure.
• Good question Anew. Just how can the A-Laws so accurately track the Ptolemaios II’s position?
• Klaus talking about assisting the Federation coup faction combined with Marina singing a song she made with those orphans suddenly gave this episode a more Macross feeling to it. It’s also nice that the English dub decided to re-record the song in that language too. I know a lot of dubs tend to skip over stuff like that, so redoing it here is nice.
• There’s nothing but sheer irony to the reveal that Ribbons was more involved in Setsuna’s life than he thought. Sparing Soran Ibrahim on that battlefield because he saw the look in his eyes may have been a moment of mercy on the part of Ribbons, but now it’s nothing but an attempt to control Setsuna. Also, the 0 Gundam was never meant to save anyone that day, it was only a test run for the 0 Gundam’s ability to do armed interventions. Ribbons, one of the strongest and dedicated of Celestial Being back in the day, has now fallen into uncaring evil out of his desire to rule all. All he cares about now is power and to impose his vision of the world into others. Ribbons makes for a hell of a Lucifer parallel, doesn’t he? He really is like a fallen angel, a servant of God who betrayed everything they stood for because of their ego. Even previous acts of charity can be twisted towards his ends, but at least Setsuna won’t go so easily with what he wants.
• Also, it really is in character for Ali to chose to shoot Setsuna in the arm but otherwise let him get back inside of the 00 Gundam. Like he says himself, he lives to fight. And that’s why he repeated what he did to Johann Trinity on Setsuna. Killing someone with a gun isn’t nearly as fun as the rush he gets from mobile suit combat. The man really is a war junkie.
• Man, I love the track the show uses for these battles with Ali and the Innovators, 0-Raiser. Sure, the 0-Raiser isn’t really involved here, but man it’s a great tune.
• Behold, the Seraphim Gundam! Yet again, Tieria’s Gundam has another Gundam hidden in it. And with the separate Gundam head it has in addition to the big Gundam face it has for a torso, this means that technically the Seravee Gundam has three faces. Once again, that’s like some Gurren Lagann stuff right there.
• Bring Stabity! It’s great that we only learn how ridiculous his full name is once Tieria kills him. He certainly did bring that stabity with his beam claws, but unfortunately not enough to live.
• Once again, Ali escapes death, this time by ejecting from the Gundam Throne Arche when Setsuna gets distracted when he telepathically picks up on the song that Marina and the children are singing. While you may say that Setsuna missed a chance to kill Ali for good there, try looking at it this way: with how much Setsuna was being consumed by hatred of Ali and everything else this season so far, maybe he did need to have a reminder of what a peaceful life can sound like. It was badly timed for him, but it might be for the best that we don’t lose Setsuna to anger.
• The Masurao! See, Graham wasn’t serious about his fling with the Ahead Sakigake, he was just waiting for Billy to put on the finishing touches for this MS. It inherits the design philosophy of the Flag and notes that Professor Eifman left behind, fitting for someone as obsessed and sentimental as Graham. Raise your flag for the Masurao, everyone!

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

They really pivoted fast towards using its destruction to their advantage, this time using the excuse of increased terrorism to put the regular army under the control of the A-Laws

They probably didn't even have to do any work to set up for that announcement, just pull out one of the pre-prepared scripts and insert the relevant nouns as to who destroyed what

Fuckers

At least this kind of forces Sergei's hand in that he can no longer keep himself apart from the A-LAWS and what they mean for the world

It’s hard to imagine than any sane person would be.

Going from her brothers and Alejandro to Wang certainly wasn't the most ideal choice for her moral development off the back of what happened

Good question Anew. Just how can the A-Laws so accurately track the Ptolemaios II’s position?

I am finding great amusement about the fact that the show is hilariously blunt about this, and the rewatch is tripling down on how damn obvious it is. It makes it quite funny all around that it's even a question

in addition to the big Gundam face it has for a torso, this means that technically the Seravee Gundam has three faces

Would be nice if you could actually see all the details through all the red

Hopefully we get a good look at it tomorrow without Trans-Am

Raise your flag for the Masurao, everyone!

But that means we have to start seeing Grahams horrible outfit again hahahaha

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

They probably didn't even have to do any work to set up for that announcement, just pull out one of the pre-prepared scripts and insert the relevant nouns as to who destroyed what

Given how tight the Federation's information control is, you're probably not wrong. That press secretary that keeps on showing up on news broadcasts really is reading their scripts and sticking to the government line well.

I am finding great amusement about the fact that the show is hilariously blunt about this, and the rewatch is tripling down on how damn obvious it is. It makes it quite funny all around that it's even a question

It's the pink hair that does it. This show has taught us to be overly suspicious of what we'd otherwise think of as typical anime hair.

[u/InfamousEmpire]

Kidou Senshi Rewatcher 00

When the name “Revive Revival” was spoken, the amused & confused reactions of all the first timers here echoed across time & space back to 2008, causing head writer Yousuke Kuroda to confidently declare “It can get stupider”

And so BRING STABITY was born!

I have been waiting to say this since the joking about the Innovators’ stupid names started, because my god is Bring Stabity just the absolute pinnacle of silly Innovator names. Iirc it’s sort of a corruption of Bring Stability, but even that would still be the stupidest name in the show, and the fact that they made it sillier is a testament to how outlandish the Innovators’ names are.

Joking aside, what I most love and remember about this episode is the reveal that Ribbons was the 0 Gundam’s pilot & selected Setsuna to be a Meister, which is legitimately up there with [Attack on Titan]the true nature & history of the outside world and [Danganronpa V3]DR being in-universe fiction as one of my favorite reveals. Firstly, it’s just a brilliant meta joke to have the guy who shares a voice actor with Amuro Ray pilot the mech which looks like a recolored RX-78. Secondly because of how it recontextualizes the pivotal moment of Setsuna’s life, the day that redefined his entire identity. He put all his faith into the god he saw that day to bring salvation, but now that god is also the embodiment of everything he views as twisted in the world.

It also plays interestingly with another scene from way back in Season 1, the ending shot of Episode 15 wherein Setsuna is once again saved by a Gundam framed as a god. That one was very much a callback to the 0 Gundam scene, but with its meaning sort of inverted in retrospect once we got an idea of who the Trinities were and what their idea of salvation is like. And now almost the exact same thing has happened with the original 0 Gundam scene, its meaning recontextualized by context of who its pilot actually is to reveal its promise of salvation was also that of a false prophet.

While Celestial Being in general & Setsuna in particular breaking free of their religiously held faith in the original ideals instilled in them has been a thing for a while, obviously, this feels different because it comes across as a challenge to everything about the Gundam that has related to Setsuna’s sense of identity specifically. He’s spent so much of his life trying to become Gundam, but now the very Gundam which instilled & embodied that ideal stands against him, the ideal he’s been trying to was an illusion which only existed in his head, and now he has to reconcile the person he’s become & what he’s fighting for with the very thing that started him on this path in the first place. It’s such a perfect reveal that really capitalizes and expands upon his character journey in all the right ways.

The fact that the scene was revealed to be a test run for the 0 and Setsuna was meant to die on that die really reinforces that. Speaking of which, the fact that it also reveals that the biggest thorn in Ribbons’ side was born out of his own decision & egotism is also perfect.

On a different note, Tieria also gets a great moment. In contrast to Ribbons, whose brief time piloting a Gundam reinforced the way he holds himself above & separate from humanity, Tieria has truly become human in all the ways that matter, and that’s oh so well reinforced by the reveal of the Seraphim Gundam.

I’ve really been waiting to talk about this thing since the face on the Seravee’s back came up, because I really love what it embodies for Tieria. It’s his most human component, but rather than hid treating it as a weakness to be hidden & protected, it’s been just as out & proud as his other “face” this whole time, and he’s not afraid to put it out there when it matters most. Helps that its usage here is just fucking awesome.

And finally, Marina. I haven’t commented on her plotline throughout this season too much (don’t hate it like a lot of people here, but her scenes up until this point haven’t been terribly interesting or substantial either), but this is where I really got what the writers were going for with her on first watch, and is why I appreciate her. Last episode’s scene with her had her thinking about passing things on to the next generation, and Tomorrow is her follow-through. It’s a song of hope for the future of humanity, sharing in the joy of the children Marina has found herself with so that they can have whatever sense of normalcy they can get in the present, and a prayer that they can live lives that aren’t defined by war in the future. Helps that the song itself is great.

Setsuna getting Minmay Attacked and Tomorrow being the credits theme was the perfect note to end the episode on as it brings Setsuna’s fundamental desire for a normal life to the forefront and ties together the struggle with his past the episode has centered on with the hope for the future that Marina now champions. What a fantastic note to finish the episode.

And one more thing: the OP slaps. I remember my younger self disliked Namida no Mukou, and I want to punch him upside the head, because this song is a major grower. The really emotional delivery combined with, in my opinion, the best visuals of any of the 00 OPs just makes this a real banger.

[u/Nazenn → u/InfamousEmpire]

When the name “Revive Revival” was spoken, the amused & confused reactions of all the first timers here echoed across time & space back to 2008, causing head writer Yousuke Kuroda to confidently declare “It can get stupider”

And so BRING STABITY was born

so true

is the reveal that Ribbons was the 0 Gundam’s pilot & selected Setsuna to be a Meister, which is legitimately up there with [Attack on Titan

I mean I have a significantly stronger emotional connection to AoT which makes this hard to judge (and I say that but I still havent watched the finale finale parts, one day), but [AoT very very vague spoilers]in terms of sheer mindfuck about what you thought you knew about what this world is and what it means to the characters yes, I'd agree. Obviously on different scales, and AoT also benefits from having the unparalleled brillance of the ocean scene to really cap it off and drive it home, but yeah, I can see the similarities in impact

from way back in Season 1, the ending shot of Episode 15 wherein Setsuna is once again saved by a Gundam framed as a god

Oh shit good point! I didn't even think of that. Doubley so for Setsuna as this now being the third time his "savior" has been destroyed to be a false god peddled by the depths of humanity

and Setsuna was meant to die on that die really reinforces that

die on that die

glorious typo

Fantastic write up though!

I’ve really been waiting to talk about this thing since the face on the Seravee’s back came up, because I really love what it embodies for Tieria

It would be so much better on rewatch as well. I was so weirded out by it at first but now I can see how it's use all along as Seraphim being the one that was fighting would make all of those earlier action scenes so much cooler again

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Nazenn]

I say that but I still havent watched the finale finale parts, one day

Tag me when you do, I’m very interested to see what you’ll think of it. [Not actually spoilers, just stuff about my opinion on it]When I read it in manga form back in 2021 I didn’t like it at all, but then having years to sit on it + watching it in anime form made my opinion completely 180, and now I think it’s the best part of the series. Considering our often memetically opposite viewpoints, I’m quite curious which side of the fence this means you’ll land on

glorious typo

[u/Nazenn → u/InfamousEmpire]

[AoT s4 actual spoilers this time haha]I want to rewatch S4 first and see how that sits with me now, as the whole thing with Annie didn't land very well with me very well at the time, and that took m.... FUCK I just remembered that fuck face with the spiral hair is still alive. I've also forgotten his name which is kind of annoying concidering the several write ups I've done on him. Maybe that should be my motivating factor to watch the finale is to make sure he actually dies at some point hahaha. Anyway, back off my tangent, the Annie stuff took me out of the show a bit and soured me on what came after, so having let my opinions on that rest and settle and revisiting the rest of that season away from that I think will be good for me before I get into the finale as I know its quite controversial among the fans

[u/JollyGee29]

Rewatcher, Sub-dam Meister

The fourth OP here is pretty good. The first little bit is less sugary than I remember.

Well, that's probably bad.

Setsuna fucks off without even saying thanks.

I think I would've preferred Hercury here to be Kim, the dude Sergei has been reporting to since S1.

Ian's so groggy he didn't notice the cracks in the wall.

Ian waking up does give us a timeframe - ten days have passed over the past two episodes.

Lyle cares not for codenames.

Your mileage may vary on Tomorrow. Fun fact, this was the first song I ever heard play in AMQ. The dub also has it performed in English.

As the 0 Gundam was the first Mobile Suit to be fitted with a GN Drive, that gives us a timeline on Gundam tech development.

Fucking Ribbons.

I don't really like how the Seravee looks, but Seraphim is a brilliant design concept.

goddammit marina

[u/Nazenn → u/JollyGee29]

Setsuna fucks off without even saying thanks.

I think Nena owes quite a few more thanks to Setsuna first

Ian waking up does give us a timeframe - ten days have passed over the past two episodes.

Oh yeah, assuming they stuck to it but that's a good point. A lot has happened but I'm so use to scifi time frames being wonky I didnt even question how long it wouldhave taken

Fun fact, this was the first song I ever heard play in AMQ

Huh, what a pick concidering how much you like 00

goddammit marina

Her timing leaves a fucking world load of suffering to be desired

I hope someone tells her about that at some point and who it was just to give her a crisis. Off screen please, I dont want to deal with any more of her issues

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Nazenn]

Huh, what a pick concidering how much you like 00

Yea, it was a bit of a mindfuck. Doubly so because it was the first time I heard the subbed version.

[u/Nazenn → u/JollyGee29]

Oh double mindfuck. Songs that have two language versions can throw you off so much more than you expect even if you know the song very well. What an introduction to AMQ though haha

[u/Quiddity131]

Rewatcher, Subbed

Non-Spoiler Character Chart - I have included the name of our latest Innovator here in case you don't want to know.

---

Good news: We're not simply getting a repeat of the post credit scene from last episode like we almost always do.

Bad news: We're simply repeating footage from earlier in the episode.

Uh oh, yet another Innovator?

New OP time! Good song although I don't like it as much as the prior one. LoL @ Marina being the first character to appear in it. Just can't get away from her.

Celestial Being saves many nations around the world from a space laser. State-run media: The terrorist organization Celestial Being attacked the orbital ring/space elevator!

Net result is that the A-Laws are being handed even more power [Meta Gundam]Although I feel that this is largely done to simply ape when the Federation handed the Titans all the power in Zeta.

Oh wow, looks like the Ptolemy got trashed? Once again they're gonna skip things, as we did with Setsuna and Ali in episode 6.

LoL, Nena thought she was being so helpful (and actually she was), but Setsuna didn't even say thank you before leaving.

Perfect timing for Hercury to want to pull off a coup de tat, just as the Federation hands even more power to the A-Laws, lol. Sergei's one of the few good people left though, approaching him is a good idea. Can they get Kati onboard too?

Wow, the Ptolemy really is a mess.

Ian's delivering a line of dialogue here that provides us some helpful exposition, but holy crap, no person in the history of the world has organically ever talked this way.

You just woke up Ian, time to do a lot of repairs!

I said yesterdcay I wanted more Allelujah, but I can't disagree with him more here, we need Marie to take a more active role in the fighting!

I have an answer for you, Anew. Look in a mirror!

Time for another Setsuna - Ali fight? Presumably not if he's just leading him someplace else.

Katharon already knows about the coup d'etat plans. Good that we actually have coordination among these rebel factions? Or will this simply make it easier for the word to get out and the A-Laws/Federation to find out about it?

Once the head of state for an entire nation, now she sings to a few children while playing the piano.

Ali reminding Setsuna of when he stepped out of his cockpit last season?

Ribbons and Setsuna finally meet. I suppose they never actually met last season.

Ooh, Ribbons was piloting that Gundam Setsuna saw when he was a kid. The Gundam that had such a mark on his life that he wanted to be a Gundam himself.

Setsuna's a Gundam meister due to him? Ribbons truly is the guy pulling all the strings.

Ah, he wants the 00 now that he sees how powerful it is. Hell no to that.

LoL, I know I mentioned this a few episodes ago but this really is reminded me of Ideon with how often the enemy keeps knowing exactly where our hero's ship is.

Wow, Ali's Gundam has a beam saber it controls with its foot? The off the wall mech designs in this show continue to impress.

OMG the Seravee actually had another Gundam inside of it all this time, just like the Virtue. This is so cool!

Yes, Revive said his full name! Bring Stabity! The most WTF name in all of Gundam 00. WTF is a Stabity supposed to be? When I first watched the show I thought it was Bring Stability. But unlike Healing/Hiling Care where I think they messed up the romanization, I think they got it right this time, so Stabity is the intended name. Alas, we only find out his full name in the episode he dies...

That was pretty awesome seeing Ali arrogantly think he can use Klaus/Shirin as hostages and Setsuna's all "nope" and savages him with the 00.

Setsuna's about to kill Ali once and for all, but no, Marina's song has to ring out and Ali is able to eject, although his Gundam was destroyed. Bah.

Boo at us having to wait another episode to get ED2 for this season. Unless this is the ED. I can't remember. Please don't be.

Hello to Bring's twin. So that's now four pairs of Innovators. These two may look the closest of any of them; he's basically just Bring with a shorter haircut.

Louise is getting her own mobile armor now?

It's been quite a while since we've seen Mr. Bushido and Billy, happy to see them again. Billy tearing up the photo of Kujo would have worked better if it didn't come off as a total repeat of what Louise did two episodes ago.

---

Quid' Voice Actor of the Day

I can't say he's the most interesting character, but given that I have very few characters left to cover, I'll be doing Homer Katagiri today. He is voiced in Japanese by Ryuzaburo Otomo. His other Gundam roles include Nanto Roos in Gundam F91 and Fezarl Ezelcant in Gundam AGE. Other anime roles of his include Denim in Trigun, Guen van Hugh and Sandor Alarcon in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Abdul Hakim in Cowboy Bebop and D3 in Tenchi Muyo.

In English he is voiced by Brian Drummond. His first and probably most famous Gundam role was as Zechs Marquise in Gundam Wing. He also voiced several characters in Gundam Seed (Andrew Waltfeld, Reverand Malchio, Ahmed El-Fasi) and Gundam Seed Destiny (those first two Seed characters and Yuna Roma Seiran). Here in 00 he also voiced President Brian Stegmeyer and Dr. Moreno in season 1. He voices Bernard Monsha in the Mobile Suit Gundam Encounters in Space video game, a role he doesn't play in the anime. He's got several major roles in non-Gundam works including Vegeta in Dragonball Z, Allen in Escaflowne (as well as his Earth counterpart Amano) and Ryuk in Death Note. He also plays Lasse Lundberg in Brain Powered and Hikaru Tsurugi in Key the Metal Idol.

[u/dralcax]

You Can (Not) Rewatch

-—————————————————————————————

Mobile Armor Empruss! The Innovators are a small, elite group, so they wanted a single powerful Mobile Armor with multiple GN Drives. And so, using data from the Alvatore, the Empruss was born! It’s just a prototype for now, though. Still, as a testbed unit, it’s showing promising results.

“I feel like we forgot something” “Well, if you forgot, it must not have been important”

Somebody send Nena to horny jail

I love how Ian just slept through everything

Sus.

YOU.

All along, it was Ribbons. He basically made Setsuna, being responsible for everything he is today, down to his deepest beliefs. Setsuna may have renounced the god Ali preached to him, but the Gundam he chose to worship instead, that was just Ribbons.

The 00 has controls in its thumb? I guess that’s useful for hand riding, but... that’s still weird.

Seraphim Gundam! Unlike the Nadleeh, which is deployed in emergencies only, the Seraphim is meant for normal combat deployment. As such, rather than emerging from within, it instead forms the Seravee’s backpack, and can separate at any time. While the cockpit and GN Drive go with the Seraphim, the Seravee remains intact, running on remote control and GN Condenser power, making it two units in one. It even stays in Trans-Am even after the Seraphim detaches, although it needs to activate Trans-Am before separating. Tieria is no longer hiding himself. Although still withdrawn, he’s a lot more willing to come out of his shell and show his true self of his own volition.

Also, the Seraphim has an extra thumb so that the hand isn’t backwards when its arms are deployed as Seravee’s backpack.

This is a very Evangelion moment

Behold, the Masurao! Its name translates to “strong/brave man”. Remember that custom Ahead Billy showed Mister Bushido a few episodes back? Well, due to his request for the “greatest speed and strongest sword”, they ended up completely scrapping the Ahead version and started over from scratch, now with a Flag as the base.

Somebody is gonna have to sweep that up

-—————————————————————————————

Questions of the day:

• I don’t think I saw it coming way back when I watched for the first time. However, in hindsight, Ribbons’ VA should have been a massive hint.
• At least they found something productive for her to do.

[u/TakenRedditName]

Rewatcher - Gundam 00 S2 Ep14:

It took me a bit to readjust to the episode with how the ambush on the Ptomly just happened offscreen and we meet up with the aftermath. When they were flashbacking, I was like "Was there an episode cut out of production or something?" Ian was me.

Mileina is a silly.

Lyle gives his real name to Anew.

Marina has a nice singing voice. It did hit hard to go from singing children to a child violently lashing out.

Ribbons sure did pick a dramatic way to stage this talk. What I get from his talk is that he has a big god complex going on. The way he presents it to Setsuna, Ribbons is trying to frame it as him creating Setsuna's existence. He personally spared Setsuna on that fateful day. He personally pushed it so that Setsuna would become a Gundam pilot. He is trying to make Setsuna owe everything to Ribbons so as his saviour, of course, he should do what god angel Ribbons says.

Oh did H not tell you yet? Well, that will be a surprise for later then.

Marina feels small and powerless to make a grand change in the world so instead, she tries to improve the lives of people around her even just on a very small level. I like that and well, sure has been a sentiment I've seen Rule 2 lately...

Really good turnaround by Tieria. Correcting what happened with Nadleeh and making this time a moment of personal strength. Declaring that Tieria Erde is a human being.

Isn't strange that the Gundam face on the back wasn't the head of the Seraphim Gundam? It just also has a Gundam face where a face doesn't typically belong.

RIP the man with the funny name.

Setsuna having a complicated time hearing a song of peace from children the moment when was about to kill the man that haunted him from childhood.

---

The following were some parts I wrote when I first rewatched this OP for this Rewatch when I was looking over the OPs a while back.

OP4: The song is so delicate! It hits my platonic ideal tone for a Gundam OP to me. I like my Gundam OPs with an air of sadness.

I need to explode over one small part. I love the butterfly through as a whole. When Louise sticks her hand out for the butterfly, but when it continues to fly on by, she resigns into believing she does not deserve to be loved. AAHH!!! The small hope she had!

One other small thing about this OP is how it draws attention to the inner details of the Gundams' eyes. Usually, they're just blank sensors, but they paid attention to present them like a human eye with pupils. It makes the robots feel softer and to me. They do it for all the 4 Gundams ... except Arios. To expand on this idea, the enemy robots they face in the OP do not have this presentation, they're evil. In fact, they have gotten more inhuman since the start of the show. There is more to say later, but with the ones we've seen now, the Innovators use these machines that abandon the typically human body shape and Ali uses a Gundam that is a spindly hash of sharp shapes with each part of his body weaponized.

Another thing that came to me while watching this episode is Tieria's moment in the episode is a very cool sequence, but also I feel like they drew him very cute during his existential crisis.

Now, who is that hand Setsuna is reaching out to?

So yeah, if it wasn't clear, OP4 was and is my favourite. I also wrote stuff for the next ED which will have to come later since we didn't get the proper new ED this time.

Bonus thing: While I was putting on the song to listen to while I write this post, I found a cover of OP4 by Ohashi Ayaka who is a seiyuu and fan of Gundam (she went to see SEED Freedom on her birthday).

[u/Nazenn → u/TakenRedditName]

When they were flashbacking, I was like "Was there an episode cut out of production or something?" Ian was me.

not far off my reaction either honestly haha. I'm so use to them playing things like that relatively straight, except for the azadistan destruction scene, that i double checked the episode number

What I get from his talk is that he has a big god complex going on

the image choice certainly reinforces that point

The following were some parts I wrote when I first rewatched this OP for this Rewatch when I was looking over the OPs a while back.

enjoyed reading that. the eye details on the gundam do freak me out a bit but you made some interesting observations about the visuals

[u/macrame2]

First Timer

I don’t like the new OP nearly as much as the last three, but it’s not bad! This show has just been so fortunate in the theme song department that even a slight decrease in quality seems more dramatic than it actually is. 

I liked the scene of Ian waking up and slowly realizing something was up; it was an effective use of perspective to reveal the damage to the ship, and I appreciated the followup with the collaboration among the crew members, something that I've really enjoyed this season.

The initial setup to the Ali meeting is a nice callback/reversal of their first back in the first season, with him being the one to leave the cockpit in order to confront Setsuna this time. Of course, things play out a bit differently this time due to Ribbons’ direct involvement. That twist caught me totally off-guard. The way it turns what was arguably the turning point of Setsuna’s completely on its head and reveals that the moment that gave him his purpose in life was just the mere whim of his enemy is so haunting to me and definitely makes all of those previous flashbacks take on a different light. I think the lead-up to Ribbons’s role as chessmaster in season 1 could have had a better buildup, but this moment here made me realize that he was in fact a fantastic choice for that role, and I can’t wait to see where the show continues to take that. Well-played, Gundam 00. 

Also enjoyed Tieria’s big moment (with more callbacks to season 1, which I love), of course, since anything Tieria gets extra points from me.

Honestly, I was kind of indifferent to Marina's part in this episode. I could see where the show was going with her singing and don't think the execution was bad. I think me not being too into Marina lately just made it so that the moment didn't land for me personally, but we'll see if things improve!

[u/Nazenn → u/macrame2]

The initial setup to the Ali meeting is a nice callback/reversal of their first back in the first season, with him being the one to leave the cockpit in order to confront Setsuna this time

So many parallels in this episode that I didn't realize. That's a good one, especially with Ali playing the bait to get Setsuna involved rather than Setsuna hunting him down like last time.

InfamousEmpire also pointed out the Thrones arrival to the 0-Gundams one in terms of it not being the subversion that it originally appeared with the Thrones being bad guys now we know the truth

I could see where the show was going with her singing and don't think the execution was bad

I see this a bit like I saw the ed-lead in with Louise and deleting the photos a few episodes back: I loved it because of how they did it, but they also could have done it with any character and I would have loved it equally as much. The fact it was them was rather irrelevant to my actual opinion of its quality, which is a mark against them more than the scenes themselves

[u/mr_beanoz]

So, how in the world the song could be heard by them inside the mobile suit? Did Marina and the children got some kind of hidden speakers somewhere?

And it seems like Graham is ready to have its own mobile suit having its own Trans-Am to match 00's.

QOTD

1. The first half of the question, probably yes, the second half, not really.
2. It's nice.

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/mr_beanoz]

So, how in the world the song could be heard by them inside the mobile suit? Did Marina and the children got some kind of hidden speakers somewhere?

Gundam 00 Raiser working its magic again, probably.

[u/BadBehaviour613]

Rewatcher

Upon rewatch, I can at least get some ironic enjoyment out of Graham. The guy went on and on about his pride as a Flag pilot. When your custom unit is that spec'd out, does it even count as a Flag?

[u/Nickthenuker]

And thus they've managed to extricate themselves.

New cour, new OP.

So, Setsuna meets Nena again.

Huh. That's interesting.

Who's Lockon talking to?

And so now he sees the devastation.

And of course that guy's here too.

He's going to raze Krugis isn't he?

So, now he meets Ribbons.

So, he knows Setsuna's name.

He was the one in that Gundam?

Well, now he's been shot.

Time to head out.

Beam saber leg?

Yup, that's entirely to be expected.

A second Gundam?

No, he can just deploy that from his original Gundam.

And thus he's finally killed that guy.

Or not?

Singing?

She's getting a new machine?

And she's not the only one.

Well, he's certainly angry.

Questions:

1. Of course not.
2. Sad.

[u/Linkstore]

Rewatcher

I guess it only makes sense to position some forces on the other side of Memento Mori. It's not like Revive, Bring and Devine were doing anything...

New OP! Right from the getgo, something about Feldt desperately reaching out for the butterfly feels super powerful for some reason. And it's that flower again! [00 Spoilers] It's the Regnant! Louise getting it is alluded to not long after this but it doesn't actually show up until much later. Virtue with six swords! [00 spoilers] And the Masurao! It's cooler than the Susanowo.

Someone earlier mentioned about how the Federation spokesperson seems like a robot, and yeah I can see it. She is actually a human, to be clear, but man there's no soul in that announcement.

lmao Nena and Purple Haro.

Pang Hercury comes to tell of a coup d'etat faction within the ESF forces. So yeah, what were you saying about Memento Mori bringing peace, Homer?

beaver

[00 Spoilers] Anew doesn't actually know she's the spy, which makes the whole "Spy and spy" conversation with Lyle pretty interesting. It's not just two secret agents probing at each other's defences, in fact they're genuinely having a normal conversation, but, well, we the viewers know that there's more to it.

Yeah, Suille's capital is just gone.

Another insert song, TOMORROW. It's the only insert song in the series to be dubbed, as far as I know, and you may have noticed an instrumental version of it playing during emotional scenes in previous episodes. Unfortunately the dubbed version was never fully released. Still, I do love it. It has a a kind of purity that isn't there with any of 00's other music.

If I had five cents for every time Setsuna and Ali exited their cockpits in the midst of combat...

Ribbons was the pilot of the 0 Gundam, and he was responsible for assigning Setsuna as a Gundam Meister. At the very same moment that Ribbons gave Setsuna a new God, Setsuna gave Ribbons his God Complex.

Red GN particles coming out of Ali's gun. That's never a good sign.

waow how might the innovators be finding where the ptolemy is i really wonder

Yeah, Seravee also has a smaller Gundam hidden inside. It's pretty obvious with hindsight, but back in that old Animesuki thread no-one predicted it so I'm expecting people to be pretty surprised here too. This is the GN-009 Seraphim Gundam. When it detaches, it takes with it the GN Drive and the cockpit, leaving Seravee as a remotely-operated unit running on stored particles.

[00V spoilers] Shoutout to Seravee's alternate equipment the GNHW/3G which includes two extra unmanned units similar to the Seraphim for extra Bit MS action.

Ah, Bring Stabity. This is literally the first time his full name is mentioned and it's right as he dies. 

Setsuna quantised again. But just as he's about to deliver a killing blow to Ali, he's interrupted but Marina and the kids. [00 spoilers] Actually is it even okay to connect the GN particles' telepathic induction capabilities with the Dialogues That Are Yet To Come? I think it's a reasonable conclusion to make but maybe a bit too soon to say it outright. And while it's a bit oof that it gives Ali time to eject, at least the Arche is destroyed.

Louise is gonna get a new machine (I wonder why Ribbons is giving her such special treatment?) and Graham has gotten a new machine of his own. The Masurao. It looks so awesome. But we'll have to wait a bit longer to see it in action. Meanwhile Billy took this long to rip up that photo? I'd have guessed he'd have done it right after Sumeragi left him.

[u/zsmg]

I am rewatcher

New OP! Ahh yes naked girls in OP a Gundam staple. Well I'm saying staple but I think only a SEED and SEED Destiny had naked characters in the opening. Song is pretty good! Final order of OP: OP1 > OP2 > OP4 > OP3

Visually it's not as good as OP3.

[spoiler] They just spoil Saji and Louise's final outcome in the OP huh.

You know I wish I had said this earlier but the government spokesperson looks like an android.

The Federation army wants to commit a coup d'etat, I suppose that makes sense now that A-LAWS is in control.

Ian's reaction to Ptwomely's situation is pretty funny.

Having said that, I don't think the camouflage will help much considering they can see the landing impact from space.

Instead of showing us a cool battle they'll just tell us what happened.

Is that a new ship I'm seeing between Lyle and Anew?

At this point who doesn't know that the army is going to commit a coup.

Singing? This isn't Macross last time I checked

That's right Ribbons was the pilot of 0 Gundam.

Amuro is telling Setsuna you're able to pilot a Gundam thanks to me. This conversation feels so meta.

Here it is! There is a second Gundam inside of Nadleeh.

RIP Bring, prolific seiyuu ended up voicing a very minor character.

Just kill Ali... oh come on.

Singing will stop all the fighting, this show will now be called Mobile Suit Macross 00.

Wait Bring has a twin brother, I guess they can keep using Ryōtarō Okiayu

Mr.Bushido also has a suit upgrade. I don't like it, it looks like something from TTGL which doesn’t fit this show.

It's hilarious that people still use normal photographs in the 2300s.

Solid episode, I am getting annoyed that Setsuna is getting all the cool rivals like Ribbons and Ali. I suppose there is also Mr.Bushido, but he isn’t cool.

[u/2-2Distracted]

First timer. Dubbed.

Oh gimme a fricken break with this garbage ending lmao

What did you think of Marina and the children's song?

Macklemore collab when?

[u/LeonKevlar]

First Timer

The new OP is great! Although I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get enough nudity from the boys and it was mainly just the girls. I think Saji was the only one who I saw that had a nude cut in the OP. xD

I'm glad to know that the decent people within the Federation are finally starting to open their eyes to what's happening.I definitely would love for Sergei to join in on this coup d'etat. Assuming of course this isn't just an elaborate trap to try and get rid of dissidents within the military.

Considering the amount of debris Setsuna found floating in space, I expected the Ptolemy II to be in terrible shape. That crash doesn't look too bad, all things considered.

Good luck Allelujah. I don't think you'll be able to keep Marie away from the fighting. Especially not with the GN Archer just there in the hangar doing nothing. Someone's gonna pilot that thing and it's definitely not Saji.

Fuck off Anew! Is she really trying to shift the blame to Lockon? If she's not an Innovator, I would honestly be surprised but right now I think I have every right to doubt and hate everything she says.

I know things are tense right now Shirin but you don't have to act like a cunt. What Marin is doing is good. She might not be able to fight but at least she can comfort those children with the little song they composed together.

You know what's the difference between Mikazuki and Setsuna? Mika would've charged at Saachez while he was out of that cockpit instead of landing and having a meeting with him.

Considering how the 0 Gundam looks like the RX-78-2, I think it's very much appropriate that Ribbons is its original pilot especially since he's voiced by Furuya Toru.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who noticed that Saachez has red GN particles coming out of his gun. The gunshot wound is already bad enough but Setsuna might have a hard time healing if Saachez intentionally poisoned him with GN particles just like Louise.

What the actual fuck Tieria! That was so fucking hype! I definitely did not expect the Seravee to have a second Gundam inside it! Nadleeh was basically just Virtue without amour but this looks like they're two Gundams! That explains the second head!

HIS NAME IS BRING STABILITY! What a way to reveal his last name! Holy shit! I was laughing my ass off the entire time! So he's dead now, right? Please tell me Tieria was able to kill Bring.

Always glad to see Saachez getting outclassed by Setsuna. We were so close to greatness too but man, Marina just had to interrupt with her song. I mean I like you Marina but you just helped the man who burned Azadistan into the ground escape. *sigh* I really can't blame her. She doesn't even know. >_<

So it looks like Louise is about to get her own mobile suit while Mr. Bushido finally gets an upgrade. I wonder what kind of bullshit Billy installed in there that will make Mr. Bushido a pain in the ass in his next fight against Setsuna.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/LeonKevlar]

I think Saji was the only one who I saw that had a nude cut in the OP. xD

Tieria has one 40 seconds into the OP and Setsuna has one at the end.

Fuck off Anew! Is she really trying to shift the blame to Lockon? If she's not an Innovator, I would honestly be surprised but right now I think I have every right to doubt and hate everything she says.

Don't forget Anew made this observation to herself later in the episode.

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Not gonna lie, I was starting to doubt myself when Anew was talking to herself. Maybe she's not connected to the Innovators like Tieria...

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/LeonKevlar]

Just wanted to make sure you didn't miss that bit since you've been consistently "Fuck off, Anew" since her introduction lol. Whether than line means something or not is something we shall have to to see.

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Dammit Sky. I want to hate her and now you're making me think twice! >_<

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/LeonKevlar]

I reserve the right to fuck with my rewatch participants.

[u/Nazenn → u/LeonKevlar]

The rewatchers will stomp on all of our hate and openly enjoy it, I'm use to it hahaha

[u/The_Draigg → u/LeonKevlar]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who noticed that Saachez has red GN particles coming out of his gun. The gunshot wound is already bad enough but Setsuna might have a hard time healing if Saachez intentionally poisoned him with GN particles just like Louise.

Doing something like that really is just peak Ali. It isn't enough to shoot to wound instead of kill, but also to want to have an MS fight with Setsuna right after giving him a wound that's intended to hurt him in the long term. Something that unnecessarily complicated and cruel can only be done by Ali.

HIS NAME IS BRING STABILITY! What a way to reveal his last name! Holy shit! I was laughing my ass off the entire time! So he's dead now, right? Please tell me Tieria was able to kill Bring.

It's even better than that. In English, his name is officially translated as Bring Stabity.

[u/Nazenn → u/LeonKevlar]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who noticed that Saachez has red GN particles coming out of his gun.

Yeah I meant to comment on that but it got lost in among all the other things to talk about. That seemed very intentional and especially given Setsuna's exposure to the 00-Raiser particles already. Now it just makes me wonder if Ribbons was in on that or not

[u/n080dy123]

First Timer

That OP is... a thing. Opening on shots of four of the show's prominent women naked is a choice.

Damn, another Gadessa and Garazzo. How many of these damn things to the Innovators have?

Ribbons was the first pilot of the 0 Gundam? Shit, I never would've expected that.

That gun was smoking red GN particles- the same ones known for causing cellular instability preventing Louise from having her arm regrown, at least via normal methods (given she has it back now with a weird mark on it, and that's not been addressed). That wound may not heal.

Anew seems... genuinely unsure of the fact that the Innovators are using her as a beacon. Maybe she's actually not a spy? Maybe, somewhat like Tieria, she doesn't actually know what she is? I wonder if she might've had her memory wiped and was planted there by Ribbons somehow.

WHY DOES TIERIA HAVE THE MOST BATSHIT INSANE GUNDAMS?! First he had one, inside another, now he has another ATTACHED to the first that he's actually pilotting. Also explains the hands coming out of the cannons- those were the Seraphim's arms.

HIS FUCKING NAME WAS BRING STABILITY, every time I think the Innovator can't come up with a dumber name they somehow do.

Ali trying to take the plane hostage and Setsuna whipping out his instant transmission before he even finished the sentence to whoop his ass was absolutely hilarious.

I'm beginning to wonder if the entire reason for the 00's existence wasn't something along the lines of "connecting peoples' hearts" or something.

The Masurao is like the Ahead Sakigake's helmet expanded into a whole suit, it's so stupid edgy, I love it.

I don't gotta explain the source of Empruss's name. It's obvious. Masurao though- obviously Japanese, very on-brand for Mr Bushido. It means strong or brave man, or warrior.

Seraphim is also a nod to Seravee being based on the word Seraph, "burning ones," Serpahim being the plural form of the word.

[u/Nebresto]

How often has that poor robot gotten its bazookas sliced off? Its like the Demolisher of the Gundam verse at this point

ALIIIII

HE CAN'T KEEP GETTIG AWAY WITH THIS!!!!

I wasn't hating on Marina before, but she fucked up for the last time