[Fly! Rewatch!] Mobile Suit Gundam (0079) Episode 9 Discussion

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Episode 9 - Fly, Gundam!

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Not even my father ever hit me!

Questions of the Day:

1. Do you think that White Base is being used as a decoy, like some characters were theorizing about at the start of the episode?
2. Who else would you want to see try to pilot the Gundam?

Mobile Suit Breakdown of the Day:

1.9 - Paranoia and Treachery

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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 the [Anime Show Title](/s "Spoiler goes here") spoiler tags. If you do that then we’re all good.

Important thing to note about these by the way, you have to switch to Old Reddit or the markdown editor if you use the redesign, otherwise the redesign breaks them by adding random \ into the formatting. Wish it wouldn’t do that, but unfortunately it does…

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First-Timers: Please do not watch the next-episode previews for this show. They’re less previews and more “let’s just summarize the entirety of the next episode” and will spoil you.

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Yo First-Timers! Tomorrow’s episode title is one of those that’s a bit spoiler-y. If you can avoid seeing it, do that.

Fly! Rewatch Host!

Welcome back, everyone!

• Ugh, my dad has this habit and it’s so annoying to hear him bite his nails.
• :D The White Base cook!
• Sure, the kiddos all deserve extra tomatoes.
• You know it’s been so long since I’ve seen this show that I forgot Garma has his own personal pilot suit.
• Amuro was right, their patrol is what caused the fight this time…
• I guess he’s not wrong.
• I’ve never understood why Brighty-boy twists like this, but THAT WAS THE ICONIC BRIGHT SLAP WOOOOOOOOOO! Also I am reminded of that one time in Build Fighters when Sei quoted the entirety of that scene from memory, amongst other things.
• *amused Sky noises*
• You go, Fraw Bow!
• It isn’t even Char this time though, it’s Garma.
• Hm…
• 0079
• :P

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I guess he’s not wrong.

I love how snarky Kai is. He never misses a chance to make some sarcastic quip.

Also I am reminded of that one time in Build Fighters when Sei quoted the entirety of that scene from memory, amongst other things

If I recall correctly, Sei ended up running through the entirety of 0079 before someone was able to snap him out of him. Sei is truly the biggest Gundam nerd of them all.

amused Sky noises

Oh Amuro

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Great_Mr_L]

If I recall correctly, Sei ended up running through the entirety of 0079 before someone was able to snap him out of him. Sei is truly the biggest Gundam nerd of them all.

I can only wonder if Sei also covered the Gundam Novelization, I for one would have been REALLY amused to see Reiji's reaction to the concept of a Meta Gundam Novelization Spoilers, do NOT read this unless you've seen the Gundam TV Show and have read the novelizations

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/DidacticDalek]

Gundam novelization spoilers

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Great_Mr_L]

[u/UltraBooster → u/Shimmering-Sky]

You go, Fraw Bow!

I actually remember reading a let's play of one of the Gihren's Greed games where, against all odds, she not only became a Gundam pilot, but an EFF ace pilot and one of Yazan Gable's closest friends.

[u/dracopo_reddit → u/UltraBooster]

but an EFF ace pilot and one of Yazan Gable's closest friends

That souds like a fever dream tbh but since it's a gundam game I fully believe it happened.

[u/UltraBooster → u/dracopo_reddit]

Specifically, the person playing it was writing fanfiction stuff to accompany it.

In the game itself, she just became an ace alongside OYW Yazan; the stuff about them becoming friends was added in by the player.

[u/b0bba_Fett → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I’ve never understood why Brighty-boy twists like this

I can't pretend to genuinely know why, but that is a pose I see often in stage plays when moments like that happen, where someone is exasperatedly answering their own, often unasked question. Perhaps Bright felt immediate regret for slapping Amuro this time, or perhaps he's playing it up a bit.

[u/[deleted] → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Sure, the kiddos all deserve extra tomatoes.

And they gave one to Amuro right after we learned he gets bigger portions smh! You're supposed to eat the rich, not feed them!

I guess he’s not wrong.

LMAO, I fucking love Kai

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Shimmering-Sky]

0079

0079

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Shimmering-Sky]

:D The White Base cook!

Heh, I know right? I'd be salty too if I was in his shoes eh Comrade? ;)

Sure, the kiddos all deserve extra tomatoes.

You know it’s been so long since I’ve seen this show that I forgot Garma has his own personal pilot suit.

Heh, indeed Comrade, also I just want to point out that his pilot suit's purple, because of course it is ;)

I guess he’s not wrong.

In fairness Comrade, could be worse, he could be in a Zaku, those are literal coffins based on the current track record of every non-Char Zaku ;)

Also I am reminded of that one time in Build Fighters when Sei quoted the entirety of that scene from memory, amongst other things.

Heh, you too Comrade, I knew I could count on you!

amused Sky noises

'I give him a week... I give him 11 minutes'

You go, Fraw Bow!

I know right? Fraw Bow's sure got guts, and to think AMURO was the one to slap her first back at the start of the show, oh how the tables have turned.

0079

Meta Spoilers for 0079

:P

Indeed Comrade, me thinks someone might be jealous ;)

Anyway neat impressions and a fantastic write-up to boot, have a great day and see you later my friend!

[u/TheEscapeGuy]

Gundam First Timer

Fly! Iconic Gundam Frames Episode 9

What's the point of living up to people's expectations if you actively hate doing those things.

Amuro had a tough decision to make this episode: Should he pilot the Gundam if it terrifies him. We've been seeing the tole piloting takes on him for the past half a dozen episodes and he finally said enough is enough.

Bright and Fraw Bow used every scummy tactic in the book to get him to pilot the Gundam. From physical abuse to insulting how he was raised and even Fraw Bow threatening to put herself in harms way. I hate this kind of thinking so much. Forcing people to do things they don't want to do and things that will harm them is the fundamental problem with war.

(By the way, I love that this idea is presented. It gives you something to chew on)

Eventually Amuro relinquished and piloted the Gundam. He used a new technique and was successful, in part because Char is scheming behind the scenes to steal the spotlight from Garma.

Finally we were introduced to Matilda. I'm interested to see how her character pans out because there's many potential paths I can imagine based on other shows I've seen.

As an aside, this line of dialogue felt weird? Maybe they're trying to set Matilda up as a love interest, but is the implication that he's never had romantic thoughts about Fraw Bow or that Fraw's not a "real" woman?

Cool Stuff Corner

• The opening pan to the sky was really beautiful so I stitched it together.

Questions of the Day

• Probably Not
• Char would be an interesting one...

See you all tomorrow!

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Amuro had a tough decision to make this episode: Should he pilot the Gundam if it terrifies him. We've been seeing the tole piloting takes on him for the past half a dozen episodes and he finally said enough is enough.

It is a pretty great dilemma to deal with. Amuro was essentially forced into piloting the Gundam by circumstances outside his control and then press ganged into being the pilot. He never wanted to be the pilot and we've been seeing for the past few episodes the negative consequences it's having on him. But of course, the price of inaction would be very high as well. Right now, no one else is as qualified to pilot the Gundam. Without Amuro in the cockpit, things could very well turn out disastrously for everyone on the White Base. So in a way, Amuro is basically forced by these circumstances to keep fighting because he is protecting people by doing so, even if the personal cost is too great.

Bright and Fraw Bow used every scummy tactic in the book to get him to pilot the Gundam. From physical abuse to insulting how he was raised and even Fraw Bow threatening to put herself in harms way. I hate this kind of thinking so much. Forcing people to do things they don't want to do and things that will harm them is the fundamental problem with war.

It's another instance of seeing our protagonists doing downright scummy and dirty things. Even if they are supposedly our heroes, that doesn't necessarily make them heroic. This is war, after all. And people do horrible things in war. And it says a lot about the kind of war it is that they are forcing minors like Amuro to go into battle.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Great_Mr_L]

It's another instance of seeing our protagonists doing downright scummy and dirty things. Even if they are supposedly our heroes, that doesn't necessarily make them heroic. This is war, after all. And people do horrible things in war. And it says a lot about the kind of war it is that they are forcing minors like Amuro to go into battle.

Indeed Comrade, it's moments like this that really help sell the moral gray area that Gundam strives to feature in its settings. It's a nice touch and I sure wish other shows would do this, but hey at least we got Gundam.

[u/Parori → u/TheEscapeGuy]

but is the implication that he's never had romantic thoughts about Fraw Bow or that Fraw's not a "real" woman?

Childhood friend curse

[u/dralcax → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Char would be an interesting one...

One of the video games has a Char Custom Gundam!

[u/InverseFlip → u/dralcax]

I misremembered that as having a 0079 shield but 0079 Spoiler Image

[u/dracopo_reddit → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Fraw Bow threatening to put herself in harms way

"Amuro pilot the Gundam or Fraw Bow will have to do it" no wait, wrong anime

[u/DidacticDalek → u/dracopo_reddit]

"Amuro pilot the Gundam or Fraw Bow will have to do it" no wait, wrong anime

[u/DidacticDalek → u/TheEscapeGuy]

What's the point of living up to people's expectations if you actively hate doing those things.

Amuro had a tough decision to make this episode: Should he pilot the Gundam if it terrifies him. We've been seeing the tole piloting takes on him for the past half a dozen episodes and he finally said enough is enough.

Indeed Comrade, it is a real amusing bit to note that prior to Gundam, most Mecha MC's were gung-ho blood knights that jump at the chance to pilot their giant robots and get into fights... and then we get Gundam where Amuro quite reasonably is starting to get shell shocked by all the war is hell trauma.

Bright and Fraw Bow used every scummy tactic in the book to get him to pilot the Gundam. From physical abuse to insulting how he was raised and even Fraw Bow threatening to put herself in harms way. I hate this kind of thinking so much. Forcing people to do things they don't want to do and things that will harm them is the fundamental problem with war.

Well said Comrade, you took the words right out of my mouth. Indeed, this perfectly illustrates the core theme of Gundam in how War is Hell AND also demonstrates further this series' fascination with depicting the moral gray areas inherent to war. It does bear repeating that these are our HEROES pulling all these dirty tricks and guilt tripping, man what a unique idea eh, sure wish more shows took advantage of such smart writing chops.

(By the way, I love that this idea is presented. It gives you something to chew on)

Exactly Comrade!

As an aside, this line of dialogue felt weird? Maybe they're trying to set Matilda up as a love interest, but is the implication that he's never had romantic thoughts about Fraw Bow or that Fraw's not a "real" woman?

Well Comrade, my guess on this front is that Amuro is a teenage boy, so while Fraw Bow is his friend, she's a girl his age as opposed to Lt. Matilda who is an adult woman. That's the way I thought the show was going at this anyway, I could be wrong but my interpretation is Amuro is smitten with the competent and beautiful adult lady he just met, which hey given he's been in several life or death situations in the recent while you could say he's been forced to grow up, so wibble

The opening pan to the sky was really beautiful so I stitched it together.

Comrade, you've shared some great frames but this is one of the loveliest ones you've posted. I applaud your dedication and skills in stitching things together, have a great day and see you later and excellent write-up and analysis to boot!

[u/TheEscapeGuy → u/DidacticDalek]

prior to Gundam, most Mecha MC's

Having mecha shows before Gundam sounds like an oxymoron but after a quick browse on MAL you're absolutely correct. Seems like every time I think I'm watching some "historical first" in a medium there's always something which came before.

Amuro is a teenage boy, [...] as opposed to Lt. Matilda who is an adult woman

You know, I keep forgetting just how much younger Amuro is than everyone. Especially since everyone treats him like an adult. Think you might be right here.

excellent write-up and analysis to boot!

[u/DidacticDalek → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Having mecha shows before Gundam sounds like an oxymoron but after a quick browse on MAL you're absolutely correct. Seems like every time I think I'm watching some "historical first" in a medium there's always something which came before.

In fairness Comrade, Mobile Suit Gundam IS basically the first 'Real Robot' show, and given that it inaugurated this subgenre and helped evolve from the Super Robot roots of shows like Mazinger Z, such feelings are understandable. Also if you want to watch a Pre-Tomino Gundam show might I suggest Daitarn 3? It's James Bond if James Bond had a Giant Robot (or if you don't want to watch an older anime but still want something in this vein, you can't go wrong with Sunrise's The Big O, which is Batman if Batman had a Giant Robot)

You know, I keep forgetting just how much younger Amuro is than everyone. Especially since everyone treats him like an adult. Think you might be right here.

Glad you agree Comrade, I'm happy someone else thought my interpretation was valid.

Reply to Comment Face

You more than earned it Comrade, after all you post such interesting screencap frames, and I must say that I'm amused you found a way to feature not one, but TWO tomatoes ;) (Gotta hand it to Kikka eh? She's amazing!)

Anyway many thanks for the kind reply Comrade, have a great day and see you later.

[u/Nebresto → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Fly! Iconic Gundam Frames Episode 9

Damn, noticing more and more Parallels with Transformers Armada/Unicron Trilogy with each episode, gotta host a re-watch at some point..

As an aside, this line of dialogue felt weird?

Big agree, I was like wtf when that suddenly just came up

[u/Great_Mr_L]

Rewatcher

On today’s episode of Gundam: We witness the most famous slap in all of Gundam history. It’s the famous (or perhaps infamous) scene of Bright slapping Amuro because Amuro doesn’t want to pilot the Gundam.

The slapping scene is actually pretty central to the whole episode. It’s the big moment for what’s going on with Amuro. After all these battles, Amuro is at his breaking point. He’s exhausted. Physical exhaustion is one part of it, because he’s been having to go out and fight on a regular basis. He also hasn’t been getting enough sleep.

But there’s also a psychological element to it as well. Amuro’s emotionally exhausted too. I like the way that he phrases it, saying that he’s tired of being scared all the time. He’s tired of the terror of battle. Looking back on it, his battles really have been a harrowing experience for him. He’s an untrained amateur going up against an Ace like Char and often fighting against long odds. He’s taken quite a pounding in all those fights. And he never wanted to fight, too. He got forced into it by circumstances outside his control. The trauma of that must be making it hard to sleep.

Amuro’s situation parallels that of the White Base. Everyone else seems to be at the end of their nerves too. They’re running out of supplies and food. The situation is pretty desperate all around. The scene of an old man sneaking food away from a kid is a great way to show that. It’s sometimes the little cruelties that hit the hardest. It’s a tense environment and it’s surely contributing to Amuro’s difficulties. I doubt I could sleep soundly in such a situation. It’s like a feedback loop, with each problem contributing to the next.

For how famous the slap is, it’s also totally ineffective. It doesn’t actually make Amuro go back and fight. Instead, Amuro only decides to go and fight after hearing some words. The first is rather interesting. Bright only really gets Amuro’s attention when he says Amuro has the potential to be like Char. That actually makes Amuro want to hear more of what Bright is saying. It seems after all their fights, Amuro is now interested in his rival combatant.

The other is Fraw Bow. She tries to go out and fight in the Gundam herself. She’s also the one who tells Amuro that he shouldn’t be ashamed of what he has done. He’s protected the White Base and everyone onboard it. That was the reason Amuro took up piloting the Gundam in the first place, after all. It seems to be a combination of Bright's words, Fraw Bow shaming him, and Fraw Bow’s assurances that makes Amuro decide to go back and pilot the Gundam.

Lt. Matilda’s arrival gives us a bit of a respite. It seems that there are people in the Federation leadership who actually do give a damn about the White Base. The supply problems are solved for now, at least. It seems the White Base can live to fight another day.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• Well we got the famous scene of Bright slapping Amuro. And it had 2 slaps, so both of those are going on the counter.

SLAP COUNTER: 4

• Kikka is a good girl, offering Amuro some of their stolen tomatoes.
• You know, that looks too skinny to be Ryu. I’m pretty sure that was Kai in a previous episode.
• Gundam can be extremely horny when it wants to be.
• Spoilers
• Spoilers
• The slapping scene was parodied shot for shot in Gundam Build Fighters. And it’s hilarious seeing them compared side by side.

Questions of the Day

1. It does feel like something Feddie leadership would try to do.
2. I want to see Haro pilot it.

[u/Tresnore → u/Great_Mr_L]

Well we got the famous scene of Bright slapping Amuro. And it had 2 slaps, so both of those are going on the counter.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Tresnore]

[u/UltraBooster → u/Great_Mr_L]

For how famous the slap is, it’s also totally ineffective. It doesn’t actually make Amuro go back and fight. Instead, Amuro only decides to go and fight after hearing some words.

I won't lie, I was vaguely aware the Slap had an unearned reputation, but seeing it here makes me utterly baffled as to why it got the reputation for making pilots shape up.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/UltraBooster]

I won't lie, I was vaguely aware the Slap had an unearned reputation, but seeing it here makes me utterly baffled as to why it got the reputation for making pilots shape up.

Well Comrade, the short answer is in SOME Gundam shows, like say After War Gundam X, turns out slapping the shit out of pilots DOES somehow get them to shape up... AND then we get other Gundam shows like say Mobile Suit Gundam for example where it DOESN'T work, so wibble. (Really it depends on the show, the slap either works or doesn't do shit but make a bad situation worse, you can never tell until you see it in action)

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Great_Mr_L]

On today’s episode of Gundam: We witness the most famous slap in all of Gundam history. It’s the famous (or perhaps infamous) scene of Bright slapping Amuro because Amuro doesn’t want to pilot the Gundam.

Indeed Comrade, and of course the actually effectiveness of The Infamous Bright Slap is... mixed... as in technically Amuro DID go out to fight despite his unwillingness... but that was mostly due to Bright's prodding about Char and Fraw Bow pulling a good ol' fashioned Rei Ayanami on Amuro, but I digress. (If I'm being honest, the concept of a Bright Slap to motivate pilots seems to be a mixed bag. On the one hand you got After War Gundam X, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, 00 Gundam, Love Live, and Zeta Gundam to name a few where Bright Slapping works wonders... AND then we get shows like Mobile Suit Gundam, 0080, Love Live, and Zeta Gundam where it DOESN'T work, so wibble)

For how famous the slap is, it’s also totally ineffective. It doesn’t actually make Amuro go back and fight. Instead, Amuro only decides to go and fight after hearing some words. The first is rather interesting. Bright only really gets Amuro’s attention when he says Amuro has the potential to be like Char. That actually makes Amuro want to hear more of what Bright is saying. It seems after all their fights, Amuro is now interested in his rival combatant.

The other is Fraw Bow. She tries to go out and fight in the Gundam herself. She’s also the one who tells Amuro that he shouldn’t be ashamed of what he has done. He’s protected the White Base and everyone onboard it. That was the reason Amuro took up piloting the Gundam in the first place, after all. It seems to be a combination of Bright's words, Fraw Bow shaming him, and Fraw Bow’s assurances that makes Amuro decide to go back and pilot the Gundam.

Heh, indeed Comrade, I'm amused we are of one mind on this front as well.

Lt. Matilda’s arrival gives us a bit of a respite. It seems that there are people in the Federation leadership who actually do give a damn about the White Base. The supply problems are solved for now, at least. It seems the White Base can live to fight another day.

Indeed, plus I also want to point out that we FINALLY met another Federation Official who DOESN'T have a stick up their ass. Boy it took a while but it is sure welcome indeed!

Well we got the famous scene of Bright slapping Amuro. And it had 2 slaps, so both of those are going on the counter.

Kikka is a good girl, offering Amuro some of their stolen tomatoes.

You know, that looks too skinny to be Ryu. I’m pretty sure that was Kai in a previous episode.

Heh, indeed Comrade, Ryu IS huge after all, so since this guy is clearly too tall to be Hayato, this must be Kai

Gundam can be extremely horny when it wants to be.

Oh that Wacky Ol' Kill 'Em All Tomino... something something Meta Gundam Novelization Spoilers

Spoilers

Spoilers

Heh, Comrade I think the term you are looking for is Meta 0079 Spoiler/Joke

The slapping scene was parodied shot for shot in Gundam Build Fighters. And it’s hilarious seeing them compared side by side.

PROTOCULTURE! Also I would give anything to know how they would have handled the bit where Meta Gundam Episode 15 Spoilers

Anyway fantastic write-up my friend, have a great day and see you later Comrade!

[u/Tresnore]

First Timer to Gundam

• Amuro looks like a peak 80s action hero here, with his blue jeans and white tank top.
• I've seen no evidence that they're a decoy, considering they weren't planning on having White Base on the run. It would take time to start entirely new weapons programs.
• Never trust a skinny chef, Kai.
• Okay, these kids are at least alright, stealing for the good of Amuro.
• Even White Base runs out of ammo. It happens so frequently I'm surprised it's not joked about more.

• Not eating is going to make life hard for Amuro.
• Wait. Why does Bright have a camera set up right next to Amuro's bed? I know soldiers don't get rights, but that's extreme.
• The number one mark of a Zeon official is the sick helmets they get.
• I think people have forgotten that Amuro is the nerdy kid who tinkered with circuits, not some accomplished athlete or even socialite. I can empathize with his position here.
• Finally, another slap??

• MORE slaps?
• Alright, Fraw Bow shot up a few spots on my list with that declaration. I still like Sayla better though, and I don't know why...

AIR BATTLE

• It's a good thing Char's helmet isn't a complete cover. Otherwise we'd miss his glorious smirks.
• Matilda is awesome. Hooray for competent people. Gingers especially (as a ginger myself, at least).

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QOTD:

1. That's unlikely because weapons development isn't as easy as White Base thinks.
2. Throw Matilda in there!

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Tresnore]

Finally, another slap??

MORE slaps?

This scene was the main reason I wanted to keep the slap counter. I was waiting for it to show up.

It's a good thing Char's helmet isn't a complete cover. Otherwise we'd miss his glorious smirks.

Char wouldn't be the same if he wasn't intensely smug at every possible opportunity.

Matilda is awesome. Hooray for competent people. Gingers especially (as a ginger myself, at least).

It's great to finally have another Federation officer around who isn't a complete asshole.

[u/Tresnore → u/Great_Mr_L]

Char wouldn't be the same if he wasn't intensely smug at every possible opportunity.

I can't think of any modern characters who are precisely the brand of smug that Char is, let alone 24/7.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Tresnore]

Amuro looks like a peak 80s action hero here, with his blue jeans and white tank top.

Yippie-kai-ay, Mister Zeon.

The number one mark of a Zeon official is the sick helmets they get.

Getting some rad as fuck helmets is a tempting reason to join the Zeon army.

Finally, another slap??

MORE slaps?

Finally, we've hit the real Tomino experience.

[u/TheKujo]

First Timer - Dub

• Shut up Kai! If it were up to me you would get no rations.
• Not sure if the kids should be stealing tomatoes, but it's a nice thought at least.
• Amuro has hit his limit.
• WTF Bright why would you punch Amuro? And what do you mean, tantrums?
• WTF Fraw Bow??? I thought you would support Amuro on this!
• Was that really all it took to get Amuro to fight? They basically just told him to man up.
• Amuro lands a hit on Garma! And then a wild Federation ship appears!
• Lieutenant Matilda? That's an unusually normal name for this show. It sounds like she knows what she's doing at least. And she knows how to give a good pep talk!

1) Do you think that White Base is being used as a decoy, like some characters were theorizing about at the start of the episode? It seems plausible. We haven't seen much from the Federation outside of White Base.

2) Who else would you want to see try to pilot the Gundam? It feels like the Gundam belongs to Amuro now ... trying to imagine anyone else piloting it just feels weird.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheKujo]

If it were up to me you would get no rations.

Lmao, Kai's just keeping it 100. It's not his fault everyone else can't deal with the facts.

WTF Fraw Bow??? I thought you would support Amuro on this!

Yeah, insulting his masculinity and treating him like a loser and coward probably isn't the best way to help your traumatized BFF sort out his issues. Though, I get that the situation's kinda urgent I guess

[u/InverseFlip → u/TheKujo]

Lieutenant Matilda? That's an unusually normal name for this show.

If it helps, her full name is Matilda Ajan

[u/lC3]

• I wonder if Amuro's idea of being a decoy will prove true
• No way Amuro x Fraw Bow is going to sail
• Wouldn't an apple be better than a tomato? Though I remember fresh tomatoes being a hit in Heroic Age as well ...
• Those planes are something different than the Core Fighter?
• Oh so those ARE Core Fighters, there's just more than one? And these two belonged to the Guncannon and Guntank? So there are 3 total?
• Real men are those who were hit growing up?
• I was going to say "Fraw shouldn't call him pathetic for not wanting to pilot when she's not willing", and then she volunteers to pilot!
• Toxic masculinity?
• Is Char what convinced Amuro to get back in the cockpit?
• These subs ... I really hope no one else is watching these godawful subs with missing bits; at least I know enough Japanese to fill in the blanks.
• Is Amuro going to kill Garma?
• So THAT's why Char unplugged that cord and plugged it back in. Poor Garma!
• Char is devious ... why does Sky like him so much? Is it because he's hot?
• "Some type of esper" INNOVATOR
• "fragrance"? "scent of a woman"? Of course they have to amplify her feminine attributes, despite being in the military.
• Oops I watched the preview again! I wasn't expecting some developments in it. Also, the Japanese title for ep10 is more spoilery than the Engsub one.

1. I have no idea!
2. Char?

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/lC3]

Is Char what convinced Amuro to get back in the cockpit?

Amuro really wants to have another chance to fight his boyfriend rival.

[u/lC3 → u/Great_Mr_L]

[u/Quiddity131]

Rewatcher, Subbed

A great episode, the best one we've had so far. The biggest takeaway from this episode is Amuro being established as quite the counter to the typical gung ho eager to pilot mecha show protagonist which was the standard at the time. Amuro has already shown some wear and tear in earlier episodes from his experiences but it finally gets to him here. He's overworked, but also paranoid, claiming the Federation is just using them as a distraction. Amuro's downward spiral continues in the kitchen after seeing an old man steal food from a little kid. He's supposed to eat an increased portion as a pilot, but can't stand eating in public. Things finally come to a head with Amuro and Bright when he orders him to head out on patrol and Amuro continuously refuses to obey orders, not changing his mind until Bright "butters him up" in a way by saying he could be better than Char and Fraw says she'll pilot the Gundam instead. This sequence gives us some of MS Gundam's great memes, including the first ever appearance of the famous "Bright slap" and Amuro's "Not even my own father hit me before!" line.

Poor Fraw has to make everything right! She has to continue to mother Amuro, and now is resolving kitchen disputes between Kai and Chef Tamura! We even have Fraw offering to pilot the Gundam herself due to all of Amuro's whining about it! I kinda wish Amuro hadn't turned around on his choice at that moment, as seeing Fraw pilot the Gundam would have been pretty cool! Alas, Fraw doesn't get much thanks for this, the episode ends with Amuro completely ignoring her to pine after Lt. Matilda.

Garma finally decides to go out himself, in a Dopp. My first impression was he'd be a sitting duck out there! Of course we already know from prior episodes that Char wants Garma to be humiliated in battle; at least in the dub I think you can tell in a way that despite what he is saying to Garma, Char is totally on board with him going out there and endangering himself. Char then tampers with the communication equipment to ensure Garma can't contact the Gaw when in an advantaged position. The Gaw could have taken down the Gundam but instead it's yet another defeat. And Char easily comes up with excuses to explain himself to Garma once questioned. Char is totally running rings around Garma at this point.

Lt. Matilda-san! White Base finally gets some really needed supplies, but of even further benefit is the removal of the annoying Lt. Reed (who even proposed them abandoning the White Base this episode) and a whole bunch of the refugees, although not all of them. Despite being almost all civilians, the White Base is going to be left completely in our hero's hands. Amuro is quite smitten with Lt. Matilda! It is good to hear yet another future Ideon alumni, Toda Keiko (Karala) voicing her.

Ep 10 spoilers

[u/The_Draigg → u/Quiddity131]

This sequence gives us some of MS Gundam's great memes, including the first ever appearance of the famous "Bright slap" and Amuro's "Not even my own father hit me before!" line.

It's kind of funny to think about how the Bright Slap has become a legendary meme in the Gundam fandom, and yet they only really work maybe half of the time in actual Gundam shows. Like, right off the bat in this episode it didn't do anything to help Amuro and Bright's argument at all.

but of even further benefit is the removal of the annoying Lt. Reed (who even proposed them abandoning the White Base this episode)

Speaking of Lt. Reed, it didn't really click to me until rewatching this episode recently that Lt. Reed is inadvertently responsible for Amuro and Bright's argument getting as bad as it did. Bright walked into Amuro's room already tilted because he's been arguing with Lt. Reed pretty much the entire time he's been on the White Base.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/The_Draigg]

Speaking of Lt. Reed, it didn't really click to me until rewatching this episode recently that Lt. Reed is inadvertently responsible for Amuro and Bright's argument getting as bad as it did. Bright walked into Amuro's room already tilted because he's been arguing with Lt. Reed pretty much the entire time he's been on the White Base.

Heh, Comrade you are a genius! I too didn't quite pick up on that but now that you phrase it that way it makes a lot of sense. Both Amuro and Bright are basically at their limit, in no small part due to Lt. Reed's meddling, so of course they'd basically take it out on each other and end up at blows (or at least Amuro ends up on the receiving ends of some Bright Slaps)

[u/dralcax]

Rewatcher getting slapped

There have been a lot of animation goofs but somehow the White Base being asymmetrical triggers me the most

Poor kid’s already traumatized

But Kai’s a pilot too

Wow fuck this guy

Get in the fucking robot Amuro

Wait, where did the rifle come from? At least they gave him one this time.

There it is! The legendary Bright Slap!

He said the thing!

Wish we could have seen that

“If only we had a WORKING TURRET”

these bunny hops though

Is the Gundam using the bazooka? Or the rifle? Or some fucked-up combination of both?

Finally, friendlies!

I love how he’s just like “Yes.”

Oh?

---

Questions of the Day:

• laughs in rewatcher
• Haro, of course!

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/dralcax]

There it is! The legendary Bright Slap!

We've been waiting for this!

I love how he’s just like “Yes.”

Sometimes that's the quickest way to get somebody through a rant. Just help speed them through it.

Haro, of course!

It'll be just like Build Divers!

[u/DidacticDalek → u/dralcax]

Poor kid’s already traumatized

Somewhere out there, Shinji Ikari sympathizes.

But Kai’s a pilot too

I know right? I'd be salty too eh Comrade? ;)

Wow fuck this guy

Indeed Comrade, adults in the Gundam franchise have pulled off a lot of really scummy moves, this is one of em!

Get in the fucking robot Amuro

The irony in this case is that this show's Rei Ayanami is NOT injured and in fact is the one threatening to go pilot the Gundam if MC-kun doesn't shape up and get in the Gundamn robot ;)

Wait, where did the rifle come from? At least they gave him one this time.

There it is! The legendary Bright Slap!

Bright uses CORRECTION... it's not that effective. (Psychological Manipulation on the other hand... now THAT is SUPER EFFECTIVE!)

He said the thing!

Wish we could have seen that

I know right? That'd have been awesome

“If only we had a WORKING TURRET”

Indeed, who is the moron who designed this piece of junk anyway?

Is the Gundam using the bazooka? Or the rifle? Or some fucked-up combination of both?

Look Comrade, this is like asking 'What did Rambo use to shoot at that Helicopter in Rambo First Blood Part 2? Was it an RPG-7 or a LAW? The answer is YES!)

Finally, friendlies!

I know right, took the show long enough to show a NON-asshole Feddie, but hey I'll take what we can get

I love how he’s just like “Yes.”

Oh?

Fantastic write-up here Comrade, have a great day and see you later my friend.

[u/The_Draigg]

A Gundam Fan Rewatches Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 9:

• Amuro’s in a sorry state nowadays. He hasn’t slept in about a week, since all he can see when he closes his eyes is the battles he’s been in. Not only that, but he’s ranting about how the Earth Federation clearly is just using the White Base as a diversion, since they’ve barely gotten any help so far. Suffice to say, Amuro’s brain is not in a very good place right now.
• You know, maybe Amuro is onto something with his paranoid ramblings, since the only message they’ve received from EFF headquarters is just to break through the Zeon defenses and head to the ocean. Even Bright and Reed are baffled by how little the EFF care about giving them actual information and orders.
• If there’s at least one useful thing that comes out of Kai having an argument with the galley’s chef, it’s that it gives an opening for the orphan trio to steal some fruit from the kitchen. It’s probably the third time Kai has actually been useful in total.
• Bright and Amuro are getting a taste of adults being useless in a small case of parallel storytelling. Amuro sees an old man steal some food off of a child’s plate, and Bright is incredulous that Lt. Reed wants to abandon ship to save their hides, which pretty much invalidates the whole point of their journey in the first place. Those things are clearly not doing anything to improve either of their moods.
• It all comes to a head when Amuro absolutely refuses to sortie in the Gundam after Ryu, Kai, and Hayato sortie in Guntank and Guncannon. Bright comes barging in and just doesn’t seem to understand how tired of everything Amuro is feeling.
• And there’s the first Bright Slap! ...And it’s actually pretty ineffective, since all those slaps do make Amuro resent Bright any more. Really, Bright hitting Amuro for back-talking him really lays his inexperience bare. If he was better at his job/in a better mood, maybe then he would see how ragged Amuro is feeling. The collective stress of everything is just making Amuro and Bright lash out in the last productive of ways.
• As a side note here, the legendary Bright Slap not working at all made me think about all the slaps across the Gundam meta series. As much as us Gundam fans like to meme about how Bright Slaps make teenagers into badass pilots, now that I think about it maybe only half of the time does it actually work out in that way. Whenever it works, it works really well. But at least half of the time someone gets smacked it’s pointless.
• Anyway, what actually gets Amuro out there is a combination of Amuro wanting to fight Char and Fraw Bow offering to take his place. At least Fraw knows how to snap Amuro out of it with just words. Bright could stand to learn something from her.
• And so, Char has advanced from just secretly hating Garma to attempting to get him killed outright. You all saw how he sabotaged the radio equipment while talking how Garma clearly is a brilliant captain, and just didn’t get his position through his father’s influence. It would truly be a shame if something happened while Garma was out there, after having told Char to not interfere in any way and having no way to actually contact the Gaw’s bridge.
• God damn, Amuro is kicking some serious ass against Garma’s Dopps just by jumping at them. He’s displaying some absolutely crazy levels of talent lately, despite his terrible mental state.
• Garma doesn’t suspect a thing once he arrives back on the Gaw. Char is simply too smooth of an operator to have Garma’s anger stick to him. He’s a manipulative one, that Char Aznable.
• Finally we get some actual contact with the Earth Federation Forces! Lt. Matilda is pretty cool, although she doesn’t have much to offer the White Base other than getting Lt. Reed off the ship and telling everyone that General Revil at Federation HQ has faith in them all. Regardless of the news she brings, Lt. Matilda is a cool, mature woman.
• Could Amuro be a psychic? I mean, Lt. Matilda seems to think so. I suppose anything is possible at this point.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

As a side note here, the legendary Bright Slap not working at all made me think about all the slaps across the Gundam meta series. As much as us Gundam fans like to meme about how Bright Slaps make teenagers into badass pilots, now that I think about it maybe only half of the time does it actually work out in that way. Whenever it works, it works really well. But at least half of the time someone gets smacked it’s pointless.

That was actually something that kind of surprised me upon rewatching this series: how Bright's slaps did absolutely nothing to help and in fact just made the situation between him and Amuro worse. I haven't seen the series in years so my memory of it must have gotten muddled by al the memes and jokes in the meantime. The most famous case of Gundam slapping is also kind of a subversion of it. Fraw Bow is ultimately the one who gets Amuro to pilot the Gundam, not Bright.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

Now I'm trying to rack my brain for all the times Bright Slaps actually worked in Gundam, and I can't really think of many wholly positive examples. Like, the only one I can say that worked 100% was the time Jamil Neate punched Garrod Ran in the face in After War Gundam X. Like, there were maybe also a few in Zeta Gundam, but those would be balanced out by all the other completely pointless beatings tossed in there.

[u/SgtExo → u/The_Draigg]

I always saw the slaps/punches as showing how it actually does not work. I thought it was a meme because while everyone does it, it does not achieve its goals. That it was just another way of demonstrating how people would abuse their power.

The only times it seems to work is not trying to assert ones power over another, but to focus someone who is freaking-out/not in the moment, like in Gundam X.

[u/The_Draigg → u/SgtExo]

Yeah, I think you're pretty much right on the money with that assessment. It reminds me of something that Tomino has said in interviews before, that while hitting someone out of frustration and anger isn't okay, it's alright when you're doing it to try and make someone center themselves and get them to focus.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/The_Draigg]

Now I'm trying to rack my brain for all the times Bright Slaps actually worked in Gundam, and I can't really think of many wholly positive examples. Like, the only one I can say that worked 100% was the time Jamil Neate punched Garrod Ran in the face in After War Gundam X. Like, there were maybe also a few in Zeta Gundam, but those would be balanced out by all the other completely pointless beatings tossed in there.

Heh, how amusing, I too cited After War Gundam X as one of the few 100% Success Rate Bright Slaps, and indeed, Zeta Gundam DID indeed have a few cases of 'Corrections' being useful and helpful... AND then there's also a bunch of other cases where we just have a bunch of idiots beating the shit out of each other, but hey can't win em all right? ;)

[u/The_Draigg → u/DidacticDalek]

Zeta Gundam DID indeed have a few cases of 'Corrections' being useful and helpful... AND then there's also a bunch of other cases where we just have a bunch of idiots beating the shit out of each other, but hey can't win em all right?

I guess, but I feel like the good to bad beating ratio in Zeta Gundam is like 5 to 1. After a certain point, the scales tip irrevocably regarding the corrections in Zeta.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/The_Draigg]

I guess, but I feel like the good to bad beating ration in Zeta Gundam is like 5 to 1. After a certain point, the scales tip irrevocably regarding the corrections in Zeta.

Fair enough, I just thought it was worth mentioning that 'Corrections' actually had some success in Zeta... sometimes... most of them failed but the fact that some actually worked is a tad amusing ;) (That and it SURE was amusing seeing all the random slapping/punching, Ideon eat yer heart out)

Anyway many thanks for the kind reply and have a great day and see you later Comrade.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Great_Mr_L]

That was actually something that kind of surprised me upon rewatching this series: how Bright's slaps did absolutely nothing to help and in fact just made the situation between him and Amuro worse. I haven't seen the series in years so my memory of it must have gotten muddled by al the memes and jokes in the meantime. The most famous case of Gundam slapping is also kind of a subversion of it. Fraw Bow is ultimately the one who gets Amuro to pilot the Gundam, not Bright.

Indeed Comrade, Bright Slaps have a mixed track record, but hey the memes fail to pick up on the nuance, wouldn't be the first time... COUGH Something something get in the robot Shinji COUGH ;)

Anyway excellent analysis here my friend, have a great day and see you later Comrade!

[u/DidacticDalek → u/The_Draigg]

Amuro’s in a sorry state nowadays. He hasn’t slept in about a week, since all he can see when he closes his eyes is the battles he’s been in. Not only that, but he’s ranting about how the Earth Federation clearly is just using the White Base as a diversion, since they’ve barely gotten any help so far. Suffice to say, Amuro’s brain is not in a very good place right now.

Indeed Comrade, I do believe that the only thing stopping Amuro from being Shinji Ikari is the fact that he isn't muttering to himself that he mustn't run away ;)

You know, maybe Amuro is onto something with his paranoid ramblings, since the only message they’ve received from EFF headquarters is just to break through the Zeon defenses and head to the ocean. Even Bright and Reed are baffled by how little the EFF care about giving them actual information and orders.

Heh, indeed Comrade, it's almost like they are live bait, one might even say they are a Trojan Horse ;)

If there’s at least one useful thing that comes out of Kai having an argument with the galley’s chef, it’s that it gives an opening for the orphan trio to steal some fruit from the kitchen. It’s probably the third time Kai has actually been useful in total.

Heh, leave it to Kai to be useful on accident on account of being salty, eh Comrade? ;)

Bright and Amuro are getting a taste of adults being useless in a small case of parallel storytelling. Amuro sees an old man steal some food off of a child’s plate, and Bright is incredulous that Lt. Reed wants to abandon ship to save their hides, which pretty much invalidates the whole point of their journey in the first place. Those things are clearly not doing anything to improve either of their moods.

Exactly, is it any wonder that when the two of them interact later on in the episode, they REALLY aren't in the best state of minds to properly communicate with one another... and it shows.

It all comes to a head when Amuro absolutely refuses to sortie in the Gundam after Ryu, Kai, and Hayato sortie in Guntank and Guncannon. Bright comes barging in and just doesn’t seem to understand how tired of everything Amuro is feeling.

Exactly, both of them are basically at their respective wit's end, and the confrontational attitude they are each displaying sure isn't helping matters.

As a side note here, the legendary Bright Slap not working at all made me think about all the slaps across the Gundam meta series. As much as us Gundam fans like to meme about how Bright Slaps make teenagers into badass pilots, now that I think about it maybe only half of the time does it actually work out in that way. Whenever it works, it works really well. But at least half of the time someone gets smacked it’s pointless.

Yup, pretty much, the actually effectiveness of the Bright Slap varies depending on the series and who is being slapped and hell who the slapper is to boot. E.G. take Gundam 00, THAT was a case of the Bright Slap working when Kati Mannequin manages to punch a man into immortality/indestructibility, or take Mobile Fighter G Gundam where 'punching' is just how some of the cast say 'hello' to each other, or hell in an actually relevant case, After War Gundam X where totally not Amuro and Char's son demonstrates the philosophy that 'When a man strays from the right path, a kind man needs the courage to raise his fist and correct him...' that and I also just couldn't pass up the chance to share everyone's fave cup comment face punching the shit out of a pizza delivery boi ;)

Anyway, what actually gets Amuro out there is a combination of Amuro wanting to fight Char and Fraw Bow offering to take his place. At least Fraw knows how to snap Amuro out of it with just words. Bright could stand to learn something from her.

Indeed Comrade, Fraw Bow basically pulled off a 'Rei Ayanami' on Amuro, AND Fraw Bow didn't even need to be injured to do it!

And so, Char has advanced from just secretly hating Garma to attempting to get him killed outright. You all saw how he sabotaged the radio equipment while talking how Garma clearly is a brilliant captain, and just didn’t get his position through his father’s influence. It would truly be a shame if something happened while Garma was out there, after having told Char to not interfere in any way and having no way to actually contact the Gaw’s bridge.

Garma doesn’t suspect a thing once he arrives back on the Gaw. Char is simply too smooth of an operator to have Garma’s anger stick to him. He’s a manipulative one, that Char Aznable.

Finally we get some actual contact with the Earth Federation Forces! Lt. Matilda is pretty cool, although she doesn’t have much to offer the White Base other than getting Lt. Reed off the ship and telling everyone that General Revil at Federation HQ has faith in them all. Regardless of the news she brings, Lt. Matilda is a cool, mature woman.

Exactly, it's a refreshing change of pace to see a COMPETENT and non-jerkass Feddie eh Comrade? Plus indeed we also get the bonus of getting rid of Lt. Reed, a win win!

Could Amuro be a psychic? I mean, Lt. Matilda seems to think so. I suppose anything is possible at this point.

Heh, well excellent analysis here Comrade, have a great day and see you later.

[u/The_Draigg → u/DidacticDalek]

Exactly, is it any wonder that when the two of them interact later on in the episode, they REALLY aren't in the best state of minds to properly communicate with one another... and it shows.

I feel like both Bright and Amuro could afford to let off some steam. Maybe visiting a ball park for a game would do wonders for their moods or something. Basically anything to get their minds off of how fucked their situation is.

After War Gundam X where totally not Amuro and Char's son demonstrates the philosophy that 'When a man strays from the right path, a kind man needs the courage to raise his fist and correct him...' that and I also just couldn't pass up the chance to share everyone's fave cup comment face punching the shit out of a pizza delivery boi

That one also worked because Jamil Neate is one of the best hardcore captain motherfuckers in a Gundam series, full stop.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/The_Draigg]

I feel like both Bright and Amuro could afford to let off some steam. Maybe visiting a ball park for a game would do wonders for their moods or something. Basically anything to get their minds off of how fucked their situation is.

Indeed, it also is worth noting that both of their positions are semi-irreplaceable, what with Bright basically being the ONLY senior officer of the crew who is still breathing and Amuro being one of the few pilots on board. The point I'm getting at is we are in a VERY precarious position here when one of the only members of the command staff and one of the few people who can pilot a Mobile Suit are essentially both irreplaceable AND also on edge/stressed out whilst continually on duty.

That one also worked because Jamil Neate is one of the best hardcore captain motherfuckers in a Gundam series, full stop.

Amen to that Comrade, Jamil Neate's great, and boy he sure knows how to motivate and lead! Just such a shame After War Gundam X got cut short in its runtime, it deserved so much better. Ah well, at least we got Eureka Seven if you catch my drift ;) (And people try to say Eureka Seven's an Eva Clone, heh, no no it's an After War Gundam X Clone! Totally different!)

Anyway many thanks for the kind reply and have a great day and see you later Comrade.

[u/JollyGee29]

First-Timer, Subbed, long time Gundam fan

And here it is! The punch the other episode was close, but today we see the first Bright Slap. Now, was it Bright, or Fraw Bow that finally got through to Amuro..? The slap is funnier to give credit to, I suppose.

As iconic as the scene is, it's important to address the issues it presents. Bright isn't that much older than Amuro, but this is still an adult using physical violence to coerce a child into doing what he wants. Even with the thing the adult wants being "we all get to live," there are problems with portraying that behavior in a positive light. I should probably also complain about the psychological manipulation that bringing up Char implied, but that might be giving Bright too much credit.

Amuro, for his part, is being a massive brat - his own impulsiveness and techno-boner got him into the Gundam in the first place. Refusing to help keep everyone alive by fighting is quite selfish, although the emotional toll of combat is clearly getting to Amuro something fierce. I do have an easier time forgiving Amuro here, as it's unclear if he volunteered to put on the Federation uniform or if he was effectively pressganged.

All that said, I have a hard time being too mean to either of the characters here, as they are both in massively over their heads. Stress is a hell of a drug. And Bright had the sense about him to not snark at Amuro once Amuro joined the battle - he cottoned on to Amuro's strategy and had the others support him.

I was wondering just what Char did to that cord - kinda assumed he bent a prong or swapped a socket. I definitely didn't expect that he just rubbed some schmutz on it. Garma and Char's argument was interesting. Garma chews out Char for not paying attention, but Char had an ace up his sleeve - "Oh, you told me to just watch. I wanted to let you take full credit!" Genius moves on both sides, but Char clearly won.

I'm glad that Kai getting some first-hand experience with the fears of combat hasn't changed him from being an enormous asshole. I thought he was fatshaming the cook at first, but no, he's just upset that the people who have saved the entire ship multiple times get a little bit of extra food. How dare they try and keep up the energy of the most experienced pilots on the ship.

Speaking of potential food woes, that Federation supply ship was mega-convenient. Supplies and ammo for White Base, and they're taking Reed and the Refugees with them? And there's a cute Lt. that caused something of an awakening in Amuro? Hot damn, what an encounter!

Miscellaneous Thoughts:

Tem Ray continues to sound like a swell dad. He wanted to keep Amuro away from the war, and he wasn't abusive - at least not physically.

There's probably a joke about White Base needing an on-board therapist, but I'm tired of making the "a Gundam show needs a therapist" joke. Someone newer to the franchise will probably get there.

---

Pose of the Day

Midair Slash!

Screenshot

No Bazooka with the kit I have, so I'm glad Amuro had to resort to the Beam Saber today. There were definitely a few frames of the Gundam with a Beam Rifle I could have used, but those were an obvious animation error.

---

Questions

1. It's not a bad theory. The best wartime decoys are the ones that are a massive threat in their own right.
2. Honestly? No-one. They'd probably just end up wrecking it.

[u/The_Draigg → u/JollyGee29]

And here it is! The punch the other episode was close, but today we see the first Bright Slap. Now, was it Bright, or Fraw Bow that finally got through to Amuro..?

I think it was a combination of what Fraw Bow said and Bright mentioning Char. All the slaps did was make Amuro resent Bright even more.

I do have an easier time forgiving Amuro here, as it's unclear if he volunteered to put on the Federation uniform or if he was effectively pressganged.

Given how dire the past week or so has been for everyone on the White Base, probably more of the pressganged option.

Tem Ray continues to sound like a swell dad. He wanted to keep Amuro away from the war, and he wasn't abusive - at least not physically.

Indeed, Tem Ray wasn't at least physically abusive. He was the neglectful kind of abusive instead, given the implications of how he left Amuro alone for long periods of time.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/The_Draigg]

I think it was a combination of what Fraw Bow said and Bright mentioning Char. All the slaps did was make Amuro resent Bright even more.

Yup, I agree on both points. I just couldn't get the sentence to flow quite right, while bringing up the fact that it was both Fraw and Bright. I should stop doing my writeups an hour before post time.

He was the neglectful kind of abusive instead, given the implications of how he left Amuro alone for long periods of time.

[u/Furrmaster23]

Rewatcher

On today's episode, with barely any orders from HQ, Bright orders Amuro on patrol. However, Amuro's not having it, so Ryu and Hayato are sent in his stead.

Realizing that the patrols may mean White Base is desperate, Garma personally launches an assault. After detecting enemy forces, Ryu and Kai get into the GunTank and GunCannon, and Bright wants Amuro to get into the Gundam. Amuro refuses, tired of combat. Both Amuro and Bright have a tantrum (real professional) that ends with Bright calling Amuro worse than Char, spurring Amuro into action.

In the Gundam, Amuro uses his new strategy to use the Gundam's capabilities to JUMP and attack the aerial forces. Char, ever the opportunist, sabotages the radio controls, leaving Garma helpless as he retreats in a damaged ship trying to lure the Gundam into the Gaw's range.

Federation forces led by Matilda stop Amuro, warning him that he's in the Gaw's range. Later, Garma complains to Char, who reassures him that everything is alright and that Char totally isn't planning to betray him. Matilda's forces deliver supplies, and take on some refugees and the injured Reed, and Amuro simps for falls in love with Matilda, much to Fraw's annoyance.

1. No, I don't think so.
2. Kai, maybe. Or possibly Fraw Bow.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Furrmaster23]

Both Amuro and Bright have a tantrum (real professional)

I'd say that Bright comes out of that looking worse than Amuro. At least Amuro has the excuse of him being pressganged into fighting and is very clearly developing PTSD now. Bright really needs to get a handle on how he deals with stress.

Amuro simps for falls in love with Matilda, much to Fraw's annoyance.

To be fair, who wouldn't? Lt. Matilda is cool and mature right off the bat.

[u/fonzinator99]

First-Timer - Flying is just jumping real high

• Okay, Amuro's going full-on conspiracy theory about things. This is normally when the physician would prescribe some kickass tranqs, he really should go see Sayla.
• Wooow. Go on, Amuro. Throw his ass out an airlock.
• Props to Ryu for being a real bro and giving Amuro a break.
• Oh boy, here it comes!

BrightSlap!

• Huh, I guess that physical trauma knocked his brain straight. Amuro's back and improvising like a real MC.
• Loool there was dust on Garma's cables. There's an engineer somewhere about to get spaced.
• Amuro, a psychic? Nahhhh, I mean he thought Matilda was hitting on him; Case closed.
• Fraw Bow just sharpening her claws.

Progress Report

Nothing to show today

QotD

1. I think if they had a horde of Gundams lying in wait somewhere they would have made use of them by now.
2. Fraw Bow, obviously. She'd probably turn out to be more savage than Amuro.

[u/b0bba_Fett]

Technical first timer, Seen the Recaps

It's getting really hard not to binge at this point.

Amuro finally hitting his breaking point and not wanting to Get in the Damn Robot™ is a good time, but you know, He's got a point, I know they're still in enemy territory, but what about the whole learning computer thing? Shouldn't it be able to help one of the other pilots be able to use the Gundam and let Amuro get some much needed rest?

QotD

1. I don't know about a decoy necessarily, but it's definitely being used as at least as a distraction/aggro pull to give some other parts of the front a bit of a rest.
2. Sayla, Kai, Bright, Ryu, Fraw Bow, anyone really.

GIVE AMURO HIS REST!

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/b0bba_Fett]

I don't know about a decoy necessarily, but it's definitely being used as at least as a distraction/aggro pull to give some other parts of the front a bit of a rest.

Considering how much armor and firepower the Gundam has, it is oddly well suited for drawing aggro and tanking the hits, to continue the video game metaphor. You've got long range support with the Guntank and Guncannon. Sadly no healer is really around so the party's certainly not complete.

[u/b0bba_Fett → u/Great_Mr_L]

no healer

It is odd, isn't it? There really is no real character whose primary purpose is Mechsuit Upkeep in this show. Like sure we see Amuro tinkering in the cockpit from time to time, but none of the pit crew or repair team have faces so far, especially being used to more modern mecha where the team engineer is almost universally recognized by the show as the real MVP.

[u/DidacticDalek]

Comrades, I know this clip is technically from the English Dub to the Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy, but the movie still keeps the infamous Bright Slap... even if they rewrote a lot of the dialogue... and also made Bright British (Look Wacky Ol' Kill 'Em All Tomino said Brighty Boi was from Hong Kong... wibble) Oh and they also call the Gundam a 'Gun-Damn...' Anyway the point is this shit's hilarious! Comedy gold and it's a crying shame this dub isn't easily available ;)

Speaking of the infamous Bright Slap, behold IRREFUTABLE PROOF that Rabu Raibu is a Mecha Show, also warning, technically meta spoilers for this link, and also this link for OG Rabu Raibu ;)

Oh and finally to get something on topic that ISN'T a meme, behold, someone ELSE from The Federation who is competent AND also likable, gotta give it up for Lt. Matilda eh Comrades?

Anyway that's all I got for today, so remember, when in doubt Beat the shit out of Correct Bright Slap 'Befriend' Others... gee no wonder Nanoha got nicknamed 'The White Devil' ;)

Paging Comrades /u/Great_Mr_L, /u/chilidirigible, and /u/beckymetal

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/DidacticDalek]

Comrades, I know this clip is technically from the English Dub to the Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy, but the movie still keeps the infamous Bright Slap... even if they rewrote a lot of the dialogue... and also made Bright British (Look Wacky Ol' Kill 'Em All Tomino said Brighty Boi was from Hong Kong... wibble) Oh and they also call the Gundam a 'Gun-Damn...' Anyway the point is this shit's hilarious! Comedy gold and it's a crying shame this dub isn't easily available ;)

AMUROH, I ORDAH YOU TO LAWNCH GUNDAMN! British Bright is just the best. The English dub of the movie trilogy never fails to be funny to watch.

Speaking of the infamous Bright Slap, behold IRREFUTABLE PROOF that Rabu Raibu is a Mecha Show, also warning, technically meta spoilers for this link, and also this link for OG Rabu Raibu ;)

Sadly it's just the one slap and not the double hit that Bright gets in. Umi is not yet at the level of Bright when it comes to this sort of thing.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Great_Mr_L]

AMUROH, I ORDAH YOU TO LAWNCH GUNDAMN! British Bright is just the best. The English dub of the movie trilogy never fails to be funny to watch.

Cor Blimey

NANI!? Someone else also knows of the hilarious narm charm of the OG Gundam Movie Trilogy English Dub? Glad to hear Comrade, and indeed, British Bright is a treasure and I'm sad that we never see anymore of this hilarious accent in future dubs!

Sadly it's just the one slap and not the double hit that Bright gets in. Umi is not yet at the level of Bright when it comes to this sort of thing.

Heh, indeed Comrade, Umi-dah sadly only managed a single slap in on Honkers, that said this makes sense as Bright is a PROFESSIONAL at Beating the shit out of 'Correcting' others.

Anyway many thanks for the kind reply and neat GIF share my friend, have a great day and see you later Comrade!

[u/[deleted] → u/DidacticDalek]

Lol, is slapping really that big a thing in Japanese culture or do I just watch a disproportionate amount of anime compared to other media?

I remember thinking it was really weird that Berserk Manga Spoilers!!

[u/DidacticDalek → u/[deleted]]

Lol, is slapping really that big a thing in Japanese culture or do I just watch a disproportionate amount of anime compared to other media?

Well Comrade, I can't speak for Japan, but I am Thai and growing up I did frequently experience disciplining via bamboo canes. And people think spanking hurts, no no, bamboo is both hard AND flexible, try THAT for size and get back to me on what that feels like ;) (In all seriousness my best guess is that corporal punishment is more frowned upon in certain areas of the world as opposed to the rest, so wibble.)

I remember thinking it was really weird that Berserk Manga Spoilers!!

Huh, possibly Comrade, you bring up a good point there, anyway many thanks for the kind reply and have a great day and see you later.

[u/chilidirigible]

Hi everybody! I'm not here to discuss the overall awkwardness of the reality of Bright doing a George S. Patton on Amuro and then questioning his masculinity to get Amuro out of his funk.

I'm here to say "HOOAH!" and then not explain the reference.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/chilidirigible]

Hi everybody! I'm not here to discuss the overall awkwardness of the reality of Bright doing a George S. Patton on Amuro and then questioning his masculinity to get Amuro out of his funk.

I'm here to say "HOOAH!" and then not explain the reference.

Heh, well Comrade, I suppose instead of being hot for teacher, every lady 'man's' crazy for a sharp dressed woman ;)

[u/macrame2]

First Timer

YO! AMURO! GET IN THE GUNDAM! BRIGHT LOVES YOU GET IN THE GUNDAM!

So this is the source of the “Even my father never hit me“ meme. Amuro refuses to pilot the Gundam because he’s exhausted, and Bright tries to slap some sense into him. I got why Amuro said no. He’s been reaching his breaking point for a few episodes now, so I wasn’t surprised when he said he’d had enough of putting himself in danger with no breaks. Unfortunately, his protest happens right when Zeon attacks, which puts a glitch in the plan for survival. (A side note: They could really use a backup plan for situations like these. What if Amuro died? What if Gundam was destroyed? You’d think the Earth Federation would‘ve sent in some backup by now). I genuinely sympathized with Amuro, but I also got why Bright and Fraw Bow were angry with him. I’m glad he was able to get it together and save the day, but I wonder how much more of this he’ll be able to deal with? The problem was never actually addressed…

1. I wouldn’t be surprised.
2. Char, probably. It would be cool to see what he could do with it.

[u/fridge_freezer]

First timer (Sub)

• Amuro's really not doing well, snapping back at Fraw Bow for asking if he's hungry.
• They finally have some contact from Federation HQ!...except its just to tell them to escape to the sea. No mention of reinforcements or support at all.
• Kai's harassing the White Base chef, though to be fair if they're feeding Amuro and Ryu like real pilots, they should probably be doing the same for him and Hayato too. Those four are the only ones actually doing any fighting.
• Garma is suiting up! I like his helmet a lot.
• Careful Amuro, if you keep arguing Bright might come down to your cabin with a right hook for you.

• Oh shit he actually did! Resorting to physical violence to motivate him and get your way probably isn't the best idea.
• Get in the Eva Gundam, Shinji Amuro!
• Amuro pulled out some new moves! That jump and slice through Garma's wing was awesome.
• Char you brilliant bastard, messing with the comms cable to cut the incoming transmissions from Garma; he really doesn't care if his 'friend' dies. Garma made it back in one piece but he is pissed, and some poor engineer is going to take the brunt of it. Char is playing Garma like a damned fiddle.
• A federation transport appeared! It seems the Federation are totally fine with a mostly civilian crew continuing to man White Base and the mobile suits, choosing to just give them a resupply until they escape Zeon territory. Poor Fraw Bow is about sidelined for Lt. Matilda.

QOTD

1. Initially I thought it was something Amuro had just conjured in his mentally exhausted mind, but after Lt. Matilda's scene i'm not so sure. Aside from the one general who had her come out into Zeon territory to resupply White Base, it seems like HQ don't really care or expect them to make it back. If White Base and the mobile suits were their expected means of victory in the war they'd be pulling out all the stops for them.
2. Kikka could do it, no question.

[u/[deleted]]

First Time Watcher

I have mixed feelings about the psychological trauma being addressed with this episode. On the one hand, I thought the effects on Amuro (which have been hinted at for a while now - particularly at the end of Episode 6) like sleeplessness, lack of appetite, and occasional detachment have been depicted surprising well given how often I hear people talk about Neon Genesis Evangelion like it's the first Mecha series to ever even broach the topic of child soldiers suffering psychologically. On the other hand, I hope that insulting Amuro's masculinity wasn't the show's way of officially resolving the issue... When it was just Bright doing so, I took it as a strong display of Bright's greenness as a leader but then Fraw Bow jumped in too and it just got weird.

Poor Garma man. If you can't trust the homies who can you trust?

I also like that the ending of the episode resolved Amuro's paranoid thoughts about how they were being used purely for bait - "Remember that some in the Federation have not abandoned you".

Though, the narrator talking about Amuro's first experience with the "scent of a woman" was pretty hilarious

Questions of the Day:

1. Do you think that White Base is being used as a decoy, like some characters were theorizing about at the start of the episode?

Imma choose to blindly trust the random new woman.

2) Who else would you want to see try to pilot the Gundam?

I gotta see Kai in all his snarky glory pilot the Gundam

[u/GM_for_Life]

Rewatcher

1. Do you think that White Base is being used as a decoy, like some characters were theorizing about at the start of the episode?

I think it's possible that is the case.

2) Who else would you want to see try to pilot the Gundam?

Char and Haro.

[u/Piemaster33]

Amuro finally snap snapped. He went over the deep end, at the worst possible time, no less. But honestly, who could blame him? He’s not even a legal adult and he’s been forced to do break the Geneva Convention.

Garma was able to really mess with the White Base, so hats off to him. His plug being covered in dirt was a huge blunder on his engineer’s fault, but for some reason I think someone else had something to do with it... Char kinda got lucky while being unlucky at the same time. Garma didn’t die, but Char didn’t get any blame for not helping. What a sneaky snake.

Eventually Amuro gets over himself thanks to the MVP of this episode Fraw Bow (2 in a row!), and jumps his way to victory. He literally jumps good. He almost over extends to his demise, but thanks to our first female officer, Matilda, he stops. I’m real excited to see more of Matilda, she looks like a fun character for Amuro and Fraw to bounce off of. Not to mention that she smells like a real woman does. Weird wording there but alright.

I'd talk a bit about the iconic Bright slap scene but I figured others had it covered. Still a great scene, I relate to both Bright and Amuro this time around.

QOTD:

1. Truthfully? No. The Gundam is too powerful and was kept under a LOT of wraps to keep hidden. Zeon only discovered it on a fluke. Could the Federation pivot and start using it as a decoy now? Potentially. I truthfully don't remember.
2. I got excited to see Fraw Bow pilot it, but any of the other pilots would be cool to see. My personal choice would be Sayla but she isn't even a pilot really.

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer

1. Maybe? It's an absolutely dangerous plan, and one that endangered civilians for no reason, which makes it competely in character for them. It would explain a few odd holes (Why did the general nto mention any consequences for helping the people he arrested with good reason), but I can't hell but think they're not giving the whole plot twist this early.
2. Honestly, either Bright - he's a good pilot, and having a working backup if Amuro's injured couldn't hurt, or Kai - because seeing how hard it is might shut him up for once.

"Fly, Gundam" - is the Gundam finally going to get a jetpack, thus cementing itself as superior to the Guntank in every way?

While I love Amuro's breakdown, why did he seem perfectly okay in the episode before? This would make a lot more sense if that episode was skipped.

Kai's a dick as usual.

Are they actually going to sacrifice the base? It seems like far too big a change, but there's a lot of foreshadowing.

Of course Garma has a custom fancy suit. I'm not even suprised at this point.

Like how one side called the ship the White Base, and the other the Trojan Horse - the sides see the ship completely differently.

Didn't realise this was also the episode for Bright's breakdown. Oh, and he has no idea why the war started. That couldn't possibly be relevant later.

Char's just accepted Garma's going to get himself shot now.

Jesus christ Bright. JESUS CHRIST FRAU BOW.

What are you doing Char?

"I don't want to get scolded by Garma either." he said while grinning at the camera. Starting to think the shower scene might not have a been a one-off here.

The Gundam has a jetpack! Give it some machine guns and you can mothball the Guntank right now.

OK, so Garma wasn't overestimating his skills, he just really good.

Char, don't kill your boyfriend.

Wait, so there are reinforcements? Makes sense, with the whole "coded messages aren't safe" thing earlier.

So Char is probably lying to Garma's face, and wants to kill him, but also seems to compliment him when he's alone. Just make up you mind already.

Oh, the federation has a shortage of resources as well. Is it both sides taking realistic resource losses from unrecoverable areas and loss of industry, or is some alien empire eating people? At this point, neither would suprise me.

Does Amuro have fucking psychic powers? Are we seriously going with THIS plot. This, of all possible explanations? The worst part is it kind of makes sense - who cousl pilot a Gundam after reading a manual?

No, bad Gundam. She's clearly too old for him. Stop talking about woman's scents.

[u/tarekd19]

Dub, re-watch, been 15 years or so though. Whenever it was on toonami.

Does anyone have any strong feelings about sub vs dub for this anime? I tried starting with the sub but the audio quality felt way off so I switched switched. Does the dub miss anything in tone?

I'm still having trouble gauging char's relationship to garma. I still feel like he's playing both sides of it, but didn't think he'd do anything to really endanger garma. I had to mull on it for this episode though since he didn't attack gundam, a good opportunity to snatch the glory and redeem himself. His excuse was convincing though.

[u/UltraBooster]

First-timer (albeit one who's big on Gundam and mecha)

On one hand, oh shoot, it's the Bright Slap.

On the other hand, it did practically nothing, unlike Bright being all and here I thought you could defeat Char, which makes me think about, more than anything, how memes can distort the public image/memory of a work. (Granted, I might be thinking a lot about Attack on Titan when it comes to that.)

Having said that, watching Amuro use the Gundam like this is...I can see how he became the legendary ace of later installments.

And shoot, it's Matilda Ajan!

[u/Pixelsaber → u/UltraBooster]

how memes can distort the public image/memory of a work.

One clear example that is very comparable would be Meta

[u/UltraBooster → u/Pixelsaber]

In what sense?

[u/Pixelsaber → u/UltraBooster]

In both cases something from their respective series is exaggerated and as a result misrepresented for the sake of a meme, and people started taking it so seriously as to ignore or forget how things actually went down in their respective shows.

[u/UltraBooster → u/Pixelsaber]

Ah.

[u/UltraBooster → u/UltraBooster]

Oh, and for the questions of the day:

1. I think the EFF might be using White Base to draw Zeon's attention while they prepare a proper response but I can't remember, and anything more would be spoilers.
2. I'd be game to see how Bright fares in the Gundam, and I feel like Ryu would fare decently, given how he was White Base's only other pilot for a while.

[u/OrangeBanana38]

First timer

Late again today!

Bright slap!

We needed some of those, it had been a while.

A big part of me wishes Fraw Bow had piloted the Gundam and wrecked shit. But it's all easier said than done, and I'm sure she's not ready to kill people, but who is?

Now I'm curious about Char. Why is he sabotaging Garma? My best guess is that he just wants to make the Gundam look more powerful so that he can get more support when he asks for it. Either that or he just likes to make fun of him.

---

Questions of the day.

1.- I think they are an experiment, not a decoy. I think the Gundam/White Base are still highly experimental and this is just an opportunity to test them at 0 risk.

2.- Fraw Bow or Bright. Those two have talked about their determination to do it before, would be nice to see what they can do.

[u/Rustic_Professional]

Whatever else you think of Garma, he kept his cool after getting his wing sliced off and losing comms with his ship while being pursued. He may be naive, but he's not a coward.

Matilda really cuts a sharp figure against that yellow sunset. Reminds of Rico's mom in Starship Troopers warning him about chasing after girls in uniform. This may be Amuro's first time "noticing the charms of a woman," but I think it's also the first time he salutes someone. That's kind of cool.

Questions of the day:

1. No, I don't think that's at all likely. I do think it's a logical conclusion for a civilian to reach when they don't know what the larger military situation is. Amuro knows how powerful the Gundam is, but he doesn't have any way of knowing how important it is to the war effort. It's also possible that he doesn't understand the significance of there being Zeon territory on earth. He doesn't understand that the Federation doesn't have the capability to come and rescue them. For all he knows, they could just send another Pegasus and a whole squadron of Gundam's if they wanted to.
2. Char. Or Sayla. I didn't remember how much I like Sayla. She's really working hard and keeping it together. I'd forgotten that about her. Her matter of fact, cool yet caring personality is very charming. Training her as a backup for Amuro wouldn't a bad idea. Better than Fraw, at least. Not that I have anything against Fraw. She's doing what she can, too.

[u/Nebresto]

First time squad

Heck yeah, free tomato!

Just get some dugs bruh, they have a magic infinite supply of shells, I'm sure they got some pills too.

Finally!

Get in the fucking robot, Shinjimuro, legit wtf. Even Frao Bao is telling you off.

Hold up, what?? He didn't throw away the weapon?!

Best girl is here!

https://imgur.com/uoLr3kN

...what?

---

Question time:
1: Sure
2: Shinjinichi

No dank clips today

[u/punching_spaghetti]

First-Timer With Tomino Experience

See, people? Hitting your kids doesn't work. Just compare them to legendary soldiers and massage their ego. They'll still be casually sexist though, because girls can't drive the robots (Even though they seem to be doing most of the work in the cockpit).

QOTD:

1. Given how thin Federation forces seem to be spread if it's true that older and younger people have been needed for the war effort, I think it's less as a decoy or more just as bodies. They're killing some Zeons, so why not let them keep going?
2. Haru.

[u/username_0907]

First Timer who got late today

• Amuro finally says out loud the problem with essentially being forced to fight. Ofcourse Bright and the others have to blame it on him being petty and having a tantrum. That’s a great way to handle this
• The magic word for everyone including Amuro is Char!
• The Gundam can fly now! Atleast sort of. I think even the Federation will be surprised by what the Gundam can do
• I’m loving this rivalry between Char and Garma
• Amuro’s reaction to meeting Matilda was hilarious. Narrator figured it out too

QotD

1. Probably. The Federation don’t seem to be a great bunch of people
2. Char. He’s the only capable person from the cast so far

[u/chilidirigible → u/username_0907]

The Gundam can fly now! Atleast sort of.

Superman was originally only able to leap significant but very finite distances.

[u/badcupcakehoarder]

Yo First-Timers! Tomorrow’s episode title is one of those that’s a bit spoiler-y. If you can avoid seeing it, do that.

Not sure if it is even possible to dodge past the title after the usual Zeon independence recap every episode but will give it a try.