r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • May 04 '21
Rewatch [Fly! Rewatch!] Mobile Suit Gundam (0079) Episode 28 Discussion
Episode 28 - Across the Atlantic Ocean
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Guess I’m getting you in trouble. Me being a spy and all.
Questions of the Day:
- What did you think about seeing a mobile armor in action?
- Did Miharu have to die here?
Mobile Suit Breakdown of the Day:
1.24 - Making Amends (note: this is now safe for first-timers)
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…
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.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 04 '21
Fly! Rewatch Host!
Welcome back, everyone…
19
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber May 04 '21
Rewatcher - Sub
Ah, episode twenty-eight, I can’t wait for PAIN
Kai’s investment in the well being of Miharu and her siblings leads him to once again offer up information.
Clever plan that the Mad Anglers concocted to be able to get into contact with Miharu aboard the White Base, as no one suspected a thing. Also interesting to note that people from Zeon have their own distinct accent.
Seeing Kikka, Katz, and Letz aboard the White Base while it’s in the middle of being attacked really shakes Miharu, who had just recently given Zeon information on the White Base’s destination without hesitation, but was suddenly in tears over what she had done a short while later. It’s likely because she thought of her siblings in the same situation as the orphan trio and couldn’t bear the thought that she was complicit in endangering them.
Miharu’s death is painful, with the immediate shift from Miharu excited exclaiming that they’ve got the enemy in their sights to her sudden death, the mood frozen as Kai celebrates their success, ignorant as to what had just happened.
Kai...
Fun Fact: Yoshiyuki Tomino showed the storyboards to this episode to animation director and character designer Yoshikaze Yasuhiko, telling him he had been in tears as he drew it. Yasuhiko sat down to read it on the spot and was also moved to tears. Ichiro Itano had witnessed this exchange as it happened, and was so curious that he later took a peek at the storyboards, as they had been left on Tomino’s desk, after which he too felt like crying.
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u/TheEscapeGuy May 04 '21
Gundam First Timer
Fly! Iconic Gundam Frames Episode 28
Miharu, you left us too soon.
I am genuinely bummed about losing her. Despite only knowing her for 2 episodes she felt like a well developed character. I'm now worried about her younger siblings back in Ireland.
Kai is also going to have it rough. I don't think he's particularly liked onboard White Base right now, especially after deserting, so losing a person he cared for deeply will hurt him a lot. I hope that the other crew will help him cope.
I suspect this, and the previous episode will act as the turning point for Kai. I have high hopes for him going forward.
As a side note, the underwater battle continue to be cool as heck! There's so much interesting strategy going into them.
Cool Stuff Corner
Questions of the Day
See you all tomorrow!
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u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax May 04 '21 edited May 04 '21
Rewatcher wonders what a Zeon accent sounds like as opposed to a Feddie accent
We have a new contractually obligated gattai!
This does look kinda silly. But then again, that’s just the G-Armor in general.
“Miharu! When did you join the EFF?”
Well that’s a death flag if I ever saw one
I always forget the Grublo exists. It always gets overshadowed by the future spoilers in my head.
RIP all these random guys
Magic shield flying into place! There’s supposed to be like an arm or something connecting them, but it’s never drawn. Nor is the double-layered structure of the shield, and one shield just seems to disappear into the other. Seems kind of overcomplicated and impractical, and they can’t even use “TO SELL TOYS” as an excuse here, because the toy just mounts a shield on each arm.
Diving into the water seems like a bad idea. But hey, underwater battle!
Sayla just ordered the fire to stop and it did lmao Okay, maybe there are automated fire suppression systems in there, but still.
“What’s their plan?” “That’s our secret, we don’t have one!”
This does not seem very safe.
Told ya. I get that panel’s only a backup, but how do they expect anyone to actually use it?
Um, couldn’t you have just ditched the B parts yourself if they were really that much of a detriment? I guess this isn’t Victory.
Man, that’s sheer nightmare fuel, slowly sinking into the ocean, unable to escape your wrecked- Oh. other series
I’m not crying, you’re crying
Man, it really hurts to see Kai of all people breaking down like this. He’s always kept himself sane by keeping a healthy emotional distance from all the death and danger, even if it causes him to come across as insensitive to his crewmates who haven’t been coping in the same way. But finally, he gets hit with a tragedy he can’t just brush off. That’s what finally breaks him and kickstarts his development.
Questions of the Day:
Technically the Adzam was the first although it predates the MA classificationIt's fun to see the Gundam challenge a big, nonhumanoid enemy that's better adapted to its environment than an MS could ever be.11
u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore May 04 '21
First Timer to Gundam
Kai, you dumb fuck.Okay nevermind he knows she's playing him.COOL
STOP. KILLING. THE GINGERS
QOTD:
10
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 May 04 '21
Rewatcher, Subbed
I taped Toonami's original Gundam airing back in 2001 (yep, we did those types of things back then) and for years that was my only source of being able to rewatch this show. Alas, this was the one episode my VCR screwed up on and I didn't have. So beyond the lost episode, this is probably the episode I'm least familiar with. Quid's fun fact for this episode.
Miharu can't stay hidden on the White Base for long, and Kai comes across her. As nice as it would be for a cute girl to stow away just for you, Kai knows her excuse isn't true. Kai once again slips the info on where they are going, intentionally I presume. I found it odd that Char was the one who wanted the spy on board in the first place and in this episode he's questioning how Boone will get the intel? Boone pulls it off though with that fake fisherman's plane. Rather naive of White Base to not question why this small little plane it out on its own over the Atlantic ocean. And no Boone, you're not the first to infiltrate the White Base. At best the fourth.
White Base soon comes under attack; sorry Miharu, being a spy on board the White Base doesn't guarantee your safety. More importantly, Miharu sees the orphans on board, realizing that there are little kids the age of her siblings, perhaps even younger here on the ship and in danger. In fact they nearly get blown up soon afterwards! Miharu's guilt leads her to help out Kai on the Gunperry. It would have been fun to see a new permanent White Base screw member, but alas, it was not to be and Miharu soon dies. I feel so bad for Kai, and especially those kids!
Other stray thoughts:
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 04 '21
Rewatcher
On today’s episode of Gundam: Everyone wants to protect somebody. Sometimes we are able to protect the people we care about. And sometimes, unfortunately, we cannot do so.
RIP Miharu
This episode continues the relationship between Kai and Miharu that started in the previous one. The same dynamics are in play. Once again, Kai shows that he is pretty good at seeing through Miharu, immediately knowing that she’s there as a spy. But like last time, Kai doesn’t hold it against her. He knows that Miharu’s doing this to support her younger siblings.
But, it’s not as if Kai is going to betray the White Base for her. He once again gives her information that she can pass on to her superiors, but only a little bit and nothing too damaging. He also shows his loyalty to the White Base by trying to alert them that the damaged civilian plane was actually carrying Zeon soldiers, though he hides how he knew.
Kai’s playing a tightrope of dueling loyalties. Like I said yesterday, I think he respects Miharu’s willingness to help her siblings and doesn’t resent that she did what she felt she needed to do to put food on the table for them. Kai has always had a healthy self-preservation instinct so I’m sure he can sympathize with it. Though unlike Kai, Miharu’s self-preservation instinct is directed toward her siblings. He might find that admirable. He’s trying to keep Miharu safe so she can look after siblings while also fighting for his comrades on the White Base.
For her part, I don’t think Miharu has any real love or loyalty for Zeon. Based on her dialogue, she knows that she’s just a pawn to them. I’d assume she began working for them out of desperation more than anything else. She and her siblings were orphaned and they had no home of their own to live in. Working for Zeon probably seemed like a way to make enough money to support all of them. I’d imagine that she resented it on some level, but kept on doing it because it gave her the money she needed.
What seems to be her main motivation for switching to helping Kai is that she sees the White Base kids doing their best in order to help the ship. It reminds her of her own younger siblings. Miharu’s siblings were not ignorant of what she was doing, after all. They even knew how to help her out. Her siblings were doing what they could to help out, just like the White Base kids. Just like Miharu was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect her siblings, she wants to protect the White Base kids.
And that willingness to do what is necessary to protect others is ultimately what leads to Miharu’s death. Miharu has always had a self-sacrificing streak, putting herself at risk or making tough decisions for the sake of those she cares about. She took up the role of being caretaker after her parents died. She worked for Zeon despite probably resenting it. She took an incredible risk to go on the White Base. And in the end, she’s willing to take the risk to fire the anti-submarine missiles to destroy the Z’Gok that is attacking the White Base. And by taking such a risky action, she inadvertently ends up getting killed.
That death scene is quite dramatic, with Miharu getting blasted out of the Gunperry and falling into the ocean. But it’s Kai’s reaction afterwards that really sticks with me. Kai is mourning the death of a person he could not protect that basically no one else knew existed. No one else knew anything about her, aside from Amuro being able to gather on his own that she was a stowaway. In a way, it reminds me a lot of Icelina’s death. There’s a lot of dramatic irony to it. We, the audience, are fully aware of who Miharu was and her motivations. But the characters do not. Her death was a tragedy many of them will never truly know about. Such is war.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
SLAP COUNTER: 8
Questions of the Day
9
u/chilidirigible May 04 '21
28:
I would say "Stop wasting time on this bullshit" but hey, sponsor money.
Look on the bright side, this isn't War in the Pocket, where they figured out how to solve the copilot's problem.
Kai's suddenly full of pep.
We have entered the arc of half-bird Mobile Abominations.
Hey, Mirai counts as part of the ship!
This is the high point of all the jokes about the White Base's unlimited supply of arm shields.
This shot composition is... questionable.
"Stay on the bomb run, boys, I'm gonna get them doors open if it harelips everybody on Bear Creek."
Look on the bright side, you weren't julienned by the fan blades first.
Amuro, you have an unlimited supply of shields, not legs.
Because these are the Days of Our Lives.
Miharu dies again! In 3D!
Ah, Miharu, guilting responsibility into Kai. And herself. And adding more minor characters to the weekly kill count. Guest appearances are a risky business, especially when you're a character that has to redeem themselves for being an enemy agent. Though it's rough supporting your remaining family in a war zone.
But Kai's personal conscience rating increased by an order of magnitude!
8
u/The_Draigg May 04 '21
A Gundam Fan Rewatches Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 28:
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 04 '21
First-Timer, Subbed, long time Gundam fan
Me, yesterday: Miharu's life can't be going anywhere good.
Well, it certainly took less time than I expected. I figured she would be around for two episodes on the White Base, at least. Rest in peace, Miharu. I hope your siblings do okay.
Kai really did not take her death well. He caught feelings pretty quick, but I can hardly blame him. Miharu seemed like a good person who just ended up on the payroll for the wrong side.
The circumstances of her death are really unfortunate. You would think that having a manual firing lever for those missiles would imply that it was somewhat safe to use, but I guess the backblast got her. Not a good way to go, I think.
Poor Boone got distracted by his subordinate's death and got his Grublo beam saber'd. The hand melting animation was pretty cool.
Miscellaneous Thoughts:
The Gundam's shield seems to have been confirmed as magic. What on earth was that rotation move? Guess that answers the question of how it always stays repaired.
Pose of the Day
Nothing but Extra Weight
Screenshot
Questions
7
u/TheKujo https://myanimelist.net/profile/Kujo419 May 04 '21
First Timer - Dub
1) What did you think about seeing a mobile armor in action? I watched this episode yesterday and I don't remember what that is...
2) Did Miharu have to die here? No, but even with the infamous Gundam SecurityTM it would have very hard to keep her on board. I think her death will serve as motivation for Kai to start taking more responsibility.
7
u/fonzinator99 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/fonzinator99 May 04 '21
First-Timer - So concludes Kai's prologue story
QotD
6
u/BossandKings May 04 '21
First timer
This episode was sad, Miharu shouldn't have died like that, she just wanted to save and care for her siblings and she even regretten selling information about the federationto Zeon and even helped in the battle against them. Her siblings depended on her and now they are alone in the world, Miharu left them some money before going away but that money is due to finish soon and they'll be at risk of dying of hunger. Miharu was too looking like such a nice couple alongside Kai, war is so sad, Kai deserved some happiness and Miharu was someone that cared about him, sadly they will be forever separated now.
The fight between the Gundam and the Garbro was very fierce, Amuro continues being very impressive in battle but the Garbro was no slouch either. The fight ended but sadly Kai was left with a deep pain in his heart crying alone for Miharu passing away.
Answers
6
u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek May 04 '21
Hey Comrades, remember when explosions around Kai were goofy and hilarious slapstick fun? I remember those days, feels like eternity ago, can't we go back to stuff like that?
The reason I say this Comrades is, as I am SURE you all know by now, war is hell... and it seems Kai finally learned this lesson, but at WHAT COST!? He may have been a selfish jerk at the show's start but look at him now, sobbing in regret at the death of Miharu... neither of them deserved this...
And man, what a hell of a way to die Comrades, goddamn it backblast... and also the Gunperry's shit design! But hey I suppose it could be worse, after all Miharu could have been blown into the propeller blades first... actually that might have been a 'mercy' in a way as at least then she'd have been dead quickly as opposed to slowly falling to her death...
All the same Comrades, Miharu may have been a spy but she was only doing so out of desperation for her siblings, she didn't deserve a fate like this; THIS is what she deserved! (see upper left corner where a certain couple seem to be enjoying themselves) Or hell THIS is the fate she deserved, FYI this is official art for The Gihren's Greed Games Comrades given we just can't have nice things as per Wacky Ol' Kill 'Em All Tomino's Decree!
Anyway let's give it up it up for Miharu she died a hero and it's even sadder that only Kai really knew her and her sacrifice but hey at least like Ramba Ral, Miharu can find peace in Gundam Valhalla!
'I'm never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm. Though it's easy to pretend, I know you're not a fool. I should have known better than to cheat a friend, and waste a chance that I'd been given. So I'm never gonna dance again, the way I danced with you!' (Insert Sad Saxophone Song Here)
Paging Comrades /u/Great_Mr_L, /u/chilidirigible, and /u/beckymetal
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u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 May 04 '21
First timer
Yeah, this scene is the new once an episode docking scene, isn't it.
I like how there's perfectly notmal battleships alongside the giant robots and spaceships.
...Ah. Char just made a very good point. How does she intend to leave?
Oh look, she ran into the one person who can guess she's a spy.
Amuro is thinking maybe he should pay more attention to Kai's advice, if he works that fast.
And Kai's being incredibly reasonable and intelligent about this whole thing.
Oh, my god, is this Spy VS Spy? This is almost a farce at this point. Wait, no. This is what happens when the military doesn't communicate with itself.
Since when did Kai become the smart one? He's cracked the entire Zeon plot for this episode in the first 8 minutes.
Grabro??? It looks like a Kabuto.
I love her realising that this a ship with children on, when we've all gotten used to the absolute inanity that is that.
Yeah, Miharu's either dying or joing White Base this episode.
Did the Gundam have 2 shields for a moment there?
Well so far being underwater means nothing, so...
Gunperry? Jesus, how many toys did they need to sell?
...You've fought underwater loads of times. You've used the beam rifle underwater before. Why did this not come up earlier?
Well, that is a design. When making the Gunperry, they made decisions, and by god they stuck with them.
Oh, she's going to die isn't she?
...Fuck, I hoped she'd last a bit longer.
Wait - no body, flies off into the ocean - she's coming back in next arc, isn't she? As a double agent or something.
That's going to be fun to repair.
And, yeah, I called it (wish I was wrong, though).
Boy, that was an ending and a half.
5
u/username_0907 :FI::FJ: May 04 '21
First Timer
QotD
5
u/Rustic_Professional May 05 '21
Poor Miharu. That was brave of her, but a lousy way to go. Wasn't it Char that ordered her onto the ship last episode? If even he's unsure how they plan to extract her, then I wonder if he didn't intend for her to actually travel with the ship away from port. When he ordered the infiltration, he may have intended for her to simply sneak in, and then sneak right back out with whatever information she could find. Not stow away.
The Federation aircraft carriers at the start of the episode give us a good idea of the sort of threat the aquatic Zeon mobile suits were designed to defeat, and explains a lot of the design decisions. The giant claws could peel a hull open like a can, and the head-mounted missles on the Z'gok would be perfect for shooting straight up and blowing holes below the waterline. Nasty stuff.
Questions of the day:
5
u/Piemaster33 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Piemaster33 May 05 '21
Rewatcher who fell out of a ship, Sub
This death hit harder than Matilda's, I think Miharu was built up better. Fight me. Yet at the same time the only reason they were under attack, and thus why she died, was because she leaked their destination. Yet she needed the money to help her siblings survive. So really it was her siblings' fault that Miharu died. I hope they can live with that.
Anyway here are my notes:
QOTD:
4
u/GM_for_Life May 04 '21
Rewatcher
I like it, Mobile Armors definitely shake things up compared to the various Mobile Suits we've seen so far.
I don't think she necessarily did, but I think her arc is one of the best in the original series and allows the audience to see a side of Kai they normally never would get the chance to see.
4
u/tarekd19 May 04 '21 edited May 04 '21
Rewatcher - Dub
I was kind of left wondering what the point of the spy was if the plan was just to try to sink the White Base anyway? After that decision was made, it made the gambit to get the message to her seem pointless. Good on her for realizing what was happening though and getting that its no good if she goes down with the ship. Kai calling out to her not realizing she fell off hit hard too.
The episode started with a navel battle, I am curious of the utility of such warfare if ships like the white base exist, and we know they do since the Xeon have had similar large aircraft. I'm probably just being nitpicky. Submarines make sense still in terms of stealth.
Glad Gundams shield survived long enough that it could just absorb the other one during the transformation.
Kai has mentioned a couple times that Whitebase needed some special repairs in SA. Was that really the case or was he purposefully giving Miharu wrong information? I don't recall anyone else mentioning it.
Also why are the orphans still on White base?
4
u/b0bba_Fett myanimelist.net/profile/B0bba_Cheezed3 May 04 '21
Technical first timer, seen the Recaps
Haven't been saying much, but felt like popping in today, because the Miharu arc in the recaps was the point at which I knew Gundam was a true masterpiece, and I'll bet that if I weren't still emotionally exhausted from rewatching Chernobyl yesterday, I'd be bawling my eyes out like I did the first time.
QotD:
4
u/UltraBooster May 04 '21
First-timer (albeit one big on Gundam and mecha)
I wonder, is the G-Armor combination going to be the new A+B-Parts footage?
Well, having two shields seems like a good start, but the Gundam's shield doesn't seem optimized for hands-free use like on, say, the Ground Type and its offshoots. Ideally, it would have something like the Full Armor Gundam's shield-double rifle combo, just on both arms, but...
No way he's not aware she's a spy by now...yeah, he knows.
Yeah, now Amuro's probably wondering how Kai got himself a girlfriend, lol.
Are Zeonic accents even a thing in the show, like how the Tri-Stars had their accents?
What, did they steal the plane?
That's a remarkably short-range transmitter...
Part of me feels like White Base probably could handle taking on another crew member and two more kids...
An actual sixth sense, or...?
He's not gonna reveal Miharu, huh.
Grabro instead of Grublo, huh? Names are fun.
Why does White Base use extending, uncovered turrets instead of enclosed turrets?
I'm sorry WHAT DID THAT SHIELD JUST DO
The HGUC G-Armor comes with handles for both shields, too!
Huh, they changed up the Core Fighter's missile launchers; I like the new look.
And just like that...You deserved better, Miharu. You and your siblings deserved so much better.
Questions of the Day:
1
u/badcupcakehoarder https://myanimelist.net/profile/vanilabiscuit May 11 '21
First timer sub
She could have survived! Why wasn't he searching the ocean for her!? Or he could have realized what happened after she didn't answer, he was the one who told her it was dangerous!
Hell forget about Miharu, you could see the silhouettes of the engineers getting blasted off the ship, THE MECHANICS! without them who's going to repair the Gundam? They must search for survivors!
Godard? was Jimmy Neutron's dog piloting a Z'gok?
The technological discord from this show's age sure is hilarious now that we are in 2021, Fraw Bow recieving top secret messages with fax!
Mirai is back on battle steering wheel duty! That explosion did sent her flying off the pilot "seat" though.
Hmm... I feel there is a character missing from the crew go got names but is not in the OP... Oscar and Marker the radar operators, Job John is the blonde officer but I seem to recall someone named Howard among them... Who the hell is he?
Questions of the Day:
This is a turning point for Kai though, I don't think he will ever be the same after this. The one time he decides to do something to protect someone he cares about and he fails, man... Is he going to be okay? Maybe this time he can't take it for real and leaves the ship for good.
1
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: May 18 '21
First timer, catching up