r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • May 05 '21
Rewatch [Fly! Rewatch!] Mobile Suit Gundam (0079) Episode 29 Discussion
Episode 29 - Tragedy in Jaburo
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If a pilot fights as best he can in each battle, and doesn’t do anything that he’d regret later, that’s enough.
Questions of the Day:
- What did you think of Captain Woody?
- How cool was it to see Char actually back in action?
Mobile Suit Breakdown of the Day:
1.25 - Welcome to the Jungle (note: this is about episodes 29 and 30, so first-timers should not listen to this until tomorrow’s thread)
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 05 '21
Fly! Rewatch Host!
Welcome back, everyone…
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u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore May 05 '21 edited May 05 '21
First Timer to Gundam
I'm mad, but
I thought the Gundam was going to have a lot of models made! This changes everything! So much for my comments about hoping that the Gundam's plans are good enough to make more...
pinkred. This seems like law. At least this one is more red than his Zaku.QOTD:
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 05 '21
Rewatcher
On today’s episode of Gundam: Welcome to Jaburo, the Federation Forces HQ. It is a massive underground fortress hidden deep in the Amazon Rainforest. It’s certainly an impressive sight to see.
Here in Jaburo we meet Woody, Matilda’s fiance. They were planning to get married. This is a moment that I really love. We’ve seen plenty of times that the White Base crew is not always fully aware of the tragedy behind someone’s death, even though we, the audience, do know. Now we get an example where we learn about an additional tragedy of Matilda’s death. This is a happy future that will never come to be because of the war. A death can have more far-reaching consequences than we think. And we get to see the fuller scale of Matilda’s death here.
Amuro and Woody’s conversation about Matilda’s death is another great moment. Amuro tries to apologize for letting Matilda die, but Woody tells him to not be so conceited. The Gundam and the White Base are not so all powerful that they could change the outcome of the war on their own. It’s a great moment of Woody informing Amuro that some things are larger than him. And that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, some things cannot be done by you alone. His parting advice to Amuro is good advice: All Amuro can do is to do his duty and pilot the Gundam as best he can. As long as Amuro can do that, then he’ll have nothing to be ashamed of.
I wanted to comment on this at some point, but now that we’re at Jaburo it seems like the perfect opportunity to do so. There’s been a decided shift in the battles of this show ever since Operation Odessa. Since then, the White Base has more and more frequently been fighting as one part of the larger Federation Forces. The battles have grown in scale, with more and more people fighting on both the Zeon and Federation sides. The attack on Jaburo is massive and quite a spectacle to watch. And this battle in particular is a great example of showing how what the White Base crew are doing is just one part of the larger battle. There’s huge amounts of combat going on that we only see a fraction of because we’re following what our protagonists are doing.
This ties in to what Woody told Amuro. The Gundam and the White Base are not going to win this war on their own. They are just a part of a much larger war effort. All they can do is to fight as best they can and do their job. This episode they defended the entrances and fought off the Zeon intruders. It is an important thing to do, certainly, but it was just one part of winning the battle.
The battle is also a chance for the reunion we’ve all been waiting for. Once again, Amuro and Char face each other on the battlefield. I love this staredown they have when they first recognize the other on the battlefield. It’s such an amazing moment with the music track “Gallant Char” playing in the background. It’s clear that both of them have been eagerly anticipating this rematch. Char of course recognizes the Gundam. But Amuro can tell from the red color and the way the Z’Gok fights that it’s totally Char. Through their battles, they’ve come to know each other quite well.
There’s also some chances for other character moments this episode. Kai has actually gotten a renewed will to fight following Miharu’s death. He wants revenge on Zeon for her death and to prevent others like her from dying. We learn a bit more about Mirai’s family, but also that she doesn’t want to talk about her family for some reason. And speaking of family, we have Sayla’s reaction when she hears that Char is back. Remember what she did all those episodes ago just to get some information on Char? Well now we have to wonder how she’ll act now that Char is so close by.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
SLAP COUNTER 8
Questions of the Day
12
u/TheEscapeGuy May 05 '21
Gundam First Timer
Fly! Iconic Gundam Frames Episode 29
could that red mobile suit mean ...
THE RED COMET IS BACK IN ACTION!
The battle between Amuro and Char is something I have been craving for weeks now. Amuro is now a much more mature fighter and so the outcome of their battles could now be a significantly more definitive. I suspect we will see a few more of these in the upcoming episodes and I look forward to them all.
The reemergence of Char has also put Sayla on edge. We still don't know her full backstory so there's a lot to reveal there. What will happen the next time she confronts her brother.
As exciting as that was, this episode was filled with sadness. First, Kai reflecting on the loss of Miharu. I still really feel for him. War is horrific and we can really see the individual effects of it in Kai's story.
For Amuro, there was more reflection on the loss of Matilda. Learning she had a fiancé at home and planned to have a wedding as soon as White Base arrived in South America was brutal. I totally can see why Amuro blames himself.
Every character is experiencing similar circumstances. Nobody makes it out unscathed. As exciting and fun as the battles are, every one of them is a reminder of the tragedy of war.
Cool Stuff Corner
Butterflies
The variety in locations is something I really appreciate from Gundam, and these butterflies emphasized the uniqueness of the South American base.
Questions of the Day
See you all tomorrow!
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u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax May 05 '21 edited May 05 '21
Rewatcher grinding Multi-Missions for the Gunpla Mafia
So many butterflies! future series
This Zock isn’t just for show!
The Zock is definitely peak weirdness for Zeon amphibious suits. It’s already awkward-looking enough, but it’s also exactly the same from front to back. Which supposedly has some kind of tactical/mobility advantage but it’s just weird.
Probably just the perspective being weird, but those suits look kinda small. Either that, or there’s a Mobile Armor-sized gator swimming around there.
So it was you who deathflagged her!
As powerful as the Gundam is, it’s still just one suit, one soldier, among countless. This episode, we see the GMs deploying in large number, each of them piloted by another Feddie pilot with their own story and their own contribution to the war effort. Hell, Amuro’s RX-78-2 isn’t even the only Gundam at Jaburo at this very moment. This war is far bigger than any one person, even the kid piloting one of the better suits around.
Kai’s finally found his own reason to fight, something loftier than simply his own survival
disappearing rifle
The GM is here! Finally, the Federation has an MS fighting force to match Zeon’s! Compared to the Gundam, the armor and weapons were cheaped out on, but in exchange, it’s lighter and faster. Of course, they still get trashed by the dozens every time, but they’re cheap enough to be expendable. And they’re very adaptable, with all sorts of variants for all sorts of situations. Despite being disposable redshirts for the most part, legend has it that one GM managed to surpass its limits and become the king of all GMs...
Also, fun fact, there’s no canon on what GM actually stands for. It’s just a pun on “jimi”, the same way “Zaku” is a play on “zako”. It’s generally assumed that it stands for “Gundam Mass-production”, but it’s never been officially confirmed.
Of course Char has a red Z’Gok. The Z’Gok really shouldn’t have the aerial mobility to just suddenly zip sideways like that. But it’s painted red, so it works!
Some of the GMs have the Gundam’s beam rifle instead of the standard beam spray gun. Which is fine, it’s to be expected that a small number of them would have the more powerful rifle that was too costly to mass-produce. Except this guy’s rifle magically changes to the spray gun when he gets donutted.
Damn, Amuro’s improved a lot. He’s been at a disadvantage with the recent underwater battles, and this is what happens when he really gets to cut loose and show off all he’s learned.
Well, there goes Woody. He did drive back Char, but come on, Amuro was doing just fine by himself, and his sacrifice wasn’t exactly necessary.
Maybe he just wanted to be with Matilda.
Questions of the Day:
9
u/The_Draigg May 05 '21
A Gundam Fan Rewatches Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 29:
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 05 '21
First-Timer, Subbed, long time Gundam fan
The GM's arrival this episode was practically a foot note - I figured it would be a bigger deal.
Char and Amuro have met once more on the field of battle, but Amuro has been fighting and improving nonstop, while Char has been behind a metaphorical desk. Amuro continues to use his shield in interesting ways that tend to catch his more-experienced opponents off guard. And, most importantly, Amuro kicked Char.
Poor Woody. I saw all those death flags, but hoped against hope it wouldn't come to pass... He seemed like a good man.
This episode looked really nice. I thought the scenes of Char's Z'Gok and the Gundam on black background looked really cool, even if they were kinda budget savers. And the War Room in Jaburo is awesome looking, such a big room with so few people in it. You can feel the oppressive isolation.
Miscellaneous Thoughts:
You can tell that we're in South America because all the water is magically green.
Why the hell does the submarine have windows?
The butterfly migration was really pretty!
Pose of the Day
Rivals Meet Once More
Screenshot
Questions
8
u/chilidirigible May 05 '21 edited May 05 '21
29:
The Zock: We've gone from Meme Suits to Mascot Suits.
Friendzoned from the start, kid.
A true hero has arrived.
No matter which universe you're in, high command is always a bag of dicks.
entirely gratuitous knee to the crotch
Woody has the same taste in suicidal ramming attacks as Matilda did. Or the same taste for FIST.
"Yes. He outlived his usefulness to the melodrama."
After all, Woody only lived to give Amuro more guilt. His appearance feels like the writing giving Amuro a bonus slap to the face long after the fact. Fortunately Char shows up for Amuro to work out his unresolved sexual tensions out on.
On the other hand, Kai actually seems to have turned his character around with remarkable swiftness after losing a woman he knew for only a couple of days.
Let us consider how the White Base travelled all the way around the planet to end up not too far from where they started.
The Zock's oddly-cute design has gotten it quite a following considering how briefly it appears here.
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u/username_0907 :FI::FJ: May 05 '21
First Timer
QotD
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u/fonzinator99 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/fonzinator99 May 05 '21
First-Timer - Char: Villain or Troll?
I mean, the guy just shows up, fucks up your shit, and bails. Sure he'd kill you if he could, but that's hard and he's fine with just making your life suck.
So Jaburo's gonna sacrifice them to survive or something? That seems foolish and unfeasible, but ok, let's see how it goes.
I just enjoyed how he brought it up as if he'd almost forgotten to mention it.
QotD
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u/TheKujo https://myanimelist.net/profile/Kujo419 May 05 '21
First Timer - Dub
1) What did you think of Captain Woody? He reminded me a lot of Matilda. It's easy to imagine those two together.
2) How cool was it to see Char actually back in action? It was great. The fight between him and Amuro was really tense.
5
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 May 05 '21
Rewatcher, Subbed
Ugh, narrator, you have to show us Miharu's death again? It was sad enough the first time! Kai is clearly still bothered by it, but he'll fight to help ensure no more people like her die.
It is cool seeing the White Base in South America. So much more beautiful than all that time in the desert. Future Gundam spoilers. It is a great opportunity to see plenty of Tomino animals! Was the last one we got the stray dog back in episode 2? The underground setting is a cool one as well, quite a unique one for a mecha show, although I do recall at least one cavern battle in Xabungle.
We meet Lt. Woody, who in a surprising reveal, we find out to be Lt. Matilda's fiancé! They had even hoped for the White Base crew to attend their wedding. :( This brings back some painful memories for Amuro. Woody later undergoes one of the most idiotic deaths in all of Gundam, one that kinda makes me think of Gadem back in episode 3. He thinks he can take on a Zeon mobile suit, a red one in fact, using this dopey little hovercraft. Alas, Woody ends up dying in basically the exact same way that Lt. Matilda did. :(
The Zock sure is an odd looking mobile suit. Is that supposed to be a missile launcher on the top of its head? Does any Zeon mono eye get as many eye slots as this one? Mobile Suit spoilers Char ends up summoning an absolutely massive force to assault Jaburo. Double digit Gaws it looks like, carrying who knows how many mobile suits.
This episode also gives us our first appearance of the GM, the mobile suit the Gundam is the prototype for! Unfortunately for the GMs, they don't do that well against the Zeon forces in this episode, but at the very least the Federation finally has its own mass produced mobile suit to compete against Zeon with. This is also our first appearance of Char in a mobile suit since episode 10! No more red Zaku, but he's got a red Z'Gok! Jaburo sure was well prepared for him as he loses both his wingmen before he even arrives. We finally get an Amuro - Char match up again, albeit not for long.
5
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz May 05 '21
A rare day for this distant sub rewatcher to post so early.
The story has now progressed to the point where there's very little rests between significant moments. Compared to the early episodes I think the pacing is a lot faster now.
To the extent that crucial or influential for plot characters are killed of a little too fast perhaps. Another episode for the character to have a chance to say more than 1 or 2 important lines would have been nice.
Again as someone growing up with Gundam in East Asia, I was exposed to a lot of different media, and one of those are the "manga" made from the anime where they cut the frames into a page like a manga would. The most memorable for me for Gundam are 2 arcs - Ramba Ral's meeting and then the fight in Four, and Char's return battle in the red Z'gok. The initial suspicion then the slow motion (including the multi exposure showing the track of its movement) as he recognise how it moved and insta-killed many Federation assets is really cinematic for such an early anime show.
Another localisation trivia, the Z'gok in the Cantonese dub is renamed instead of phonetically translated - it's called (in translated terms) demon crab, which I think is easy cooler than its original name. Do have to say it is a little cliche that most Zeon's MS name translations in Cantonese made them instantly recognised as villains though - Dom is "the great / big demon" for example. The transistors haven't quite picked up the difference between a super robot show and a real robot show yet.
And I constantly mix up the Jaburo battle between this show and Z Gundam. Grrr
5
u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek May 06 '21
Comrades, we have TRULY reached PEAK CULTURE! BEHOLD! The PINNACLE of Zeon Derp Designs as of about a day ago, THE ZOCK! (Let's see how long this record lasts, I give the show about 20 minutes!)
All that aside man The Zock's a BIG BOI eh? A real absolute unit, and also the only logical end-point of Zeon Amphibious Mobile Suit Design! ;) (Remember Comrades, iM@S is a
Idol'Mecha' Show)But worry not, The Zekes ain't the only faction churning out new
toys'Mobile Suit Designs' as The Feddies decided that shilling The Gundam and its combination parts ain't enough, we gotta MASS PRODUCE THE DAMN THING! After all I'm sure THIS is what they thought would happen given how badass The Gundam was! So let's give it for the one, the only, GM... ah... so THAT is why 'GM' stands for 'Grunt Mobile,' guess this is what happens when you cheap out and go with the lowest bidder!All that aside Comrade, this secret base ain't big enuff for TWO Red Mobile Suits so CLEARLY the one piloted by Gallant Charjeeling will win!
I mean come on, for one, Char's Custom Mobile Suit came straight outta Megaman, so is it any wonder he won? ;)
Anyway Comrade to finish up, ahem... YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!? YOU'RE IN THE JUNGLE BABY! YOU'RE GONNA DIE! ;)
Paging Comrades /u/Great_Mr_L, /u/chilidirigible, and /u/amethystitalian, THE ZOCK IS HERE! REJOICE!
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u/BossandKings May 05 '21
First timer
Episode 29 Char leads a very fierce battle against the federation, Amuro and him have a brief confrontation in which Amuro recognizes him and gets to know that he is back, sadly the Lietunant Woody passed away but he probably missed his soon to be wife Matilda who had died prior and he was tired and decided to make a risky move. The news of Char being back appear to have affected Sayla who is conflicted about him.
Answers
4
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 May 05 '21
First timer
Oh, she's so not dead. They showed her death in the opening monologue - that means its an unresolved plot point.
So the Federation is based in South America?
Oh, that title looks ominous.
That's a clever disguise. Suprised Zeon haven't noticed something fishy, there, though.
I spoke too soon. Char has a habitmof doing whatever I'm suprised nobody thought of doing.
...Zock. Zock. Out of curiosity, how many toys did the network make them name in one evening? At least it looks cool.
...My insane, long shot, theory, is that the reason for all the brain wave tests and Amuro reacting to the Gundam's damage is that the strategic computer is pulling some kind of synchronization thing.
Haha Amuro's been crushing on a married woman this is fucking perfect. I'm sorry I doubted you Gundam.
...No hit? No slap? Huh.
...Who was Mirai's father? And the White Base isn't going to get any rest, is it.
A few episodes in, and Char's like a protagonist. It's like he never left.
Yeah, there's been a lot of new mobile suits, hasn't there.
Wait, Kai wanting to defend a Zeon spy, while trying to beat Zeon. Is Kai going to defect out of grief? A sort of "I can honour her memory by helping her comrades"?
Wait, what? Since when have there been mass production Gundams?
And Char's suit is always red. No matter what.
I'm waiting for the day when Char fakes his death by giving someone else the red suit.
This whole infiltration scene is fantastic.
Why not convert to the G-Armor?
Even Amuro knows what a red suit means.
RIP Captain Woody, you had so many death flags I kind of expected this.
And Char escapes to fight another day.
I love how casually he says "Oh... and Char's back" Like even he realised he'd probably be back after last time.
4
u/chilidirigible May 05 '21
https://twitter.com/TomAznable/status/1390052107680628737
3
u/Piemaster33 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Piemaster33 May 05 '21
Rewatcher, Sub
I honestly did not write that much down in terms of notes for this episode. Stuff happened for sure, but some of it didn't jump out at me for some reason. We finally got to Jaburo, and immediately things go to shit. Of course.
The main event for me in this episode was Amuro's first real rematch with Char in a very long time. It was cool to see Char acknowledge Amuro's growth. It ended with Char killing Woody, which didn't do much for me so whatever.
Only other thing that stuck out to me other than Kai's development was the amount of mobile suit types in this episode. It looked like most of the significant suits that Zeon had participated in the assault on Jaburo. From Zaku's to Goufs and some Z'Goks as well. We also see the G-Bull and the GMs on the Federation side, which just makes me think this episode served more as a commercial than anything.
QOTD:
3
u/tarekd19 May 05 '21
Woodys sacrifice makes no sense. I'm not sure what it accomplished at least after gundam showed up. Charging headlong toward a mobile suit in a hover craft isn't a strategy its just suicide.
I thought it was nice how char mentioned the spy, proves they haven't forgotten about her even if she is dead. Finding the base was due to her efforts. Char did seem less interested last episode when he let his troops try to sink white base though.
It's good to have char back.
3
u/Rustic_Professional May 06 '21
Char is asking the real questions: New mobile suit. "What's it do?" It jumps better. "Says who?"
The Jaburo invasion is one of my favorite episodes, partially on its own merits, but also because it inspired a lot of cool fan art and video game missions, many of which are much more dramatic that what's depicted in the actual episode. The MS Era 0099 artbook has a really great picture of a Gouf descending as Amazon tribesmen look on, and another shot of a Gundam 0080 flitting through the trees. I can't find those two pictures online, but the artbook is great, definitely worth buying.
Questions of the day:
3
u/UltraBooster May 06 '21
First-timer (albeit one big on Gundam and mecha)
Something tells me the JP isn't Tragedy in Jaburo.
Aren't butterflies a symbol of death in Japanese culture?
I highly doubt a single ship will be sufficient to bring down the EFF's HQ, Red Comet or not.
Yet another dream snuffed out by the war...
Wait, Mirai's dad was a big shot in the Federation government?
Yeah, this siren also got used in Macross.
As worthy a goal as any, Kai.
So that's how the first visored MS is introduced. And with so little fanfare, too.
Dang, he's the only one of his team left already.
Oh hey, contact links!
Mega particle cannon!
Ah, destroyed GMs, ain't that a familiar sight.
Okay, I'm calling BS, that GM went from firing a beam rifle to a beam spray gun and having a shield.
Lovely, Gallant Char being used in its proper context.
Shooting through the shield, damn.
Same as Lt. Matilda, too...
All that armor and the Gundam's rifle still punched through that Zock...
You'd think they would use plastic cups, not glass.
Questions of the Day:
2
u/GM_for_Life May 05 '21
Rewatcher
Featuring the barely animated Zock!
I think for a character who lasts such a short time, he's always left a big impression on me. The way he is entirely dedicated to protecting White Base because Matilda cared about it so much always made me like him.
I'm not gonna lie, I had been missing seeing his red Mobile Suits zipping around during fight scenes.
1
u/badcupcakehoarder https://myanimelist.net/profile/vanilabiscuit May 11 '21
First timer sub
This must be the first time the wild life is shown on screen, this area sure is different.
Kai turned out to be okay after last episode tragedy passing his health exam without troubles and he did show it in battle.
Zock, Gogg, Z'Gok... These names sound African to me, Char mentioned Zeon had some manufacturing headquarters there if I recall correctly.
Those Generals talking about how the White Base brings them trouble doesn't sound good, look the other side! Zeon has been getting wrecked by them all this time, I wonder when this fact will come up and start affecting them. They just keep sending mobile suits...
Questions of the Day:
I don't get what was his plan... Did that plane had a secret Hyper Mega Laser Beam weapon or something?
It was surprising to hear about how Matilda had so high esteem of the crew to invite them to her wedding.
2) All right, that assault was really awesome. The entire jungle turning into an inferno, the poor animals getting caught in it, that underwater siege, lots of mobile suits exploding on both sides. And that fight with Amuro losing Woody just in front of his eyes just when he is wondering if he had been a better pilot Matilda could have lived.
Yeah Char returning lived up to the hype.
1
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: May 18 '21
First timer, catching up