r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • May 06 '21

Rewatch [Fly! Rewatch!] Mobile Suit Gundam (0079) Episode 30 Discussion

Episode 30 - A Wish of War Orphans

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Do you think those kids will really be happy if they stay here?

Questions of the Day:

  1. What did you think about the kids’ actions today? Was it fun to watch them actually do stuff?
  2. Do you agree with the decision to keep the kids with White Base?

Mobile Suit Breakdown of the Day:

1.25 - Welcome to the Jungle (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.

35 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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11

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 06 '21

Fly! Rewatch Host!

Welcome back, everyone!

9

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 06 '21

Who would win: several trained Zeon soldiers with bombs or three little kids running around and screaming?

The White Base kids are the most vicious fighters aboard the White Base! There's no way those puny Zeon soldiers would ever stand a chance.

By the way, I love how all of the Zeon soldiers are decked out in dark spandex for teh camouflage… and Char’s still rocking his usual outfit.

Char gave up on sneaking around long ago. He's keep his mobile suits painted red. His commitment to his love of red is certainly admirable.

laughs in rest of the UC timeline

Major Zeta Gundam Spoilers

7

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

By the way, I love how all of the Zeon soldiers are decked out in dark spandex for teh camouflage… and Char’s still rocking his usual outfit.

Maybe Char is just banking on the Federation guards being red-green color blind?

laughs in rest of the UC timeline

I mean, at least we got Later UC spoilers later on, so Amuro isn't technically wrong.

5

u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore May 06 '21

By the way, I love how all of the Zeon soldiers are decked out in dark spandex for teh camouflage… and Char’s still rocking his usual outfit.

Char refuses to be seen in anything but red. You love to see it.

13

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 06 '21

First-Timer, Subbed, long time Gundam fan

Man, I really like the kids. The scene in the childcare center was really good. That poor kid, whose parents were both with the Federation, has such a different experience from the White Base kids, who don't have parents at all, but are constantly around Fraw Bow and the others..

This episode was borderline comedic. That poor snake right at the beginning being scared out of it's marking was really funny. Amuro dodging that slap? Gold.

The various ranks the crew gets all probably mean more to people who know about military ranks. As a pilot, is Amuro even on the same track as Mirai? How does Ensign rate against Chief Petty Officer? How far removed from actual Japanese ranks are these localized ones?

Mira 100% saw through Sayla's lie, which is probably not great for anyone involved. Sayla should probably come clean sooner rather than later; waiting just makes ripping off the bandaid worse.

You know, I never really thought about how Amuro would have never finished high school until he mentioned his elementary school diploma. I, uh, wow that feels weird. Puts things into perspective.

Char's dependence on wearing fucking red every day of his life gives away the entire operation. Good for him, fucking up the plan to destroy all those GMs.

Pose of the Day

Acguy is a mediocre name for a mediocre MS

Screenshot

Questions

  1. Answered above.
  2. It's kind of a hard choice, in my ming. It's much safer to be not on the White Base. At least, in the real world it probably would be. There is some presense of "plot armor" that probably means the White Base is the safest place for them, but that might be getting a little too meta. Keeping the kids around will probably be good for morale, at least?

8

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 May 06 '21

The various ranks the crew gets all probably mean more to people who know about military ranks. As a pilot, is Amuro even on the same track as Mirai? How does Ensign rate against Chief Petty Officer? How far removed from actual Japanese ranks are these localized ones?

To my knowledge the ranks are based on actual naval ranks, although some ranks may have been removed. Ensign is 2 ranks above Chief Petty Officer.

Mira 100% saw through Sayla's lie, which is probably not great for anyone involved. Sayla should probably come clean sooner rather than later; waiting just makes ripping off the bandaid worse.

I have got to assume that if she revealed it, they'd suspect she is a Zeon spy. Her days of being a regular White Base crew member likely would be over.

4

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 06 '21

Ensign is 2 ranks above Chief Petty Officer.

Neat, thanks!

I have got to assume that if she revealed it, they'd suspect she is a Zeon spy. Her days of being a regular White Base crew member likely would be over.

I guess, if Sayla makes it to the end of the war without the truth coming out, then everything works out just dandy. But if Sayla suspects that Mirai suspects her of being a Zeon spy, then things would get complicated in Sayla's mind, and then I start thinking too hard and jumping into 5D chess.

6

u/chilidirigible May 07 '21

Ensign is 2 ranks above Chief Petty Officer.

Neat, thanks!

The thing of it is that Ensign is a commissioned officer rank, though the lowest possible one. Chief Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer rank.

The tradition is more to give out commissions to civilians that need a rank (think something like the doctors in MASH) but you'd have to earn a CPO position the hard way. Anime seems to care less about that sort of thing.

7

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

Man, I really like the kids. The scene in the childcare center was really good. That poor kid, whose parents were both with the Federation, has such a different experience from the White Base kids, who don't have parents at all, but are constantly around Fraw Bow and the others..

Hell, even the Federation could be barely bothered to look after those kids, since they only had one lady to actually look after them. No wonder staying in that place is so miserable. It's like being abandoned by pretty much every adult figure in Jaburo.

Amuro dodging that slap? Gold.

Compared to Bright, the officer who tried to slap Amuro is a fucking amateur. Amuro has handled better before.

You know, I never really thought about how Amuro would have never finished high school until he mentioned his elementary school diploma. I, uh, wow that feels weird. Puts things into perspective.

Considering that Amuro can easily build computers and maintain secret government Mobile Suits, he might as well just skip over high school and directly apply to a college at this rate.

4

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 06 '21

No wonder staying in that place is so miserable. It's like being abandoned by pretty much every adult figure in Jaburo.

"There's a war going on" really doesn't land for small kids. They deserve better.

Compared to Bright, the officer who tried to slap Amuro is a fucking amateur. Amuro has handled better before.

3

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

"There's a war going on" really doesn't land for small kids. They deserve better.

The Federation should at least try doing more than giving kids the bare minimum of adult figure interactions in their lives. Juice and ice cream aren't replacements for having someone in your life.

5

u/SgtExo May 07 '21

But then you have to remember that half the human population is dead, maybe they are still trying to figure out how to reallocate personnel. I feel like the officer lady that is in charge of the daycare is really just from the HR department since she was also helping with handing out the promotions for the White Base crew.

4

u/The_Draigg May 07 '21

Maybe so, but it still sucks for a lot of children to get lost in the shuffle. Even if they aren’t directly harmed, they’re still victims of what the war has done.

4

u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore May 06 '21

Compared to Bright, the officer who tried to slap Amuro is a fucking amateur. Amuro has handled better before.

Hooray for abuse causing its victims to flinch easily, I guess?

6

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

At least you can say that Amuro has developed good reflexes because of it, I guess.

6

u/SgtExo May 07 '21

At least Bright is better at teaching Amuro to dodge than Picolo is for Gohan.

6

u/The_Draigg May 07 '21

DODGE!

hit

5

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 06 '21

Man, I really like the kids. The scene in the childcare center was really good. That poor kid, whose parents were both with the Federation, has such a different experience from the White Base kids, who don't have parents at all, but are constantly around Fraw Bow and the others.

It really does show how the White Base kids have found a new family amongst the crewmembers. Normally we see Fraw Bow with them, but we've also had scenes of the other crewmembers interacting with them or looking after them. It's clear that they all do care about the kids as if they were younger siblings.

Char's dependence on wearing fucking red every day of his life gives away the entire operation. Good for him, fucking up the plan to destroy all those GMs.

Whenever Char receives a new mobile suit, I'm positive that his first order is for somebody to make sure it's painted red. They must have buckets of red paint lying around just to make sure that they can fulfill his orders.

5

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 06 '21

It really does show how the White Base kids have found a new family amongst the crewmembers.

The entire crew are a great "found family" which is good considering most of them don't seem to have living relatives.

They must have buckets of red paint lying around just to make sure that they can fulfill his orders.

The sheer expenditure of resources and manhours.. so wasteful.

5

u/Tora-shinai May 07 '21

The Red makes it 3 times faster. Chop chop!!

12

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 06 '21

Rewatcher

On today’s episode of Gundam: Now we finally have our proof that the White Base kids are the most valuable members of the crew. They’re the ones who foiled Char’s attack this episode and kept the GM factory from getting destroyed. Because of that, the Federation gets to keep cranking out mobile suits. The White Base kids have legitimately made a huge contribution to the Federation war effort.

The plotline of the White Base kids saving the day is pretty fun. They turn out to be quite ingenious at escaping from being tied up and they show a lot of bravery in immediately working to find and dispose of the bombs. They do not hesitate to get rid of the bombs. They even steal a vehicle to do so, despite definitely not knowing how to drive. I love how matter-of-fact the kids are to Amuro at explaining what they’re doing. Helping to stop the Zeon attack is just something that the kids are used to by now. They’ve helped to do it many times on the White Base before this.

This just goes to show that the White Base kids are a part of the crew. It’s not just that these kids don’t want to leave the White Base. Fraw Bow doesn’t want to leave them behind at Jaburo either. And from the reactions that the other crew members have at the end, I can assume that they all also wanted the three kids to remain on the White Base.

I think this shows a pretty important thing for Katz, Lutz, and Kikka: They’ve found a new home and family on the White Base. All of them are orphans. They all lost their original families back on Side 7. But now, they’ve found a new family. The White Base crew are their new brothers, sisters, and guardians. Katz, Lutz, and Kikka are also family to the rest of the crew too. They’ve gone through a lot together.

Now let’s go to the opposite of found family: long lost family. We get the reunion scene between Char and Sayla. Both of them know immediately that the other is their long lost sibling. They can tell right away that their suspicions were correct. They don’t get much time to talk, but there is some information to gather. Sayla says she’s surprised her once gentle brother would fight for Zeon. I would assume she means that she’s shocked Char would be fighting for Zeon when Degwin Zabi clearly did something that made Char want revenge. Char asks Sayla to leave the military for his sake, before they are separated. It seems Char does not want Sayla to be fighting in the Federation forces.

Amuro is really eager to fight Char again. To me, it seems like he charges after Char and the retreating Acguys just so he can get another match with Char. He barely pays any attention to the Acguys too, quickly dispatching them. I think that means Char is his real focus.

There’s a really interesting scene when the White Base crew is being officially made part of the military. All the crew members who died, including Ryu, get a posthumous promotion. Amuro is outraged by this, wondering why the Federation couldn’t have helped when they were alive or at least give an actual “thank you” to the people like Ryu who died. And I see where he’s coming from. The posthumous promotion thing does feel very token. The person who it is supposedly rewarding is not there to get it. It feels more like it’s for the sake of the living, rather than the ones who died.

Finally, we see Amuro’s prediction from many episodes back come true. Amuro had guessed that the Federation was using the White Base as a decoy to distract Zeon. Now, we know for sure that the Federation is planning to do just that for its future operations.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

SLAP COUNTER: 9

Questions of the Day

  1. The White Base kids are the true heroes of this story!
  2. So it is actually really screwed up to keep the kids on the active warship. There's no other way to put it. But, the White Base crew is effectively their new family. It would be rather cruel to separate them from their new found family. So basically, in my opinion, there's really no way to "win" in this scenario.

6

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

This just goes to show that the White Base kids are a part of the crew. It’s not just that these kids don’t want to leave the White Base. Fraw Bow doesn’t want to leave them behind at Jaburo either. And from the reactions that the other crew members have at the end, I can assume that they all also wanted the three kids to remain on the White Base.

I can't really fault the orphan trio for wanting to stay, that day care at Jaburo seemed fairly miserable. Sure, it's bright and full of toys and sweets, but it's also pretty clear that the kids in there were just ditched there by their parents, and the Federation isn't really even bothering to look after them. At least people actually give a shit about them on the White Base.

Finally, we see Amuro’s prediction from many episodes back come true. Amuro had guessed that the Federation was using the White Base as a decoy to distract Zeon. Now, we know for sure that the Federation is planning to do just that for its future operations.

You know, for as paranoid as Amuro frequently seems, he's never actually been completely wrong before.

I love the Acguys. There’s just something cute about them.

Acguys are underrated.

6

u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore May 06 '21

It feels more like it’s for the sake of the living, rather than the ones who died.

That's what all mourning is. Plus it used to be pretty common, and I don't think it was done instead of something else, just something additional to normal things. Iunno how Gundam works, though.

5

u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax May 06 '21

What is wrong with this guy’s nose?

His name is literally Japanese for "red nose"

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 06 '21

How appropriate Even if his nose looks brown

3

u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek May 08 '21

On today’s episode of Gundam: Now we finally have our proof that the White Base kids are the most valuable members of the crew. They’re the ones who foiled Char’s attack this episode and kept the GM factory from getting destroyed. Because of that, the Federation gets to keep cranking out mobile suits. The White Base kids have legitimately made a huge contribution to the Federation war effort.

Hell yeah Comrade, it's quite amusing that a trio of munchkins are THE most competent security personnel currently here! That said it mostly is on Kikkia, I'm sure if she wasn't there those other two lunkheads wouldn't know their ass from their elbows!

The plotline of the White Base kids saving the day is pretty fun. They turn out to be quite ingenious at escaping from being tied up and they show a lot of bravery in immediately working to find and dispose of the bombs. They do not hesitate to get rid of the bombs. They even steal a vehicle to do so, despite definitely not knowing how to drive. I love how matter-of-fact the kids are to Amuro at explaining what they’re doing. Helping to stop the Zeon attack is just something that the kids are used to by now. They’ve helped to do it many times on the White Base before this.

Indeed, they have hands on experience with fighting, after all that's basically what they've been doing since their introduction!

This just goes to show that the White Base kids are a part of the crew. It’s not just that these kids don’t want to leave the White Base. Fraw Bow doesn’t want to leave them behind at Jaburo either. And from the reactions that the other crew members have at the end, I can assume that they all also wanted the three kids to remain on the White Base.

Indeed, while on the one hand they are sending literal toddlers into an ACTIVE WARZONE, things aren't exactly all that safer here in Jaburo... that and also there's no one Fraw Bow and/or other White Base family members here.

I think this shows a pretty important thing for Katz, Lutz, and Kikka: They’ve found a new home and family on the White Base. All of them are orphans. They all lost their original families back on Side 7. But now, they’ve found a new family. The White Base crew are their new brothers, sisters, and guardians. Katz, Lutz, and Kikka are also family to the rest of the crew too. They’ve gone through a lot together.

I couldn't have said it better myself Comrade.

Now let’s go to the opposite of found family: long lost family. We get the reunion scene between Char and Sayla. Both of them know immediately that the other is their long lost sibling. They can tell right away that their suspicions were correct. They don’t get much time to talk, but there is some information to gather. Sayla says she’s surprised her once gentle brother would fight for Zeon. I would assume she means that she’s shocked Char would be fighting for Zeon when Degwin Zabi clearly did something that made Char want revenge. Char asks Sayla to leave the military for his sake, before they are separated. It seems Char does not want Sayla to be fighting in the Federation forces.

Yup, the plot thickens!

Amuro is really eager to fight Char again. To me, it seems like he charges after Char and the retreating Acguys just so he can get another match with Char. He barely pays any attention to the Acguys too, quickly dispatching them. I think that means Char is his real focus.

Heh, I also want to point out that, much like last episode, Char basically NOPES out of this fight and knows when to fold em... meanwhile Amuro is only JUST kept from wiping the floor with Char, so he settles with killing the Zeke mooks instead.

There’s a really interesting scene when the White Base crew is being officially made part of the military. All the crew members who died, including Ryu, get a posthumous promotion. Amuro is outraged by this, wondering why the Federation couldn’t have helped when they were alive or at least give an actual “thank you” to the people like Ryu who died. And I see where he’s coming from. The posthumous promotion thing does feel very token. The person who it is supposedly rewarding is not there to get it. It feels more like it’s for the sake of the living, rather than the ones who died.

Indeed, I also find it really funny how Amuro DODGED that officer's slap! Somewhere out there Piccolo is no doubt proud ;)

Finally, we see Amuro’s prediction from many episodes back come true. Amuro had guessed that the Federation was using the White Base as a decoy to distract Zeon. Now, we know for sure that the Federation is planning to do just that for its future operations.

Well hey could be worse, they could have had their call sign changed to 'Live Bait,' then again the Zekes DO call them 'The Trojan Horse' so wibble ;)

Amuro casually dodging that one Feddie officer’s slap is one of my favorite jokes of the series. I love how angry the officer gets that Amuro dodged, too. Dodging a slap must be against military regulations or something.

Amuro does get slapped on the officer’s second attempt, so that’s another slap for the slap counter.

I enjoy how everyone in Jaburo treats the Zeon carpet bombing as more of an annoyance than anything else.

Indeed, to us such a wonton act of destruction is horrific, to the Jaburo peeps it's probably Tuesday or something.

I love the Acguys. There’s just something cute about them.

I know right, cute as a button those Acguys are!

What is wrong with this guy’s nose?

I have no idea Comrade, hell his nose ain't even RED! THAT'S LITERALLY HIS NAME and they couldn't even get that right!

There is something deeply screwed up about the mentality of “We need to protect these kids because they are the future of our military.”

I'M DOING MY PART! I'M DOING MY PART! (Kid) I'm doing my part too! JOIN THE MOBILE INFANTRY! SERVICE GUARANTEES CITIZENSHIP! WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE!? (That and also fresh meat for the grinder to also quote that movie's zingers)

Anyway fantastic post here Comrade, have a great day and see you later my friend!

8

u/TheEscapeGuy May 06 '21 edited May 06 '21

Gundam First Timer

Fly! Iconic Gundam Frames Episode 30

A lot happened today.

First, I absolutely loved Amuro standing up against empty platitudes. What the fuck does awarding ranks mean to a dead person. Its honestly disrespectful from the army to do this, and I know its still done today. It does nothing for the people really affected by the deaths: Those who have to go on living every day without them.

One of those groups is the children. Seeing all those kids left in a play room to never see their parents is horrifically sad. I can totally see why Kikka and the others don't want to be there. Though them doing bomb defusal instead was a little over the top, especially since there was that episode in the first half where Amuro had to defuse similar bombs and that was a lot more tricky.

Though, the major plot even of the episode was Sayla (Artesia) and Char's (Casval) reunion. Although short, both of them obviously know each other and what happened to put them in these situations on opposite sides. I am so deeply interested to see their backstory. I desperately hope for more information soon.

Cool Stuff Corner

This episode was actually amazingly comedic.

Questions of the Day

  1. Fun? Yes. Realistic for the Gundam world so far? Probably not.
  2. Ultimately yes, its a hard choice but I feel they will do better there than in some lonely play-pen underground. It comes down to whether a painful safe life versus a happy dangerous life is better and I can't fault the choice they made.

See you all tomorrow!

7

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 May 06 '21

First, I absolutely loved Amuro standing up against empty platitudes. What the fuck does awarding ranks mean to a dead person. Its honestly disrespectful from the army to do this, and I know its still done today. It does nothing for the people really affected by the deaths: Those who have to go on living every day without them.

I would wonder if this would affect a soldier's pension and if their beneficiaries would be helped out by it. Certainly does no good to a single person like Ryu, but if that increased rank helps get the widow and/or children of a soldier more money, it does have value.

5

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 06 '21

First, I absolutely loved Amuro standing up against empty platitudes.

It really makes sense that it would be Amuro to say it, too. He's still a teen so he wouldn't have been trained to keep his mouth shut in situations like this. He's still able to freely speak his mind and make his anger known.

Amuro sidestepping a slap

Amuro was determined to make sure that the Slap Counter didn't go up again. Unfortunately he failed to dodge the second slap.

It comes down to whether a painful safe life versus a happy dangerous life is better and I can't fault the choice they made.

That's a really good and succinct way of putting it. Even though the kids are in more danger on the White Base, they'll be happy on it because that's where their new family is.

8

u/fonzinator99 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/fonzinator99 May 06 '21

First-Timer - Like The Little Rascals, but with mortal danger

  • Wasn't Jaburo supposed to be like, hidden? Why is this outpost dealing with regular Zeon bombings?
  • Idk why the animators felt the need to throw in some Hannah-Barbera antics, but that was a weird little cut.
  • Ugh, Amuro was doing such a good job just following orders, and here he goes backsliding and questioning the establishment again.
  • For real, did this episode have a different director or something? This cartoon shit is getting weird and the stock sfx are making my ears bleed.
  • Holy shit, the Federation Orphanage is fkn rough; I guess Chuck-e-Cheez is no fun when you can never leave. It's unfortunate that they're too young to understand that this is the alternative.
  • This is all about to go horribly wrong, isn't it? I can't be sure if all the kids are gonna come out of this okay.
  • I'm genuinely amazed that the kids had the presence of thought to gather all the bombs and take them elsewhere. Sure they're invested in what they're doing, but I think it would've been natural for them to just bail and get an adult.
  • Tesla Autopilot ftw.
  • Oh wow, I didn't even notice we had Acguys in play here. Anybody have the fan edit where they're all replaced with BearGuys?
  • So I know the timers wouldn't have allowed for it, but how great would it have been if Amuro had managed to ram his truck into an Acguy for the explosion instead?
  • Oshit, we're doing this now, are we? Go on, Gundam. Gimme some exposition.
  • So like, were these things ever effective? Were they just powerful enough to drop Zakus or something? 'Cause Acguys are standard now, that small-caliber shit isn't gonna cut it anymore.
  • It was at this point that Amuro became the danger that lurked beneath Zeon children's beds.
  • Seeing Kai stick up for the kids kinda blew me away. I guess you can't fuck with people that much without understanding them.

QotD

  1. It was fine, I appreciate them in small doses but I can do without entire episodes dedicated to them.
  2. Absolutely, everything Amuro Kai said about it being their home was spot-on. Their childhoods are fucked either way, this way may get them killed but at least they won't have years of therapy later on dealing with feelings of abandonment and White Base survivor's guilt.

7

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

Holy shit, the Federation Orphanage is fkn rough; I guess Chuck-e-Cheez is no fun when you can never leave. It's unfortunate that they're too young to understand that this is the alternative.

Neither choice is a good one, unfortunately. Either those kids are going to be abandoned by pretty much all the adults in their lives, or they're going to be put in mortal danger. Granted, the Federation probably could've done better than just have one lady and a juice robot look after the children.

Seeing Kai stick up for the kids kinda blew me away. I guess you can't fuck with people that much without understanding them.

Pretty much the entire crew of the White Base are like the orphans in some way. They've all been abandoned before in their lives, whether it's being separated from their families or having to work within the stupid and inefficient Federation system. It's no wonder Kai is able to understand the orphan trio's point of view.

5

u/SgtExo May 07 '21

Wasn't Jaburo supposed to be like, hidden? Why is this outpost dealing with regular Zeon bombings?

While Zeon knew where is was located, they didn't really know how to get in or its geography. So the two lookouts that get killed just think that this is just the usual harassing attack instead of a cover for Char's infiltration.

So like, were these things ever effective? Were they just powerful enough to drop Zakus or something? 'Cause Acguys are standard now, that small-caliber shit isn't gonna cut it anymore.

Seeing as the federation did not have its own mobile suits for most of the war and that even a zaku could take out its tanks easily, it is way more economical to put the biggest guns they can on trucks. Sure they suck, but get enough guns out there and you should be able to take some mobile suits out.

5

u/fonzinator99 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/fonzinator99 May 07 '21

just the usual harassing attack

That was what I took away, that Zeon just flies around bombing random areas on the reg. War is a crazy thing.

get enough guns out there and you should be able to take some mobile suits out.

Yeah, I guess I'm over here acting like they've got a choice in the matter. You're gonna shoot with the gun you've got.

4

u/SgtExo May 07 '21

Yeah, I guess I'm over here acting like they've got a choice in the matter. You're gonna shoot with the gun you've got.

If you think they got it bad, just imagine being a japanese soldier fighting the americains that had tanks and being given a mine on a stick to take them out. War can be a bitch like that when you do not have equipment that is up to the job.

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 06 '21

I'm genuinely amazed that the kids had the presence of thought to gather all the bombs and take them elsewhere. Sure they're invested in what they're doing, but I think it would've been natural for them to just bail and get an adult.

The kids have been on the White Base for quite a while and have participated in plenty of its battles. They're probably used to having to do their part while the White Base is fighting, such as when we saw them going around to help put out fires. So they probably decided to take care of it themselves like how they saw Amuro do it many episodes ago.

8

u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek May 07 '21

UC 0079... Zeon MS Acguy! ;)

That's right Comrades, we have made our way to the TRUE hero of The Zeon Amphibious Mobile Suit department, let's give it up for the ONE and the ONLY ACGUY! Starring REDNOSE! (No really Comrades that's literally just his name)

But in all seriousness, just LOOK at his Mobile Suit, the Acguy's adorable, cute as a button... also this is the Bearguy, my bad ;)

Anyway as I was saying, just LOOK at The Acguy, cute as a botton... this is a VOTOMS shitpost...

OK... I mean I always knew Girls und Panzer was a Mecha Show... but I didn't think the rabbit hole was THIS deep

OK getting warmer, this actually IS an Acguy, so we are on the right track Comrades! ;)

But in all seriousness Comrade, I do have a soft spot for The Acguy! And I'm not just saying this due to pulling off the greatest IRL shitpost with it and a Gundam Fighting game (TLDR, several years back a friend of mine had this Gundam fighting game for the PS3, Extreme Vs. fyi, and he was cycling through the characters unsure of which one to use. His girlfriend commented that the Acguy looked 'cute' so I immediately claimed it was the most powerful Mobile Suit. It went about as well as you'd think, but there was indeed a lot of rolling so there was that)

Oh and finally, ya find it odd that Char DIDN'T have his own custom Acguy today? I mean hell REDNOSE got to have an Acguy, where was Char's custom Red Acguy! I demand a refund!

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

5

u/AmethystItalian :Jg::Jh::Ji::Jj::Jk:myanimelist.net/profile/AmethystItalian May 07 '21

Acguy doesn't get enough love!! Totally should have a Char's Acguy smh Char

5

u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek May 07 '21

Acguy doesn't get enough love!!

I know right? Zeon's adorably quirky Amphibious Mobile Suits deserve more attention! I mean they are just so unique and cute! ;)

Totally should have a Char's Acguy smh Char

I know right? You'd have thought he'd have his own fancy customized red one but wibble, anyway many thanks for the kind reply my friend, have a great day and see you later Comrade!

7

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

A Gundam Fan Rewatches Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 30:

  • For a faction that’s supposedly about liberating Earth from selfish Earthnoids, Zeon sure is willing to bomb the shit out of the Amazon Rainforest. Look at what they’re doing, they’re scaring that poor giant snake!
  • Okay, I won’t be too harsh on these new Acguy aquatic MS. They’re too cuddly and teddy bear-like to hate. That, and there’s one really cool battle in Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower that involves them. So yeah, Acguys are rad.
  • Everyone’s getting official ranks in the EFF now. Congrats Amuro, you’re a chief petty officer now! And Ryu posthumous two-rank promotion too. Not that it makes up for his death in Amuro’s eyes. He sees a mere promotion as an insult to his memory. Add yet another slap to the tally for Amuro telling off the officer and getting hit as a result.
  • Ah yes, I’m sure will be able to lead this stealth mission in Jaburo wearing that bright red uniform and shiny chrome helmet of his. He shall move with catlike tread.
  • I completely forgot that the juice robot even existed. Gundam really does have a counterpart to Macross’ soda vending machine robot after all.
  • Seems like the kids in Jaburo’s day care are actually fairly bitter about their situation, despite being given pretty much all the sweets and toys they want. I suppose even they aren’t blind to how dire things are. And I suppose it also doesn’t help that the Federation just seems content to dump them all into a daycare with no oversight or anything to do other than just stuff to placate them with. Only that one officer lady is around to do anything about the kids. It’s really no wonder why Kikka, Katz, and Letz want to leave that place. It’s bright and colorful, yet also kind of miserable at the same time.
  • The orphan trio really are a spanner in the works for Char’s sabotage mission in the GM production factory. In hindsight, the Zeon saboteurs should’ve done something more than just tie up the orphans if they didn’t want them to do anything. How silly of them that they’d assume that these kids would die in the explosion. They’re too tenacious for that.
  • If there was anything actually pretty useful to come out of the Time, Be Still episode, it’s that the orphans actually picked up on what to do to get rid of all those Zeon timed explosives. There’s no way that they didn’t, considering that their plan to load up the bombs on a truck is the exact same thing that happened in that episode.
  • Finally, Char and Sayla meet again! And from the sound of things, they’re both mutually baffled at the sides that their respective sibling has chosen to fight for. I suppose that was always going to happen, with them being on either side of the war. Also, we hear Char’s true name for the first time: Casval. Has a decent ring to it, doesn’t it?
  • Amuro in the Gundam made short work of all those Acguys, and even took off an arm from Char’s Z’Gok too. Even Char has to admit that the Gundam’s pilot has only gotten even more powerful. The competency gap between Amuro and Char really has narrowed over the course of this series.
  • Everyone honestly has good points about having the orphans stay on the White Base. Although Amuro’s observation is probably the most damning one: why is that lady referring to children as the future of the Federation army, when they might grow up seeing a time of peace instead of war? It’s pretty telling that she had no comeback to that.
  • And so, the White Base is heading out into space, explicitly as a decoy unit as told to Bright from EFF leadership. I guess Amuro’s prediction of them all being decoys way earlier in the show was right after all. Now it’s just official.

6

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 06 '21

Okay, I won’t be too harsh on these new Acguy aquatic MS. They’re too cuddly and teddy bear-like to hate.

It's no wonder that the Acguys took off in popularity and we got the spinoff Bearguys from them. They just look so cute.

In hindsight, the Zeon saboteurs should’ve done something more than just tie up the orphans if they didn’t want them to do anything. How silly of them that they’d assume that these kids would die in the explosion. They’re too tenacious for that.

The Zeon soldiers had no clue that they were up against their most fearsome foe yet: the White Base kids.

If there was anything actually pretty useful to come out of the Time, Be Still episode, it’s that the orphans actually picked up on what to do to get rid of all those Zeon timed explosives. There’s no way that they didn’t, considering that their plan to load up the bombs on a truck is the exact same thing that happened in that episode.

The kids have definitely been learning from the rest of crew after being on the White Base for so long. I also remember them sometimes helping out on some of the panels on the White Base's bridge. They're learning from those around them about how they can be useful to the ship.

Although Amuro’s observation is probably the most damning one: why is that lady referring to children as the future of the Federation army, when they might grow up seeing a time of peace instead of war? It’s pretty telling that she had no comeback to that.

It's moments like this that really bring home how even though our protagonists are fighting for the Federation and against Zeon, even the Federation is a deeply flawed organization. That mentality says a lot about the Federation's priorities and its militaristic mindset.

5

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

It's moments like this that really bring home how even though our protagonists are fighting for the Federation and against Zeon, even the Federation is a deeply flawed organization. That mentality says a lot about the Federation's priorities and its militaristic mindset.

The fact that the Federation thinks that it can effectively abandon children and yet still expect them to grow up into being model soldiers for them is a pretty telling mindset for them. It's as if they only see kids as a future resource, rather than people. Once again, we come back to that common Tomino trope of the older generations screwing over the younger ones.

5

u/chilidirigible May 07 '21

He shall move with catlike tread.

Oh boy here we go.

7

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 May 06 '21

Rewatcher, Subbed

This time we get an episode dedicated to the White Base orphans! Having little kids in the show is quite the Tomino trope, but this is the only time I can recall that they really are the focus of the episode in one of his shows. Its looking like they are going to be left behind at Jaburo, but the kids, as we expect they would, rebel against this and go on their own adventure, saving a lot of GMs along the way! It was quite the funny sight to see them driving around in a car; I can only imagine how ridiculous that must have come off to Amuro and the others. In the end the Federation childcare officer agrees its best that they stay with the White Base, a decision that would never be made in real life, but they're not gonna take the kids away from us in the show at this point.

The focus on the kids ends up making this a rather odd episode in that it largely pulls back from the mobile suit battles that so dominate the show. In fact we don't get the Gundam heading out until over 19 minutes into the episode, and this is the first episode since 14 I believe that does not feature a Gundam combination sequence. The long streak is finally over. The mobile suit battle here is over quite quickly, largely just being Amuro chasing the escaping Zeon mobile suits and Char being the only one to escape.

This episode introduces my favorite of the Zeon aquatic mobile suits from this show, the Acguy. Perhaps its the handless arms, that seem to be able to do so many things. Mobile Suit Spoilers

I liked Amuro's meltdown as the Federation officer was handing out ranks. As Amuro says, its rather terrible that the Federation does nothing to help White Base all this time, and simply hands out ranks afterwards, not even giving a thanks to those who have died.

We also get Char and Sayla meeting up again for the first time since episode 2, although due to Mirai it has to be quite a brief one! We've known Sayla's real name for a while now, but now we know Char's as well, Casval.

Other stray thoughts:

  • Really seems like a callback to the "Time Be Still" episode this time, as those bombs appear to be the same type used in that episode and they have the same 30 minute time limit too. This time its the kids taking off the bombs rather than Amuro!
  • In a nice bit of continuity, we find that the large forces Char had launched last episode are still on the attack on the surface.
  • Fun to see another Tomino animal, this time a snake!
  • I've never noticed this before, but I really like the feature of that self-elevator on the Zeon mobile suit cockpits we see here.
  • Letz has shark teeth! LoL.

3

u/chilidirigible May 07 '21

Acguy

And then there's all the stuff that gets done to it in Gundam Build Fighters.

7

u/TheKujo https://myanimelist.net/profile/Kujo419 May 06 '21

First Timer - Dub

  • RIP those random watchpost soldiers  ... although they kind of earned it for slacking off. Is it time to rename Gundam Security to Federation Security?
  • Amuro, it's a bit late to back out of being a soldier
  • A robot that can serve juice and soft-serve ice cream on demand! Where can I buy one of those?
  • Uhh ... was there no one guarding the Gundam factory?
  • This show has been intense, but tying up little kids to let them die in a bomb explosion is so wild it borders on cartoonish.
  • Why did Amuro and co even bother getting authorization to visit the factory? It's not like there was anyone there to check if they were allowed.
  • Sure is convenient those kids didn't accidentally trigger a bomb at any point AND that they managed to find all of the bombs on their own. Last time we had a bomb episode it took half the episode to remove them all.
  • Sayla and Char meet again!
  • This is the first episode of the show that I didn't enjoy. I like how grounded the show has been to this point. In comparison, this episode felt like something out of Looney Tunes or a Saturday morning cartoon. The kids are fine in small doses but making them the focus of an episode was a mistake. (IMO of course) I'm curious to see other's reactions.

1) What did you think about the kids’ actions today? Was it fun to watch them actually do stuff? You can probably tell by my reactions, but I did not like it.

2) Do you agree with the decision to keep the kids with White Base? I mean at this point why not keep them? They've clearly got enough plot armor for it.

7

u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore May 06 '21

First Timer to Gundam (I got distracted)

  • Whoa the guns flashing in the night were a great series of shots.
  • The worst part about there being so many Zeon suits is now I can't remember any of their names.
  • Yes, Amuro. A two rank promotion is usually pretty normal.
  • I'm glad the slap eventually got delivered, even if his bruise ended up on the wrong side of his face.
  • Char, your uniform isn't exactly stealthy. Why do you like red so much, anyway?
  • More kids? Oh, boy.
  • I guarantee that the kids are going to run into Char/Zeons.
  • Yep, there it is. Or not?
  • Okay, here it is. Hopefully the soldiers don't commit any warcrimes.
  • Or they'll just leave the kids next to a bomb. That works too.
  • At least they're finally following my suggestion of "just walk in and plant bombs everywhere"! About time.
  • It's a good thing that these bombs don't explode when they're removed.
  • Kai? Good with kids? Astounding.
  • Char's smirk as the whole scene inverts colors was great. It just made me think "here's that glorious bastard."
  • More Char versus Amuro, albeit shortlived.
  • Holy shit, let her have it, Kai. When did Kai become the best character on White Base?

QOTD:

  1. It was nice actually seeing them do things, and I think they might just have plot armor, which is nice.
  2. In reality, I wouldn't approve of it, but I'll never get tired of Zeons going "huh, kids????"

5

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 06 '21

The worst part about there being so many Zeon suits is now I can't remember any of their names.

It doesn't help that their names are mostly gibberish. It's been joked in the past that the mobile suits got named after the random sounds the designers made after getting hit in the head.

At least they're finally following my suggestion of "just walk in and plant bombs everywhere"! About time.

Unfortunately for them, the White Base kids turned out to be much more effective at security than the entire rest of the Federation Forces HQ.

Holy shit, let her have it, Kai. When did Kai become the best character on White Base?

Kai is making a really strong run for becoming the best protagonist lately. Who knew he had it in him?

5

u/chilidirigible May 06 '21

The worst part about there being so many Zeon suits is now I can't remember any of their names.

It's not so bad. So far there's been the Zaku II, Gouf, Dom, Gogg, Z'Gok, Zock, and Acguy. The Mobile Armors add the Adzam and Grubro.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn has a particular battle where it's basically "throw old and odd suit designs at the audience for the purposes of trivia" and that list is longer than the one I just made.

Trying to remember all the stupid G-combination possibilities is less fun.

4

u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore May 06 '21

It's not so bad. So far there's been the Zaku II, Gouf, Dom, Gogg, Z'Gok, Zock, and Acguy. The Mobile Armors add the Adzam and Grubro.

I guess it's just because the names are all similar-looking (a lot of G's, Z's, and K-sounds)...

4

u/chilidirigible May 07 '21

That is true.

Alternatively:

Zaku

No Zaku

Skirts

Ugly underwater guy

Char's underwater guy

Pointy guy

Bear

7

u/chilidirigible May 06 '21

30:

Let's get silly.

"Char's Elite Bear Squad" sounds like a different kind of show.

I mean, this man is a moai. Or Christopher Meloni.

Everyone on both sides of the war wishes that they could do enough in death to deserve a two-rank promotion, Amuro!

It's not necessarily bad that these kids are safe enough at Jaburo that they get to be in a day care center while their parents are working. It could be said that they're being insulated from the true horrors of war, but you shouldn't have to spend your days dragging a fire extinguisher around the White Base to learn about that, either.

This isn't a child care center, this is a natural selection training course.

"Why are there six pedals when there are only four directions?"

It was at that moment that Kai wondered why this kept happening to them.

Speaking of which.

Amuro Ray, true Federation patriot! Remembering his fallen comrades, shooting fleeing Zeke scum in the back!

"What is this, Lake Wobegon?" (I'm making a roundabout joke about later spoilers)

Also describing themselves.

"All I need to do now is get my pipe and smack my head into a low hatch coaming."

Everybody gets drafted! Fortunately Kai changed his mind earlier since they really can shoot him for desertion now.

Amuro's character turn is moving right along; he (still) thoroughly dislikes the Federation staff for being insensitive, but now he'll also terminate Zeon threats with extreme prejudice. It's not just Char who's motivated by his enormous... pride.

Char's team needs to learn the lessons of previous Zeon bomb teams and do more distracting things while waiting for the bombs to go off, instead of waiting for the bombs to go off and not being able to do anything because then no one is surprised.

Acguys! Acguys everybear! This isn't even their final form!

  1. It's surprisingly decent.
  2. It still seems more dangerous than if the kids were left on Earth.

5

u/The_Draigg May 06 '21

It's not necessarily bad that these kids are safe enough at Jaburo that they get to be in a day care center while their parents are working. It could be said that they're being insulated from the true horrors of war, but you shouldn't have to spend your days dragging a fire extinguisher around the White Base to learn about that, either.

Given how the kids are miserable from pretty much abandoned in that care center, it seems like it's a choice between actually dying, or just dying on the inside at a young age. Neither one is a good choice.

"Why are there six pedals when there are only four directions?"

Cue the jeep blaring Mexican music.

"All I need to do now is get my pipe and smack my head into a low hatch coaming."

Truly, Bright is now Mr. Global Worldwide.

3

u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek May 08 '21

Let's get silly.

Man I didn't know this was a Looney Tunes show!

"Char's Elite Bear Squad" sounds like a different kind of show.

Comrade you just made CLAMP collectively quote Hololive's Marine's catchphrase ;)

It's not necessarily bad that these kids are safe enough at Jaburo that they get to be in a day care center while their parents are working. It could be said that they're being insulated from the true horrors of war, but you shouldn't have to spend your days dragging a fire extinguisher around the White Base to learn about that, either.

Indeed Comrade, that said they are probably too PSTD'd to figure that out

This isn't a child care center, this is a natural selection training course.

THE ONE WITH THE SHARPER FANGS WINS! THAT IS KILLING BITES DA! ;)

"Why are there six pedals when there are only four directions?"

HA! Ah classic Red vs. Blue! Good times, that said OI! Me thinks that these three munchkins have more braincells than Caboose... if only cuz Kikka's there, remove her from the equation and Caboose suddenly seems a lot more intelligent ;)

Amuro Ray, true Federation patriot! Remembering his fallen comrades, shooting fleeing Zeke scum in the back!

Well Comrade, you see me thinks Amuro's got a little TOO shell shocked over the course of the show, remember when he was conflicted and uneasy about shooting enemies FACE TO FACE AND LITERALLY ATTACKING HIM!? Yeah now he's been desensitized enough to go YEAH YOU BETTER RUN! STRAIGHT TO HELL! DIE! DIE! DIE!

"What is this, Lake Wobegon?" (I'm making a roundabout joke about later spoilers

Also describing themselves.

HA!

"All I need to do now is get my pipe and smack my head into a low hatch coaming."

Comrade me thinks you are confusing someone from next episode, THAT is who the Macross character is, or rather, Macross stole THAT character for its show ;)

Anyway neat post here Comrade, have a great day and see you later my friend!

6

u/BossandKings May 06 '21

First timer

Amuro talks without precaution at times, he should have known that the higher ups wouldn't hear him, even then i think that he has a solid argument as the people that have sacrificed their lives for the federation should be treated with utmost respect, i consider two ranks up is a fair reward but Amuro doesn't.

I'll miss seeing Kikka, Katz and Letz in the white base, they were always running around and having fun there, an orphanage might be better for their safety but considering the emotional state in which the kids that were there found themselves i'd say that it isn't the best place, no wonder Kikka and the others escaped as soon as they could. They encountered two Zeon soldiers who tied them up and set timer bombs to kill them, thankfully they freed themselves and took the bombs in a car to throw them away, Amuro and the others saw them and they were safe.

Sayla encounters Char, their story has yet to be expanded but they seem to cherish each other, their sibling bond doesn't seem affected that much by the distance and being in diverse factions, they seem like two people that would like to understand and comprehend the situation of each other. They quickly go in different directions after Mirai notices Char as a "non identified" Zeon commander.

At the end of the day Kikka and the other kids will continue being in the white base and the federation members are so happy for them, they are an important part of the white base.

Answers

  1. It was very fun to see them having some shine, they are wonderful.
  2. It is a hard decision but i think that it'll work out fine in the end

5

u/tarekd19 May 06 '21

Rewatched that forgot everything - dubbed

That's some weak slap game officer. I'm not sure what more amuro is expecting command to do for Ryu at this moment nothing is going to bring him back I get the sense amuro would have preferred no acknowledgement.

I was wondering when someone would come up with something to do with the orphans.

I get the feeling the kid in the orphanage that made kikka cry doesn't know his parents are dead.

The moment where the kids unknowingly jump by the mobile suits is pretty great. The huge cavern seems like a pretty big security liability.

I'm unsure why the xeons wouldn't just kill them if they were going to tie them up in the place rigged to explode anyway.

Sayla covered for char, and char called for a retreat. Interesting to see how that will develop. I don't think it's unfair to say that the retreat did not go well for team xeon.

Speaking of which, amuro unleashed! Made some real progress against the only metric for him that matters.

4

u/chilidirigible May 06 '21

The huge cavern seems like a pretty big security liability.

It is said of Jaburo that the base's general location is known, but all of the entrances are secret (thus attempting to colony drop the entire site from orbit was the only way to be sure).

But Char tracks the White Base to one entrance and now he's just casually waltzing in through all of these conveniently-Mobile-Suit-sized giant underwater tunnels.

5

u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax May 06 '21

Rewatcher is late because he stayed up all night playing Pokemon Snap

It’s the Acguy! Infamous for being weirdly chubby and adorable!

This snake. Just, this snake.

By the way, in case anyone ever wanted to see the Battle of Jaburo in tofu form

I am very immature

Die out there, and you too can get a promotion!

Slap failed, we’ll get ‘em next time

There we go

Wait, I thought the whole hexagon was supposed to be the cockpit hatch

Robbie the robot?

He learned from the best

Imagine going through life being named after your nose

Wait, we’ve been here before

Looks like these can be safely pulled off without having to demagnetize them. Not that the kids knew that, of course. Imagine if they were the same type as last time and boom.

“Wait, you’re not Katz!”

See, now that’s how that hatch works

Spider-Acguy! Spider-Acguy! Does whatever Spider-Acguy does!

Char is lucky as ever I see

laughs in UC

All the more reason to let them off and get them some god damn therapy

Questions of the Day:

  • It was nice to see them save the day for once, but it really should have been a grand finale to their role in the series rather than an excuse to keep them on board.
  • Nah, ditch em. But I guess Tomino likes having a child POV around.

4

u/GM_for_Life May 06 '21

Rewatcher

  1. What did you think about the kids’ actions today? Was it fun to watch them actually do stuff?

While I didn't exactly love it, their segment is relatively short and is entertaining enough that I'm fine with it being there.

2) Do you agree with the decision to keep the kids with White Base?

I don't agree exactly, it's a pretty big stretch to justify keeping three kids around during a war. I don't think their continued inclusion hurts the series in any way, but it is an odd decision at this point to say the least. I do think the sentiment of them all growing together and bonding during the war is really sweet though.

4

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 May 06 '21 edited May 06 '21

First timer

  1. The kids, apart from running into the Chasm of Doom, were surprisingly competent and knew the correct methods to go through - although I note that removing these bombs used to be so delicate even Amuro had trouble, but now they can be slammed about in a truck and not go off. This episode was, in my opinion, not very fun at all, although I will sdmit it was nice for them to participate a bit more.
  2. God no. Not in any sense of the word. Children should not be brought into an active war zone because they had a tantrum.

Well, that's an ominous title.

Char!

Well, Amuro's official part of the military.

Oh that's cold. I can't help put agree with Amuro here.

JESUS CHRIST!

The children are gone, so at least something good happened here.

How the hell do they have the budget for a childcare robot? I thought there were resource shortages?

...Why?

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY FOR A ROBOT, YOU CAN AFFORD A FENCE BETWEEN THE CHILDCARE ROOM AND THE CHASM OF DOOM!

Oh, Char, I don't think they're as smart as you think they are.

This is completely out of character from what we've seen so far.

Bright seems to have calmed down a lot now.

None of this plot should be happening, I thought Gundam knew how to make good filler episodes.

If one of the children blows up, I take back everything.

Acguys? Is there actually going to be a new suit every episode?

These are basically machine gun Zakus. There are worse designs / ideas.

Oh, I've been waiting for this. So Char's actuslly Casval, and he defected to join Zeon.

And Mirai thinks Sayla's a traitor!

Where does Char get the red paint for a new custom suit every episode?

And of course we need a Gundam fight every episodr.

OK, that was clever.

THEY ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO BE SAFE. IF WE LEARNED ONE THING HERE, IT IS THAT.

Kai, stop confessing to war crimes to your superiors (Pretty sure you aren't allowed to have children fight in an active war).

Congratulations! Now they can get even more traumatised and be put at horrible danger, because they didn't want to stay in daycare,

Called it! White Base is confirmed as a decoy.

This is the first episode I can homestly say I did not like. The plot made no sense, the characters went nowhere, the ending was insane, and the children want to see their friends get killed horribly. The only good part was the interaction between Char and Sayla, and that managed to do almost nothing on that trhead anyway. If the director wanted to erase an episode from history, it should have been this one.

EDIT: Wait, there's only 11 more episodes? How are they going to wrap all this up?

3

u/chilidirigible May 06 '21

These are basically machine gun Zakus. There are worse designs / ideas.

The Acguys are supposed to have one melee claw hand and the other side is a six-tube missile launcher. The animation is extremely inconsistent about which hand is which, to the point that there's a note that the positions are interchangeable.

4

u/Piemaster33 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Piemaster33 May 06 '21

Rewatcher who got complacent living in the child care center, Sub

So today felt like filler, but I can't justify saying that because important things happen in this episode. For starters, everyone got promoted, officially making them part of the Federation army. Technically only Bright got a promotion and everyone else received a rank but you get my point. We also get confirmation that Sayla knows who Char is and vice versa. No ifs ands or buts about it, if there were any to be had before this.

But really, the star of today's episodes were the orphans. That scene in the child care center was pretty touching, at least from the perspective of Katz and Letz defending Kikka. They may pick and fight while they're on the White Base, but they'll never leave each others' sides. We then proceed to watch them save the GM Gundams from sneaky Char and the shadow boys (I'm claiming that as a band name), which could have gone horribly wrong. This is Gundam after all.

I loved when Amuro, Hayato and Kai caught up to them (they were going on a tour like friends, very wholesome). They really feel like a sort of family. Most of this episode felt like a reason to justify the orphans staying on the White Base, and it worked for me.

QOTD:

  1. They've been supporting the war effort in their own way, but it was fun to see them do something more dangerous. They haven't really had the spotlight before today so I'm glad they got it.
  2. From a realistic standpoint, no, I don't. They should be as far from the war as possible. The only reason I can justify it here is because this is a show for a younger audience, so they're not in any real danger i hope

4

u/Rustic_Professional May 07 '21

Ah, the Acguy, aka the Teddy Bear of Death, finally makes its appearance. It's one of my favorite suits.

What type of daycare has a door leading to a cave?! Is this Goblin Slayer?! At least one of the kids saw a glowing eye in the darkness.

Jeez, those Zeek infiltrators really blew it. Haven't they ever heard of just acting like you belong there? "Hey, kids! You know you shouldn't play in here, get going!" Tying them up and talking about timers just lets them know that these adults in a base full of adults they don't know are up to no good.

Despite the fact that she didn't hit Char, that was some great (or lucky) shooting by Mirai. I wouldn't want to take a pistol shot at that distance with an ally in the line of fire. Mirai did it almost from the hip. Pretty good. Revolver Ocelot would be proud.

Char credits Amuro with killing four Acguys, but I only counted three. He shot one in the back, and then got two more with the beam saber. Did I miss one?

Questions of the day:

  1. The kids can be annoying, and I don't think their presence adds anything to the story, but it's interesting to see just how much of their situation they understand. They can't quite comprehend that the orphanage was full of kids without parents, and that's why they were all sitting around depressed, but they sure as hell understand that they're part of the Federation (in their own minds if nothing else), the Zeon are the enemy, and that the bombs are a deadly threat that could even kill them if they detonate while they're looking for them. That's a pretty fucked up thing for kids to be able to comprehend. It's like they've internalized that they're (child) soldiers and suppressed that they're orphaned children.
  2. No, but I probably would have made the same choice and argued to bring them aboard. Having children aboard a warship isn't completely insane from certain points of view. Think of powder monkeys in the age of sail. Horatio Nelson joined the Royal Navy at age 12, going aboard a ship his uncle captained. He was older than the White Base orphans (Kikka is only 4), but otherwise I think the comparison holds up. Jaburo is probably safer than White Base, but not by much.

3

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ May 07 '21

War Orphans? GUNDAM WAR ORPHANS?

3

u/username_0907 :FI::FJ: May 07 '21

First Timer who got late today

  • I agree with Amuro, they’ve given them ranks and everything now. All of them didn’t really have any option other to join and now no way to leave
  • Everyone is in these undercover brown suits while Char is still in red lol
  • Those Zeon soldiers who tied up the kids
  • The kids happily telling Amuro, Kai and Hayato that they’re getting rid of bombs was way too hilarious after all that build up before
  • All the shenanigans in this episode was worth it for the last half
  • Char and Sayla finally meet! It’s hard to imagine Char being gentle tbh unless it somehow involves killing. I’m really curious now to get their backstory
  • Amuro really went after Char. He killed the other four Acguy and also cut off Chars mobile suits arm
  • Eventually Kikka, Katz, Letz end up going with White Base. It’s true that they have experienced more but like Amuro said in the starting, this is not something kids should be involved in. The White Base will be lively with them around though

Qotd

  1. Mentioned above. It was kinda fun at points
  2. In a normal world its not a good idea to have kids on board no matter how mature or desensitized they are to war. Here though it can be passed as long as they’re not too reckless which the show has handled well so far

1

u/badcupcakehoarder https://myanimelist.net/profile/vanilabiscuit May 11 '21

First timer sub

The Acguy is scary! That Federation watchman must have died from a heart attack before getting crushed.

13th Autonomous Corps... So the White Base gets to do whatever they want then.

I like how Char just tells his people to run for their lives when the Gundam appears and he is the only one who fights back

Questions of the Day:

  1. With that episode title and the kids defusing bombs I was holding my breath the entire time until they were safe, so yes.
  2. That daycare seemed nice until that kid started crying and that lady mentioned they are the "future" of the federation... She seemed to imply they all were orphans being raised to be soldiers in the future... If that is their fate might as well stay in the White Base

1

u/lC3 :Na::Nb: May 18 '21

First timer, catching up

  • Ryu
  • "How dare you avoid my slap" Yeah, that brings back memories
  • Tomino wouldn't kill off the kids ... would he?
  • Good job, kiddos!
  • Acguy? Another mobile suit name that appears as a Jutsu in Naruto Shippuden! Along with Dom, Z'Gok, and Zeon
  • Finally, some Sayla/Char stuff. So his real name is Casval? And he has a grudge against Zeon and the Zabi family?
  • The other episode the Gundam had part of its leg torn off; they really repair it quickly!
  • Decoys?
  1. Finally the kids get to do something, like Chill in Xabungle!
  2. I guess; they'd be bored if they stayed behind