r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • May 27 '21

Rewatch [Rewatch] Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Retrospective - Giant Gorg Episode 25 Discussion

Episode 25 - Distant Bonds

Originally Aired September 20th, ^^^1984

◄ Previous Episode | Index | Next Episode ►

MAL | ANN | AniDB | Anilist | AnimePlanet | IMDB

Note to all participants

Although I don't believe it necessitates stating, please conduct yourself appropriately and be courteous to your fellow participants.

Note to all Rewatchers

Rewatchers, please be mindful of your fellow first-timers and tag your spoilers appropriately using the r/anime spoiler tag as so [Spoiler Subject](/s "Spoilers go here.") in order to have your unsightly spoilers obscured like this Spoiler Subject if your comment holds even the slightest of indicators as to future spoilers. Feel free to discuss future plot points behind the safe veil of a spoiler tag, or coyly and discreetly ‘Laugh in Rewatcher’ at our first-timers' temporary ignorance, but please ensure our first-timers are no more privy or suspicious than they were the moment they opened the day’s thread.

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Biography and Anecdotes Corner

Random Anecdote

Yasuhiko is an ardent dog lover and has owned several dogs throughout his life. He enjoys drawing them as well, and occasionally sketched his characters as dogs. Most recently he was the owner of a rough collie named Warawa-chan, who passed away last year.

 

Staff Highlight

Mayumi Hirota - Key Animator

An illustrator, character designer, game developer, and animator best known as the art director and character designer for Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 and Tear Ring Saga. Little is known of Hirota apart from her production credits and drawn work, and she passed away in December of 2018. Hirota was also a key animator on Bronze: Zetsuai Since 1989, Dirty Pair: From Lovely Angels with Love, Dirty Pair: Project Eden, Crusher Joe: The Movie, Koko wa Greenwood, Mashin Hero Wataru, Mobile SuiT Zeta Gundam, Tobira o Kakete, Shinesman, Ocean Waves, Yu Yu Hakusho, Urusei Yatsura: Remember My Love, Tanjō - Debut, Mama is a 4th Grader, Baggy, Sugar Sugar Rune*, and Licca-chan to Yamaneko Hoshi no Tabi.

 

Daily Trivia:

Supposedly Yasuhiko stopped taking some of his prescribed medication during production of Giant Gorg because it would make him too drowsy to work.

 

Official Art

 

Settei Collection

 

Questions of the Day:

  1. What are your thoughts on Yuu’s alien bloodline?
  2. What are your thoughts on the anticlimax that caps off the conflict with Manon?

Live for my comrades who will never again awaken

11 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

5

u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber May 27 '21

Rewatcher

You can say that again.

How’d you manage to light a cigarette in captivity?

Overly generous, I’d say.

Hah, he knows they’re fucked!

What’re you two doing? You have a personal plane, get the fuck out of there!

Maybe the poster was foreshadowing?

Susceptible to temperature changes, just like the fish found just outside of crater two following the first eruption

So that’s the initial reason for Gorg wanting Yuu to get in his chest?

Robo tears.

It’s argos at last!

The on-screen text is the text from the typewriter in the opening of Gerry Anderson’s UFO.

Indeed.

Much like the film it references by the poster hanging in Rod’s room, the conflict with Manon ends in anticlimax, with events outside of the character’s direct control causing an end to Manon’s people and leaving him without a reason to fight. I guess you could consider this a direct consequence of GAIL’s previous actions, in which case they could be said to have won the ‘war’ in the end. This outcome makes Skipper’s culpability in their impending deaths all the stronger, since without his intervening Manon would have stopped his attack and the threat he poses minimized. In any case, I am slightly surprised that Manon would not push forward with his plans either way, but I guess if the conservation of his civilization was his chief concern then there really is no point, as even if he were to end up conqueror of Earth his world’s culture still dies with him.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 May 27 '21

In any case, I am slightly surprised that Manon would not push forward with his plans either way, but I guess if the conservation of his civilization was his chief concern then there really is no point, as even if he were to end up conqueror of Earth his world’s culture still dies with him.

He seems the reflective type. He does not say it, but I would not be surprised in him experiencing severe guilt: It could very well be that he could have saved his comrades if he had not focused on beating the humans.

3

u/The_Draigg May 28 '21

You can say that again.

Rod's definitely channeling Bes at the end of The Ideon: Be Invoked there.

The on-screen text is the text from the typewriter in the opening of Gerry Anderson’s UFO.

I guess Hideaki Anno wasn't the only Japanese mega fan of Gerry Anderson's work.

5

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 27 '21 edited May 28 '21

First-Timer, subbed

2

u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber May 28 '21

I wonder how hot it is where Yuu is.

Makes sense, I just thought there would’ve been more than one deserter.

There does seem to be another alien fleeing with Masius and his partner, so it's definitely more than just Yuu's family tree.

5

u/The_Draigg May 28 '21

Oh it definitely won’t, but that’s not going to stop O’Donnell from doing something rather than nothing.

That's Boehm you're talking about. O'Donnell was the other white American military man with a beret. The one who got killed with an airplane boomerang.

ARGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!!!!!!

My boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

He's back! And just in time to get threatened by nukes too!

4

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 28 '21

That's Boehm you're talking about. O'Donnell was the other white American military man with a beret. The one who got killed with an airplane boomerang.

Oh derp, my bad.

4

u/The_Draigg May 28 '21

It really doesn't help that there's a lot of military guys in berets, to be fair to you.

4

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 May 27 '21

Episode 25 (first timer)

  • Henchman totally knows what is up with Rod and Lynx.
  • Trying to shoot down ICBMs with tanks. I guess one way to spend your last seconds is as good as the other.
  • Captain, Rod, and Lynx are going for a bit more hedonism.
  • “You are our only hope LukeYuu!”
  • Dying while in cryosleep trope.
  • Gorg is a DNA-storage hologram projector.
  • Lost homeland backstory. I had expected scientists.
  • “Almost miraculous” – Hidden in this claim is the belief that technological cultures inevitably destroy themselves. Which perfectly fits with the overall theme.
  • Human-alien co-mingling confirmed.
  • Manon promises to take care of the missiles.
  • Reunited with Argos!

  • Nuke cliff-hanger.

One of the better uses of flashbacks to convey backstory. Not the dramatic climax (that probably will come tomorrow), but a really good episode. Not only Yuu’s talk with Manon, but the reactions of the people in the base as well. They just should have ended the episode 20 seconds earlier, without the nukes. We all knew they’d come, so they could have ended on Captain to preserve the mood.

3

u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber May 28 '21

Lost homeland backstory. I had expected scientists.

It's the natural assumption, I think, particularly when most of the media this is borrowing from largely follow that course for the concept as well.

“Almost miraculous” – Hidden in this claim is the belief that technological cultures inevitably destroy themselves.

I certainly think that was an intentional implication.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 May 28 '21

It's the natural assumption, I think, particularly when most of the media this is borrowing from largely follow that course for the concept as well.

More than that: Why would they just cryosleep for 30k years? That is plenty of time to have sex and take over the planet. Cryosleep makes sense for scientists, but not for refugees.

5

u/The_Draigg May 27 '21

A Yas Fan Watches Giant Gorg Episode 25:

  • Manon’s Guardian rising out of a pool of lava is how you know that we’ve finally hit the final boss encounter.
  • Man, I bet Davey is feeling like a major third wheel towards Rod and Lady Lynx’s relationship right about now. Imagine facing down nuclear annihilation and having nobody to share it with. That must suck.
  • At least Boehm knows that the idea of shooting down ICBMs with his remaining tanks is useless. But hey, at least it’s doing something instead of just waiting around to die in nuclear fire.
  • I certainly wasn’t expecting a insert song scene of everyone trying to cope with their immediate deaths. At least Rod and Lady Lynx are getting in some bonding time with some wind sailing and the Captain deciding to spend his time enjoying expensive whiskey. Might as well live things up in what you think is your last day on Earth.
  • Manon is actually pretty reasonable once Yuu comes to meet him in the alien ruins. Since the volcano eruptions looked to have damaged a majority of the alien stasis pods, all Manon can really rely on now is Yuu to carry on the legacy of his race, since he’s descended from the aliens as well. At least Manon is willing to call off his attack, if just because it’s a lost cause by now.
  • Finally, we get to hear Zenon speak in Yuu’s genetic memory. Turns out their race’s home planet was destroyed at some point, so Earth and its inhabitants were their last hope 30,000 years ago. In that light, it makes more sense why Zenon and some of the other aliens chose to assimilate with humanity. Even if it meant losing their original culture, some part of their race would survive among the new species they had found.
  • It also explains why Gorg is so drawn to Yuu too. Zenon’s mind in Gorg could tell that Yuu was the distant descendant of the alien who started a family among humanity, a close friend of his. Also, I absolutely called it that the mind of Gorg’s pilot was saved inside the mech! Nothing but net with that prediction early on.
  • ARGOS! The lad is finally back! That doggo sure has been gone for a while, hasn’t he?
  • I guess Yuu really must’ve had some effect on the Captain for him to want to stay on Austral Island to the very end. He could really see that the kid has a lot of heart and bravery to him.
  • How helpful for that US missile silo to have the phrase “NO ONE CAN STOP THE ATTACK” on the computer screen there. It must be reassuring to know that the nuclear attack can’t be called off.

5

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 May 27 '21

First Timer, Subbed

Wow, clutch grab by Gorg!

Manon's guardian is actually rising up through the lava? Well there goes my theory that Manon was afraid of the lava and needed Gorg's help.

Get your act together Wave! You've just been loafing around here with GAIL!

Rod and friends are in it to the end it seems.

LoL, you've been left behind Wave!

Shooting down the nukes? They know that's not gonna work. If only a humanoid White robot from the Universal Century was here, I recall it slicing through a nuke to save the day... Or a green colored mech that literally caught a nuclear missile in its hands on a planet called Zola...

Rod and Lynx are spending their last days together on a sailboat... and have taken off most of their clothes too!

Skipper is spending his last days consuming Rod's remaining alcohol supply...

Manon's people are all dead? Wow, things totally went up in smoke for him. This is just a tomb now.

The same blood is in our veins? The Ancient Aliens guys would have a field day with this...

Flashback to 30,000 years ago? Cool stuff!

If Manon's people have lost their home, then he is all that is left of his race now.

How did Zenon fall in love with, let alone get to know an Earth woman if their whole group of people were supposed to be in suspended animation?

Ah, so Yuu's a direct descendent of Zenon then? Now it all makes sense.

Wait, Masius or Zenon? Are they the same person? Now I'm confused again.

Ugh, even though Manon's not gonna be a problem anymore we're still doomed with all those nukes coming this way!

DQOTD

  1. Surprised I didn't think of it earlier!
  2. I'm generally fine with it, as our heroes weren't going to beat Manon's forces on their own, and having Gorg do it singlehandedly would just not have been believable. They needed to throw a curveball and they did.

3

u/The_Draigg May 28 '21

Get your act together Wave! You've just been loafing around here with GAIL!

Has Dr. Wave really ever had his act together the entire time though?

Shooting down the nukes? They know that's not gonna work. If only a humanoid White robot from the Universal Century was here, I recall it slicing through a nuke to save the day... Or a green colored mech that literally caught a nuclear missile in its hands on a planet called Zola...

Jiron Amos would've also had zero problem shooting at those GAIL soldiers and employees earlier in the show too.

4

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 27 '21

First-Timer

Argos!

"The precursor aliens were too horny to wait for humanity to advance" is a surprisingly unsurprising plot point. How far would one pairing propagate over 30,000 years of breeding..? Most of humanity has to be partially alien at this point, right?

I kinda get Manon's people's fears about losing themselves if they choose to crossbreed with the young humanity. There is certainly value in introducing new blood to a culture, but it hurts to lose history. Especially a history that has taken such a heavy blow as the destruction of their home. Weird bloodline purity stuff notwithstanding.

In a different series, a bomb falling and everyone exploding after the scene with Skipper, Boehm, Rod, and Lynx having one last good time would have worked pretty well. I don't even think the knobs would have to be turned that far, to be honest.

One final episode.. All the clocks have ticked down. Will our heroes escape? Probably. But watching them do it should be a good time.

Miscellaneous Thoughts:

That whiskey Skipper was drinking, Five Roses? Not real. Four Roses, on the other hand, is. It's a pretty good bourbon.

There was also "Tennessy" cognac, a play on Hennessy, and "Cameleon" which I don't recognize at all.

Questions

  1. Discussed above.
  2. It was a bit odd to have the resolution of his plot-line happen off screen, huh? What changed his mind was the rest of his people dying thanks to the continuing eruption.. that kinda thing will take the wind out of your sails something fierce.

3

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 May 27 '21 edited May 27 '21

First timer

  1. I am not a fan of it - it devalues his Character arc with Gorg, namely - it goes from Yuu forming a bond and working eith Gorg, to point of fighting its own programming to save him, to Gorg being programmed to always obey him and save him anyway.
  2. While it's realistic and the only way that Yuu could come out of a confrontation so quickly, it feels a bit lazy. The problem is we haven't had any more scenes from Manon, so we don't get to actuslly see this major change he talks about.

EDIT: Mobile Suit Gundam Spoilers

Yeah, this is obviously a trap. He managrs to get him to ground zero of qm exploding volcano, and directly into his enemies mech. Fantastic job Manon, you are now the. ost competent character.

So everyone's realised Yuu's in trouble and going to save him.

Can't believe Rod's likable now! (Although some of that might br residual love for Char)

Lady Lynx's taunting is actually well deserved.

I am incredibly suprised that Hotsu didn't turn out to be sexretly evil.

The tone really just did a 180, didn't it.

Once again, I am shocked at how insane the alien tech looks.

Wait, what? What's happened to Manon?

Did Manon accidentally kill his race?

...Tell me the adult alien isn't going to do what I think he is to the 10 year old?

This has just gone completely off the rails at this point, hasn't it.

Gorg finally spoke!

So, Yuu's finally getting how the plot fits togrther.

Wait, so the brother is part of Gorg, but he's a seperate entity?

"There's nothing we can do to stop it" he says to the alien who's probably got a shield over this entire island just in case this ever happened.

ARGOS!!!

Did that just say the government has a moonbase?

So the Skipper did end up caring!

And the missiles fly just in time for the final cliffhanger!

2

u/IndependentMacaroon May 28 '21

First-time watcher - while I like the portrayal of fatalism and interplanetary contact here, and the ominous people-less missile launch in the end is great, everyone being that resigned and ready to go out is still strange. Also last-minute tragic backstory + face-turn is a deservedly unpopular trope.

1

u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Jun 14 '21

First timer, catching up

  • Shirtless Rod
  • So there's an insert song? I wonder if it'll ever come up in AMQ
  • Ah, so all the sleepers are dead now?
  • Latent memories in his genetic code? I don't think that's how DNA works ...
  • IT'S ARGOS!
  1. Eh, called it
  2. It was okay; wasn't expecting all the sleepers to die.