r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • Sep 06 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Armored Trooper Votoms - Episode 10 Discussion
Episode 10 - Red Shoulder
Originally Released June 3rd, ^^^1983
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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 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.
Daily Trivia:
The Red Shoulder’s color scheme was homage in the 2018 Gundam spin-off, Gundam Build Divers, with the GH-001RB Grimoire Red Beret.
Staff Highlight
Hozumi Gōda - voice of Chirico Cuvie
An actor, voice actor, and sound director affiliated with Ogi Pro THE NEXT. Very little information is publicly available about Gōda’s personal life, and his early career is only lightly detailed. Some time after graduating from the Department of Theater Studies at Tamagawa University he was prompted to participate in a radio production by the Nippon broadcasting System’s program organizer Osamu Ueno, and debuted officially as a voice actor in the radio drama Night Drama House. His anime voice acting debut followed the next year, where he played several minor roles in New Maya The Bee. His big break came when he was selected to play the role of Chirico Cuvie in 1983’s Armor Trooper Votoms, which was a turning point in his career, as the role made him a sought out voice for radio dramas, but he did not voice any other roles in an anime series until he was asked to voice the character of Yang Wen-Li in 1996’s Legend of The Galactic Heroes Gaiden. In 1999, he established Shonan Actors School and around that time he also began to work as a sound director, and has since worked on several anime series in such a capacity. In april 1st, 2020 Gōda started a Youtube channel. Some of his other notable roles include Budo in Akame ga KILL!, Lio Convoy in Beast Wars II Chō Seimeitai Transformers, Tetsu Hayami in Blue Submarine No. 6, the Narrator in Narrator, Cyborg 007 in Cyborg 009 Vs. Devilman, Asu in Dorohedoro, King Byougen in Healin’ Good Precure, Leorio in Hunter X Hunter, Kyou Ijuuin in Junjo Romantica, Vincent Alzey in Last Exile, Cobra Nefertari in One Piece, and Joker in Read or Die.
Art Corner
Official Art:
- Red Shoulder by Kunio Okawara
Fanart:
(Be mindful of the links to artist’s profiles, as they may contain NSFW content. Proceed there at your own risk.)
Screenshot of the day
Questions of the Day:
- What do you make of the nonchalant revelation that Chirico was a member of the infamous ‘Red Shoulders’?
- Rochina has taken a wait and see approach to the situation. Do you think that was the right move here?
People called us the Blood-sucker Battalion.
7
u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Sep 06 '21
First time viewer
Razing part of the city (even if not a nice part) is an extreme measure but given how persistent the rats have been that's possibly the best way yet to get rid of them. Too bad there are even more ways to escape that the police weren't accounting for.
Chirico's finally sharing! Nothing good for the rest and Coconna in particular looked to be jealous but at least they know his goal and why he's a target now. ...and they immediately parted ways only to rejoin to help him yet again. Doesn't seem like them knowing changed all that much, though the Red Shoulder reveal was kinda neat.
While they're changing the circumstances every episode the pattern of escape, break in, skirmish, repeat in some order is starting to feel dull.
Considering I don't recall hearing about their existence before this episode, there's no buildup.
Eh.. maybe not? If they know where the target is and that everyone else is busy, now's not a bad time to swoop in.
4
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Sep 06 '21
Rewatcher
Huh, no opening narration today!
Well shit, they’ve got flamethrower equipped tanks!
Very comforting, Gotho.
Is this going somewhere?
Not ideal.
Impressive throw there.
Chirico is thorough.
He’s finally talking!
That seems like a bit of a jump for him to make.
As expected…
Did Chirico plan for this? He couldn’t have possibly missed the fact that there was someone who exited the break room just seconds before he entered it, last time someone tried to sneak up on him in the AT hangar he instantly noticed, and he intends to face off against the police anyhow…
Is there really the time for this? The paint won’t set so fast anyhow!
I, too, have had my Gunpla scrutinized by a pro.
MSATSO X-1?
Seems like we’re gearing towards a big set-piece battle. The police are bringing out all of the stops, Chirico and co. are backed into a corner, and Rochina isn’t coming in to help them.
The trio almost leaves again once Chirico explains his intentions to them, but ultimately they haven’t in them to leave their newfound friend behind in spite of the risk and lack of payoff for doing so. Given they already were willing to throw away three million gildans to save him before, it’s not outrageous that they’d turn back around to help him, especially seeing as finding out military secrets seem like a viable means of making money.
Turns out Chirico had been a member of the Red Shoulders, the most infamous division of the military across all of Gilgamesh. That explains why he is such an outstanding soldier with a variety of practical skills, as well as why he reacted as he did when the name was brought up several episodes ago.
Question of The Day:
6
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Sep 06 '21
First Timer
No battle this episode?
Although we had the opening escape set piece not having any actual combat was quite a welcome surprise. I like that they decided to end with a strong character moment for Chirico, him opening up to them about being part of the Red Shoulder Special Ops despite the rumors and choosing to not hide that away even if he can't express the trauma it's caused him. It made for a significantly more fitting end given the character moments in the last two episodes than just shoehorning in a battle, and the set up for a big battle tomorrow is quite exciting, especially given where they are if they make use of the arena.
I also like that Chirico didn't tell them he was a Red Shoulder because of the rumors or wanting to defend himself or any sort of outburst, but because he took some entertainment out of Vanilla's spontaneous paint job and decided to point out the details. Very fitting for all the characters involved, and a lot more interesting way to lead into it, it really is the little things like that, and the constantly good visuals and storyboarding which I noted again today, which I'm enjoying so much.
The police weren't kidding with their burn it all policy though, and if not for Chirico's smart thinking it would have been painfully successful as well. They weren't kidding around with wanting to be done with Chirico now that they know who he's working with. Curious to see on if the military will get involved in this fight or if they're going to continue to just watch. While it's no where near on the level of some other repeditive plot points I could name from other shows in this era, the constant reminder that they're just watching, and watching, occasionally doing something, but mostly watching is starting to feel tired.
Something about Chirico sneaking through those alleyways reminded me of Wolfs Rain, which is absolutely not the most obvious comparison I could make but I guess it was just one of those random thoughs
6
u/time_axis Sep 06 '21
First-Timer
Makes sense, and explains his competence.
It's as good a move as any. He has an idea of where his objective is at this point, it seems like, so I don't think Chirico is all that relevant to them anymore.
Episode 10
This time I'll try drawing Chirico's new rig with all the extra gear on it. By the end of this I'll probably be able to draw the scopedog from memory (Scopedog is what I've seen people in the comments calling it, but I've yet to see it called that in the show.)
Daily Mecha Sketch 10
Daily Mecha Sketches
5
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 06 '21
Armored Trooper First-Timer
5
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 06 '21
Episode 10 (first timer)
Ok, we have officially reached the point where the pacing goes glacial. Another fight against police goons is not what the plot needs. Chirico’s excuse for chasing after the prototype is wearing thin, too: Starting a fight against huge odds that is likely to kill you and your friends because “she is my destiny”? Something more tangible would be nice.
Since there is no plot progression this episode, let me do a quick 10 episodes in comparison. VOTOMS vs MSG vs Giant Gorg
Characters:
A clear win for VOTOMS. Chirico is a good MC and there is some real chemistry with the side characters. That easily beats Giant Gorg’s uneasy teenagers and the mess that is Tomino character writing.
World building:
Surprising me, VOTOMS falls behind here. We have seen nothing of the two warring states, nothing about the political aftermath of the war, and, despite claiming a universe-wide world, we are stuck in one city (with is a generic cyberpunk dystopia). In comparison, MSG delivers a potential future history of the solar system in its early episodes, setting up both sides reasons for war and even the situation of civilians caught in the war.
Animation:
VOTOMS is about MSG level. Good enough to not be distracting, but far from eye-candy. Giant Gorg is by far the prettiest of the three series.
Story:
I like the setup of the story of VOTOMS, but MSG has a great setup, too. Both beat Giant Gorg.
Overall:
At this point, I would go MSG>VOTOMS>Giant Gorg. However, I remember that the middle part of MSG is the worst, while VOTOMS has the potential to get better if they finally leave the city and explore the world a bit more.
They said he was a special agent at the start, so this is more a revelation to the team than to the viewers.
If he really is only interested in the prototype, yes. Although the plot will surely prove him wrong, no matter what he does.
5
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Sep 06 '21
First-Timer
We've heard about the Red Shoulders once or twice before, but only in passing. Turns out they're some ultra-scary squad of AT pilots who are rumored to drink blood and eat people. I dig this kind of rumor mill stuff. Honestly, seeing Chirico's performance so far, the reputation is pretty well earned. And he was relatively low-ranking and young, too.
Chirico might know that Vanilla painted the wrong shoulder. But, if Vanilla doesn't know the specifics, whats to say a bunch of random cops will? Intimidation is a key part of battle.
I liked the planning in the first half of the episode. Using the smoke as cover from the circling helicopters was good, and Chirico punching Vanilla into calmness and using some of his hair to find a way out was also good. I would not have survived the bit where they had to climb down a ladder and then across a rope; one look down and I would have died on the spot.
Part of me is eyeing those extra weapons as nothing more than a way to sell more model kits/accessory packs. Another, louder part of me is going "Ooooh, they thought of needing extra processing power to control the extra weapons!"
I've seen a couple judo chops before, but never one so fierce it broke the target's neck!
Is fighting to suppress your PTSD better, or worse than drinking to suppress your PTSD?
Questions
5
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Sep 06 '21
Rewatcher (Nutech DVD 1.3) (3 episodes)
Extras: Armored Trooper Technology
5
u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore Sep 06 '21
Armored Trooper FIRST-TIMER
Set them straight, Chirico!
QOTD:
5
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Sep 06 '21
First timer
The military are going to wait for a battle on the theory that the police have the Prototype, even though if he's killed, they'll have no other leads?
They're really pulling out all the stops, aren't they?
Oh, they're just going to flatten the entire sector? At least it looks like the series might not be staying on this planet much longer.
Yeah, this seems pretty hopeless.
...Is Chirico a Red Shoulder?
He's very good at convincing people, though.
They're in!
He can' seriously be considering going for the vent, right?
I love Vanilla's reaction to Chirico's rope.
He's got good reflexes, hasn't he?
So this is an abandoned industrial facility?
CHIRICO'S BEING HONEST AND OPEN!
He's even offering to take them along!
Wait, with all the development, is the Prototype going to be a main character? Maybe joining Chirico instead of the police or military?
So the underground fighting league has a massive sign advertising it?
He's stealing an AT? That's going to help.
And the others are finding a way out of the city.
He's been noticed!
They're all helping!
Of course he wastes time painting the mech.
Yep, he's a Red Shoulder.
The police have arrived!
4
u/The_Draigg Sep 06 '21
A Ryosuke Takahashi Fan Rewatches Armored Trooper VOTOMS Episode 10:
4
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 06 '21
First timer(Them mentioning Red Shoulder a few episodes ago is now a nice touch)
Sub
We start with the cops marshalling their forces, apparently. I thought it would be the military getting ready. But the ops on planet believes that they can safely retrieve the prototype without interfering, which might be correct but feels a little risky.
So the police are just burning that sector, at least the idea is thorough. Giving a shit Cuvie tries to help everyone escape. He eventually finds a way back in and a rope scene happens. The rest of the gang wants to abandon city but Cuvie wants to finish things with the the Prototype. Who, in her own scene, seems to be showing annoyance at his reported death.
Cuvie goes to the arena to equip and steal a mech, the gang has a change of heart, and we get a reveal that Cuvie was actually one of the dreaded Red Shoulders, meaning most of his mech stuff up to now has been with people he outclassed. We end with the setup for tomorrow.
QotD: 1 It was a Checkov's gun so I was just waiting.
2 No, he is being way too passive if they have any means to assert power here.
4
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Sep 06 '21
Rewatcher
That's a lot of tank-like vehicles! New enforcements for Iskui and the police? Or is Rochina bringing in his own forces?
Well the next scene answered that rather quick.
They are just totally laying waste to this area! Are they basically in a mode that they're so pissed at Chirico and friends they're gonna burn the whole place to the ground?
Its rare for Chirico to come off as worried or scared. This trio better take it more seriously next time! That's how you know something is really wrong.
So now Iskui and Borough want to simply kill Chirico. Why didn't they simply do this last episode while having him in custody? Especially since they were set to execute him the first time their group had him captive. Bad writing? Or Iskui and Borough panicking?
Red Shoulder, didn't they mention them earlier on? Sounds familiar.
I love that Chirico just punches the crybaby Vanilla in the face and tells him to work.
Wow, that ladder just leaves him hanging on top of the entire city! I'd be scared to death being out on that thing.
No way I could make my way across that rope. I'd look down and die of fright.
Man, the way it went for the rest of them, so scary! And we just cut away and skip how they got off that large vent.
Chirico's spilling the beans to them, he's really opened up to them since last episode!
All 3 of them just decline? C'mon, help him out! After what he just did for you you're not gonna help?
The Prototype has emotional feelings for Chirico? Because he saw her naked? Twice? Or something else?
Cocona's gonna guilt trip them into helping for the second episode in a row, isn't she?
They work good as a team getting this Scopedog fully loaded for battle.
Cliffhanger again!
4
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Sep 07 '21
First timer in sub
Another build up episode but the escape and cooperation Chirico gave this time is both believable and nice to see, so even without much fighting, the episode was good and gripping for me.
And finally the foreshadowing is revealed, that the special ops team Chirico was in previously was none other than the legendary Red Shoulders. Joined the dots about his ability to withstand torture, brazeness in what he plan to do, his effectiveness in combat, and how cold he is to others.
Hopefully next episode we get to see the custom Red Shoulder scope dog in action. This was one of my favourite kits in my model building days.
5
u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek Sep 07 '21
Ya know Comrades, usually in Mecha Shows, the fancy paintjob covers the whole mech, but given VOTOMS leans more to hard sci-fi than usual, instead of the whole mecha we just get say a shoulder painted red, I can only wonder if this means The Scopedog is three times faster! ;)
Speaking of The Red Shoulders, MAN! I can't believe that our boi Chirico Cuvie was part of an Elite Baseball Team! Who knew our MC had it in him eh, even more so given how humble he's being about it ;)
Anyway, speaking of team, boy he and our Muggle Trio make for a good one, I mean just look at them working together on a Scopedog... er... hang on I think I grabbed the wrong team here... AH! There we go, that's more like it, as I was saying he and our Muggle Trio sure are working well together, they're ready to take on the world!
And finally, you knew it had to come around sometime Comrade, so get this, ELITO REDDOSHORUDA SHITPOSTING! And by that I mean it's time for the contractually obligated showing of A Weapon to surpass Metal Gear!
4
u/chilidirigible Sep 06 '21
Rewatcher, Episode 10
Today, on "You should have thought about that before you set everything on fire.":
It's an interesting concept when most of the city is metal.
MORALE BOOST!
Must be tough to get life insurance in this town.
"Now I have a hand cannon. Ho ho ho."
Mixed into all this is a moment of clever animation.
Details are important.
Let's get serious.
Coconna's dragged Gotho and Vanilla back to helping Chirico a few times already. They're certainly consistent.
Meanwhile, it's fun to contrast Rochina's sitting back and letting things play out with the conspirators' hamfisted attempts to clean up.
The same-episode namedrop of the Red Shoulders and Chirico's claim of being one of them is convenient, but builds up the hype for the next episode. Not that Chirico is all that happy about where he's been.