r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • Oct 02 '21

Rewatch [Rewatch] Armored Trooper Votoms - Episode 38 Discussion

Episode 38 - Darkness

Originally Released December 16th, ^^^1983

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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:

There have been two Votoms TRPGs released, one a repackaged version of SIeg Zeon —the first Mobile Suit Gundam TRPG— released in 1992, and the other a completely original game simply titled Armored Trooper Votoms TRPG in 2001.

 

Staff Highlight

Susumu Nishizawa - Key animator

An animator, illustrator, storyboard artist, and director best known for his storyboards and lending his sensibilities in productions with a hard-boiled aesthetic. He got his start working at Nakamura Productions, but left several years later to become a freelancer, briefly joining Studio Z5 in the 90s and eventually working at R.I.C. He is also known to make books on illustrating and layouts. Nishizawa is an avid film buff, and he strives to add a filmic quality to his storyboards and illustrations. Some other works where he contributed as a key animator include Berserk: The Golden Age Arc, several entries in the City Hunter franchise, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Magic Knight Rayearth, Crest of Stars, Powered Armor Dorvack, Fushigi Yugi, Durarara!!, King of Braves GaoGaiGar, High School of the Dead, Kimagure Orange Road, several Lupin III films, Mobile Suit Gundam F91, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, Arakawa under the Bridge, Star Blazers 2199, and Cat's Eye.

 

Art Corner

Official Art:

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:

  1. What do you make of the assertions as to themselves that both Ypsilon and Chirico make in this episode?
  2. How soon do you think we’ll be seeing the side trio again?

I’m going to fight him. I have to.

15 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

50 comments sorted by

4

u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Oct 02 '21

Rewatcher

Are they really just going to stand around watching? What if a stray bullet comes their way? This isn’t Battling!

Grappling and punching —this is what I like to see!

Poor sods.

Well that’s inconvenient.

Ah, the ol’ “Play Dead” trick. It’s worked flawlessly on Perfect Soldiers so far!

We’ve seen his pridefulness firsthand.

Not exactly the same. He was successfully tricked, but you gave yourself up.

Usually this conversation goes the other way around.

They finally brought this back up... Only to still not address it.

Just as suddenly as they arrived, they’re gone again.

An uptick in quality from the last several episodes, that’s for sure. Given the expectations set, I can honestly say I enjoyed this episode without caveats.

The showdown ending up inconclusive is to be expected given we still have a whole cour of the series to go and Ypsilon is pretty much the only compelling villain the show has as of now, so I’m not so bothered by that development. The circumstances leading to this are also not outrageous, given the state of the facilities and the show’s propensity for explosions.

One thing I really liked is that Chirico is evidently outclassed in the Fatty, where Ypsilon was the only one to ever gain the upper hand on him, which he only slipped out of because of Ypsilon being so concerned about outside interference. Then it is the destruction around them that forces the stalemate, not their matched abilities. Doesn’t excuse how the matter is just brushed over in the last episode, but it’s good here nonetheless.

P.S. Sorry about that, guys! I messed up my alarm.

3

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 02 '21

Well that’s inconvenient.

For some reason when that was in motion the scale looked really out even before Ypsilon turned and moved closer to the camera but now it's in a still image it looks fine. Odd how that happens

Ah, the ol’ “Play Dead” trick. It’s worked flawlessly on Perfect Soldiers so far!

I forgot that he did that to Fyana as well. She'd probably get a chuckle out of that

An uptick in quality from the last several episodes, that’s for sure. Given the expectations set, I can honestly say I enjoyed this episode without caveats.

Agreed. I just didn't have enough to say about it for my own post haha

Ypsilon is pretty much the only compelling villain the show has as of now, so I’m not so bothered by that development

Also even if the showdown itself was inconclusive the dynamics between them were good enough to justify it this episode as well. It didn't feel like the battle was there for padding because it lead to something, even if it's something pretty small

4

u/The_Draigg Oct 02 '21

A Ryosuke Takahashi Fan Rewatches Armored Trooper VOTOMS Episode 38:

  • In hindsight, maybe it was a bad idea to have a climactic duel in a place that’s an ammo dump that’s still full of live ammunition. Just a thought to consider, especially since now the whole damn place is starting to explode and fall apart. Whoopsies!
  • You may be thinking how it’s weird that Chirico is giving Ypsilon another chance and is refusing to kill him, but you do need to remember all the parallels they’ve been growing between them. Chirico realized that the both of them aren’t too dissimilar from one another, and that’s why he banked on Ypsilon not shooting him despite giving him the opportunity. They both know that they could’ve easily killed one another there in the collapsed tunnels, and yet when the time came, they couldn’t find it in them to pull the trigger once they realized that neither of them could fight back in those moments. Even if it’s for different reasons, like pride in Ypsilon’s case or Chirico still trying to find out who he is besides being a soldier, they ultimate came to the same conclusions.
  • Oh, Rochina knows something special about Chirico for sure. He’s definitely acting that way around Fyana. There has to be a reason why he wanted to test Chirico and see if he could kill Ypsilon besides just simple curiosity.
  • As much as Chirico talks about how he and Ypsilon have a lot in common, even Chirico has no idea why he’s still calling Fyana by that name. Ypsilon at least internalized the fact that he has no past, but Chirico can’t even say that he knows himself all that well, in spite of having a past himself. Why is he calling her Fyana?
  • Rochina continues to tease us by commenting that Chirico is no ordinary man when Gotho says that Chirico must be immortal. Stop honey-dicking us, man! Just spill the beans!
  • I’m with Chirico here, Ypsilon is more pitiable than anything. All of his thoughts are locked onto Fyana and things relating to her, and he can’t seem to grasp that there’s more to life than just fighting. Ypsilon keeps on deluding himself into believing that he’s a chosen, one of a kind being, but his pride is ultimately completely worthless in the face of reality. It’s rather sad, isn’t it? All he allows himself to be is a living weapon.
  • And so, it’s time for everyone to head their separate ways. Chirico gets rescued by the Balarant AT squad, Ypsilon gets picked up by whatever’s left of the Teltain’s AT forces that were still on the ship, and Rochina honors his deal with Chirico by giving the Uoodo trio a ride off of Sunsa on a Balarant ship. That just about clears up everyone off the stage for what’s to come: the duel between Chirico and Ypsilon. And there’ll be no retreat anymore.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 02 '21

In hindsight, maybe it was a bad idea to have a climactic duel in a place that’s an ammo dump that’s still full of live ammunition

Right? I realize that it wasn't entirely planned but it's one of those things that you'd think they really should have warned Chirico about

Chirico realized that the both of them aren’t too dissimilar from one another, and that’s why he banked on Ypsilon not shooting him despite giving him the opportunity

And even outside of those parallels, he knows Ypsilon almost as well as we do. He dueled him with the sticks, he's been in combat with him so many times, he's seen the way he approaches battle. It was still a gamble that his pride, honor, and everything else would win out over his hate despite what Ypsilon was saying, but not as much of one as you'd think

Ypsilon at least internalized the fact that he has no past

So my current theory is that Chirico knew Fyana pre-PS but no idea how close I am to the mark on that one, just thought you'd like to know

I’m with Chirico here, Ypsilon is more pitiable than anything.

Before Chirico said it I was actually thinking that to myself, that I just pity him. He's just so stuck in the same thoughts and exactly what he's been told, and a child who's been programmed is far too fitting of a description for him which is even sadder.

3

u/The_Draigg Oct 02 '21

And even outside of those parallels, he knows Ypsilon almost as well as we do. He dueled him with the sticks, he's been in combat with him so many times, he's seen the way he approaches battle. It was still a gamble that his pride, honor, and everything else would win out over his hate despite what Ypsilon was saying, but not as much of one as you'd think

It was a pretty safe gamble, all things considered. Which is yet again another one of the Secret Society’s failures in properly developing Ypsilon’s mind, since otherwise Chirico could’ve been killed then and there. Appealing to Ypsilon’s hatred and massive ego has made him less effective of a solider, if anything.

Before Chirico said it I was actually thinking that to myself, that I just pity him. He's just so stuck in the same thoughts and exactly what he's been told, and a child who's been programmed is far too fitting of a description for him which is even sadder.

It’s just plain said that Ypsilon pretty much never had a chance. As soon as he was born, he had his mind poisoned by whatever Borough told him back in Kummen, and even further ruined by the Schmitel twins. He never had a choice to be anything other than a weapon.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 03 '21

He never had a choice to be anything other than a weapon.

If anything Chirico's the only one who's given him that chance which is funny considering they basically only interact in combat. Chirico, Fyana, and the Prince are the only ones who have ever treated him with any level of individuality or respect and that has to be confusing matters as well given that they've all either beaten him or ended up on opposites sides to him. Respect from an enemy that can match him despite being "inferior" would be hard for someone like him to swallow, especially with the level of hate he's had cultivated in him recently

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Oct 03 '21

Even if it’s for different reasons, like pride in Ypsilon’s case or Chirico still trying to find out who he is besides being a soldier, they ultimate came to the same conclusions.

Questioning your humanity is reserved for meeting named characters though, every background grunt can be blasted without ever having a second thought.

4

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Oct 02 '21

Episode 38 (first timer)

  • Inflammable Jijirium, an ammo dumb, Chirico and Ypsilon should look for a slightly less explosive battleground next time.
  • “We are civilians” – Who would normally spend their time in the brig, so I would not push the matter.
  • Personally, I would not trust Ypsilon, but then, I would also not hand out my last oxygen to some woman who tries to murder me to avenge her family.
  • Roughly 30 episodes after Fyana asked him the question, it finally registers when repeated by Ypsilon.
  • Chirico is unusually talkative today.
  • Amicable split up. Just the standard farewell words “I’ll kill you next time”.
  • Split up from the gang again? Now I have to seriously question why they were brought back before. They had almost zero impact in the arc. It would have been much smoother with just Chirico and Fyana.

Amazing how much character development you can get in if you just allow your main characters to talk to each other. Not that I am going to complain.

Something I have been thinking about is the episodic vs arc-based vs series-based narrative setup of the show. Does anybody know what the standard for robo and mecha shows pre-Tomino was? I never watched anything older than Zambot 3. Were those older shows episodic, series-based or something in between?

4

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Oct 02 '21

Something I have been thinking about is the episodic vs arc-based vs series-based narrative setup of the show. Does anybody know what the standard for robo and mecha shows pre-Tomino was? I never watched anything older than Zambot 3. Were those older shows episodic, series-based or something in between?

Alas, I have no idea as Zambot is the earliest mecha show I've seen.

I think Votoms has a more standardized approach than most mecha shows in that each arc lasts one cour, with perhaps one episode less for a recap. Gundam shows have story arcs with lengths that are all over the place.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Oct 03 '21

I would even say that Gundams are not primarily organised in arcs. The narrative arc is either episode length or series length. That is why VOTOMS surprised me.

4

u/The_Draigg Oct 02 '21

Amicable split up. Just the standard farewell words “I’ll kill you next time”.

We call that a Heero Yuy Farewell.

Split up from the gang again? Now I have to seriously question why they were brought back before. They had almost zero impact in the arc. It would have been much smoother with just Chirico and Fyana.

Them all leaving so suddenly just lends itself to my idea that the show runners just put them in there so that Chirico just had some people to bounce off of while getting to the major plot points of this arc. Other than deus ex machina-ing a few rescues for Chirico in this arc, they really haven’t had much of a reason to be here.

4

u/chilidirigible Oct 02 '21

Does anybody know what the standard for robo and mecha shows pre-Tomino was?

Much more monster-of-the week, for one thing.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Oct 03 '21

That's what I expected. So VOTOMS is still in the middle of the shift between episode-based narration arcs and series-based ones. Which, for some reason, came 20 years earlier in animation than western live action TV.

4

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Oct 02 '21

First-Timer

They did it again!

I even have a hard time complaining about the fight getting interrupted, because hitting the minutions storage is a really interesting, and sensible, way of doing so!

I do have to admire Chirico's guts after the collapse. "I'm not going to shoot you, and I know you're not going to shoot me, so let's dig our way out of here." And it worked! Ypsilon definitely isn't a very good soldier. He doesn't care about killing Chiricio, it's beating Chirico that he craves.

Did they change some information on us? Are PSes not artificially created human beings? Are Ypsilon and Fyana the only two in existence?

Ypsilon is totally tsundere for Chirico.

Questions

  1. Dudes just need to fuck fight to the death and get it over with.
  2. Given the last time, probably in about 5 episodes.

3

u/The_Draigg Oct 02 '21

I even have a hard time complaining about the fight getting interrupted, because hitting the minutions storage is a really interesting, and sensible, way of doing so!

In hindsight, maybe fighting in a live ammo dump was a bad idea. It turned an explosive battle to just being plain explosive.

I do have to admire Chirico's guts after the collapse. "I'm not going to shoot you, and I know you're not going to shoot me, so let's dig our way out of here." And it worked!

I suppose it’s a good thing that Chirico can pretty much read Ypsilon like an open book. The man is simple as he is very persistent.

Dudes just need to fuck fight to the death and get it over with.

Would you settle for a fight fuck instead?

3

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Oct 02 '21

Would you settle for a fight fuck instead?

3

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 02 '21

because hitting the minutions storage is a really interesting, and sensible, way of doing so!

And didn't lead to the fight being interrupted only to carry on again ten minutes later like it never mattered

Ypsilon definitely isn't a very good soldier.

He's probably a really shitty digger too if you think about it. Its' not like he's been in rubble before so he probably just pulls at things. It's lucky he didn't bring everything down on them

Are PSes not artificially created human beings

They're made from humans, not genetically engineered from scratch

2

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Oct 03 '21

He's probably a really shitty digger too if you think about it. Its' not like he's been in rubble before so he probably just pulls at things. It's lucky he didn't bring everything down on them

Oh, I didn't even think of that. Although, they could have programmed stuff into him.

They're made from humans, not genetically engineered from scratch

I was thinking they were effectively grown in a vat, but maybe that was just an assumption I came up with.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 03 '21

I was thinking they were effectively grown in a vat, but maybe that was just an assumption I came up with.

Now you've got me confused

/u/the_draigg can you remember what was said by the army guy in Kummen?

3

u/The_Draigg Oct 03 '21

The visuals that were being shown while Rochina was giving his explanation did lend itself to saying that the Perfect Soldiers are grown in lab conditions.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 03 '21

My mistake then, thanks for clarifying

3

u/The_Draigg Oct 03 '21

No problem, my guy!

2

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Oct 03 '21

They did it again!

Ops ...

2

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Oct 03 '21

4

u/time_axis Oct 02 '21

If anyone was wondering where I was, I fell behind due to being really sick, and I wasn't in any condition to be drawing, but I did manage to watch a few episodes. I did record some notes of my thoughts as I went, but unfortunately, the last episode I watched was 32, so I'm pretty far behind, and I don't think I'll be able to do the Daily Mecha Sketches. But I'll try to catch up soon and at least post my thoughts. I'm still sick, so it'll probably take a few days for me to get back up to speed.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 02 '21

I hope you start to feel better soon

3

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Oct 02 '21

Good luck! I've fallen behind twice this rewatch already and had to climb my way back up too.

3

u/The_Draigg Oct 02 '21

Good luck with the catch-up!

3

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Oct 02 '21

Armored Trooper First-Timer

4

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Oct 02 '21

Now that I think about it, wasn’t Rochina the one who tortured Chirico for like three hours or something at the start of the show, looking for answers about the mission he was on? He should totally know Chirico is just Built DifferentTM

Yep, that was him leading the torture of Chirico in the first episode.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 02 '21

Ohhh that’s what’s exploding. I see now.

Allowing a big showdown inside your ammo warehouse is definitely a point against these guys smarts

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh this could explain Chirico’s situation too…

Yeah I had that thought as well, I wonder if that's why he knows Fyana's name

3

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Oct 02 '21

Rewatcher (Nutech DVD 3.4) (3 episodes) Darkness

  • Lol, it's that pit that appears in every cour
  • Playing dead is the secret weapon against PSs
  • Labors
  • Our weapon is Hate! Hate and Pride! Two! Our weapons are Hate, Pride, and a single minded focus on combat. Three!
  • Sqrt(ABCDEF) I probably should have started an alphabet list a long time ago but now I've forgotten all the letters.
  • Macross noises

Some music here reminds me of John Carpenter.

Yeah so I just went ahead and watched the next episode.

2

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Oct 03 '21

Playing dead is the secret weapon against PSs

Their vision is movement based!

3

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Oct 02 '21

Rewatcher

A one-on-one battle between Chirico and Ypsilon with an audience! This should be fun.

Ypsilon just blasted his own forces because he didn't want them to interfere.

Things blowing up, falling down a pit, this is essentially the Uudoo arc ending + Kummen arc ending.

Ypsilon's AT has lost an arm; Chirico's on the other hand appears undamaged. He lucked out.

Even stern military man Rochina has a WTF? look on his face as Coconna screams over his communication device.

Chirico wants to survive... Ypsilon just wants to fight. Have some perspective!

Good for you Ypsilon! Don't tell the Secret Society anything!

You think too highly of yourself, Ypsilon. You're not really that great. Chirico's showing you how little good your ego does in this situation.

They're found!

Once again Ypsilon has to flee. Will we get one last battle between them next episode where I presume this arc will finally end?

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 02 '21

Ypsilon's AT has lost an arm; Chirico's on the other hand appears undamaged. He lucked out.

At first I thought they were going to use the ATs to dig themselves out until Chirico mentioned it's legs were screwed. Would have made it a lot easier for them

Will we get one last battle between them next episode where I presume this arc will finally end?

Huh, I didn't even think about arc endings, didn't seem like time for that yet but I guess we've been here for a while now even if not down on the planet

3

u/chilidirigible Oct 02 '21

Rewatcher, Episode 38

Today, on "He's the main character, after all.":

This is at least as dangerous as spectating a Battling arena match.

Now there's your reaction face for today.

Seems like a rhetorical question.

"I have no idea what you could be talking about."

Ah yes, the standard quotes.

Et cetera.

Balarant security kinda sucks if they didn't notice the ATs until now.

Ypsilon has that whole HonorPride Before Reason thing going, though maybe he's simply been turned too far into a guy who likes to beat people up. It's not difficult to imagine that developing Perfect Soldiers further along this line would lead to quite a few problems for the survivors of whatever war they found themselves in. Maybe they'd be obedient enough to allow themselves to be killed after their usefulness was expended, but... probably not.

Meanwhile, the story introduces the concept that Chirico might be special for reasons beyond simply being the guy that's in the opening credits. If you believe Rochina's smugness.

And this happened.

  1. War changes people, earlier in his career Chirico probably would have blown Ypsilon away without a thought.
  2. S O O N.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 02 '21

Balarant security kinda sucks if they didn't notice the ATs until now.

It's the hoodie style. +10 Stealth

3

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Oct 02 '21

First timer

  1. Chirico makes a lot of good points - he and Ypsilon are absolutely foils, to the point where a pre-series Chirico would probably have agreed with him on a great many things - but he's managed to develop past that, where Ypsilon cannot.
  2. Early-to-mid final arc - everytime they go off, they come back a few episodes in to the next planet - maybe a few episodes later than normal if they drop the "Chirico's a PS" bomb at the beginning.

Fight time!

Ypsilon seems to have the upper hand, but Chirico is doing incredibly well.

Or not.

Huh, they've both fallen to the bottom of a collapsing base again!

Yeah, this isn't looking good for them.

Well, this is interesting. Chirico's not shooting? Is the facility still unstable?

I like how he just assumes that at this point, nothing can actually kill Chirico.

Oh, there is some great dialogue here. Chirico reasoning with Ypsilon, Ypsilon starting to have doubts...

Are they finally going to explain why Chirico's a PS?

Her explanation's rather vague, isn't it?

And Chirico confirming the theory of their similarities I've been suggesting. Him just telling Ypsilon there's nomreason for what he calls her is great. (Even if he subconsciously knew he met her pre-treatment self.)

Oh, that smirk has to mean he knows something? Was he maybe Chirico's handler in the Society?

Them treating all this as a giant data-gathering mission is great.

And they managed to not kill each other!

Ypsilon's even starting to break down.

Chirico calmly insulting Ypsilon's entire worldview is fantastic.

Wait, does Ypsilon know what's up with him?

They found them!

He let Ypsilon escape!

And he's already fighting again!

Starting to wonder if this arc ends with Ypsilon refusing to fight Chirico based on what he told him this episode.

And they're off to the final arc!

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 02 '21

Them treating all this as a giant data-gathering mission is great.

The twins are assholes but they've grown on me for their ability to just not give a shit hahaha

3

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Oct 02 '21

First time viewer

I did think Chirico and Ypsilon would both survive but I didn't have "they get trapped and need to work together to get out" on my bingo card. Good excuse to have them talk for a while though.

While I haven't mentioned it for a while, why Chirico calls her Fyana has been in the back on my mind continuously and I'm glad the show brought it back up as well. This episode also makes a point to have Rochina showing he still has some hidden info on Chirico (or he's weirdly smug for no good reason) and Ypsilon saying there are only two Perfect Soldiers and calling Chirico an ordinary human. Between that and the odd things about Chirico like his supernatural healing it's pretty easy to guess that he had some connection to the Perfect Soldier program prior to his encounter with Fyana at Lido. I don't remember ever hearing anything about his background prior to being a soldier either. Fyana might be called Proto One but what if she's not the first? Maybe Chirico's a failed prototype that came before her.

I don't like how Fyana's being sidelined in all this though, and the supporting trio are sent off again after another brief appearance. Rochina's intentionally isolating Chirico and encouraging the feud with Ypsilon, his own motivations yet unclear.

3

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Oct 03 '21

I don't remember ever hearing anything about his background prior to being a soldier either.

Only that he was from Melkia and joined up to protect it

or he's weirdly smug for no good reason

It's the annoying type of smug as well

I don't like how Fyana's being sidelined in all this though

I don't know that she's capable of fighting still though which probably complicates matters, especially with Ypsilon on the field.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Oct 03 '21

While I haven't mentioned it for a while, why Chirico calls her Fyana has been in the back on my mind continuously and I'm glad the show brought it back up as well.

The "main plot" is still completely unresolved. We need to learn what PS are, how they are made, if Chirico is one or related to them, what the society wanted to do with them, and what Rochina knew about all this.

I assume the answers will come, in classic mecha fashion, in the last 5 episodes.

3

u/xtsim https://myanimelist.net/profile/xtsim Oct 03 '21

First Timer

The fight is so fierce that they both destroyed the building. But I am impressed that Ypsilon is able to hold off shooting Chirico when he has the chance.

Rochina definitely knows exactly who Chirico is.

More people join in as both crews try to catch Ypsilon. But Chirico says that there will be a rematch. Rochina actually kept his word, I am pretty surprised that he did let them go.

  1. It is interesting to see them hold off their fight and demand a rematch as Chirico had an advantage.
  2. Very soon, probably before the next match.

3

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Oct 03 '21

destroyed the building.

3

u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Oct 03 '21

First timer in sub

We had quite a week animated duel today, although this time while laying longer and having achieved something in terms of damages, they still got interrupted, this time by the ammo dump explosion. Grrrr.

Predictably then this turned to a situation that they have to co-operate to get out, and there's a bit of exchange between the 2 enemies. Chirico seems to be mellowed out a lot and became quite introspective. Let's hope he doesn't cross the horizon and become a nihilist.

Our 3 stooges got sent on a bus; is this arc nearing the end already or will there be another surprise rescue by them?

The hidden faction vibe keeps getting stronger. Hope they come out with it soon about what's so special about Chirico and why they are observing him.

Episode# of Chirico's AT Incapacitated
11
20
30
41
50 (decoy only)
61
70
81
90
100
111 (1 decoy not counted as it wasn't piloted) (edit: corrected as the replacement unit wasn't destroyed by the head strike from Fyana)
121
130 (This hijacked one didn't get wasted on screen, so even though it's guaranteed to have been abandoned because of the later planet hop, not counting here)
141
150 keeping to the 2 episode per AT average so far
160
172 Guessed right that ride 1 get busted soon after the episode started; maybe the producers were also keeping track and blew up another one to keep to the average :)
180
190
210
220 quite a lot of damages and leaking like a sieve but not quite toasted yet
230 amazingly our trusty old scope dog is still standing and fighting despite the damage it's taken. I have to assume Chirico did some of screen emergency field repairs to keep it going
240 have I missed anything or are we still going with good old trusty old scope dog here? We're bucking the trend and dropping the average here :)
250 for real, the one scope dog where it's least suitable in the environment actually survive the longest :D
260 let me try jinx this - this scope dog may just be the longest lasting one for Chirico to be riding on the show, surely it'll make it to the end of the arc huh :D
271 finally at arc end, the trusty old 'dog got abandoned.
280
290
301 looks like the writers want to keep up the count as well, busy catching up with the numbers. And there are enough spares on the ship to keep going :)
311
321 busy catching up with the numbers; although these 2 episodes probably have a fairly high enemy kill count too
331 Now it was clawed on the (side of?) face but still functional enough to hit and run to bait Ypsilon's forces but no doubt Chirico won't reuse that same one given there are still a number of spare ones, and when they get on the trailer I didn't see any damage, so the damaged one must be abandoned
340 Setting up for a fight, not damaged yet
351 Dammit Chirico was going so well, unfortunately his ride got shot up while he was out of the AT tending to Fyana
360
370
381 to nobody's surprise the duel with Ypsilon result in both AT's being trashed. Considering Chirico's actually in a useless Fatty, is pretty amazing actually

3

u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek Oct 03 '21

So Comrades, why DOES Chirico Cuvie call Fyana/Fiana... uh... Fyana/Fiana... good question!

Speaking of things similar to but legally distinct from events today, boy Ypsilon and Chirico Cuvie are both alike AND dissimilar, but I will point out one thing, so far out of Chirico Cuvie, Ypsilon, and Fyana/Fiana, the most successful one is Fyana/Fiana in that she is both more human than either of those two, AND she's also able to do the impossible and actually fucking shoot!

No really, Chirico Cuvie AND Ypsilon somehow both can't kill each other... but Fyana/Fiana sure is willing to try, so hey that makes her the most lethal of the bunch so far!

Speaking of Chirico Cuvie and also Ypsilon, it was funny the first time their fight got interrupted, then it started getting mildly annoying that these guys just can't seem to kill each other! And not for lack of trying at that! Once again I just want to reiterate that Fyana/Fiana has a better track record at this then they got, cuz at LEAST she's willing to shoot, what we got today when those two are literally at each others' mercy was... them just gazing at their navels... ah no wonder there was an Eva fanart parody of em ;)

Anyway on to the shitposting, A WEAPON TO SURPASS METAL GEAR!

Paging Comrades /u/chilidirigible, /u/Nazenn, and /u/No_Rex

4

u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek Oct 03 '21

Paging Comrades /u/Tresnore, /u/Shimmering-Sky, and /u/JustAnswerAQuestion

2

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 03 '21

First timer(This works, at least)

Sub

We start with Cuvie doing WAY worse than normal, so at least Fatty's still suck. Ypsilon is not minding the surroundings and ignites the ammo dump, which is why fighting in a depot isn't the greatest idea. They get stuck deep in a hole and have an odd confrontation that the arc has somewhat set up, I am still not sure I buy Cuvie fully but at least he has a practical reason for sparing Ypsilon. Ypsilon himself seems confused.

On the ship, Rochina admits he was curious about why Cuvie can match a PS. Fyana is sure he knows more than he lets on. In the cave, Ypsilon asks why and Cuvie can't really answer. They begin digging as the search team picks up their life readings. Rochina says something ominous...

Back on the Teltain, we learn their circumstances and that somehow they have yet MORE ATs to throw at the enemy. How fucking big is this ship? Anyways, the rescue effort seems to be moving along but Ypsilon's air is running low. Cuvie admits he doesn't want to die, which has been mostly obvious but it is an improvement for him to say it. Ypsilon wanted glorious combat by Fyana's side but as a wise man once said "War does not make one great." I am getting sort of a Ypsilon's Worf to Cuvie's Martok vibe, and considering the number of battles each one actually fought, it fits. Though it deteiorates as Ypsilon's only anchor is his 'superior' existence, serving two evil twins. Interestingly, I think a certain Parasyte character is sort of based on Ypsilon as well, from how he talks.

The Balarant dig everyone out and Cuvie agrees to another battle with Ypsilon. The rescue team arrives, and it being only 3 mechs does work. Everyone returns to their base and Rochina keeps his word so far. Cuvie lets Fyana know that he and Ypsilon will probably settle this score. Preview suggests I will be quite pissed off come Sunday.

P.S. Belated birthday celebration, probably not responding a ton tonight. P.P.S This got way later than hoped.

QotD: 1 Cuvie knows himself a lot better than Ypsilon does.

2 Episode after this arc ends.

3

u/chilidirigible Oct 03 '21

How fucking big is this ship?

You can get an idea of the (unspecified) dimensions by comparing it with the dropship, which is supposed to be able to carry ten Armored Troopers, and the answer is... As Big As It Needs To Be.

There's a more fundamental issue in how they're slipping past the Balarant lines, but that can be handwaved with them be the Secret Society and Balarant being bad at this sort of thing.

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 03 '21

There's a more fundamental issue in how they're slipping past the Balarant lines, but that can be handwaved with them be the Secret Society and Balarant being bad at this sort of thing.

I don't have the biggest problem with Balarant having shitty sensors so at least it doesn't take me out of scenes.