This weeks next sets of G Gundam episodes seems to be bringing the two main plots of the series together at last. The Final Battle continues to heat up but there’s also a familiar menace that looks poised to rear its ugly head again. Honestly, does it surprise anyone that the Devil Gundam is coming back and its in the hands of egotistical maniacs like Minister Wong and Master Asia? Then you’ve got tragic backstories, epic rematches and even the birth of a G Gundam Injustice League. Let’s get to it, shall we?
While Domon’s main storyline has dominated the bulk of the second half of the series, his fellow Shuffle Alliance allies have not been forgotten. After Sai Saici got a cute romance sub plot last week, it was time for Chibodee and George to get some screentime once again. George especially is long overdue for an episode after sitting out much of the show since the second half kicked off. The honorable knight hasn’t lost his edge and I’m glad he got a semi proper match with an old rival, one who defeated him really early on. Chibodee got the stronger story between the two: having to conquer a childhood trauma that still haunted him. I get being scared of clowns and how they connect to Chibodee losing his mother, I really do. But…Clown Terrorists sounds like a poor plot element from Batman Forever involving the Flying Graysons and the origins of Robin. Still, Chibodee manages to come out on top against a creepy clown Gundam Fighter with the help of his ever so awesome team of hot lady partners and even Rain, who, along with Domon, encouraged Shirly, Cath, Janet and Bunny to find a way to aid Chibodee in his eleventh hour.
That old rival I spoke of a second ago, yeah there were a couple of familiar faces back for the Final Battle. Michelo Chariot and Gentle Chapman, the latter seemingly back from the dead, returned to stir up trouble for the Shuffle Alliance, but mostly Domon. Michelo even decided to assemble a team of disgruntled Gundam Fighters, most of whom Domon himself defeated in battle, to try and kill everyone outside of the tournament. This little Injustice League was a neat idea but it hasn’t really gone anywhere besides the mini assassination attempts. There’s promise though and part of that comes from the fact that this “Final Battle” seems to be giving everyone multiple chances to come back for another battle even after their heads have been blown off. The Zeus Gundam, Zebra Gundam, Viking Gundam and Nether Gundam, to name a few, have all made multiple appearances after their battles with Domon. So is Wong just allowing them a ton of chances to win because he has final say in the tournament? Sure he issued a bunch of new rules in the beginning, one that included being able to fight no matter what, I guess. But at some point we’re gonna get to that Battle Royale to decide everything…so why have these Prelims at all? The action is great, would just be nice to see the roster get knocked down a bit, even though we know it’s gonna come down to Domon, the Shuffle Alliance, Schwarz and Master Asia for sure.
Michelo and Chapman also came into the Final Battle with their own new Gundams that might as well be Mobile Armors. The Heaven’s Sword and Grand Gundams are monstrous, almost the size of the Devil Gundam itself and they nearly destroyed Domon and George respectively. There’s plenty of mystery to them too but it’s plenty certain they’ll be in the Battle Royale somehow too as mini bosses before the absolute last fight of the tournament. Handling them one on one is rough enough, so I’m certain we’re gonna see some team ups to bring these guys down. Unfortunately, the moment we all knew had to happen eventually happened. The Shuffle Alliance decided to postpone taking on anymore Devil Gundam matter to first settle things with the guy who brought them all together: Domon. Weirdly enough, I’m ok with this. These guys are great friends and respectful allies. But at the end of the day, they are participating in the Gundam Fight for a reason and they cant lose sight of that. It also helps that the fights are going to be amazing but they’ll have to match the hyper intense Domon vs. Chibodee rematch. It is strange that Chibodee has a Super Mode as well, I guess all Shuffle Alliance members will gain that ability? But if it’s one pairing that’s been really well developed this series, it’s Domon and Chibodee. Heated rivals and as close to “best friends” as this show will ever get, these guys know how to bring the best out of one another and their second bout lived up to the promise of their first.
This episode set also saw Domon spending a lot more time with the cute Allenby. This blue haired spitfire seems like the perfect match for Domon, mostly in the regard that she can match him blow for blow and is the perfect sparring partner. Allenby helps Domon out of several scraps, even interfering in Rain’s job to give Domon a helpful tip during a pivotal match. This has left Rain spinning a little. She’s Domon’s oldest childhood friend, his partner and has been with him from the beginning. Her inability to match Domon in combat shouldn’t be held against her but I imagine that’s something Rain will consider in future episodes as her clear romantic rivalry with Allenby for Domon really gets going. Probably doesn’t help Rain’s chances that Domon and Allenby also got partnered up for a tag team match that ended with them using similar “Erupting God Finger” Techniques to finish their opponents. I like Rain and I think she’s the best match believe it or not. But she needs to say something or risk losing Domon…if he’s even aware of either girls feelings, it is Domon after all, I wonder what “I love you” translates to in combat? Also while Rain has the cuter pilots outfit, Allenby gets points for running with the Sailor Moon motif of her Mobile Fighter and having a Sailor Moon transformation/suit up sequence with her Mobile Trace System.
Once again, series antagonists found themselves in a repetitive state. The only difference in Master Asia and Wong’s scenes were they were now looking in on the Devil Gundam at the end of most matches. There were attempts to expand their villainous influence though. Wong was spotted at the assassination of a Neo England official and Master Asia seems to be in charge of Michelo and Chapman. Asia seemed to show signs of a different tune though. He wasn’t a fan of Wong adding extra traps to matches involving Domon because he wants his pupil to show what he’s made of fairly. Since then the heck does Master Asia suddenly give a damn about Domon’s well being? I guess it’s because he really does want that rematch. But will he even get it? Yeah, it looks like Asia might be a little sick…and I think we all know what that means for his possible future.
Next up, Domon has three more Shuffle Alliance matches, starting with George. Will the Devil Gundam and Wong make their move before the Battle Royale has even begun? I’d throw in a question about Domon’s chances of making it to the end of the tournament but come on…that’s a stupid question, right? See you back here on Friday for more Mobile Fighter G Gundam right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.
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