Uso Evin might go down in history as the most tortured Gundam Pilot of all time if Victory Gundam keeps going the way it is. The story has become a neverending battle for the poor kid with few breaks and a ton of heartbreak. This does give Victory Gundam some pretty intense action sequences and it looks like we’re going to be sticking around in Gundam’s true home setting for a little bit: Outer Space. Still, I don’t think the beautiful picture of stars or the Earth from orbit is gonna help improve Uso’s current state. He’s hurting and the hurting’s only just getting started (I say that 15 episodes in).
This set of episodes saw Yoshiyuki Tomino really lean into his legendary nickname, “Kill Em All” Tomino. What’s a little wrong with this right now is the fact that amongst the butchers bill are a few members of the Shrike Team that were only just introduced at the tail end of last weeks episodes. I get that theyre supposed to be a tight knit team and we should feel bad for Uso and the girls when they lose a comrade. But…honestly, who were either of these two girls, especially the first pilot to buy it, Helen? We know nothing about this team, their history, nothing. At least with Kite, she spent a little bit of time with Uso before she died. Even so, you’d think time would be dedicated to knowing some of these characters first like in Zeta before they endured a terrible demise. I guess at the end of it all, this is just to push Uso further and further into the nightmare he’s found himself in. It’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t snap or isn’t scarred for life once this whole war is done. We also saw the deaths of a pair of long running Zanscare characters, or at least one. Fualla’s “Death” at least for me isn’t confirmed. Yes they launched her into space with enough oxygen and food for three days but there’s a chance someone might pick her up. Cronicle seems to believe she’s gone for sure but me, im not convinced until I’ve seen a body.
Uso’s hard time in this war wasn’t relegated to lost team members. He, and the audience, also had to deal with Shakti continuing to be one of the most aggravating characters in the franchise. She’s planting seeds in a forest while a battle is going on, goes on and on about wanting to go back home to Kasarelia, and frequently puts the baby who is always, ALWAYS on her back, into mortal peril because I guess it’s a Kryptonian baby who’s powered by the sun who can withstand shards of glass or being banged into a wall when Shakti hits it. The girl’s so desperate for her old, peaceful life with Uso that she runs the risk of death in every episode cause it’s not a matter of if Shakti will do something stupid, but when. And just when Uso gives her an out to head back home, Shakti decides she’s going into space as well. And here i thought Relena Peacecraft in the first half of Gundam Wing was the most stalkerish, desperate love interest in all of Gundam. I stand corrected. Sub Note: if I ever do a third Most Hated Characters in Gundam list, Shakti will be on it.
Most of the action in this set took place at Gibraltar, the locale the LM have been trying to get to for several episodes now. They got some support from Lt. Gomez, a Federation plane pilot who is partial to their cause (and the first instance someone in the Federation gives a damn about this invasion), and a couple of additional Victory Gundams. This means that Marbet and Oliver can join Uso in combat if need be and they did. Buuuut neither of these other two Gundams look any different from Uso’s. When every Gundam looks the same, it kind of makes the importance of a single one go down in value. I haven’t been overly fond of the Mobile Suit designs in this series already and two more copycats of the same model just support what I feel was a lazy creative choice. Still, the Gibraltar battles were well done and appropriately intense, especially for poor Uso (someone who isn’t Shakti give this kid a hug).
The Battle of Gibraltar gave way to a new arena for the series: Outer Space. Yep, after Gundam X and G Gundam spent so much time Earth side, it’s kind of nice to get a Gundam story that doesn’t wait til super late to head up to Gundam’s favorite playground. While I’ll admit, the Victory itself does look a bit better in starlight, the first episode in space felt like filler save for the apparent demise of Fualla. I do like that Cronicle wasn’t ok with the decision to exile/execute Fualla and that he had to carry it out. Cronicle really is becoming just as likeable as Uso when it comes to main characters. He even tried to settle the Gibraltar matter with negotiations even though it was well past that stage. I wonder if his chivalrous nature is what’s attracting Katejina to Cronicle. Oh yeah, Katejina is in space too and I feel like her claim that she’s a “spy” for the LM is total crap. I think she’ll pulled a Quess Pariyah from Char’s Counterattack and just switched sides because Cronicle is a handsome devil, though he lacks Char’s cool and suave demeanor. What exactly Katejina is going to get out of going to space or continuing to be involved at all is anyones guess. Also, Uso needs to let go of his crush on her. Katejina is cute but come on kid…you can do better.
So now that we’re in space, what’s waiting up there to mess up Uso’s life more than it already is? Will we get to see more of the Zanscare Empire itself from its home base and just where are Uso and Marbet heading anyway now that theyre up here? What happens to the rest of the LM on Earth and just when will Shakti suddenly appear and find new impossible ways to survive crazy battles while having a baby clinging to her back? Sigh, props to Victory Gundam for the darker storytelling but characters acting like idiots is plenty cause for loss of points. But first, hopefully some good old fashioned space combat when we check back with Mobile Suit Victory Gundam on Friday. See ya then.
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