We’re closing in on Victory Gundam’s halfway mark (we’ll be looking at 6 more episodes on Monday). Now that we’re back in Gundams favorite playground, aka Space, I can feel the series energy starting to pick up a little bit. We also got a bunch of new characters thrown our way, including our first look at the power behind the Zanscare Empire itself. And my new favorite character to pick on just got a status upgrade in the story…and man if Shakti wasn’t a pain already, she’s about to become a whole lot worse (and that’s saying something considering all the crap she’s pulled before).
The big takeaway from this set was getting to meet the faces of Zanscare. There are two main characters to focus on here: Queen Maria Pure Armonia and Fonse Kagatie. We’ve been hearing Maria’s name dropped constantly throughout the show, and incase you forgot, Cronicle is her younger brother. Despite the invasion and violence on Earth, Maria seems like a woman of peace. That said I don’t really get how an invasion and military action preaches good intentions from Side 2. Then again, the Zanscare are well aware of the history of space and know you don’t declare independence without risking the fury of the Earth Federation. But theyre not fighting the Federation, theyre fighting the LM and doing much worse. Speaking of “much worse”, there’s Kagatie. If Maria is the Figurehead without knowing it, then Kagatie is the true ruler of Zanscare and he’s got no qualms about lying to the Queen about the civilians being killed in the skirmishes in Europe. Kagatie’s only focused on power and conquest and he knows that even with the LM opposing them, with minor Federation assistance, there’s little truly standing in their way right now. I wonder how long it will take for Kagatie to just have enough of the Queen and somehow eliminate her…and given what revelation came next I think he’ll start making those plans soon.
Oh Shakti. You’ve been the most problematic character in Victory Gundam and yet youre only getting worse. I could go on and on about shoving poor Karl into a normal suit just so the baby will survive in a place he really shouldn’t be…or doing the same thing with THE FREAKING DOG!!!??? But Shakti’s naievete about this whole war in general is driving me nuts. And then came the atom bomb, something we knew was coming several episodes ago: Shakti is Maria’s daughter, and Cronicle’s niece as a result. Shakti’s “That’s not true, that’s impossible” reaction aside, I can see her taking a good long while to accept this…and then immedietley try to use whatever influence she gains to try and put a stop to the whole war herself just to get her and Uso back to Kasarelia. Honestly, even knowing this I still cant believe Shakti brought a baby and a dog into space with her and acts like theyre on a leisurly stroll through the forest. I’d say one stray bullet to a hull and it’s game over cause of the vacuum of space…but she, her dog, her foster infant and the other obnoxious girl she brought with her have already survived that somehow.
Now in Space, the LM found itself busy getting ready for a big offensive against a Zanscare fleet guarding a ship that could use its firepower on Earth. We got some classic Gundam space action out of this and got to see Uso both get the hang of Space combat rather quickly while also picking up pointers from veteran pilots like Marbet and Junko. We also got the return of the classic Earth Federation battleship design with the Reinforce, a EF vessel on loan to the LM thanks to Captain Gomez (a super swell guy btw). It’s the oldest and most familiar design from Gundam in this series and its good to see that just because its old, it cant still kick a little ass. Uso also got to finally meet the famed Jinn Jahannam, the founder of the League Militaire…and he’s instantly wishing he hadn’t. Someone pointed out that Uso probably hoped the mysterious Leader would be his father, using an alias. But no, Jinn is an obnoxious man who everyone has built up too much to live up to his rep. He’s boisterous, loud, incapable of making rational decisions…this is the guy who founded the movement against the Zanscare Empire? I doubt it but don’t doubt that when the going gets tough he’ll sell his resistance out to dry.
Besides some lessons about space combat and realizing he had to try and save Shakti (again), Uso had a relatively easy set of episodes. No one important died, he got to meet new kids his age willing to help the LM. He even got along better with Odelo, though their relationship is very sibling like so they fight like brothers a lot regardless of what’s going on. Yeah, considering how things have been going, Uso’s first few outings in space have been a bit relaxing (yes in spite of battles). He even got to launch a Gundam properly from the Reinforce, complete with a catapult and a closeup on his face as he heads out (a la Amuro in the original Gundam). Also, still think the Victory looks a helluva lot better now that its in space. I’ve been watching this series on Blu Ray and the HD clean up makes this early 90’s Anime look pretty good and the space fairing Victory Gundam looks particularly pretty.
Next time, the League Militaire and the Zanscare Empire have their first major clash in space. Will Uso get to Shakti before she is sent to meet her mother? Oh and what about Katejina, who appeared briefly towards the tail end of this set. Will she become more jealous of Uso and Shakti with the more prominent roles in life compared to her own? Sounds silly to ask but given what they’ve done with Katejina thus far, I had to. Mobile Suit Victory Gundam reaches the halfway mark Next Monday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.
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