Turn A Gundam Part 7 Episodes 31-35

With the Willghem fully operational, the Militia, under the command of Guin Lineford, is one step closer to leaving the Earth.  However, there still stands one last obstacle: the captured city of Maniupich.  Only by liberating this city from the Moonrace can Loran and his allies ascend into space to confront his people on their home turf.  To this end, Loran must broker a peace with an ancient Earth culture living in the mountain, the Adesans.  Meanwhile Queen Diana, pretending to be Kihel Heim, finds herself powerless to stop Lt. Phil from usurping her power and taking full command of the Dianna Counter.  If she is to salvage this disastrous situation, she too will have to find her way back home…back to the Moon.

Well it only took 34 episodes but we finally made it to Space.  Sad to say though, the final stretch to get there wasn’t a smooth one as I feel like this set of Turn A Gundam episodes suffered a bit from delayed build up.  Sure the flight to space and what came after it was great.  But there were still three episodes prior that might’ve been my least favorite of the series so far.

We kicked things off with a full filler episode dedicated to everyones favorite Moonrace screw up, Ensign Poe.  She’s now so desperate to bring down the Gundam and retrieve Queen Dianna that she’ll even head out while having a high fever.  Sigh, I guess you need to give Poe points for trying but she is easily the weakest female character in this series and that’s kind of a shame.  She’s got spirit and considering how many times shes lost a battle, Poe’s a trooper for continuing to try so hard.  But her blind loyalty to Phil and her trigger happy nature (that also jumpstarted this whole war mind you, I haven’t forgotten that), make her so damn unlikeable.  At this point, I always groan when Poe goes into battle.  Cause you know she’s just going to come back emptyhanded again and for some reason we got a whole episode dedicated to Poe failing yet again.  I didn’t need to watch that, not with space so close.

Next we got what could have been a very lore exploratory heavy two parter with Loran and his friends encountering the Adesans living in the mountain they needed to get to space.  Unfortunately, this arc was heavily rushed and ultimately unnecessary.  I don’t think I gained an appreciation for the Adesans or any of their culture by the time the whole thing was over.  There’s plenty of missed opportunity here to do some serious digging into the “Dark History” and even a deeper understanding of the Turn A itself.  Instead we got another culture in the middle of another power struggle that’s even more baffling than the Moonrace infighting.  In the end, the Adesans had access to a Mass Driver needed to get the Willghem into space…that’s it, nothing further was needed of them and I think their story arc could have been erased altogether without hindering the main plot.  Needless to say, this was the second of two major stumbles that had me worried.

AND THEN SPACE!!! Yes, I was cheering when we finally got to see the sea of stars and thankfully the race to get there was just the shot in the arm Turn A Gundam needed after a couple of dismal detours.  Not only did we get to see Poe defeated (God there needs to be a loss counter everytime this happens) but Harry’s joining up with the Militia now.  Harry Ord might’ve just displaced Zechs Merquise from Gundam Wing as the true successor to Char Aznable in my mind.  Not only did we get to see him take charge and kick all kinds of ass but we got to see his greatest moment to date.  He purposefully landed on Poe’s ship and walked to the bridge like he owned the place, respect bestowed and everything, not even Poe’s “commanding” could halt Harry or have him be arrested…then he kissed Poe to give her special medicine to kill that fever I mentioned earlier…then he just walks away…DAMN he is the loyal Mobile Suit piloting bad ass we all wish we could be in life.

By the way, have I mentioned how gorgeous Turn A Gundam is?  If I haven’t, or it’s been a while since I have, then im gonna add more points to the animation department cause space looks the best it has during the entire 90s era of Gundam.  It looks more wondrous than ever and seeing the Turn A float around, while giving Sochie a tour of her new surroundings, feels like a nice homecoming for the Mobile Suit.  Gundams were born in space after all, this is their true home and playground.  I also loved the design of the giant space station known as Stacktraeger.  It had a very 2001: A Space Odyssey feel to its design just rotating in space like it does.  Plus the thing is freaking massive and just a taste of more awesomeness we’re going to get now that we’ve changed settings.

It sucks to even write down that Turn A Gundam suffered some misteps in this set cause I am really enjoying this series, it might even make my Top 5 Gundam shows if it can stick the landing.  As much as ive complained about us only now getting to space, everything that’s happened on Earth has never been boring…save for the three episodes at the beginning of this set.  Point is, if the story has been this tight and well done til now, I cant wait to see what happens when we finally get to the moon, which we’ll hopefully get to on Wednesday.  We’ve only got 15 episodes to go before the grand finale (only 15, man ive been blowing through this), let’s make our time off planet count.  See ya soon.

Turn A Gundam Part 6 Episodes 26-30

The Battle of Kingsley ends in victory for the Militia as the Willghem is fully unearthed.  Though Guin intends to use this to pressure the Dianna Counter into negotiations, an even more terrible discovery could tip the balance of the war.  One of the Dark History’s greatest horrors has been found by both the Militia and the Dianna Counter.  Loran races to stop both sides from committing a terrible sin but even he might be too late to stop what’s coming.  As the glow of a sun fills the skies at midnight, the Militia and the Dianna Counter will cross a line from which there will be no turning back.

After a pretty spectacular mid season finish, Turn A Gundam kicked off the second half of its saga with one helluva bang…literally.  Unfortunatley, we’re not heading for space as soon as I thought we might (30 episodes in and we’re still firmly on the Earth).  But Turn A Gundam had a topic that proved most important for these two warring factions mostly out of touch with the past, and that brought out some great drama.

Given how the Moonrace and the Militia have been digging up tons of “ancient” weapons from beam rifles to Mobile Armors, it seems obvious in retrospect that eventually one side would stumble across a nuclear weapon.  Well both did around the same time and it went about as well as you’d expect.  Thankfully, the Moonrace commander was fully aware of just how bad these bombs were once he realized what they were.  And then gung ho Gavane and his men decided to ignore all warnings and start a firefight to get this game changing tool of destruction.  On the one hand, I couldn’t help but think about Broken Arrow a couple of times and John Travolta’s iconic “Can you please not fire at the Nuclear Warhead” line.  On the other hand, if a character has been given multiple warnings about how freaking terrifying nukes are if theyre set off and they don’t listen…I wont lie, it’s going to be hard to care about their fates when the inevitable happens…and it did.  We lost Gavane and both the Moonrace and Militia were left in shock.  Its fitting the title of the episode in which the nuclear explosion happens, “Midnight Sunrise” cause the sight of the explosion from a far enough distance was exactly that…and no one thought it was pretty.

Thankfully, Loran and a Moonrace commander with natural sense came to the same conclusion that the last two bombs needed to be disposed of and kept out of the hands of the Moonrace.  This is an exceptionally good idea given how Kihel quickly found herself in trouble as Lt. Phil instigated a coup d’etat and sent out his minion, our ever reliable source of panic and disaster Ensign Poe, to reclaim the nukes.  God, Poe is easily the Sochie of the Moonrace.  Easily manipulated, thinking she’s above everyone else and has a hefty dose of “SEMPAI WILL NOTICE ME!!!” that plagued Gundam protagonist Kou Uraki in Gundam 0083, Poe is such a bad character.  It’s no wonder she is easily thwarted everytime she goes up against…well anybody.  Only this time she got defeated by Loran and Harry combined…and yes she was crying about it a lot later.  And while she was crying, Harry got to let loose his inner Char by fighting off Phil’s forces to protect Kihel as he escorted her back to the Militia.  I feel like we haven’t seen enough of Harry at his true levels of Char Aznable bad assery, so action scenes like this are a gift.

Should talk about Kihel and Dianna real quick.  So for a moment they were reunited (and holding each other in a very suggestive manner btw) and then they were split up again…only now their “parent trap” schtick took a strange turn.  So Harry escapes with Kihel but Dianna stays behind and both girls are still pretending to be one or the other to throw off their enemies.  Even Loran seems oblivious to the fact that he is talking with Kihel once again and not Queen Dianna.  I’ll admit, I was getting confused myself and wonder how much longer I could still like this swapped identities plot before I just got fed up with it.  Or maybe I was hoping that Dianna would be the one brought back to Loran cause they’re really cute together and their scenes have been some of my favorite of the series.  So, just to set the record straight: Kihel is back with the Militia but pretending to be Queen Dianna and Dianna is back with the Moonrace and pretending to be Kihel.  Ok, got it, good.

With all the drama going on, it might seem strange that one of my favorite episodes from this set involved a character I didn’t like in the past.  I was groaning when I found out that maniac Corin was still alive.  However whatever additional brain damage he incurred after fighting Loran has done him wonders.  His stand alone/filler episode saw Corin living like a Priest and running into a village where Moonrace and Earthers were living in harmony.  Corin even befriended a small child who he made laugh plenty of times.  It was kind of adorable and even when Corin snapped cause he saw a parade float of the Turn A, he still tried to fight it but not to senselessly kill but to protect this place he called “Heaven.”  It’s a huge step up and a good turn to make Corin likeable rather than a bloodthirsty sociopath.  Equally strange, Sochie might actually be taking steps to become a better character.  After losing Gavane and hearing the desperate pleas of a Moonrace commander who doesn’t want another nuclear blast to happen, Sochie seems to be more open to listening to things rather than rushing in half cocked…or at least she wishes she could be that understanding.  Hearing her admit she envious Loran is a better person than herself is a pretty big step up…still don’t like her though, so one unlikeable character becoming likeable is my quota for the moment.

So, now that we’ve gotten another spectacular arc completed…CAN WE PLEASE GET INTO SPACE!!! I’d say that hopefully next week we’ll be there.  But I guess I need to temper my expectations and just enjoy the ride…which I have been.  Turn A Gundam has impressed me at every turn.  I just…really wanna see some fights in space sometime guys.  Even 08^th MS Team, which was set predominantly on Earth, had some space combat in its first episode.  Sigh, patience I guess.  See ya next week as Turn A Gundam continues.

T5W#204-Top 5 Reasons Mobile Suit Abridged: Gundam Wing Rocks

It’s been a really long time since an Abridged Anime series has caught my eye.  Ever since Dragon Ball Z Abridged and Yu Gi Oh Abridged first appeared to truly pioneer the sub genre, many parodies have risen to the occasion but few are actually good.  Well everyone, thanks to a good friend, I think I have found another and have now renewed faith that Abridging isn’t as dead as most would think.  I submit to you Mobile Suit Abridged: Gundam Wing from Operation Meatier (yes Meatier).  After watching their latest, 7th episode, I immedietly had to go back to beginning and watch how all the madness and brilliance unfolded.  Today, this hilarious jab at one of my all time favorite Anime is getting the spotlight on Top 5 Wednesday: my Top 5 Reasons Mobile Suit Abridged: Gundam Wing Rocks.  Suit up and get ready to laugh. And when you're done head over to their YouTube page and catch up on all the hilarious action: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaOPFwje0plSZpef1RyzNWg

 

#5-Longer Runtimes for more fun 

The average runtime for most Abridged Anime is in and around 10 minutes long, doing its best to pick the best parts of a 30 min TV episode to adapt.  There are some exceptions to this like Team Four Stars multipart Dragon Ball Z Abridged Season Finales (which are basically one 30-45 minute episode) and Hellsing Ultimate Abridged.  Gundam Wing’s episodes average at around 20 minutes, double the length of a typical Abridged episode.  The crew takes full advantage of this extra time to not only cover one episode but multiple at once, weaving events seemlesly together for additional hilarity.  There’s always the risk an episode could run too long and the jokes could fall flat as a result, but Gundam Wing Abridged (I’ll just call it that here for now) hasn’t hit the red zone yet.  It’s no wonder episodes take a few months to get posted.  But now that im watching it as it debuts now, I can say it’s worth the wait.

 

 

#4-Some of the best Abridged Editing in a long time 

Speaking of combining episodes, Gundam Wing Abridged has some really good editing behind it.  Whoever is the head editor is having a blast inserting characters into series events they were never a part of and have some characters meeting others much sooner.  Some blends are done so well it’s hard to tell someone has just digitally inserted Wufei into a chat with Trowa for an operation he didn’t even partake in.  It still feels like the After Colony era we all know in love.  But the editing hand behind the scenes could not be having a better time moving characters around to fit their needs and deliver the best jokes.

 

 

#3-Good Takes on the Entire Cast 

Zechs is the King of the arrogant A-Holes; Noin is pissed Zechs doesn’t see she want to sleep with him super badly; Treize has a plan even when things are going to hell…and he has no plan; Quatre is a wayyyy too cheerfully innocent to be piloting a Gundam; Wufei cant stand girls; and Trowa is just a guy everyone can talk to, even if he doesn’t want to hear it…and that’s just the first couple of episodes.  Not since Dragon Ball Z Abridged has an Abridged Anime shown such a great understanding of the strengths and flaws of the Anime’s central cast and both honored and humored them at the same time.  Extra pros go to the most hilarious Zechs moment where he insists to Otto that he and Noin are “just friends,” then we cut to Noin just getting out of the shower humming, “Let’s talk about Zechs baby, let’s talk about you and me…”  I die every time.

 

 

#2-Heero’s Playlist 

Everyone’s favorite emotionless murder machine Heero Yuy is one of the stand out characters in Gundam Wing Abridged.  Desperate to prove he’s the best secret agent ever, Heero takes on his role with a bit more prideful arrogance that usually finds him making things worse or screwing up missions all together.  In short, Heero is a living trainwreck who is entertaining as Hell to watch.  The best part though, Heero’s got surprising taste in music…or maybe not surprising.  It fits his Abridged personality that the song that introduced him in Gundam Wing (The Wings of a Boy that Killed Adolescence…look I didn’t name these songs on the OST), plays whenever Heero goes into battle.  Even better, Heero has a love for all songs with the word “Hero” in them…so we get to hear him singing Chad Kroger’s “Hero” from Spider-Man; “I Need  Hero” by Bonnie Tyler; and even “I Can Be Your Hero” by Enrique Inglasias.  God please let this trope continue with him until the end of the series, this is humor is golden.

 

 

#1-Best Relena Ever 

Holy S*** Where was this Relena at the start of Gundam Wing?  She’s still a little too obsessed with Heero but damn if Gundam Wing Abridged Relena isn’t milking it for all the fun she can.  Whether it’s blackmailing Heero or calling his bluff to kill her or dealing with an adoptive father who doesn’t even know her name, Relena is a true rebel who is just as tough as she I cute.  I do like how Relena does evolve in the second half of the main Gundam Wing series but just imagine how much more bad ass she would be if she began as a “giving zero F’s” rebellious girl who might’ve been able to take Treize to town with all the vulgarity she could spew.  God I cant wait til she runs into Zechs.

Turn A Gundam Part 5 Episodes 21-25

Despite a powerful message of peace from Queen Dianna Soriel (secretly Kihel Heim), the Moonrace and the Militia’s of Earth are itching to settle things once and for all.  The Moonrace are becoming more desperate, raiding villages of all supplies they can while the Militia nears the excavation of an ancient spaceship they can use in battle.  All the while, Loran Cehack continues to aid the fight however he can.  But in the end, what is Loran truly fighting for and, more importantly, who should he be fighting for?  These questions plague the young Gundam pilot as much as his idol, Queen Dianna, who’s own experiences lead her to make a drastic decision to try and stop the fighting.

 

Well after a couple of bumps in the road last time, we arrived at the midpoint of Turn A Gundam with all cylinders on fire.  There was the usual amount of well done character drama and we finally got a battle of epic Gundam proportions, the kind that haven’t really been seen yet in Turn A Gundam.  All in all, if this was a season finale, this set of episodes did a pretty good job.

 

Once again, the focus on characters over battle should be praised.  Yes, we all come to a Gundam series for the giant robots and seeing them beat the crap out of each other.  But Turn A has thrown a lot of time into developing not just the central cast but some side and one off characters as well.  This time, the Moonrace was in the spotlight more than ever.  Both Dianna and Harry got to experience life working with the Militia, and being a hard working human being in general.  Harry’s turn in the field gave him the chance to confirm for us viewers that he was actually aware of Dianna and Kihel’s switch, and also allowed him to meet Loran again and even team up with him to defend Dianna for a short time.  Dianna, though, continues to get some of Turn A Gundam’s most compelling and dramatic moments.  Her time in the Medical Camp was chock full of life lessons (including how to turn a Gundam into a washing machine…told ya this wasn’t your average Gundam series).  The stand out from this experience was definitely Dianna having to participate in amputating a Militia soldiers leg.  It began a steady line of developments that had Dianna wondering if all of this suffering really was her fault in the long run.  All the while, Loran continues to stand by her, being the pillar and friend Dianna needs right now.  In truth, im surprised he didn’t just try to think of a way to go with Dianna when she told him she was returning to the Moon.  But I’d be distracted getting into an impromptu dance with a beautiful woman too. 

 

Ive spoken a bit at how it’s obvious the Moonrace is as much at odds with itself as it is the Earthers.  In this set though, I feel we got some interesting reasonings for some of these splintered factions and disillusioned soldiers.  Tetehe, the cute red head spy who’s been popping up here and there, fights because she feels it will earn her proper status with the Moonrace since her mother was from Earth.  Then there’s a team of very 70s Hippie looking Moonrace pilots who grew up on Earth and hate it and wish to likewise be seen as equals in the Moonrace that looks down on them.  Themes of feeling exiled when you’ve done nothing wrong other than trying to live is a complex and interesting topic to explore.  This actually goes double for the trio of Moonrace spies we met in the first episode.  Loran, Keith and Fran all got into an argument about what they should be doing in this conflict.  Keith wants to make his bread available to everyone and Fran wants her newspaper to be more proactive covering the war.  Loran was kind of called out for seemingly being nothing more than Guins pawn in all of this.  That mustve struck a nerve cause Loran declared he wasn’t right before he charged through a Dianna Counter attack force and kicked all kinds of ass (seriously, all that was missing was Stan Bush’s The Touch from Transformers: The Movie and it would have been perfect).  Its good to see that even the so called “bad guys” are being given understandable motivations and some of the Moonrace are definitely not so bad as we might think (like Harry and Dianna’s advisor Miran).

 

As usual though, some characters aren’t living up to their potential OR learning from their past mistakes.  In fact, Dianna deserves special cudos for actually slapping Sochie for continuing to refer to Loran as her “servant.”  Jeez Sochie just isn’t learning, even after her blunders from last time.  Believe it or not, she’s getting worse.  I haven’t spoken much about Luisana pilot Gavane Gooney despite his introduction a few episodes ago.  I don’t think there’s been that much to say about him besides the fact that his squadron of Zaku’s is known as the “Suicide Squad”.  He did finally seem to get over his arrogant jerk side and actually play a sort of big brother role to Loran in a couple of scenes.  I bring him up now because there has been a bit of a connection between Gavane and Sochie…right to the point where Gavane proposes marriage to Sochie…and she says yes (granted she thinks about it but it’s Sochie, she didn’t think about it too long).  She’s just…ugh…whenever she’s on screen barking orders to trying to be important I put my head in a pillow and moan in discomfort.  The only person managing to rival Sochie’s stuck up attitude is Lily Borjarno, who keeps flaunting an even high and mightier attitude and even belittles Dianna in a way Sochie belittles Loran in every episode.  It was kind of gratifying to see Dianna actually embrace a role Lily recommended even though im sure Lily did it to watch Dianna squirm. 

 

But let’s close things out on a positive note shall we?  The launch of the Willghem was complimented with a huge battle between the Militas and the Dianna Counter.  I wont say the animators were holding back to get to this scene because Turn A’s gorgeous art hasn’t let up from Episode 1.  But they were definitely saving something special for this battle, which seemed to fit the larger scale fights Gundam is better known for.  The Kapools launching themselves at the WaDoms and Loran single shotting those very same units made for an intense and incredibly entertaining brawl.  As icing on the cake, the Willghem was able to launch and it quieted the entire battlefield.  To see an actual spaceship hovering through the air, it was as beautiful as you’d expect.

 

So where are we now?  Sochie’s getting married.  Loran might be taking a stand against Guin.  Kihel’s trying to keep things from getting worse with the Dianna Counter (with Harry close by).  And Dianna’s trying to make her way back to space…with the help of a very alive and well (and crazier) Corin (but at least he’s not back to murdering everything in sight…yet).  And the Milita has their own ancient battlecruiser, ready to take the fight to the Moon.  I guess when we return on Friday for the start of the second half of Turn A Gundam, we’ll be well on our way to space…and about time too.

Turn A Gundam Part 4 Episodes 16-20

It is a time of uncertainty and intrigue on the planet Earth.  As the Dianna Counter aims to claim statehood in Ameria, the Militias of former enemy nations, Inglessa and Luizanna, join forces, combining the strength of the separate Mobile Suit divisions.  Meanwhile Kihel finds herself in over her head standing in for Queen Dianna.  Knowing her actions might lead Kihel to be targeted for assassination, Queen Dianna reveals herself to Loran for a desperate mission to protect her.  Though war has broken out between these two factions of humanity, those left on the Moon may pose the larger threat.

 

The case of “mistaken and false identities” has been bugging me a bit during the last couple episodes of Turn A Gundam and I bring that up because something important happens in this set that hinges on how well this plot device can work.  Turn A Gundam has a really good cast so far.  Loran, Dianna, Kihel, Harry and Guin all have their moments of likeability, or despicableness that makes them entertaining to watch (and figure out in my eternal case for Guin). That said, when it comes to the obvious being right in front of them, it…bugs me.  For Harry, it’s him not being able to piece together (or at least show he’s aware) that “Laura Rolla” and Loran are the same person piloting the Gundam.  As for Dianna and Kihel, it was clear from the get go that, yes, physically they look identical.  But even though they can play each others roles to a T, there has to be something that everyone around them (who should know these girls very well) to spot that sets off some red flags.  Not to mention im fairly certain Kihel has a slightly darker skin complexion than Dianna.  Like I said, this bugs me quite a bit.  And yet these falsehoods are essential to Turn A Gundam, one more so than the other.

 

During this set, Dianna and Kihel showcased that, despite only knowing each other for a few short hours, they are perfectly capable of slipping into each others lives with ease.  They gain experience about the others lifestyles, the people they interact with daily and the new world around them, be it the lush green earth or the scifi interiors of a space ship.  It surprises me that Dianna let this subterfuge go on so long before realizing, “Hey Kihel might be in over her head trying to keep my people in line…I might want to take my job back”.  And sure enough, Kihel was the target of not one but TWO assassination attempts on her life.  Funny thing is, only one had unintended part way support by the Militia (they had their own plan in mind that didn’t go so well).  Im anxious to see the rest of the Moonrace as we get ready for the second half of the series and see just how bad these other ruling powers want “Dianna” dead.  How the heck did Dianna ever give the OK for the Moonrace to begin descending to Earth without think the slightest possibility that not everyone would want to do this peacefully.  Cudos should go to Kihel though.  Not only did she somehow outwit a beautiful Moonrace assassin, but she delivered a speech that threw the Dianna Counter and the Militia on its head, calling for continued peace negotiations rather than establishing statehood for captured Moonrace territory.  It stands out because it’s a double edged sword of a scene.  It’s a good speech and has all the right words needed to be heard by peace minded individuals.  And Dianna even conceded that Kihel gave the speech better than she ever could.  But then you have the Dianna Counter and Militia pilots and higher ups who are just going to use “Dianna’s” words as an excuse to escalate the fighting further: cause the Militia thinks she’s full of crap and the on edge Dianna Counter pilots like Poe wont stand for just laying down their weapons…plus paranioia against the savages and all that.  Still, Kihel has made her intentions known and now we just need to see how she handles it and how Dianna settles into her now seemlingly long term role as “Kihel Heim”.

 

The twin female power houses aside, Loran continues to make his mark as one of the best Gundam protagonists in the franchise.  During both assassination attempts on Kihel, he managed to use the Turn A to great effect (even when it hadn’t recovered from its previous battle with Harry).  On top of that, the Militia recovered another old school Gundam vehicle, a Gallop similar to the ones used by Zeon during Mobile Suit Gundam.  It was probably Guin’s first good decision…maybe ever, to assign Loran to command the Gallop.  Given how quickly Loran’s adapted to the Gundam and has the clearest head about the war, it makes him an ideal leader.  Better yet, Dianna has got his back.  I like the bond these two have established.  Even after Loran freaked out when Dianna told him the truth about her switch with Kihel, they continue to act more like equals, at least in Dianna’s mind.  Loran might always be her fanboy but Dianna sees Loran as a good friend more than a servant.  Sigh, which is more than I can say for freaking Sochie.  Not only is she still being a huge brat and proclaiming she’s the best Mobile Suit pilot out there, but she tries to usurp Loran’s command and ends up getting two people killed in battle.  I really, really wish Loran had chewed Sochie out for being…well kind of a bitch, not just to him but being so cavalier about her place in this war altogether.  Sochie’s foolhardy, snobbish and selfish have made her so unlikeable.  Plus after Loran revealed he was from the Moonrace a while back, she instantly hated him after a year of “friendship” (I use quotes cause even if she does like him, Sochie always treating Loran like a servant instead of a person is bullcrap).  Even if Sochie did feel some level of guilt for something rightfully her fault (ahem getting two people killed trying to save her sorry butt), I still don’t like her and Loran is a freaking saint to tolerate her attitude for as long as he has.  More power to Loran I guess.

 

While a lot of big events took place in this set, there were a pair of episodes that are both skippable.  One is a simple clip show, hopefully the only one of the series, where Loran narrarates the events of the first thirteen episodes.  Clip shows are always tricky.  I get that new viewers coming in late need a cliff notes version of characters, mecha and events, but episodes like that can kill momentum.  And Turn A has been building a lot of that even in its slower moments over the last few episodes.  The second episode feels like a purely skippable one with Loran and Dianna trying to keep an old woman, who refuses to leave her farm, out of harms way when a battle breaks out.  Yeah it gives us some insight as to how those on Earth not fighting in the war, Moonrace or Earther, are dealing with things.  But I feel like we should be doing more important things with the story…like seeing more of Kihel and Harry on the Dianna Counter side of things.

 

But hey maybe we’ll see just that when we come back on Wednesday.  We’ll be reaching the halfway mark of Turn A Gundam and, on the whole, im saying this show is living up to all they hype that it has gained since it came out in 1999.  There are some stumbles, like the couple we saw in this set.  But im always intrigued and hardly bored.  See ya Wednesday as the halfway mark approaches.