Thursday, December 23, 2021

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ Part 4 Episodes 15-18

With Leina still in enemy hands, Judau decides to undergo a dangerous solo mission to rescue his little sister.  His quest takes him right into the heart of enemy territory: the Zeon stronghold of Axis itself.  Here, Judau meets an eccentric young girl named Elpeo Puru, who may be the key to finding Leina.  But he also encounters the leader of Neo Zeon itself, Haman Kahn.  Now that he’s seen the face of his true enemy, how will Judau handle the pressure he feels from this encounter? 

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ mustve had some really dumb luck to last this long and still have a full series run.  Up to this point, the show has been a mockery of Gundam with Judau and his band of braindead freeloaders treating war and the Argama like a game and a place to crash and the Neo Zeon’s being cartoon characters on par with that of constant, dramatic failures like Skeletor or Cobra Commander.  How the hell is it fair that ZZ will see its story through while Mobile Suit Gundam and After War Gundam X got cancelled (granted Gundam did have enough heads up to complete its tale)? 
 
The insanity of how gullible and immature this show is continued full speed ahead.  And this time, ZZ decided to take a shot at a storyline the original series attempted: a hand to hand combat invasion of the Argama.  When Ramba Ral and his men pulled off this feat in the original series, it was gritty, violent and intense as Hell.  You didn’t know who was going to survive and the final sacrifice of Ramba Ral was a pivotal lesson for Amuro Ray and the crew of White Base.  Shouldn’t expect ZZ to have that same level of dramatic care as Judau and company basically did “Home Alone in Space”, evading and kicking the crap out of the Neo Zeon attack squad.  The only real serious bit was Bright’s tense stand off with Chara and Gottn as they took La Vie En Rose Captain Emary hostage.  Emary’s been crushing on Bright pretty hard and that storyline came to a head with Bright letting her down easily.  Still, the legendary Captain was, once again, the only one taking things serious while Judau and the kids yelled and screamed the Neo Zeons away and it somehow worked out.
 
In fact, kicking and screaming is pretty much everything that’s happened when it comes to Judau and his fellow pilots so far.  Complaints, secret sabotage and defection, bucking authority and flat out refusing to work or pilot a Gundam to protect the ship, the list of crimes that would get anyone slapped or shot is getting longer with every moment Judau or his friends show their faces.  Hell, Elle chastised Judau for declaring Beecha and Mondo traitors cause they’re all friends…dammit I was just starting to like her.  The kids have treated their who experience aboard the Argama like a terrible work study or summer camp.  When Judau see’s the power of the Argama’s new canon and its ability to destroy a colony and fears his sister will die if this is fired at Axis…I don’t care.  That is how bad this show has handled the new cast.  When the mere possibility of their lives actually being on the line comes in, I don’t care.  Nothing about this series has made me worry for their safety as its likely some kind of Looney Tunes insanity will save their asses for the millionth time.  Compare this to Zeta when Kamille, Emma and the AEUG were in constant danger pretty much 24/7, I worried for all of them (except Katz). 
 
The only glimmer of goodness isn’t a glimmer, it’s more of a dark cloud.  Haman Kahn is back, for real this time, sporting a new haircut and even rocking a sexy bikini (it’s a pointless scene but I’d rather stare at Haman in a bikini than deal with anything on the Argama).  At last, an actual threatening presence is here in Gundam ZZ.  From announcing her plans to invade the Earth cause the Federation and AEUG are in no shape to stop her, to her intense Newtype experience with Judau, we were reminded why Haman is the bad ass she was in Zeta.  I’m not saying ZZ can be saved by Haman alone, but it’s a very, very small start.  Then there’s Elpeo Puru, a hyperactive ten year old who seems to be the Rosamia of ZZ.  She wants to be Judau’s little sister and wants him to play with her all the time.  But she’s also the pilot of a brand new Qubeley Mobile Suit and her tempertantrums can send the thing and it’s remote control funnels into a frenzy.  Puru is annoying as hell, like 75% of the cast.  But her appearance does have a hint of tragedy to it.  It’s still up in the air whether or not she’s gotten the Cyber Newtype treatment.  But Puru is still a ten year old with mental issues being used by Haman for her own nefarious purposes…honestly, this is how Neo Zeon should’ve been acting from the get go in ZZ.
 
I still hate Gundam ZZ with the fury of a thousands suns but damn is it good to have Haman back and she isn’t a Disney-fied hallucination.  I’m not holding out hope for the show getting better but at least there’s something promising about Haman’s sinister smiling face being superimposed over Axis.  Here’s at least hoping she lets loose the true Neo Zeon to pummel Judau and friends with a much needed dose of reality.  I’m not saying I want Neo Zeon to triumph…but if they could take Judau down with them when they lose, I wont complain about that outcome either (unlikely as it will be).  Cause Roux is dead on right with her secret assessment, the Argama’s gonna lose with Judau and kids at play (it’s a miracle they’ve lasted this long).  Let’s see how much longer that miracle continues to hold as we wrap up the first half of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ tomorrow right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.

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