Gundam 00 Episode 24 (The Endless Poem)

Anyone remember episode 49 of Zeta Gundam, “Casualites of War”, well this episode might not match it’s bloodbath, but it makes a rather strong effort.  Also two more aside things before we get started.  MS Igloo 2 has been announced and details can be found at it’s homepage.  Yes it’s still 3D CGI and hopefully Sunrise has actually figured out how to do that in a way that doesn’t make the characters look overly creepy and apparently it’s supposed to focus on the Earth Federation’s ground war this time around.  Pretty cool considering the MS Igloo franchise was never supposed to make it beyond the walls of the Bandai Museum.

The other thing is that while a lot of people seem to feel personally threatened by my talks on Gundam 00 and why I think it had to struggle to attain the audience it has now, I’m not trying to force people to like it as some claim.   Just because I don’t feel the need to bash the hell out of a series every week and like to make my articles bloody readable instead of a series of rambling non sequiturs doesn’t mean I’m a fanboy advocate either, although in this day and age maybe it does, I don’t really know.  The internet has a handy way of corrupting classic definitions and replacing them with looser ones. 

All I really ask is that people keep an open mind, not get caught up in preconception and personal bias and just watch the damn show and then pass judgement on it.  We don’t need a repeat of Celestial Being’s disastrous judge the world as hostile when things are relatively peaceful and then screw everything up for everyone.  Yeah it’s ironic that the most adamant critics of this series are most like what they protest to dislike about it and lack any sort of direction in their ravings…..anyway, just keep an open mind everybody and let’s go ahead and see the slaughter.

Edit:  This has since changed after I noted DarkMirage’s sleight against me with his article on this episode.  I don’t normally like to get into blogging politics and pissing contests, but he just had to take it one step to far I’m afraid.  If you want to see what I’m like when I really tell people what I think about the way they blog then it’s on, but this time from my point of view, not some dumbed down caricature.  You, Crusader, Jason and to some extent Ascaloth want to constantly rail against this series and how it presents itself and portray me as a fool, fine just be aware that you and your articles shall be subject to the same sort of scrutiny you have given me and a series I blog with passion.

 

Liking Exia’s Rollout Colours (or lack thereof).  Yeah In Seed This Would Be Phase Shift Down, But In 00 Paint Doesn’t Just Magically Appear On Mobile Suits When They Activate A Special Mode.  We Have What Is Called An Optical Illusion For What Is Known As Trans-Am.  I Don’t Get Why If Exia Is The First Model In The GN Line That It Is The Only One Without A Coat Of Paint Yet Though

Okay While I Know The Whole Pedophile Lockon Thing Has Been Done Do Death, But If You Were Young Boy Setsuna And You Saw This Guy Introducing Himself To You With That Facial Expression What Would You Think?

Summary: We begin this week with a flashback to 2 years prior when Sumeragi introduced Setsuna to the rest of the Meisters.  Allelujah and Tieria seem skeptical about his assignment to the GN-001 Exia as Allelujah thinks he’s too young and Tieria can’t believe he was chosen by Veda.  Lockon however says that age doesn’t matter and it’s the drive to carry out Celestial Beings creed that matters (that’s what I think current events have been hinting at, that personal motivation is a stronger weapon than any Gundam or Supercomputer can provide).  Lockon introduces himself to Setsuna and asks him if he’s a person that wants to change the world.  Setsuna says he does and Lockon says he does too.  From there we here Haro’s cries of “Lockon” fade in as we are brought back to the present with Setsuna looking at the sight where his friend once stood.  (The music is just an awesome remix of Setsuna’s theme here by the way)  After a few more brief flashbacks of the time he spent with Lockon we hear Setsuna’s scream from end of the last episode again.

Hopefully It’s A Letter Of Termination For Proving Absolutely Useless To The Organization

Sumeragi Is Probably My Favourite Female Captain In The AU Now After This Bright Slap.  Did Murrue or Talia Ever Pull Any Of Those?

After the break Hong Long approaches Wang on the deck of a ship (space colony) and tells her that the Ptolemaios has contacted them that they are in combat with the UN.  Wang as always decides to sit around and see where the world will lean, towards the Celestial Being or the UN.  I mean it’s not as if she’s ever done anything useful for anybody.  She failed the Meister’s, she failed the Thrones and now she’s failing the Ptolemaios.  If I didn’t know any better I’d say she’s the kiss of death to any faction she decides to align herself with.  Back on the Ptolemaios Tieria is blaming Setsuna for Lockon’s death saying he divided their forces by going to earth on his personal quest and Sumeragi who has just entered the room comes and slaps him across the face.  She tells him if he has time to cry then help them. (I find this a bit hypocritical as she is guilty of the exact same thing in episode 10, all but giving up after her strategy failed.  Although that was when they were still hooked up to Veda and a lot has changed since then.  Maybe she’s trying to express that she’s learned something after the cutoff from it.  Come to think of it all of the characters personalities and motivations have improved and come clearer after they finally decided to reject a machines directives and make the mission their own)

Sad Girls In The Space

The Dog Comes Back To It’s Master With It’s Tail Between It’s Legs

Like The Other Soma From Castlevania, Soma Is Losing Slowly Losing Out To Her Dark Side, The Desire To Dominate,  And Feelings Of Superiority Over Humans.

Celestial Being Continues To Limp Along.  You’d Think They’d All Have The Common Sense To Start Suing For Peace And The Chance To Realize They Are All Being Manipulated By A Greedy Bastard With A Fetish For Gold, But No Marina Never Got Through To Them.  I Get The Sense We Are About To See What Setsuna’s Dream About Her Was Warning About If He Doesn’t Lay Down His Arms And Return To His Homeland.

Meanwhile, cuddling Haro, Felt is tearing up over Lockon’s demise and Christina comes over to comfort her. (To Crusader of That, consider in your raging about Sumeragi being a “sexist whore” that Felt isn’t in a position to do something about Lockon’s death whereas Tieria is and should be doing so.  That is the obvious reason behind her letting Felt have her moment.  Though I suppose if this show was called True Tears we wouldn’t even be hearing complaints about this at all)  Over at the UN fleet Sergei is pondering that they lost 16 GN-X’s and the captured Throne Zwei.  This loss along with the Gundam’s sudden new abilities has him suggest to Katie that they should leave the area since they may end up losing men in vain.  (He probably doesn’t know about the Dynames going down and all the damage that the Celestial Being have suffered since Ali never got back to report it)  Katie says she agrees, but that the UN has sent reinforcements to assist them and that they are requested to commence a second operation once the reinforcements arrive.  Suddenly the ship operator picks up a returning GN-X and confirms that it’s Patrick’s.  Patrick apologizes to Katie for letting the enemy get the drop on him and she chuckles that he had her worried.

Apparently She Thinks Ian Is Scotty

In the briefing room Soma is fretting over the Kyrios’ pilots apparent new ability to block out her quantum brainwaves, but resolves to settle things in their next battle.  She also adds that a true super soldier like her can’t lose to a defect like Kyrios’ pilot.  (Ah the typical superiority complex of a quasi-loli)  Meanwhile back on the Ptolemaios things aren’t looking so good.  Sumeragi has had the ship pull back to an asteroid field and deployed GN Particle generating satellites to try and mask their whereabouts and have some minimal type of advantage.  To make matters worse for them seems to be the fact that the Kyrios’ flight unit is damaged to the point where it has to deploy in Mobile Suit form and Virtue’s armor is shot and it needs to be deployed as the Nadleeh with “special weapons” equipped for it. (which we all know is kind of useless by comparison without access to Veda and the Trial System anymore)  Estimated time to battle readiness……8 hours….Sumeragi wants it in six.  Talking to herself now Sumeragi notes that only Exia, GN-Arms and the Assault Container (the what?) can really be counted on, and their secret weapon Trans-Am has a time limit.  What’s a troubled captain to do?

The answer is talk to Tieria apparently who wants to fight and defeat the GN-X’s to show the world the strength of Celestial Beings conviction.  Elsewhere Setsuna is replaying the battle between Ali and Lockon through Haro’s recording and realizes that it was Ali that killed his friend.  He ponders Lockon’s words to him and realizes that Lockon give his life to try and avenge his family.  He also comes to the realization that all this time he has been trying to follow God’s will, a machines will more or less since the Exia was his god rather than following his own, and that has led him down the path of destruction.  He decides to carry on the will of those who have died by facing the world not by God’s will, but his own. 

Kaioshin:  Okay time out for just a sec here.  This is what I’ve been trying to argue all along that this series has been trying to depict.  That the characters have been following the path of destruction by following the decree of a mindless cold and calculating machine rather than their own conviction.  Some people just won’t listen though and are content in decrying the actions of Celestial Being as shallow and that the series is trainwrecking rather than that they are coming to realizations and that the devastation and chaos is a period of character growth.  Gundam has always had this thing about putting characters through adversity before they can grow.  There is a message here I believe and that message is to not follow what an organization, be it a religion, a private army, or just plain popular belief tells you too by default, but to follow your own beliefs in trying to live as best you can.  In this case I think Setsuna still believes in what Aeolia Schenberg has tried to carry out, but that the course of action has been wrong and that living is more important than fighting to change the world by force.  Of course it’s a bit late for that, which is kind of tragic.

Wait A Minute….Does Anyone Notice That The Characters Have Colours Associated With Them That Respond To Their Personalities And/Or Backgrounds.  Alejandro=Gold Which Is Gold Which Is Associated With Greed, Wang=Pink Which Is Associated With Vanity, Setsuna=Blue Which Is Associated With Quiet Tranquility Or Raw Emotion, Lockon=’d Green Which Is Associated With Ireland And Luck (Which Unforunately Ran Out), Allelujah=Orange Which Is Halfway Between Red And Yellow Which Symbolize Rage/Arrogance And Cowardice Respectively (His Split Personalities) and Tieria=Purple Which Is Halfway Between Red And Blue Which Symbolizes Arrogance And Raw Emotion (He’s Caught In Between A Lot Of The Time)

More Gar Points For Tieria.  I Hope People Understand Why Tieria Can Be Gar Without Being An Over The Top Screamer.  It Is Easily Possible

Alright back to the summary again, we rejoin the UN fleet who has followed the Ptolemaios towards the asteroid field and are closing in an unknown unit approaches from behind.  It’s the UN come to back them up with a rather shiny (think Hyaku Shiki Kai) golden mobile armor.  Back on the Ptolemaios bridge Felt is penning a letter to her mother and father.  Lichtendal jokes about it being a will and Felt says that it’s not, that it’s a goodbye letter because she won’t see them in a while.  Chris thinks she ought to write a letter to her mother in the colony as well.  Everybody decides to share their backgrounds now (Might as well break the code of secrecy seeing as Celestial Being is basically going down.  While it is technically late characterization for the characters it’s not like they would have had a chance to share this information when they were still under Veda’s directives) and Felt notes that everybody has a different reason for wanting to be a part of Celestial Being.  The insert song Love Today is playing during this scene by the way and it seems quiet fitting as everyone prepares for what is likely to be the last hurrah.  Allelujah questions Tieria’s decision to go out in the Nadleeh even though it isn’t likely to be an effective unit and he says he needs to, to avenge Lockon. (Does anyone notice that Lockon really has rubbed off on Tieria now.  I can’t help but feel that the crew has sort of inherited his spirit to some extent)

Whoa, Setsuna Behaving Like A Gentleman.  Like Lockon Almost….Do My Eyes Deceive Me?

Felt’s Final Gesture To Lockon Stratos……

Yes, The Idea Here Is That Lockon Died Alone In Space With Thoughts Of Being Rejected By Earth And Everything He Held Dear.  The Cockpit Of Dynames Stands In For Lockon’s Body Since His Corpse Is Not Present And The Two Most Important Things To Lockon, Felt And Haro Are Resting In It, Thus Helping To Comfort His Soul As A Final Gesture

Alejandro Strikes….And Yes The Beam Is Gold…..I’m Really Not Surprised Actually.  Let’s Not Get Too Carried Away With The Gold Thing Sunrise Shall We?

Meanwhile Setsuna is standing on the wreckage of the Dynames in the hanger when Felt comes in and he catches her.  She has  come to deliver a goodbye letter to Lockon, which she puts in the Dynames cockpit.  She asks him if there is anyone he wants to write a letter too and he says there isn’t. (no Marina?)  Felt says that must be lonely and Setsuna replies that Lockon must be the one is lonely and gives Haro to Felt who sits in the cockpit of Dynames in a sort of quite tranquility.  Soon that silence is interrupted by a warning klaxon of an approaching enemy squadron (who turned off Love Today?) and Setsuna is forced to scramble.  On the bridge Christina reports 13 units and an unknown which she puts on the screen.  The unknown unit is piloted by Alejandro corner, has 7 GN Drive-Tau’s as a power source and man does it have a big gun. (it’s always a show of things with him isn’t it)  It fires it’s shot and from an unexpected distance hits the Ptolemaios and takes off a good chunk of it’s port hull.

GAH To Much Text!  Sorry Folks, Anyway That’s The Damage On The Ptolemaios

After the break it takes another shot (Yeah I can see why this thing needed 7 GN Drives, to take lots and lots of big shots.  This thing qualifies quite well for My Tank Is Fight) and this time it’s a miss. (Notice how Sumeragi’s breasts don’t shake when they take a sharp turn like Murrue’s.  So much for this series being one that apparently flaunts her breasts at the viewers)  Not taking any chances Sumeragi has the assault container (which doesn’t look anything like the Megaship from Megaranger like Crusader suggested in his episode 23 article)

Kaioshin:  Time Out Again.  See This Is How You Compare And Contrast Something To Try And Prove An Inference Crusader.  In This Case I Post A Picture Of The Assault Container And Then The Megaship Which You Want People To Believe That ” The resemblance was unmistakable and a mark of a lack of creativity or poor homage.”  For This Kind Of Serious Criticism You Are Supposed To Have Evidence To Back It Up To The Readers (Of Course People Who Hate This Series By Default Will Automatically Agree With Anything Bad Said About It Such As An Accusation Of Plagiriasm), But In This Case I Can See Why You Didn’t As The Thing Looks Absolutely Nothing Like The Megaship Other Than Maybe A Slight Resemblance In Shape (You Could Have Just As Easily Argued It That It Looked “Exactly” Like The Millenium Falcon By That Logic).  Certainly Not Enough For The Resemblance To Be “Unmistakable”.  That’s The Third Accusation Of Plagiriasm I Have Had To Debunk With This Series, Can We Please Make It The Last Animeblogger Or At Least Make It Good With Some Evidence Or Something Next Time For A Challenge?

Operation Fallen Angels Begins For Real….I Hope….

So….Honest (Sheds A Single Tear)

SURPRISE!

Surprise?

Kyrios and Nadleeh are now launched and Sergei orders his men to flank the ship and use the satellites as shields on approach.  Soma catches a bogey coming in, but Sergei tells them to leave it to the Albatori. (I’m assuming the mobile armor)  On the Celestial Being front, while heading around an asteroid a squad of GN-X’s is blindsided when the Nadleeh pops out of nowhere (it turns out those “Special Weapons” were actually just a beam saber and beam rifle.  So classic….) and blows one up with a well placed shot to the head.  Too bad for Tieria he is soon overpowered by the rest of the squadron and remarks that he it’s too soon to use Trans-Am.  That might be a necessity though as the Choubu Squad is fast closing in on the Ptolemaios.

Operation Fallen Angels: Advantage UN

Yeah Cause That’s Fucking Pink There DarkMirage

He’s Dead Jim….Wait…So He’s The Doctor But…I’m Confused

Whoa Overacted There Buddy.  Thanks To You I Have To Take Half A Point Off Now By Default

Elsewhere, Hallelujah (Thank you Sunrise for finally letting Al/Hal do something) is having his way with some GN-X’s and Soma senses him and heads to fight him.  Meanwhile Lasse launches a missile barrage at the Albatori only to see it blocked by a GN Shield in much the same way that the Ptolemaios blocked the Choubu Squadron’s assault earlier in the series.  The Albatori replies by firing another huge beam that manages to knock and asteroid into Kyrios as well as do more damage to the Ptolemaios. (okay this is the first time in the series where I will say something is kind of ridiculously overpowered.  I submit that the Albatori is indeed what some call hax, but keep in mind it does have a huge power source to explain all of this)  Kyrios is damaged beyond use by this and Ptolemaios appears to be immobile too.  Christina exclaims that the Medical Room has been destroyed and we see that Dr. Moreno is dead as well.  Christina notes that the damage means they can’t deploy the GN Field (saw that coming actually) and Sumeragi heads to the other assault container to try and shoot the Albatori down.

Nadleeh’s Last Hurrah

Enraged Tieria activates Trans-Am and takes out several GN-X’s before getting caught off guard by yet another shot from the Albatori, which destroys it’s beam saber and shield.  This gives Patrick the opportunity to take pot shots at Nadleeh and destroy much of it’s armor.  Not content to go down this second and determined to get revenge on the man who’s actions ultimately set in motion the chain of events that led to the death of the only person he’s really ever respected, Tieria turns Nadleeh around for one more shot and manages to destroy Patrick’s GN-X, seemingly killing him at the same time Nadleeh is put out of commission.

Well This Never Happened In Seed That’s For Sure.  How It’s Still Moving Must Be A Secret of The GN Drive

Speaking Of Still Trucking

Now Hallelujah is telling Tieria he screwed up for being a sentimental bastard (stealing Tieria’s own lines I see) and somehow the Kyrios is still moving as if through Hal’s own willpower to fight alone.  Sergei notes that the Ptolemaios is still moving and indeed Sumeragi and Ian are in the assault container giving it their all.  On the bridge Christina tells Felt there is something wrong with the Dynames reactor and to go and check it, she protests that she can’t see any such data but Chris tells her to hurry and she does.  Of course this is a lie to get her off the bridge as Lichtendal notes (what’s the first place likely to get destroyed folks) and they detect a unit headed their way.  Both state that they will live through this battle.

The Ptolemaios Last Moments As An Operable Ship

Christina And Lichtendal’s Final Moments: 

Kaioshin:  Time Out One Last Time.  Looking At Crusader’s Usual Hateful Ravings I’m Most Disgusted At How He Completely Missed The Point Of This Scene And How He Portrayed It To His Readership.  First Of All He Must Watch Way Too Many Romance Series As There Isn’t Even Any Sort Of Confession Of Love In Here At All.  Christina Was Expressing Gratitude Towards Lichtendal For Attempting To Save Her And Comforting Him By Showing Him That He Is Indeed Human.  Second Of All The Two Didn’t Want To Die Alone Like Lockon And For All They Can Assume, Allelujah, Setsuna And Tieria As Well, Hence They Huddle Together To Comfort One Another.  Third Of All This Isn’t Last Minute Character Development As If He Paid Any Sort Of Attention At All To The Episode Instead Of Rambling On And On About God Knows What He’d Note That The Characters Had Started Casting Off The Code Of Secrecy That Had Forced Them To Take Codenames And Not To Share Their Backstories, That Is The Reason Behind Their Sudden Outburst Of Expression, They Wanted To Die Themselves, Not Tools Of Celestial Being.  Fourth Of All If He Really Truly Laughed At This Scene, But Can Cry During True Tears When The Time Comes, Then He Really Is  Just Biased Beyond Belief Against Mecha Series, Sunrise And Gundam.

It doesn’t happen though as a GN-X manages to sneak in and take of the top half of the Ptolemaios.  Lichtendal manages to tackle Chris in a vain attempt to protect her only to have her get impaled on a piece of shrapnel and have it revealed that he was a cyborg.  He says this happened in an accident with his parents and he’s not even sure if he’s human anymore.  Chris seems to confirm he is and says that she had a good man by her side all this time and never even noticed it.  Sumeragi manages to get through to them and in her dying words Chris expresses that Felt should dress up more (recall how Chris always liked to take Felt shopping and buy her new clothes and that this was her attempt to get the rather quite Felt to open up more and express herself.  This was something the two shared between them) and to live on for Lockon.  She and Lichtendal are then engulfed in the explosion of the Ptolemaios’ bridge as the crew on the Assault Container cries out for their comrades.

Gold Beats Green I Guess

Not Only Is He Greedy, He’s Cheap Too.

I Can’t Help But Cheer For Him

Meanwhile elsewhere in space, with no GN-X’s, no Gundam’s nothing else to interfere with them, Setsuna and Alejandro prepare to lock blades, both in battle and in ideology…..

Thoughts Precluded By A Rant About The State Of Blogging In General And The People Ruining It:

Well if anything this episode gets me thinking and going on a number of thoughts I’ve kept to myself up till now.  First of all it proves beyond a reasonable doubt that people like Jason Miao, DarkMirage and Crusader really are just beyond biased and not even giving this series a chance at all.  Seriously, shame on them for their antics and the people that egg them on in bashing everything about this series.  I don’t even know how it’s possible to not feel anything for characters like Felt who has basically lost two of her pillars of strength in rapid succession and essentially her innocence at such a young age.  Why the hell these guys are so caught up in raging against the series (seriously you are not funny, it’s not something to bloody well be proud of to be biased, you are not contributing anything at all) and calling it a trainwreck for not being about politics (The crux of DarkMirage’s reason why he doesn’t like this series) or not being bloody Panzer Tactics Der Ring des Nibelungen, or whatever rambly German thing Crusader is constantly going on about with regard to the series not being an accurate portrayal of the military (It’s a fucking anime about giant robots, what the fuck are you expecting) that I can’t even comprehend anymore, or whatever it is that it isn’t that they wanted it to be that they can’t see how well it’s carrying itself and how tight the narrative is I don’t know.  Like what the hell is wrong with some of these people?  What is this arrogance they have that presumes they know best how the series should progress anyway?  Who the hell are you folks to tell us or even Sunrise how they should be writing their story?

I’ve literally fucking had it.  I’ve tried to be nice and diplomatic with this faction of animeblogger up until now, but you all are just being trollish inflammatory assholes beyond any shadow of a doubt.  Do us all a favour Jason and Crusader, don’t come back for the second season and keep whatever biased notions you have to yourself already.  If this series wasn’t by Sunrise (Oh Lol Trainwreck Ha Ha Fucking Ha) and some people weren’t so bloody closed minded and unwilling to accept that not every series is going to have the exact plot they want nor is it going to bend to their will then I wouldn’t even have written this paragraph.

Read my lips, just because a series doesn’t follow the plotline you desire doesn’t make it a trainwreck.

And while I’m on this subject of condemning some bloggers of this series, how dare people like DarkMirage make me out to be some sort of fanboy like he did in his latest article just because I happen to enjoy the series when he can’t.  Like you know he’s automatically right about everything regarding the series or something. (and yes I’m well aware of the cult of Darkmirage that thinks he’s the most brilliant blogger ever and you know what, I don’t care)  That in my opinion is beyond arrogant as far as I am concerned and if I thought I could actually get an apology from him I would demand one.  He insults the viewership of the series week in and week out by acting like it’s the kind of series only those into mindless explosions and demolition derbys could like and acts like he is gods gift to the intelligentsia who knows what’s best for everyone; and then he acts like I’m somehow guilty of being a spoil sport. 

No, DarkMirage, you, you my friend are the spoil sport for following a series you have admitted you stopped liking a long time ago just to bash it by nitpicking every single little detail about it to the delight of your idolizing audience and the chagrin of fans of the series everywhere.  We really didn’t need another one of these takes on 00 you know and you easily could have found those politics in Legend of The Galactic Heroes like I suggested not once, but twice.  Instead you chose to blog a series you knew you didn’t like, delighted in the same kind of chaotic prose you accuse the series of having and by doing so in my opinion rejected the title of the “Clear Thinking Man” that others have seen fit to attribute to you by showing a lack of common sense in your conduct. 

And on that subject, what the heck happened to you anyway man?  You used to be a reasonable advocate of intelligent discussion on the internet and then you turned into this self-obsessed egotist who threatens to ban anyone who questions him on his site.  I’m not even going into how you handled the whole Nyoron subbing thing with regard to Gundam 00, that was just completely classless and now they want to give you an award (These animeblogging awards I will add are almost certainly headed for disaster since only the biggest egos on animeblogger seem to be taking part in it and are all voting for and supporting only those who write, think and talk the same way about anime that they do.  I mean it really is a joke before it’s even gotten off the ground when we might as well just give each award to animeblogger since all the people who have been nominated are as far as I can tell either friends in real life or partners/associates.  Unfortunately I don’t think there is much chance of them getting cancelled like Saigar did when it got to stupid.) for it or something for “Best Drama” which just strikes me as but one of the points when animeblogger hit rock bottom. 

Well you know what, seriously, just go ahead and do it man, you’ve gone on about it many times already.  Just ban me if you want, it’s not like I could ever have an intelligent conversation with you anyway since your’s is obviously the only opinion that matters to you, nor do I intend to visit your blog any longer.  You probably don’t even know it but you’ve lost one person who would have loved to talk about those politics that you and I both hold dear with you.  I’ll just take that business to bloggers that show their readers due respect in their theory articles instead of arguing with them and acting self-important all the time.  Know now that we are even from my standpoint regarding all those attributes you saw fit to put on me with your article on Gundam 00 Episode 24.  Two can play at that game and you are free to rebut here if you see fit as are Crusader, Ascaloth and Jason.  I will never ban someone for thinking differently from me like you have sought to (Threats on my person are the sole exception to my rule on forbidding comments) because that is pretentious and inconsiderate and I don’t place myself above criticism of how I write or where I may have erred factually or otherwise.  I will however respond to comments in a manner befitting the golden rule from here on out.

And just so people don’t think this has just come out of the blue, I will add that I have been pushed in a number of ways by people who have sought to ruin the type of intelligent conversation about this series that I hold dear.  Had these people actually bothered to have a straight up conversation with me about all this where they explained their thoughts rationally without talking in memes and in a condescending snide tone then I would have been more than happy to respect their opinions on the series as is their right and left them well enough alone.  Instead I got insulted by an entire faction of the community on a frequent basis and they tried to portray me as some raving fanboy lunatic who’s opinion didn’t matter.  Sometimes it was little pokes like slights in peoples blogging post about something I’ve said.  Other times it’s been deliberate attacks on my person.

I’ve turned the other cheek many times when Ascaloth has mocked me as “The Meister”, I’ve ignored the portrayal of me as overly serious by Dmrchrs0.  I’ve weathered insults flung at me on Ramblings of Darkmirage by some of his readers who go on about how great he apparently is and how “Darkmirage>Kaioshin” (seriously why does his blog feel more like a cult of worship than a forum for discussing anime topics and when did this whole blogging thing become a bloody competition?  Was it around the time somebody had the idea to start an anime blogging awards competiton, or around the time animeblogger started to encourage people to vie for articles and comments in volume rather than quality of thought and content with it’s system of ranking blogs?  Also why are these people acting like immature grade schoolers by making such statements?) and DarkMirage himself who tried to portray me as some sort of moron who hasn’t acknowledged that Gundam 00 has it’s fair share of weaknesses like all series do.  I’ve put up with tons and tons of bullshit and laughed it off while feeling the sting and today the cheek was so sore I could turn it no longer.  I felt it was time I let people know how I feel about it all and I’m sorry people have to hear this all at once.

And before I get back to my thoughts on the episode (because this really has gone on to long and to they people who came here to read about Gundam 00 I truly apologize for having to do that), perhaps the scariest part of all this is that these bloggers I have mentioned appear to be what other upstart anime bloggers aspire to be like.  That frankly scares the hell out of me and is one of the reasons I have expressed my desire to cut all ties with the animeblogger community but for a few.  When that’s the direction something is headed in, the direction of hate, spite and personal ego I will be a part of it no longer and will condemn it to the fullest extent of the words I have used to do so.

Now onto my thoughts on the episode.  First the bad.  Yes I will now demonstrate how I discuss something I felt wasn’t done well in an episode.  First of all, the Albatori just feels like it belongs in Gundam Seed honestly.  Up until now I have defended the series against the idea that this or that unit is overpowered, but this time I think it deserved it.  The unit basically beat everything on the battlefield in the same manner as you would see the Strike Freedom do in Seed Destiny.  The characters couldn’t even damage it despite throwing everything they had on it and it’s beam is just way to huge with seemingly no drawback.  Now I know it has 7 GN-Drive Tau’s and all, but it just jumps way above any leap in capability we have seen so far, even managing to hit the Nadleeh while it’s in Trans-Am and Kyrios while it’s hiding behind an asteroid.  Also when it just sort of reflected the shot from the Assault Container onto the asteroids around it and everything blew up around it, yet it came out unscathed, that just seemed way too much for me.  I’m starting to debate if Setsuna is even going to be able to beat this thing as it seems to have no weakness.  It even seems to have anti-beam coating as I could swear one of Lasse’s shots was from inside the things GN Shield and it glanced off it.  Really disappointed in how this mobile armor broke the trend of moderately powered units and hope it is shown to have a well explained weakness next episode.

Also, some of the character deaths were overwrought.  Moreno’s death and Ian’s reaction were way over the top and kind of killed the moment for me.  Not that Moreno really ever got developed.  Christina and Lichtendal’s death also went on a bit too long, but I felt it was well handled nonetheless.  They die as humans, not Celestial Being’s and are also the first to do so.  Tieria is Gar as all hell in this episode too and refuses to give up until the bitter end, managing to defeat his nemesis even as his suit was damaged beyond full repair and avenge his comrade.  It just kind of reminded me of the type of fighting spirit you’d see in Gaogaigar.  Allelujah’s last hurrah for this season bucks some Gundam trends as it’s not his rival that does him in, but Alejandro who must have cast Lockon (a seishin in Super Robot Wars which gives a unit 100% accuracy for the rest of the turn) on himself before coming to the battlefield.  Also bucking trends is the destruction of the main battleship before the end of the series, as well as the final battle that the final battle for the season is not going to be Setsuna against his main rival Ali, but against Alejandro.   I really hope he manages to take Alejandro down if only because I think the Albatori needs to go now.

Also a bit disappointing is that Graham has basically sat out this last battle, thus removing the Union completely from the equation.  Was his VA busy doing Clannad or something?  Why did we even see Billy getting his GN Flag ready if he’s not going to appear for another six months now?  I also take this as a bit of a sucker punch as Graham is supposed to be Canadian apparently and I am a Canadian who’s real name is in fact Graham.  It almost feels like Sunrise is spying on me and saying I’m not allowed to take part in this series anymore or something.  What gives?  Kidding of course.

But yeah, the Operation Fallen Angels arc has had some really exciting and well choreagraphed battles and a really tragic feel to it, but this episode could have been a lot better I think.  It’s all up in the air what is going to happen to the characters besides Setsuna, Lasse and Alejandro and like other people I feel the series will end on a cliffhanger.  I doubt it will be a letdown though.

Rating: Seven And A Half Out Of Ten