Ninth Yells About G-Tekketsu Episode 5

 This week on “Orphans in Space…”

 

(Forgive me the joke, but the way this show is kinda obsessed with the “orphan” status of the protagonists somehow had a trainwreck with my memories of the old Muppet Show’s “Pigs in Space” segment, and since they finally left Mars…)

 

The cast is starting to settle into their roles, the plot’s rolling forward, and there’s been a mobile suit battle in space, so I’d say things are progressing pretty well

 

For my thoughts on chocolate men, the sheer amount of child soldiers in this anime and the angsty pilot that isn’t the protagonist, head under the cut!

 

( Read more... )

 

Second, it’s interesting to see the Tekkadan in action.  I’m reminded of that post about feeling older than fictional characters…just, heavens, they’re all kids.  Like, rowdy, short-sighted kids. This is worse than Gundam Wing because it was rare that we got to see those kids as kids–cognitively, I knew they were teens but they acted like mini-adults.  This is different.  This is worse.  At least our pilots are mostly older teens.

 

Can I just take a minute to express my love for the other pilots, actually?  Because Mikazuki’s got the Gundam-protagonist-prodigy thing going, but Akihiro and Eugene are just trying really hard and not that great at it either.  But dang are they trying.  Eugene gets bonus points for having a name I have loved since childhood (it’s pretty sounding, don’t judge) and Akihiro is one of the Human Debris so he basically needs to be protected.  Which I have a very bad feeling about given that Mikazuki left him alone when he could barely operate his suit and his suit belonged to Crank.

 

Which brings us to Ein.  One of my questions was what was being done with him, the answer is apparently “crazed angsty revenge child arc.” Which, um, I’m unimpressed by?  Can I request a flashback explaining why this man imprinted on Crank like a baby duck?  Or, I dunno, something besides his looking vaguely like Haru from Free! to make him sympathetic?  Because, I’m sorry, while it is very sad that Crank is dead, he has less reason to angst than most people in this show and I’m not going to be endeared to him if he goes around killing people I like for revenge.

 

Speaking of Gjallarhorn, I can’t leave out my favorite part of this week’s episode.  That is, Mikazuki’s fight against “the chocolate man” and “the chocolate man’s friend” which may be what I call McGillis and Gaelio from now on.  Except that it makes them sound like bigger creeps than they actually are.  And is also kind of horrid because it’s a rare show of immaturity from Mikazuki who is, let’s not forget, a teenage kid.  The battle itself was pretty great, and I’m proud of Gaelio for figuring out Mikazuki’s identity from one sentence.  He’s redeemed himself from last week’s embarrassment.

 

So, I’m probably going to keep track of the female representation, and I hope people don’t mind because I’m really doing these as vents as much as for general consumption.  Anyhow–Kudelia and Atra.   Kudelia made a good showing–she talked about “fighting her own way” again, yay!  Atra, on the other hand, quit her job to follow her crush to space.  Which, I mean, she’s a kid, it’s kid behavior, but–please, please, adult ladies soon.  Preferably adult powerful ladies.  

 

Questions: What did McGillis do to Toga after he stopped laughing?  Will Toga have further plot relevance?  How long until the Tekkadan loses a major battle since this was apparently not that episode? Why did the preview call Eugene spoiled–is he from a different background than the other kids?

 

Predictions: Chocolate man figured out who Mikazuki was the first time he fought him.  Chocolate man comfirmed for Char Clone.  Also, this episode seemed to suggest that Ein is going to be trying really hard to kill whoever pilots Crank’s suit as well as Mikazuki–I’m betting he will either kill Akihiro or Orga and I hate both options a lot.