Uchu no Senshi Ep. 02 (OVA)
宇宙の戦士 Episode 02 (Anime)

SPOILER Summary: Basic training is in full gear with Sgt. Zim showing just how tough he is when two trainees volunteer to take him on, and he hurts both of them, one of them being named Hendrick. Johnnie wonders if he’s made the wrong choice and Hendrick vows revenge on Zim. Johnnie does poorly in the combat training, often getting killed. During a knife training session, Hendrick questions why in modern warfare with nukes and all that they should have to learn to knife fight. Zim explains things, then brings the point home by practically removing a target dummy’s head with his knife.

During the endurance training in the desert with no water or food and a heavy backpack, Hendrick collapses from the stress and is aided by Johnnie and another soldier. As they proceed to move on, they notice the 2nd-year trainees in their armored suits crossing the desert, which Hendrick feels if he had one, crossing the desert would be a cinch.

Finally, their training begins with the armored suits and they all discover that it is much more difficult than they thought to control them. Hendrick has no problem walking, but then accidentally activates the jets and goes face-first into the ground, leading Zim to pull him out of his suit and humiliate him in front of the squad. While berating Hendrick, Zim is stressing how an armored suit adds to their strength, but Hendrick has heard enough and punches Zim in the face. Everyone expects retribution from Zim, but none happens.

At a spaceport, Johnnie’s mother Maria meets up with her friend Mary, who was on board the Queen Alexandria when it was recalled to Earth and Mary’s not happy about that. Further, the luggage shuttle won’t arrive for some time, which also irritates her. When the shuttle arrives, Maria wonders why there was no announcement about its arrival. Further, emergency vehicles are being dispatched to the shuttle as it lands. Mary gets the attention of one of the airport staff, who tells her not to worry, but she’s not happy with that answer. Someone notices a glowing on the top of the shuttle and a plasma blast from the glow hits the terminal. Bug-like creatures are attacking from the shuttle, even taking down a fighter and in the attack, Maria is apparently killed.

Around the same time (apparently), a fire starts at a facility some 6KM from their training camp. As such, Johnnie’s unit will assist in putting out the fire with armored battle suits equipped with fire extinguishing equipment. Johnnie, Kitten Smith, and Hendrick are the ones assigned to help fight the fire. Hendrick isn’t happy about this assignment, but is reminded that things could be worse as he could have been executed for punching Zim. As Zim stays overhead in an Osprey, Hendrick hesitates about going into the fire after Johnnie and Kitten. When he finally does, he exhausts his fire retardant and Zim seems to indicate that he is out of the service. Kitten is working on fighting the fire, but Johnnie does nothing, leading to chastisement by Zim.

Johnnie spots a survivor and as Kitten is being recalled, an explosion causes Kitten’s suit to fly to the wall and catch on fire. Johnnie uses the last of his retardant to put out the flames and is ordered to leave by Zim. Johnnie tries to explain about the survivor, but Zim is not interested as his order stands. Johnnie disobeys the order and rescues the survivor, and in the process learns how to better control his armored suit. While he did save the survivor, Zim gives him a beating afterward for disobeying the orders. Johnnie protests, but takes more punishment as Zim tells him he’s a soldier, not a fire fighter.

Hendrick is out and the rest of the group goes to see him off. It is then that Johnnie decides to write a letter to Carmencita as basic training continues.

Thoughts: It is interesting for me to see scenes in the anime that I sorta recognize from the movie, such as Hendrick questioning Zim about the need for knife training in modern warfare (Ace in the movie). The anime had Zim drive the point home by sending a knife through the neck of one of the target dummies rather than just pin Hendrick’s hand to a wall with a knife.

The bug attack on Earth was also interesting and certainly more believable than the movie attack. I never once believed a bug meteor attack. I kept thinking, “So, exactly how does a meteor travel so far in an apparent short amount of time?” Having the bugs take over a ship on its way back to Earth and THEN attack when it arrives is something I had no trouble believing.

Even though the V-22 Osprey Helicopter has only recently gone into use for the U.S. Air Force, it was interesting that this anime had it being used so that Zim could monitor the training in the fire.