December 2nd, 2010 
AstroNerdBoy 機動戦士ガンダム /Kido Senshi Gundam episode 17
Mobile Suit Gundam – 17
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
After interrogating the Zeon prisoner Cozun Graham and getting nothing, he’s returned to his cell. However, because no one on White Base bothered to check Cozun for devices, he’s able to set up a small explosive and escape, leaving Sayla to yell for help. Meanwhile, Amuro has been using the intelligence gathered from the captured Zaku to strategize new fighting tactics for Gundam. Thus when White Base comes under a night time attack from a nearby Zeon base, Amuro doesn’t deploy in Gundum as Bright orders but instead goes with Hayato in the Guntank. Using Guntank is a better move for this type of situation and Amuro is prepared to face the consequences should Bright get angry.
Meanwhile, Ryu learns of Cozun’s escape and reports it to Bright. Sayla is allowed out of her prison cell to assist in tracking down the Zeon soldier. She correctly figures that Cozun will attempt to make contact with Zeon forces. Indeed, he has done so and reports that White Base only has Gundam, Guntank, and Guncannon but he does not know about how many fighter planes the ship has. His report is cut off as a bridge officer discovers the unauthorized communications. He flees and she pursues. On the Zeon side, Ral is with Hamon when he receives news of Cozun’s report. Thus, he brings his Gallop in to the defense of the Zeon base under attack.
With the arrival of a Dopp squadron, Ral deploys in his Gouf with two Zaku units, leaving instructions for Hamon to pick up the escaping Cozun. Kai deploys in Guncannon so that he can assist Amuro and Hayato, who are forced to retreat by Ral’s forces. Guntank makes it back to White Base safely but that leaves Guncannon at the mercy of Ral’s Gouf, who is about to destroy it. Amuro deploys in Gundam just in time to save Kai and Guncannon as the additional firepower from White Base forces Ral and his men to retreat. As this is going on, Cozun makes it to an airlock and seals the door behind him. Sayla and another crewman blast their way in, the explosion causing Cozun to be sent out the airlock to his death.
With the battle won, Bright and Mirai have a talk with Amuro, whereupon Bright stresses the need to follow regulation. Amuro defends his actions to deploy in Guntank first since that was the proper weapon to destroy the Zeon base. However, Bright reminds him that with the arrival of the Gallop, the situation changed and that things could have really been bad for the Federation. Amuro leaves to work on new strategies and falls asleep at the console in the launch bay for the mobile suits. He wakes up to overhear Bright telling Mirai that he’s thinking of pulling Amuro from combat duties for disobeying orders. Amuro hears this and flees, deciding to leave the ship. Frau Bow tries to stop him but fails as Amuro steals Gundam and leaves White Base.
Thoughts/Review:
I’m kinda on the fence on the whole “We didn’t search Cozun” issue. On one hand, I understand that the crew of White Base aren’t standard military folks but rather mostly amateurs and civilians who’ve not undergone the months and months of training and specialized training that a normal crew running White Base would have. That said, they were smart enough to see the intelligence value of the captured Zaku, so why wasn’t anyone smart enough to not check Cozun for anything? The false tooth is something I could buy since this untrained crew might not think of an explosive there. However, the wiring Cozun used which he had stored in his pants was something they should have discovered and taken.
Speaking of Cozun, I didn’t expect for him to die. That said, I’m not convinced he is dead. Gundam has not been shy about killing characters so it is very possible that Cozun is dead. However, Cozun could have a miracle survival because he still had that jet pack on his back. I think there’s a rule in science fiction about a character not being dead until you’ve actually seen the proof. I haven’t seen the proof, just a trail of smoke going to the ground. IF the writers do have Cozun dead, then that will be a good thing, not that I am some death loving freak, but it adds a sense of reality to an unreal world (if that makes any sense). So, the explosion and subsequent fall out of the ship by Cozun could be his death and if so, that adds an element of danger that sometimes is lost with the near invincibility of Gundam. (Update: I went through frame by frame and it appears Cozun’s jet pack was destroyed in the blast so I guess he is dead.)
Amuro comes up good and bad in this episode. On the good side, he’s studying the captured Zaku and devising tactics and strategies to use when Gundam battles Zaku units. He is correct in that the three Federation mobile suits are designed for different situations and thus Guntank was the proper unit to take out the Zeon base. I’ll even give Amuro credit for taking his scolding from Bright because he didn’t follow orders and because he had learned that in combat, things don’t always go like you expected, thus he wanted to study more. However, the negative comes from him becoming a crybaby of sorts and running away after stealing Gundam. What’s he going to do with it? Sell it to the Zeon or switch sides to show Bright who’s the man? *_*
Ramba Ral is such a…well, I’m not sure what. On one hand, he’s a middle aged, low ranking officer who somehow has a younger, blonde babe attached to him romantically. Whether or not Hamon truly loves Ral and isn’t just in it hoping to score a higher social and political position, Ral would want to keep his woman happy, so I can see him doing what he’s doing for her. I can see him doing what he’s because he respected Garma. I can see him doing what he’s doing to raise his own rank and make sure his men have better lives in the military. On the other hand, he sometimes comes across to me like some blowhard who needs to thump his chest like a silverback and prove to his woman that he’s the strongest male.
Did we need the Kikka/Mirai fanservice? Boy did that come out of nowhere. I guess when the episode was written, there was still time to fill. So, why not have young Kikka in only her panties with a bathtub water crisis for Amuro to solve while at the same time, Mirai is in her luxury suite shower so she can open a door and be nude for us. Then we can kill more time by having Mirai’s underwear hanging up so Amuro can blush repeatedly. Then Mirai can blush while Kikka acts like a little kid (which of course is what she is). I do give Kikka credit for trying to do her own laundry though. ^_^
Well, it will be interesting to see what Amuro the Dope does on his own and to see if all is now forgiven with Sayla.
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“Mirai is in her luxury suite shower”
Desho ? I mean, even in the future, is it remotely feasible to have personal shower rooms on warships ?
“Ramba Ral is such a…well, I’m not sure what. “
Its a widespread stereotype of a honorable samurai that basically lives for duty and everything else goes after that.
His wife later initiates another example of feudalism mentality later on, which doesnt make much sense from a perspective of any modern man.
“he’s a middle aged, low ranking officer”
Not to mention a FATSO !
“he’s thinking of pulling Amuro from combat duties for disobeying orders.”
Here it is, trademarked Bright idiotism. Its like he pays no mind to the FACT that Amuro is basically the only reason he and entire ship crew are still alive. “Yeah by the way, lets just bench the guy, he dared to disobey my orders (while saving everyone’s lives once again)”. What a brilliant mind ! Ooooooh, Bright drives me mad.
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Here it is, trademarked Bright idiotism. Its like he pays no mind to the FACT that Amuro is basically the only reason he and entire ship crew are still alive.
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There’s a scene in the movie “Hoosiers” in which the coach, played by Gene Hackman, benches one of his players for the rest of the game after the player refuses to follow instructions. A little while later in the game, one of the other players on the team gets pulled from the game by the refs. There are only a total of six players on the team, and with four on the court they’re one man short. So the benched player goes to return to the game. Hackman’s character calls the player on this, and indicates that the player never received permission to leave the bench. The kid returns to the bench, and the team continues the game with just four players. Hackman’s team loses the game, but the players learn that Hackman’s character is willing to follow through no matter what. Hackman’s character is the boss.
Bright is making the right call in this situation. Amuro’s too arrogant to see it because all he sees is Amuro the Hero who saves the ship all the time. When you’re fighting a war, you need people who follow orders and work as part of a team. Amuro’s ego keeps getting in the way of that, and if Bright doesn’t step in and do something about it, then it’s going to cause problems – both with future planning, and with the morale of the crew. Bright, as captain and leader of the ship, can’t afford to have someone who flagrantly ignores his orders. Amuro, unfortunately, is too self-absorbed and immature to see this.
In short, if Bright doesn’t pull rank, then the rest of the crew is going to become less effective. Amuro’s abilities as a pilot are what save the ship repeatedly. But his attitude can just as easily kill it over time. The fact that Amuro leaves because Bright might take him off the pilot roster shows just how arrogant and immature Amuro is and how justified Bright is in his actions.
“Hackman’s team loses the game”
Except we have a war here, not a game.
“Bright, as captain and leader of the ship”
Except he’s not. He doesnt have ANY rank, he does not exert any learship qualities whatsoever, he didnt know anything about the ship, and we dont actually get any reasoning behind him being at the bridge at all. There were people serving on the ship already, who were at least formal military. Oh, and we repeatedly see Bright himself, ignoring orders from higher ups.
“Amuro’s too arrogant”
Where do you get all that ? What IS his arrogance ? What form does it take ? I dont see it at all ! He is constantly tortured and pressured by actions he is forced to commit. And unlike Bright, Amuro DOES realise that without him entire ship is screwed, he KNOWS this, he does not just pull it out of his ass “just because”. So when people idolize brickheads like Bright and try to push off Amuro as a retarded kindergardener, i am asking myself if we were even watching the same show.
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Except we have a war here, not a game.
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And there’s a lot of similarity between leading a sporting team and leading a group of soldiers. Both require constance guidance and coaching by whoever is in charge. Duties need to be assigned. Egos need to be dealt with. Tasks need to be completed. The exact definition of the tasks may be different, but there is a certain amount of similarity between the two jobs. Leadership is leadership, whether it’s on the basketball court or the battlefield.
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Except he’s not. He doesnt have ANY rank,
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Pardon? Bright is the ranking officer on the ship. I’m not sure where you get off claiming that the man doesn’t have any rank since he’s one of the few people on the ship who was actually in the military at the start of the series – unlike Amuro.
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There were people serving on the ship already, who were at least formal military.
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Most of them died in Char’s attack on Side 7. The other survivors are enlisted personnel. Ergo the reason why Bright is captain of White Base.
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Oh, and we repeatedly see Bright himself, ignoring orders from higher ups
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Bad things can happen to captains who disobey orders as well. And there’s an example in another Gundam series (specifically, in the “what happened afterwards” information that wasn’t animated). I’d say more, but ANB hasn’t seen that series yet.
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he does not exert any learship qualities whatsoever,
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And how would you know? For obvious reasons, the writers don’t show the time spent in his office composing duty rosters. The problem with portraying leadership is that it really only draws the attention of the viewer when something goes wrong. The fact that the vast majority of the crew seems to have settled in despite the fact that they’re largely civilians, and they’re trapped alone far behind enemy lines, indicates that Bright is doing something right.
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Where do you get all that ? What IS his arrogance ? What form does it take ? I dont see it at all !
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Open your eyes. It’s visible in the way that Amuro acts and in the things that he does. It’s visible in his attitude toward the ship and everyone else around him. Amuro’s right, they’re wrong. End of story, so far as he’s concerned. In this very episode you have Amuro deciding to sortie in the Guntank despite Bright ordering otherwise. Yes, Amuro’s decision looked good at first. But Bright was ultimately vindicated when the plan ran into an unexpected complication. And yet, given Amuro’s past actions we can be assured that Amuro will do the exact same thing the next time a similar situation occurs.
And thus, Bright decides that maybe it’d be a good idea to find a new pilot for the mobile suit – one who, after being trained well enough to use it, will hopefully follow the overall plan.
But of course Amuro’s too good for that sort of thing. So he arrogantly asserts a claim to ownership of the Gundam and leaves with it – despite the fact that it’s not his and is quite possibly the only thing keeping White Base alive.
My eyes are burning but I know I REALLY need to get in on the comments. ^_^
karry said…
“Mirai is in her luxury suite shower”
Desho ? I mean, even in the future, is it remotely feasible to have personal shower rooms on warships ?
Not really, no. It is a waste of space. Take a look at the largest warships we have — the aircraft carrier. The only private rooms belong to the captain and the Battle Group Commander and they are the only ones with private baths.
That said, as unrealistic as it is for the crew to have such giant living quarters on a warship, the fact that Mirai’s quarters had a private shower AND a private bath is what I was referring to. Most sci-fi stories show the crews with private quarters (Battlestar Galactica was a nice change from that though) so I’ve never really had a problem there.
“he’s thinking of pulling Amuro from combat duties for disobeying orders.”
Here it is, trademarked Bright idiotism. Its like he pays no mind to the FACT that Amuro is basically the only reason he and entire ship crew are still alive. “Yeah by the way, lets just bench the guy, he dared to disobey my orders (while saving everyone’s lives once again)”. What a brilliant mind ! Ooooooh, Bright drives me mad.
I believe I mention this in a later review (and I see Junior says something similar) but in the military, what Amuro did is inexcusable. Disobeying orders can carry a very heavy price tag. Had Amuro gone through basic military training and specialized Gundam training, he wouldn’t be disobeying orders like that.
Karry said
Where do you get all that ? What IS his arrogance ? What form does it take ? I dont see it at all !
You must be young. ^_~
The reason people in the military go through the riggers of basic training is to (1) weed out people who don’t have the right stuff and (2) to teach people a different way of thinking. That’s why you have drill (or technical) instructors who infamously yell and scream. Their job is to strip you of your humanity and then rebuild you.
In war (or even in peacetime), not following orders can get you or your troop killed. You may get orders to provide cover to allow a base to be evacuated (as an example) but in doing so, you are almost certain to die. A commanding officer can order their troops to do something that is a death sentence and the troops may not even understand why they are being ordered to do what they are doing.
Bright does have rank (howbeit a low rank) but he’s also acting captain. That means that what he says goes and he would properly be addressed as “Captain” even if his real rank were “Ensign.” As to the other members of the original crew, the few survivors were pretty much all removed (at least, the bridge crew).
(Sorry…accidentally hit submit too quickly.)
Anyway, Amuro’s arrogance is disobeying orders. My point from earlier was that it doesn’t matter if Amuro was correct in his thinking or not, when Bright gave the order, Amuro’s job was to execute it. Now, Amuro could have explained to Bright why he thought Bright was wrong and Bright would have had an opportunity to explain himself, should he have felt like it (though orders don’t have to be explained in the military). Once Bright’s decision was made, then that was the end of the discussion.
Amuro decided to show up Bright because Amuro doesn’t respect Bright as a commanding officer or as a person. Initially, Amuro was proven right but Bright was thinking long term and thus Amuro nearly costs Kai’s life from a simple act of disobedience.
Bright cannot have a member of the crew defying his orders because that will put the whole ship at risk, more so if others (Kai springs to mind) decide they don’t feel like obeying orders. When Sayla took out Gundam without authorization, she had to be punished. Bright taking Amuro off of Gundam duty would be standard military procedure in this kind of situation (when you hear of a pilot being grounded, you have an idea of what they mean), not only to punish Amuro, but to reaffirm Bright’s command.
When Amuro overheard Bright’s and Mirai’s conversation, he had two choices. First, he could acknowledge his own mistakes and vow not to disobey Bright in future. I believe Bright would have accepted this and left Amuro in active status. Amuro took the second option, which was the understandable reaction of an undisciplined teenage male who feels unappreciated and thus compounds his error with an even bigger one by stealing Gundam. Then Amuro makes matters even worse by attacking the base in the next episode.
@Junior — apparently, your last comment got caught in limbo. ^_^;;;
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@Junior — apparently, your last comment got caught in limbo. ^_^;;;
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Honestly, this sort of thing seems to be happening a lot here. I visit other Blogger blogs that get more comments and I haven’t heard about them having random disappearance problems. Are you sure moderation mishaps don’t play a role here? You’ve talked about being very busy and divided attention and fatigue can understandably lead to mistakes.
@Junior — We ID’d the problem for this instance and it isn’t related to previous comment issues, which were Google issues. Actually, this one is too but there’s a work around which we’ll start using.
[…] I had previously mentioned the fanservicing of young Kikka and as well as Frau Bow. I guess in Japan at the time, this […]