Mobile Suit Gundam AGE

 Episode 10, "Day of Fierce Battle"

*****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: The Zalam and Euba factions team up with the Diva to take on the UE. The Federation sends a message that they have no forces in the area to support them. Infighting begins between Zalam and Euba as a black UE mobile suit wreaks havoc. Don Boyage is seemingly killed in action and the UE take the advantage. With the Zalam and Euba beginning a retreat, the still alive Don Boyage and subordinates do a suicide charge on the UE ship, which does no damage. Vargas announces that new parts for the Gundam are ready. The new parts are launched and when attached the Gundam becomes Spallow. The Spallow engages the black MS and damages it. The UE ship begins to fall back. Fardain is saved. Elsewhere, Desil has a tantrum. The Diva leaves Fardain for the Minsry colony.      Well, finally a solid episode.    There’s really not a whole lot to speak about this episode, as it’s mostly action-oriented. The action itself seems a little scattered, but I guess you can’t expect a lot of one-on-one duels in a situation like this one. The black UE MS that Desil controls is pretty badass, totally dominating everyone until the Spallow is in action. The Spallow reduces mass and optimizes speed, as opposed to Titus which specializes in powerful strength. I would have liked to seen a longer encounter between it and the black UE MS, but this was good enough for now.    Don Boyage meets his end in this episode, sacrificing himself to damage the enemy ship. Unfortunately, it was all for naught. I have to say that while Don Boyage seemed like a silly character above anything else, and the Zalam and Euba aspect of the story just stupid, I did think that it was a decent moment. It helped Flit to see the horrors of the battlefield firsthand. I still feel, though, that Boyage and his Euba counterpart feel like Gundam ZZ characters that are introduced as silly at first but then given serious moments later on. It sort of dampens the impact when you remember how this character started out in the show.    The one thing that really caught my eye was the anti-beam dispersal shells, which are an awesome idea. It’s sort of like an I-Field, but with a wider range.    Overall Score:

4 out of 5

   

 Episode 05, "The Demon Boy"

*****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis:  Emily is concerned when she overhears Flit commit to continue piloting the Gundam.  As the Diva nears the colony Fardain, Captain Grodek is contacted by Federation authorities who plan to strip him of his command (which he usurped). Grodeck blackmails the official who comes to arrest him. Emily confronts him about his behavior and he reveals his attack plan to her. Flit encounters a boy named Desil who gives him a strange feeling.  The UE attack Fardain and Desil gets in the Gundam, taking off in it. Flit and Woolf launch in Geoaces to retrieve it, but Desil easily takes out enemy MS. Desil later meets with cloaked people.    Comments:   It looked like Grodek’s actions were coming back to haunt him. However, with a little blackmail, he managed to avoid arrest. I doubt this is the last we’ll hear/see of this matter, though. Grodek commandeered a Federation battleship and its mobile suits. The top brass won’t stay silent on this. But I thought it was extremely smooth how he handled it for the time being. He really is my favorite character.    Emily is really starting to freak out. She’s determined to stop Grodek and prevent Flit from becoming a soldier for the Federation. Her heart is in the right place- she’s concerned for Flit’s safety and doesn’t like Grodek’s dishonesty- but something tells me she’s on a downward spiral of sanity. I hope they don’t make her lose her mind completely. Then again, it might be more interesting that way.    Flit meets mysterious youngster Desil in this episode. Desil gives Flit the same feeling he had when he was with Yurin a few episodes back. And somehow he’s not all he seems to be. I wonder if the masked man in the cloak who came to him at the end of the episode will be the Char of this series. It seems like Yurina and Desil are Newtypes, but they might not call them that in this series.     Overall Score:   3.5 out of 5