Episode 5 – Escape Limit Zone
← Previous Episode | Index | Next Episode →
MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
Why must space be so merciless?
Questions of the Day:
1) What do you think of the whole Super Soldier situation?
2) How scared would you have been if you were stuck in a gravity block falling to Earth?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
Additionally, for long-time fans of the franchise, please remember that this rewatch is only for 00, not any of the other shows. Assume that there are people in this rewatch who have not seen anything else Gundam, and tag your spoilers for those shows appropriately if something in 00 makes you want to talk about them.
by Shimmering-Sky
27 Comments
**Rewatch Host Wishing Over This Airspace, subbed**
[Welcome back, everyone!](#michaelwink)
—
– [Louise sure is high maintenance.](https://i.imgur.com/UwukqtH.png)
– [Because of course she is.](https://i.imgur.com/S2dEJjx.png)
– [Saji is such a nerd to *want* to watch the exposition video.](https://i.imgur.com/vLDlcfU.png) [](#kukuku)
– [That *is* such a nice view of the Earth from above.](https://i.imgur.com/dFQWx1i.png) [](#awe)
– [Oh boy…](https://i.imgur.com/BUBe0Ph.png) [](#emiliaohdear)
– [It’s a bit on the nose to have the character who, uh, clearly has split personalities heterochromia.](https://i.imgur.com/BxZ1Z5l.png) Sasuga, Gundam.
– [Welp!](https://i.imgur.com/enfJ2Cc.png) [](#crazedlaugh)
– [And she managed to break an entire section of the station off…](https://i.imgur.com/pgo47pN.png)
– [Gotta give Smirnov at least a little bit of respect to try pulling an Axis Shock all by his lonesome.](https://i.imgur.com/dBsk3Zh.png)
– [So, Allelujah went completely against orders for this one.](https://i.imgur.com/6ZbU8La.png)
– If that rescue operation *hadn’t* actually worked out, man, [imagine *this* being the way you found out your little brother was going to die.](https://i.imgur.com/SiMbmEc.png) [](#godisdead)
– [Absolutely fucking *insane* sniping skills.](https://i.imgur.com/Q7JJTQj.png) [](#doggo)
**First-Timer**
**On today’s episode of Gundam:** Making genetically engineered super soldiers is generally the sort of thing that doesn’t work out. I’m hard-pressed to think of a time where it ended up being a good idea.
– Saji is going on a world tour with Louise. That poor boy is going to be at her mercy the entire trip. [](#rinkek)
– Yeah, I imagine the world isn’t fond of Celestial Being. They pretty decisively attacked the underdog in the Taribia conflict. Even the people who might most want a ceasefire in their conflict wouldn’t be too trusting of Celestial Being under those circumstances.
– Oh? Soma was a genetically engineered baby? Wow, she really is 00’s version of a Coordinator from SEED.
– [NANOMACHINES!](https://youtu.be/RhMsboqMMzs?si=TGRSpgtiSrtril_q)
– It seems like the Human Reform League has an ideology focused on altering humanity so they can live in space. The other major factions seemed Earth-focused, but the Human Reform League is looking elsewhere.
– I can’t blame Louise. I would also want to play with my food in zero gravity.
– Wow, the Earth looks breathtaking. [](#awe)
– Good thing they had those cords. Safety rules exist for a reason. [](#elsiesigh)
– Soma’s getting her own super-special mobile suit to fight the Gundams. [](#concealedexcitement)
– Dang, Louise really has Saji wrapped around her little finger.
– I like that Sergei is so uncomfortable with Soma’s situation. He doesn’t like creating genetically engineered super-soldiers and he doesn’t like having someone so young as a soldier.
– Hell yeah! We’re getting some Newtype resonance! I never expected it might happen with Soma and Allelujah! [](#SPORTS)
– [Oh shit!](#panic) The ring’s been destroyed!
– Ah, it looks like Allelujah has his own tragic backstory. He was stranded in space with others, probably needing to kill them to survive.
– Sergei really is a cool guy. He doesn’t even hesitate to start rescuing the adrift gravity block.
– And Allelujah is deliberately going against his orders to participate in a rescue mission. Even though he initially acted like he was content to abandon them, he can’t help himself.
– Man, Allelujah and Sergei pushing the gravity block is such a cool scene. [](#awe)
– Oh shit, Lockon has a gun that shoots all the way into space! [](#doggo)
– It says a lot about Sergei that he doesn’t even bother trying to chase Allelujah and focuses on the rescue operation.
– Looks like there’s some disagreement within Celestial Being over whether they should have abandoned the original mission and helped Allelujah’s rescue. I love this kind of stuff. [](#ilovethiskindofshit)
– Oh come on, Louise! Why must the love confessions always be delayed!?! [](#shakeit)
This episode was so good. I really loved it. I’d say it’s easily my favorite so far. There were some really exciting scenes for plenty of character stuff and it opens up some interesting possibilities for the future.
Allelujah really does seem to be pushing himself when it comes to Celestial Being. Allelujah had mentioned previously that he preferred a mission where he didn’t have to fight and kill anyone. In this episode, he deliberately disobeyed orders to rescue people. He tried to act like he didn’t care at first, but it’s clear that he really did care about the people who were trapped. Allelujah’s dedication to Celestial Being’s mission is therefore not total. He isn’t simply a machine who will obey orders.
This does open up an interesting avenue to explore with Celestial Being. If the characters have different levels of devotion to the mission, it can lead to a rift within the group. I already observed that Lockon didn’t seem totally comfortable with Celestial Being’s mission. Now it seems Allelujah also doesn’t have complete dedication. Tieria, on the other hand, seems so devoted to the mission that he can’t tolerate any deviation from the mission. This is definitely something that can flare up again in the future and I imagine the divide will only grow as the series goes on.
There’s some really interesting implications about Allelujah’s past. The fact that Allelujah resonated with Soma indicates that Allelujah is similar to her. I’m going to guess that Allelujah was also a genetically engineered super soldier. That would explain the connection between Allelujah and Soma.
I also really liked Sergei’s characterization this episode. He seems like he’s a good person. He’s uncomfortable with the idea of using child soldiers, he didn’t hesitate to try and save the gravity block, and he prioritized rescuing civilians above everything else. Sergei noted that Allelujah’s voice sounded young. Since Sergei disapproves of child soldiers, that’s bound to give him pause. I like that Gundam 00 is continuing the Gundam tradition of having sympathetic characters in the various factions. That’s always been one of my favorite aspects of the franchise.
**QOTD**
1) It’s pretty screwed up to be making genetically engineered kids purely for the purpose of making them soldiers. Sergei is right to be pretty wary of it.
2) That’s a scary as heck situation. I’d be terrified.
**Rewatcher’s soul is held down by gravity**
—————————————————————————————-
[There’s something really funny about tiny little Soma acting like and being treated as an adult soldier](https://i.imgur.com/NYjP7XZ.png)
[And of course Saji puts on an exposition video for no reason.](https://i.imgur.com/tLTBPwH.png)
[Ah, so a Coordinator then.](https://i.imgur.com/LFRgoK2.png) Also, NANOMACHINES SON
[Those goggles don’t exactly scream “research ethics”](https://i.imgur.com/ylJkm3f.png)
[Space Pringles!](https://i.imgur.com/xTXoom2.png)
[I can see my house from here.](https://i.imgur.com/wsMIKNX.png) Earth as seen from space is supposed to be this [grand, awe-inspiring sight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect), and yet, as people begin to live, work, and die in space, that view becomes a mundane backdrop to all the wars, and people forget to look back every once in a while and see the Earth in its totality. But in 2307 AD, humanity has only just started moving into space, with few actual colonies for permanent civilian residence. Space is still a frontier under development, and they haven’t totally lost that sense of wonder yet.
[Tieren Taozi!](https://i.imgur.com/mMZBcEr.png) The most advanced of the Tieren series, with mobility that rivals even the Gundams! It’s based off the Tieren Kyitwo, formally known as the Tieren All Region Trial Type, which means that unlike other Tierens, it’s built for both ground and space combat. And it’s pink!
[the irony is delicious](https://i.imgur.com/7rS3BGH.png)
[distracted boyfriend meme](https://i.imgur.com/iiTQKsp.png)
[Oh hi there Hallelujah](https://i.imgur.com/FqPKYbf.png) So that’s what the emo hair is for.
[As usual, the super soldier program still has some kinks to work out.](https://i.imgur.com/DWAHEI2.png) At some point you have to wonder if the superhuman traits are really worth the unpredictable breakdowns and if a dozen normal pilots wouldn’t be a better investment in the long run.
[This Tieren Space Type isn’t just for show!](https://i.imgur.com/1qheKfQ.png)
[It did take him 14 minutes to scramble Kyrios, but that still seems really fast considering he’s not aboard the Ptolemaios or one of its containers.](https://i.imgur.com/pChhbYX.png) Where was he even keeping that? Was it still being smuggled in a cargo hold somewhere? How did he get there and get the Kyrios out so quickly? Or did he have the container conveniently parked somewhere near where all the CB agents hang out?
[Lockon Stratos. The man who can shoot beyond the stratosphere.](https://i.imgur.com/8cqRnEh.png) It’s the Super Substratospheric Altitude Gun! I like the detail of them repurposing the Kyrios’ tail unit to prop up the Dynames and absorb the recoil.
[A rare friendly encounter with the Gundams.](https://i.imgur.com/qz9zcH6.png) For the first time, the Gundams are not terrorists, but rescuers, and the world sees them in a new light. However, Veda would have rather let hundreds of people die just to protect the Gundams’ secrets. Did they already do the math that, by keeping the gun a secret for now, the impact on their ability to end war would save more lives than that? Difficult to quantify for a human, perhaps, especially with the victims right in front of them, but perhaps Veda can make the calculations and the cold decision. Or maybe there’s something else…
Damn interrupted confession…
—————————————————————————————-
Questions of the day:
* Going nuts and firing on civilians is a *really big* flaw.
* Okay, getting incinerated by friction when the walls of the block inevitably burn away probably isn’t one of the more pleasant ways to go out.
**Rewatcher, First Time Sub**
Saji and Louise get a big focus this episode. They are the civilian perspective watching everything unfold while they carry in with their lives. It’s here that they are directly affected when they are stuck out in the space elevator which informs more of their thoughts mainly from Saji who surprised but not ungrateful for being saved.
Allelujah gets another big focus along with Soma Peries. Smirnov is rather understandably offput by the fact that Soma was trained to be a soldier since youth. It’s here however that we see some sort of connection that seems to appear between her and Allelujah as they are able to sense each other and nearly drive Soma crazy which causes her to shoot a part of the space elevator off (consider that Soma is a super soldier here so Allelujah could be one as well). Luckily Allelujah in a moment of teamwork with Smirnov, they are able to save everyone with some aid from Celestial Being.
However Celestial Being isn’t happy about this, Allelujah had taken the initiative here which kinda put CB in a position they oddly didn’t want to take. Tieria in particular takes it really personally that they were forced to so this.
**Episode 5 (first timer)**
* “It might not be so wise to use them” – I don’t see how this follows. They both just realized that Celestial Being has acted predictably and that Taribia and the Union correctly used that predictability to their advantage.
* Saji and Louise are using the HRL orbital elevator – noticeably, not the Union one, despite Japan being part of the Union. This suggests that the block competition is more ideological/economic at the moment, not military or a cold war.
* “No funny stuff with Louise” – Louise might have other plans.
* “Saji does not have the guts” – brutally honest.
* Low grav orbital train – not sure I get the idea here. You have deceleration phases in space, but they are working against the gravity field of Earth all the way, so why the need for a long deceleration phase? Should they not go powered for most of the distance?
* Sergei had some previous run-in with one of the super soldiers.
* 1.2 exajoules – I am too lazy to look up just how insanely much this is, but all that flowing through the relatively small structure of the orbital elevator? Sounds like “vertical train” is the wrong image to have in mind for this. “Extremely long rod of explosive energy” might be the better picture.
* Sharking chips, slurping soda bubbles, pushing my friend into walls – *things I would do in zero grav 101*
[](#helmetbro)
* The station is connected to a low orbit ring – “the” low orbit ring? We only saw one in the OP and last episode. Presumably all three orbital elevators connect to the same ring. Also: This implies the orbital elevators are much shorter than an standard orbital elevator would need to be.
* Upside down Australia – there is a joke hiding in this scene.
* 10,000 kilometers – so less than a third the length that I quoted before. Still insanely high up for a fixed structure.
* Block No2 shows of its “anti Gundam” suit.
* Rotational gravity blocks.
* “What is this?” – newtype flash.
* “Who is barging into my head?” “I’ll kill you!” – way to stay under cover.
* Sergei is doing a terrible job at moving her gun away from the station – maybe don’t do test flights with live ammo?
* Looks like Allelujah needs no external influence to mess up his mind.
* Gundam to the rescue!
* “Failure is not an option for Celestial Being”
[](#indexsmugshrug)
* The designer of the emergency airlocks that separate blocks deserves a pay raise.
* “Someone with his temperament should not pilot a Gundam” “What about your temperament?” – half of team Celestial Being is unfit by that measure.
* Tsundere ending – not that Saji has done anything yet to deserve more.
The orbital stations/elevators/ring structure is the, to me, most interesting part of this series so far. There are far too few non-spaceship space structures in Scifi.
> What do you think of the whole Super Soldier situation?
Not really interested in it.
> How scared would you have been if you were stuck in a gravity block falling to Earth?
[Floating turd spotted](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOsQbd8lDtg)
**First timer, subs**
* Yeah… You’re not inspiring a lot of confidence in your political and diplomatic skill so far.
* [Someone Shut **This Thing Up**](#notlistening)
* Based on past experience, that seems like bait.
* Wow. They really did wait until they were exhausted before even starting.
* Your military athletic wear is very… gala.
* Is that monkey fighting Simpsons reference?! Is eating chips in space even older than I know?
* Normally you just keep the line going on the other side of the station for a counter weight.
* Wait, y’all aren’t geostationary?
* I assure you, the pink was fully necessary.
* Oh man, I do not want my space attendant talking to me about politics.
* [Flash! **That Didn’t Take Long**](#suddenshock)
* Ha! Moody bangs.
* Why did you even use live ammo for a test flight?
* OK, he’s got split personality, who has the amnesia?
* Thrust boi’s time to shine!
* [Orbital **Sniper!**](#funky) This is peak mecha bullshit right here.
* Are we really dragging out the side characters’ romance like some shōjo manga?
**QotD:**
1) We’ve got the Cyper-Newtype part confirmed, now just to see when girlfriend. And who too, for that matter.
2) Scream into faint into gg.
**Rewatcher, Subbed**
**[Non-Spoiler Character Chart](https://i.imgur.com/9x2CmfZ.jpeg)** – Thank you to today’s episode for giving me a break today; for the first time I don’t have any changes from last episode.
***
Is Marina trying to steal the “most costume changes” award from Wang? Mere seconds into the episode we’ve got the third different outfit from her since she started getting more focus last episode.
“I’m the only one who can do it”, good to see some confidence from Marina as I felt that she looked kinda down on herself throughout much of yesterday’s episode.
The Crossroads live in the Union, but they’re using the Human Reform League orbital elevator, do I have that right? I assume it’s the one closest by? Does each political bloc let citizens of the other bloc use their elevator?
A private car? So Saji and Louise will have some alone time? I doubt Saji will take advantage of it given past behavior.
LoL, they get right to it, Louise literally says “Saji doesn’t have the guts to do such a thing”
Kinue doesn’t think Louise is the girl for Saji, I kinda come at it from the opposite perspective, I don’t really see what Louise sees in Saji to want to be with him. Sorry Saji, I don’t mean to dunk on you too much. 🙁
Okay yeah, that’s definitely the HRL elevator with Sergei and Soma being there.
Another performance test observation? Will Patrick Colasour be at this one too? Miss the guy!
I’m kinda surprised that in the moment Sergei was naïve enough to think Soma volunteered to be a test subject. [Age spoilers]>!With her saying she’s a designer baby maybe that plays into why she’s technically 18 years old but doesn’t look that old.!<
Sergei continues to show he’s got good morals.
It may be 300 years in the future, but looks like Pringles still exist!
C’mon Saji, don’t be so square! Have some fun in zero G with Louise!
So maybe I’ve missed this part, but are the three orbital elevators connected to each other in space? So one could go up the HRL elevator but then head down the Union one?
That is quite a beautiful view of the Earth.
Is this Bors guy here just to attend to the two of them?
Saji’s chance to be Louise’s hero; alas Bors has to step in and do it.
Graham may have not colored his mobile suit red, but at least we have a pink mobile suit now. We’re getting closer.
I’ve got to assume Allelujah is transporting his Gundam up here in secret just like Tieria did a couple of episodes ago.
Pretty sure that’s outfit #6 for Wang, it’s a similar color to her episode 2 outfit but is more of a trench coat this time.
Worlds collide as they walk past Saji/Louise.
Both Soma and Allelujah are freaking out, whether its towards each other or something that is impacting both off them.
Despite being a powerful prototype mobile suit it sure took a lot of shots to actually damage the orbital elevator.
The Allelujah who was disappointed about being a murderer a few episodes ago seems to feel totally different now. Meet Hallelujah!
Sergei trying to push back the falling block from entering the atmosphere is reminiscent of [Gundam Meta spoilers]>!Char’s Counterattack!<.
Kyrios to the rescue!
Oh wow, Lockon managed to hit it perfectly all the way from the Earth below.
Sorry Saji, I think you lost the moment; she’s not telling you now.
***
**Quid’s Voice Actor of the Day**
Since he had a big presence in the episode today I’m going with **Sergei Smirnov**, who is voiced in Japanese by **Unshou Ishizuka**. He made his Gundam debut as Meran in Char’s Counterattack, a role he would return for in Gundam Unicorn. He also appeared as Aimzat Kartral in Gundam X and Barristan McMurdo in Iron Blooded Orphans. He was quite a prolific voice actor, with roles going back to 1984. Non-Gundam roles include Jet Black in Cowboy Bebop, Guld Goa Bowman in Macross Plus, Alex Rosewater in Big O, Quent Yaiden in Wolf’s rain, Brittany in Eureka Seven and Annie’s Father in Attack on Titan. He’s also been the narrator in many anime, such as Giant Gorg, Berserk and Monster. He’s also Rea’s Father in Sankarea whom I’d say is probably the single worst father I have ever seen in anime. [Gundam 00]>!Which is quite the contrast to Sergei, who is a great father figure for Soma. Not so much for his son though.!<
In English he is voiced by **Michael Dobson**. He is the oldest of three brothers, all of whom are anime voice actors (the other two being Paul Dobson and Brian Dobson both of whom I’ll get to eventually as they are also in 00). Michael also has a decent amount of Gundam roles with his first being Vice Foreign Minister Dorlan and Attah in Gundam Wing. He’d return for Gundam Wing’s OVA Endless Waltz where he played Dekim Barton. Other Gundam roles of his includes General Revil and Gadem in Mobile Suit Gundam and George Glenn and Fredrik Ades in Gundam Seed. I’ve also run across him as Nappa in Dragonball Z, Staff C in Key the Metal Idol, Dryden in Escaflowne, and four different characters in Death Note. I’ve also seen him on a few episodes of The X-Files back when they were filming episodes in Vancouver.
***
> 1) What do you think of the whole Super Soldier situation?
Can’t say its that surprising given Gundam history, poor Soma didn’t even get past one episode of normalcy in her mobile suit before things went out of control. Thankfully no one actually died.
> 2) How scared would you have been if you were stuck in a gravity block falling to Earth?
Well, I’m scared of heights, on Earth. I can only imagine how much scarier it would be if I was falling to Earth from space.
**Rewatcher, Sub-dam Meister**
[“But I have condoms, just in case.”](https://i.imgur.com/3vwDvzs.jpeg)
[Which might be awkward for anyone wearing skirts.](https://i.imgur.com/kdCfPKA.jpeg) Luckily, Gundam 00 is above having random pantyshots.
[We heard you like child soldiers, so we specially engineering a child soldier for you.](https://i.imgur.com/6Pc87Uw.jpeg)
[I.. forgot this was in this episode.](https://i.imgur.com/DX86if7.jpeg) Literally ate some Pringles earlier tonight.
[I can already hear Nazenn complaining about the color scheme.](https://i.imgur.com/KKDof6P.jpeg)
I’m gonna complain too. I’ve always hated the Taozi’s color scheme. The name (and color scheme) come from the Chinese word for “peach” which is apparently a symbol of longevity. And wishing your best pilots a long life kinda works.
But they should’ve inverted the colors; give it a big pink plate in the middle of a darker body. It would’ve been much more striking.
And it would’ve been better camoflague too, to color it like a normal Tieran Space Type.
[*Flash*](https://i.imgur.com/jzNUtfW.jpeg)
[Huh, maybe fucking around with people’s brains isn’t such a bright idea.](https://i.imgur.com/NO5H6mT.jpeg)
[Yea, Allelujah wasn’t saying “Hallelujah” all this time.](https://i.imgur.com/bJal87r.jpeg) He was talking to his split personality. Who is named Hallelujah.
[No-one bothered to take the time to put on a normal suit before now?](https://i.imgur.com/OU3ppsR.jpeg)
[Best to not think of how much time it took them to get into position.](https://i.imgur.com/HZ2uSzF.jpeg)
*A Gundam Fan Rewatches Gundam 00 Episode 5:*
– As a bit of continuation from where we last saw Marina and Shirin, Marina seems to have concluded that both Taribia and the United States colluded together for last episode’s failed attempt at an independent state. But she seems to have ultimately missed the point, since Shirin points out that Celestial Being was truly pushing their goals, not just being used as pawns like Marina concludes. As much as Marina is trying to navigate the geo-political landscape for the sake of Azadistan, she’s still pretty green at it, even if she really does mean the best. She might stand to learn that a lot of politics is pivoting your position based on what’s happening, rather than everything being a strict plan. Shirin seems to have a better grasp on realpolitik than Marina so far, at least.
– Kinue: “Remember Saji, *don’t* rawdog your girlfriend on your trip to the orbital ring.” Louise: “Don’t worry, it’s like a cooked spaghetti noodle down there anyway.”
– It really is only fitting that a faction called the Human Reform League is completely fine with morally dubious at best science experiments to create superhumans. Soma is a test tube baby, genetically engineered before birth and then further altered with experimental medical treatments and nanomachines embedded into her body to create someone who has abilities further than human. Sure, while humanity does need to find ways to adapt to space, even Sergei can agree with us that this level of mad science is going pretty far.
– It’s fun when characters watch in-universe documentaries on something, like Saji watching the promotional video about the orbital ring. It reminds me of the episodes of Legend of the Galactic Heroes when characters in there do the same thing. Those are some of my favorite episodes for a reason, since it’s an interesting in-universe way to show the audience information.
– See, Louise and Saji nearly falling off the edge of the orbital ring really shows that we need to install safety rails on that thing. Where the hell is Space OSHA when you need them?
– The Tieren Taozi does look pretty neat, and it’s no slouch either, since it was designed for super-soldier pilots first and foremost. Although I do wonder why they decided to paint it nearly entirely pink. Did they just decide that upon hearing that Soma is a girl? What an odd choice for a piece of military hardware.
– Okay, so it *might* be safe to say that there’s some kinks to work out with that whole super-soldier thing. Soma was barely even away from True Pillar before snapping and opening fire in an uncontrollable freak-out due to feeling someone connecting with her mind. This is why you run way more tests on your super-soldiers before handing them live-fire weapons and a giant robot. That’s how you get large-scale incidents like this.
– Speaking of weird mind stuff, that certainly also raises questions with Allelujah, since he felt the same flash and then had some kind of switch flip on his personality. He changed from a polite and soft-spoken man to an angry and violent jerk pretty fast there, all because of that headache. He must’ve gone through some real shit on that shuttle incident he’s remembering, at least enough to develop a split personality. Truly some real creative naming there Allelujah, just adding an H to your name for your alter.
– Despite being ordered to capture a Gundam for the HRL, Colonel Sergei really does have his morals come first and foremost here. He could’ve let the people in that crashing gravity block die for a shot to capture Gundam Kyrios, but instead he decides to keep on helping to save everyone aboard. Heck, he doesn’t even pursue when Allelujah leaves, he’s just glad to have had the help at all. At this rate, he showing himself to be the most moral person in that power bloc.
– Sure, Tieria may not like the fact that Sumeragi modified their mission to spy on the Tieren Taozi’s testing to get the other Gundams to help in the rescue, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. Tieria really is proving himself to be judgmental so far, between questioning Sumeragi’s decision to change the plan and Allelujah’s kinder temperament. What even makes him so special to think he’s fit to judge everyone else around him? Sumeragi is right, Tieria’s temperament is the real problem here, not everyone else’s.
**Rewatching, subbed**
Come to think of it, they only said that there were export restrictions on their oil. The way they worded it made it sound like they still had some. So why do they need solar energy so badly?
They made it pink because she’s a girl I guess? How very anime of them. Reminds me of a Zaku without just being a complete copy. I like it.
Imagine getting your meal on a plane and the stewardess out of nowhere starts complaining about very specific politics to you. That was super weird.
There seem to be some very major drawbacks to this whole super-soldier program. Oopsie doopsie, what’s a few rounds from a mobile suit between ~~friends~~ the military and some civilians? Also, this guy is being way too useless in his attempt to stop her. At least disable her weapon or something.
I wonder what the definition of “trapped in Earth’s gravitational field” is. If they’re falling without any control, aren’t they already fulfilling that condition?
The twink is not impressed.
> What do you think of the whole Super Soldier situation?
That’s fucked.
> How scared would you have been if you were stuck in a gravity block falling to Earth?
I think I’d be certain I was dead. Hard to say how I’d react to being certain I’m dead.
**First Timer – Sub**
Okay, the more I see of Louise the more I like her. Seeing her play around in near-zero g was adorable, she’s wonderfully inquisitive, and she is most *definitely* the boss in her relationship with whatever-his-name-is (except in emergencies). I’m looking forward to seeing where her plotline goes. Assuming she’s not just a minor side-character…
Beyond that, *another* Gundam pilot desperately needs a therapist! But luckily, this guy’s trauma prods him into being entirely, 100% heroic with no moral dubiousness. And seeing the Gundams team up for the rescue op and *clear the clouds* for a clear shot was pretty impressive.
I do have to wonder about the people leading Celestial Being. I can see the woman (Sumeragi?) saying she was protecting the Gundam as an excuse, but the other person…no. If they’re not an ouright villain, they’re only a step or two removed from being one.
**First Timer**
We’re *not* intervening in international conflicts today? Is this really the Celestial Being I know and love? The rescue mission was a nice change of pace from all of the political maneuvering of the past four episodes and indicates that Celestial Being does have an altruistic side–or at least Allelujah does, and most of the crew is willing to go along with it. However, Tieria’s comments on the tactical issues with the rescue operation do confirm that Celestial Being’s members are not of one mind in this situation, which might extend to their overall goals as an organization.
I liked the brief look at Sergei’s reservations about the ethics of the superhuman program. He clearly has a conscience and seems to care for Soma on some level, but still agrees to use her as a soldier. I wonder if they’ll take his internal conflict further.
It was interesting that only Soma and Allelujah appeared to be affected by whatever that piercing noise was; I wonder if that was because of her origins, which might imply that Allelujah has a similar past. Regarding Allelujah/Hallelujah, we seem to be getting into split personality territory here, which is not really a favorite trope of mine, but I’ll wait and see what the story does with it.
On another note, we saw quite a bit of Louise and Saji today. I gotta say, her antics are kind of fun, but Louise herself is insufferable. They’re nailing the spoiled, bratty rich girl character, but I hope they tone it down a bit sooner rather than later.
**First Timer**
You know, this show really has a thing for [using the characters’ full names whenever it can](https://imgur.com/a/dK9eCNQ), I don’t really mind this at all but I do think that combined with the ridiculous nature of some of their names it ends up being really funny
[](#seasonallaugh)
[Marina has a good fashion sense](https://imgur.com/a/WI9z8dG), she seems pretty confident in herself so I’m intersted in seeing more of her (and ideally less of her assistant lady), also
[Azadistan?](#morethanonewaifu)
[Her situation grows more ethically questionable every appearance](https://imgur.com/a/d1Xml28), should make for good conflict with the Gundam guys, Sergei, despite working a probably morally questionable government, seems like a pretty good dude, he’s a military guy who isn’t afraid to get into the deep of it and has a very clear moral compass which he can put above his military goals, [which is why he also seems rather conflicted with Soma](https://imgur.com/a/LSnPo7C).
[Pink mech ](#saberawe)
We’re setting up some more suits that should be able to compete with the Gundams.
[“Yeah I totally hate those Celestial Being guys haha!”
](https://imgur.com/a/2A2jf4Y)
[](#spooked)
[Saji also has an alarming amount of encounters with CB members without realizing it](https://imgur.com/a/zQ8UIEA), he and Louise are fun and cute together even if they’re not exactly the pinnacle of romantic progress.
Allelujah has like, two separate personalities? himself (?) as Allelujah and the second much angrier *Hallelujah*, we get a little glimpse into what might have caused this, [something about being trapped in space](https://imgur.com/a/3oH6YrZ), it also has some weird interaction with Soma which causes her to completely crazy, looks like he can switch back at will? or at least he is the dominant personality, this is certainly an interesting development.
[](#curious)
The eye color changing is a classic for denoting different personality but I love how his hair bangs change side as well.
[](#azusalaugh)
We already know Allelujah isn’t a fan of killing so it makes sense for him to want to save everyone especially considering it seems to be personally relatable to him, the little team up they do is pretty damn cool.
Tieria has already appeared somewhat distant and combative before, he didn’t like Setsuna and he prefers being in space, away from everyone else, over being on earth, he clearly has some thoughts on what CB goals are, how they should be achieved and most importantly, *who* should be achieving them, but as Sumeragi points out he isn’t exactly the Mr. calm and collected like he seems to think he is.
[**Internal conflict and infighting**](#mugiwait)
**First Timer – sub**
Good stuff first, complaining after the line break
Happy bouncing Haro makes me happy. But does not make me bounce, both because I am not coordinated enough for that and it would probably freak out my cat
And that’s how you both immediately make a character interesting, and introduce a somewhat overused character trope in an engaging way that encourages thought about it and not just shock. Well done writers.
It was actually funny because I almost called Alelujah by the name Hallelujah in one of my earlier posts and only caught my mistake in editing a few minutes before posting, and now I feel like I should have because it would have given people a laugh haha. I really did like how that was done though. They managed to turn what looked to be another standard episode setup into our first character focus with what I feel was a great transition and without being too heavy handed as to what the episode would be
I couldn’t quite tell if the face was drawn slightly different which I think it may have been, but the up close focus as his hair flips sides, the fantastic shift in voice, and the surprisingly well done shift in his wording gave a great sense of exactly how different they are without going the usual over the top style if he just flipped suddenly
So Alelujah was once in this super solider program I suspect, and has once been trapped in space which is when Hallelujah manifested, and they are also aware of each other, at least when Hallelujah is in control, which I think is the most interesting part of it. I don’t have a whole lot to say right now, but it was a much more interesting scene this way than if they’d been not so subtly drip feeding it through the show, and for giving depth for it rather than taking the usual route of just having him go berserk or something like that.
I probably would have had more to say on this last night, but I’m writing it up in the morning and have forgotten a bit of what I’d planned to write.
Oh, one thing, Lockon is an INCREDIBLE shot. And while this is not great for their plans given how much it revealed about them, and I will be upset if none of the blocs use Lockons shot as a way to calculate his position, it did humanize them to the population which may be a good thing, even if it’s against their “make them hate us” goal. And how that plays out I’ll be interested to see.
Now I’m wondering if out of our four pilots we have one from each of the blocs, and then Setsuna as an avatar of the countries left behind by it all
—
And now the complaining
I *hate* the blonde girl. It is every ditzy love interest archetype I hate and so far with no redeeming features (sorry Infamous)
I also hate the dialogue. I always hear people discussing the issue of “people don’t talk like that” in various media, not just anime, but I can almost never tell myself. I suck at language, I can’t tell people by their writing styles, I can’t distinguish good phrasing or bad, and to me all words work as speech because people are weird. But this? I feel like people don’t speak like this, mostly because everyone is mostly saying the exact same thing over and over and over just with different levels of detachment. It’s hard to care about the tension around the gravity blocks being seconds away from falling far enough no one can stop them burning up in the atmosphere when all I can focus on is the fact that three different characters said the same thing within two minutes of each other without adding any new information, characterization, or emotion to the scene. I’m sorry I’ve now whined about this two episodes in a row, but it’s a serious issue for me. I constantly fail to feel like characters are talking to each other, or even to themselves, it’s just to us in key scenes. I am having Casshern Sins flashbacks that I really, really do not want to have (sorry Sky). Writers please, stop making me think about your script instead of your show!
And last thing, thoroughly miffed at the pink mech. It shouldn’t bother me any more but for fucks sake. You have an engineered child who was likely thoroughly experimented on for her entire life by an inhumane government, which is the only one we’ve seen so far that has a strong military presence in its general scenes, she has known nothing but scientific testing and military training, has no identity outside of that, likely knows nothing other than sterile science designs and functional military ones, and has an experimental mech developed for her that she’s never seen before, has no say in, and is likely not expected to view as anything more than the tool she herself is. BUT NO, LETS PAINT IT PINK BECAUSE *GIRL*.
[Fuck off, staff](#fuckyou “really, sincerely, fuck off”)
It really shouldn’t make me as mad as it still does, but in this case it’s even more egregious than normal. I apologize to Shino for bitching about his mech in IBO, because I still hate that pink, but at least that was because he liked it. This is stupid, stereotypical, AND makes no fucking sense.
Lots of apologies in this part of my post
**Rewatcher – Gundam 00 Ep5:**
This episode was episode has been the one I remembered the most from the first time I watched it. From these early episodes, while I can generally remember stuff like CB going down to Venezuela, this one I distinctly remember as the one where Kyrios saves the elevator block by pushing it back. Maybe it is the Allelujah/Kyrios bias, but even now, I still liked the episode. Allelujah breaks from the secret mission to save people. Not only did he display the Gundam, but even revealed his voice. Plus the fact it was the Colonel and CB working together to save the day. It is nice having an unequivocal heroic act to be done today for once.
[](#anko)
[Gundam space mind chicanery.](https://i.imgur.com/0MjG3C8.png) YAYYY!!! [](#wow) I love to see it. The good ol Gundam scene of an unwanted mental connection that is too close for comfort. “What is this headache -> Who are you? -> Get out of my head! -> **I’ll kill you!**”
[](#happyclap)
Other random bits:
* [Marina got a little cute hat on.](https://i.imgur.com/OPUd8TV.png)
* The main stage of this episode was the orbital elevator. It has been on my mind before, but I wonder what sort of travel to space is there for the elevators to see much use. The orbital elevators are shown to be like train stations/airports in terms of everyday use. Right now, it seems more like space colony construction rather than space colony inhabitation. I guess the orbital elevators are also major powerplants so that’s probably the big push for business up here.
* [Louise is doing a Deep Space Homer.](https://i.imgur.com/pgsg0Ko.png)
* [The specific usage of “designer baby”](https://i.imgur.com/AmKhwas.png) takes me back to Gundam SEED since that entry tackled that topic. [Gundam 00/SEED:] >!Though I guess 00’s Innovades are more specifically the SEED Coordinator analog rather than the super soldiers. Wait hold on, Rau wasn’t a Coordinator, he was a separate case of designer baby. [](#sakurathink)!<
* [Soma’s hair reminds of me of bandages.](https://i.imgur.com/5AZtkfd.png) Considering what we’ve seen of her, not …totally off base.
* This is one of the most *Thing* vs [*Thing for girls*](https://i.imgur.com/ZRai5Fu.png) in Gundam. No reason for the Tieren Taozi to be bright pink other than the pilot is a girl. Pink is not even the first colour to come to mind for Soma. Stark colour contrast to the very first girlypop Gundam, the 32m tall black haunted death machine.
* Forgot [the big Lockon Stratos gun](https://i.imgur.com/3klvoHI.png) made its debut in this mission. I guess it is for reverse orbital laser purposes.
* [And Setsuna is here too.](https://i.imgur.com/crEmBQZ.png) Gotta have the MC contribute somehow to the episode.
___
**Q2)** I dunno, freak out knowing what awaits is a tragic death in one of the worst disasters in human history, I guess.
[](#mug9) [](#terror)
~~Ah dang it, I forgot to make a Beyond the Time joke.~~
First Timer – Subs
Louise sure is having fun on the ride up
so they can mentally link with each other huh hmmm. or maybe thats a hallelujah only thing with that flashback…wonder if the person in his memory is the supersoldier
the liuetenant guy still has honor and pride at least. wonder how this rescue mission will change public perception
that energy shot through atmosphere is wild lol. neat capability reveal like purple hair said.
Sumeragi is so done with his shit lol. This obviously aint the first time this has happened.
**00th Timer Searching for the One**
I know they can’t fail, it’s still too early, and the consequences would be too high, but after watching Saji for one full episode, I sure as hell was hoping they would. [Saji’s sister though? She’s cool!](https://i.imgur.com/SRkMSPP.jpeg)
* I’m glad [the Princess has some confidence](https://i.imgur.com/ajjfHXV.jpeg) to show
* [Not sure whether to blame this on the Russians or Gundam in general](https://i.imgur.com/OPraTox.jpeg)
* [Does she know Saji?](https://i.imgur.com/NJwWgyB.jpeg) Or are those just his harem mc pheromones at it again?
* [Gundam] >!<
* [Sergei is reasonably losing his shit here](https://i.imgur.com/V3GEPMq.jpeg), the little girl made to join the military is about to send a bunch of civillians to their death, and cause a huge international incident, none of this should’ve been happening. “Back in my days, war wasn’t so fucking messy” ~Sergei after a few drinks that day.
* Although, if CB weren’t a bunch of peace keepers, and actually had an interest in ruining the big nations, this would’ve been a capital opportunity for that.
* [Dude, that’s what being a Gundam pilot is all about, and you’re doing it right too](https://i.imgur.com/L4xhYuw.jpeg)
***
>1) What do you think of the whole Super Soldier situation?
[Gundam](#godisdead)
>2) How scared would you have been if you were stuck in a gravity block falling to Earth?
If I survived it, I’d probably never go to space again.
I’ve seen the show so many times I laugh at lots of stuff that isn’t particularly funny.
Like, their code names crack me up because they’re all these ridiculous mouthfuls. Haven’t even met some of the characters with the most ridiculous names either.
**Firsttimer** who was almost on track to be on time for much of the evening [](#tiredaoi)
* Whatever you say, [Sheev](https://imgur.com/mDMY4DD ‘no, I will not stop calling her that for the forseeable future’)
* I love Louise, the way she is adressing her future [Sister in Law](https://imgur.com/cUqSaiD), while also dunking on her [herbivore](https://imgur.com/vW19OuY) of a friend
* A private car would also have been the perfect setting for [her](https://imgur.com/uIVvC6R) to get frisky
* Do you want Ants? Because [that’s](https://imgur.com/6pbE1eA) how you get [Ants](https://youtu.be/IhaNw4WrSAM?t=68)!
* Still, having a hard time shipping them when Saji is so [weak](https://imgur.com/L4t4oVt), he cannot even keep his [eyes on her](https://imgur.com/U9zRA8d) [](#modabuse)
* Ok, but how many [siblings](https://imgur.com/3vShkFy) does she have? 4? 5? 0? Just making sure on how to adress her, besides Bestgirl
* And god, I love [this guy](https://imgur.com/RPvkiAF) for having such a clear concience
* [Nice shot](https://imgur.com/3DYY5lV)
* [Newtype](https://imgur.com/4YLPlx3) [Flash](https://imgur.com/wVpgiQO) [](#suddenshock) Wonder if Halleluya is one as well? There has to be a connection
* Saji gets points for imidiatly [holding](https://imgur.com/eyfVdGD) onto Louise though
* And [what](https://imgur.com/nYzPSvn) is Halleluyas [backstory](https://imgur.com/DNju88p)?
* Wonder if [all this stuff](https://imgur.com/lXp08b1) is included in the kit… probably P-Bandai [](#sadholo)
* [Awesome](https://imgur.com/OOhHO7i)
* [Not cool](https://imgur.com/M1c910a), you don’t ask for the confession imidiatly after the danger is over! You wait for a quite moment under the starlight, when both of you had a drink
QotD
* You mean the Newtype flash? I actually don’t know enough about the trope beyond “MS Pilot can fly and shoot better”
* Pretty scarred, I read that the Challenger crew was actually alive for most of the fall…
**Kidou Senshi Rewatcher 00**
After a couple episodes both largely focused on the broader scale world, it’s nice to have an episode which is more inward-focused and character-based.
Most obviously, this episode did quite a bit for Allelujah. It’s hard for me to speak on him right now, since a lot of the details are still shrouded in mystery & I’m a rewatcher, but still, it’s easy to appreciate how the hints at his backstory given here are both fascinating in their mysteriousness and somewhat inform his more general motivations & attitude, as he’s clearly motivated by the suffering & sense of powerlessness he himself felt in the past and fights to ensure others don’t have to suffer like he did. Also, Hallelujah exists, but I don’t feel like saying anything about him at the moment. [](#shh)
The episode also has a pretty solid use of Saji & Louise. Having civilian characters the audience is familiar with being on the broken off pillar segments gives the whole incident a bit more weight & grounding than it might otherwise have IMO. Helps that the two are as naturally charming as always (god, everything Louise does is cute), and their stay on the Elevator is also used as a vehicle to help the audience get to know the orbital elevators as a whole a bit more, which is also nice, space structures that aren’t ships or station need more love in fiction.
Anyway, might as well shift to…
—
**Spoiler/Rewatcher-Only Corner**
[Later in S1]>!I have to wonder how many people managed to guess Allelujah being from the Super Soldier program based on this episode. A lot of the pieces are kinda there, the yet-unidentified quantum brainwave interference & the fact that Allelujah’s backstory was alluded to in the same episode that the program comes into focus being dead giveaways, but so much of the connective tissue is yet unrevealed that I wonder how obvious it is to people going in blind while this was airing, especially among people unfamiliar with Gundam’s tropes.!<
[S2 stuff]>!Considering how the connective power of Quantum Brainwaves being able to bring people together & end conflict is a central idea of the show later in, there’s something interesting to be said about how their first real impact on the series’s plot was accidentally provoking confusion & violence in a fit of mental wire-crossing that can’t remotely be called communication. The inevitable end result of turning something with the potential to do such good into a weapon of war, on account of the Super Soldier program is how I see it.!<
Super soldiers is kinda like this timeline’s version of Cyber Newtypes, but they’re made more like Coordinators.
And hell, it would be goddamn scary if you’re stuck on something that’s falling to Earth…
**First Timer**
[He doesn’t deserve her smh](https://i.imgur.com/DWfD2zl.png)
[Senator Armstrong approves](https://i.imgur.com/1s5Gop2.png)
[I feel like having morals is just a death flag for this guy](https://i.imgur.com/2TQVWt9.png)
[So stupid…](https://i.imgur.com/YZpMSin.png)
[Inside you, there are two wolves](https://i.imgur.com/ZPaZy9j.png)
[Not surprised the experimental child soldier went crazy.](https://i.imgur.com/nstlwXL.png) Surely there will be punishments handed out and she won’t be put on any more missions considering she almost killed a bunch of civilians.
[SAY IT](https://i.imgur.com/DAU18OG.png)
First timer. Dubbed
“Hallelujah is doing a rescue mission? He’s actually trying to prevent pointless casualties from happening?? What the hell is that idiot thinking???” – the truly human and rational members of Celestial Being.
> “He has no business being a pilot!” – Tieria
>> “Bitch please and you do?” – Captain Alcoholic
Overall I really liked this episode, but much like with Setsuna last episode, I don’t really have much to say about the tidbits we got of Hallelujahs backstory. This episode did make me wanna jump ahead of the (Re)watch group but I won’t.
###First Timer!
Saji being roasted [by his Louise](https://i.imgur.com/SGs81m9.png) and [his sister](https://i.imgur.com/5sTB3TW.jpeg) was hilarious. Although I don’t think Saji gets it. I’m not even sure if he understands that Louise is very much into him.
Ah yes, [a designer baby raised to become a super soldier with nanomachines in her body.](https://i.imgur.com/n41eQNE.jpeg) What could possibly go wrong? I’m glad to see [Sergei is showing his disgust about this project though.](https://i.imgur.com/FKZg2Bl.jpeg)
We’re only in Episode 5 but I can’t believe [Saji and Louise just die like that.](https://i.imgur.com/pkfnmeq.jpeg) RIP. In all seriousness though, maybe keep Louise away from doing spacewalks from now on.
[A new mobile suit and it’s red!](https://i.imgur.com/a2AKujN.jpeg) And here I thought Graham was the one who’d get a red MS. Too bad its first victim isn’t a Gundam but [a the fucking space elevator.](https://i.imgur.com/wpsqLuM.jpeg) Who’s idea was it to make these “super soldiers”?
What the fuck happened though?! [Soma just completely lost herself](https://i.imgur.com/2p2VJrN.jpeg) and [Hallelujah just started freaking out.](https://i.imgur.com/WzGWS96.jpeg) Is the two of them being in close proximity to each other what triggered this or do they have something else in common?
Also, it’s very clear that Hallelujah has some sort of split personality going on here. I noticed [his hair flipping to the other side](https://i.imgur.com/w5ydAzY.jpeg) to show the Hallelujah we see isn’t the same Hallelujah we’ve known so far. His hair [also flips back when he finally regains control.](https://i.imgur.com/w5ydAzY.jpeg)
[Props to Sergei for even trying to save those blocks](https://i.imgur.com/JOASI8B.jpeg) even with what little power his grunt unit has. It was awesome [to see Kyrios coming into the rescue though.](https://i.imgur.com/2WZFZJR.jpeg) I love how the three Gundams worked together saving those people with [Dynames reducing the mass](https://i.imgur.com/7FibcVb.jpeg) and [Exia parting the clouds](https://i.imgur.com/2pnuNUZ.jpeg) so Lockon would have a clear shot.
I know Celestial Being doesn’t really care if people like or hate them but after this rescue mission, they might just get some goodwill from the public back. Unless of course the HRL somehow blames CB for this incident which I won’t even be surprised if that happens.
first timer who [has control](https://imgur.com/nFf4eA6)
___
[Wow and now a real cutie in this white outfit too](https://imgur.com/KYieH7f)
Saji is on a scholarship? Could have fooled me. Why is he even going to space? Its like ~~Quess~~Louise is dragging her cat along with her whims
Sajis Flash [](#mugiwait)
Tieren Taozi another fantastic suit
That wasn’t the newtype flash sound, why is she resonating with Hallelujah. I guess he is a survivor of the program?
Stands up in the middle of the mall area, screaming ILL KIL YOU at the top of his lungs. You would think someone would care but that’s the city life for you
https://i.imgur.com/KHFLcXX.png /u/theangryeditor
Doing CCA in episode 5 btw
Rewatcher
I normally hate the support sniper character, but Lockon is one of my favourite characters in Gundam series. He is just so cool
First Timer
Marina’s aid kinda bugs me cuz whenever she talks her tone is like “No, you idiot, THIS is the REAL reason for these complex international politics, you poor naive little girl…”
I didn’t realize how fucking short Soma is lmao, she’s like 2 full heads shorter than her superior.
Having college students working on orbital ring maintenance seems kinda fucked up to me, but these things are also far more pedestrian than such a thing would be in our world so what do I know.
Surely there was a better color for the Taozi than hot pink. Surely.
Ah, Allelujah has some sort of split personality possibly as a result of assimilating the personality of a dead childhood friend. I knew he’d have some dark shit in his past, the overly devout sodliers always do. Might be a super soldier too?
1. Newtypes
2. Probably huddled in a corner throwing up as a stress response.