Gundam SEED ep.9-17
フレイとキラ
Death of Fllay's father, the event that transforms her from a naive and spoiled girl to a young woman who's seen the cruelty of war firsthand. The sudden catastrophe sends her into a state of extreme shock and causes her to close herself. She was never fond of Coordinator in the beginning, and she blames Kira for not fighting seriously because of his Coordinator status. Then, she hears it, and something starts stirring inside her. The pilot of Aegis is a childhood friend of Kira's.
What can she be thinking when she hears it? That Kira is indeed acting all along in a conspiracy with his Coordinator friend? That Kira is also facing hardship and forced to fight his friend because of the war? That Kira is pitiful being betrayed by his friend and his own people? Whatever her thoughts, her attitude toward Kira changes almost instantly. She realises that she can use Kira as a tool of revenge against Coordinators, the root of the war in her mind.
When they have the chance to leave AA and become normal citizens again, she makes the decision to stay and join the Earth military. Even knowing that she might be the only one staying, she is willing to give anything if it meant to be able to end the war once and for all. What is going on in her mind when she stood in front of Kira's locker peering at the pilot suit? What is she thinking when Kira returns to pilot Strike and doing it for her sake as well? But Kira does come back and is determined to fight. That's enough. She would protect him with her feelings. She would keep him from breaking down in the face of war. She would hold him close to comfort him. She would be the one for him until he died on the battlefield. She would not allow anyone to interfere and come between her and Kira. She would be devoted to Kira and in return have him commit to her resolution.
Times and times again, even in the midst of battles, Kira is constantly reminded of the fact that he is different from everyone else. Just because his friends are onboard AA, he has to fight despite hating it. He has to fight against Athrun. He has to endure the accusation and scorns. He has to kill. He has to carry the burden of other people's expectation and their lives on his young shoulders. Once he fails to protect, he is overwhelmed and gets crushed by the weight. The death of Fllay's father marks the beginning of his mental deterioration. Each consequent failure eats away his sensitive conscious until he can't take it anymore. He is drowning and being sucked into the endless black hole called despair.
But an angel with wings of light pulls him from the terrible darkness. She gives him hope and courage when he feels he can't keep going. She shows him compassion and love when he feels isolated and neglected. She is always by his side. She is his lifeline. She is his guardian angel. The desperation to protect her and the others prompts his SEED mode to awake when AA is trying to enter the atmosphere. After that, his tensed nerves are stretched to the limit all the time. He is eager to fight and destroy so he can protect her and the others.
The relationship between Sai, Fllay, and Kira is starting to turn ugly, and no doubt it would get more complicated with Cagalli back into the scene. The first cours ends with AA landing in ZAFT's territory on Earth, and Kira is going to confront another major influence in his life, Andy Bartfield, very soon.
Character relationship aside, the battle between the 8th Armada and Creuset ships is really something. The scale of the battle and the emotions involved are so intense, it got me glued to the screen and had me thinking, "Where else can you see something like this but in a Gundam show?" Of course, I assume the UC Gundams to be on a similar level. Wing, with just the five brats in their super invincible Gundams, can't even come close.
On a side note, the scene where Lacus appears with the bulge in her stomach is interesting. Sai's comment and the look on Athrun's face are amusing indeed. The comment that they don't need to put out N-jammer anymore is also funny.
Ah, and this time I was able to identify 関 as Fllay's father, 三石 as Yzak's mother, �進藤 as one of the councilors, and �笹沼 in a few other places. And I finally noticed the scene where Kira's mother was shown holding two babies. For a show as complex and integrated as Gundam SEED, maybe watching it only now is better as I've learned more about it in the past year.
Lastly, Natarle is gotta be the most beautiful woman in the whole series!! XD I wonder when Maryu and Fraga developed their relationship? And the idea of a Goddess of Victory is also very stimulating... まぁ、ここまで以上だ。
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Monday, August 30, 2004
Sunday, August 29, 2004
カウボーイビバップ完食(第二次)。
"The work, which becomes a new genre itself, will be called Cowboy Bebop."
And it is indeed a new genre in itself, what with its unique blend of beautiful art style and choreography, jazzy music from Kanno Yoko, and subtle yet significant amount of philosophy. The seiyuu cast isn't bad, either.
I have to admit, though, that I'm not that much impressed nor captivated by the story. The whole show oozes a feeling of melancholy and foreshadows the poignant ending, and I am not one to be charmed by angst. In addition, I find the lack of interaction between the main cast unappealing. They live on the same ship, yet they pretty much mind their own business except the occasional teasing and scolding.
I guess A- for presentation and B- for content, so overall: B~B+
"The work, which becomes a new genre itself, will be called Cowboy Bebop."
And it is indeed a new genre in itself, what with its unique blend of beautiful art style and choreography, jazzy music from Kanno Yoko, and subtle yet significant amount of philosophy. The seiyuu cast isn't bad, either.
I have to admit, though, that I'm not that much impressed nor captivated by the story. The whole show oozes a feeling of melancholy and foreshadows the poignant ending, and I am not one to be charmed by angst. In addition, I find the lack of interaction between the main cast unappealing. They live on the same ship, yet they pretty much mind their own business except the occasional teasing and scolding.
I guess A- for presentation and B- for content, so overall: B~B+
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Friday, August 27, 2004
With much reluctance, we left the camp site and returned home. Mum already left for the States while I was on the bus so I came home to find the cat alone.
Apparently, we ate too well at the summer camp. I was shocked when I stepped on the balance and found myself at a new high. -__-
*taken from my post in the Gundam SEED DESTINY thread at AX.com*
Ooh, the shades... Athrun didn't even wear a mask before, how is that little thing going to help conceal his identity? Or is it just for the sake of looks?
Neo Roanoke's mask looks like a mix of Creuset and Zechs, and he feels too much like Creuset for comfort. He's ranked colonel, btw.
Haven't finished SEED so I'm not very familiar with the clone thing except that there's some kind of relationship between Fllaga and Creuset. I find it interesting how the roles (as far as seiyuu is concerned) seem to reverse in DESTINY regarding the blond and the masked man. Rey is a Coordinator and there has yet to be any background info on Neo. That aside, I think Seki Toshihiko and Koyasu Takehito are fine choices for two of the major players.
Remember the Millennium Gundam I mentioned once before? The Athrun scan done in April indicated that he is slated to be the pilot of Millennium Gundam. It is still unclear whether Millennium is the name for the rough draft Saviour or a later unit like Destiny. It also says "18 years old; ZAFT."
For some reason, I have a feeling that Cagalli is not going to survive, and that's when Athrun returns to ZAFT (in name, not in allegiance) and pilots ZAFT's Gundam. That might explain why Lunamaria is shown together with Athrun instead of Cagalli (thinking of the SEED OP where Nicol stops appearing because he is going to die soon). I have yet to see First Attack so this is just my guess after seeing Zero Attack.
Apparently, we ate too well at the summer camp. I was shocked when I stepped on the balance and found myself at a new high. -__-
*taken from my post in the Gundam SEED DESTINY thread at AX.com*
Ooh, the shades... Athrun didn't even wear a mask before, how is that little thing going to help conceal his identity? Or is it just for the sake of looks?
Neo Roanoke's mask looks like a mix of Creuset and Zechs, and he feels too much like Creuset for comfort. He's ranked colonel, btw.
Haven't finished SEED so I'm not very familiar with the clone thing except that there's some kind of relationship between Fllaga and Creuset. I find it interesting how the roles (as far as seiyuu is concerned) seem to reverse in DESTINY regarding the blond and the masked man. Rey is a Coordinator and there has yet to be any background info on Neo. That aside, I think Seki Toshihiko and Koyasu Takehito are fine choices for two of the major players.
Remember the Millennium Gundam I mentioned once before? The Athrun scan done in April indicated that he is slated to be the pilot of Millennium Gundam. It is still unclear whether Millennium is the name for the rough draft Saviour or a later unit like Destiny. It also says "18 years old; ZAFT."
For some reason, I have a feeling that Cagalli is not going to survive, and that's when Athrun returns to ZAFT (in name, not in allegiance) and pilots ZAFT's Gundam. That might explain why Lunamaria is shown together with Athrun instead of Cagalli (thinking of the SEED OP where Nicol stops appearing because he is going to die soon). I have yet to see First Attack so this is just my guess after seeing Zero Attack.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Monday, August 23, 2004
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Mum's tennis friends came over for a pot luck feast. Needless to say, we were busy preparing food before the guests arrived. Just as we were almost done with everything but the clean-up, the sink pipe was plugged. -__- Luckily, it was fixed after we called for someone.
Anyhow, the feast was good. Though I didn't have much as I was eager to return to the solitude of my room. No, I am not anti-social. Not that much, anyway. I had assignments to finish so I could go to the summer camp guilt-free.
They left some curry chicken and ribs (I loved the ribs, btw) for us afterwards. I suppose that would be Mum's staple when I'm off to the summer camp, and if there's any left, those'd be mine after I come back as Mum won't be here...
Anyhow, the feast was good. Though I didn't have much as I was eager to return to the solitude of my room. No, I am not anti-social. Not that much, anyway. I had assignments to finish so I could go to the summer camp guilt-free.
They left some curry chicken and ribs (I loved the ribs, btw) for us afterwards. I suppose that would be Mum's staple when I'm off to the summer camp, and if there's any left, those'd be mine after I come back as Mum won't be here...
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Friday, August 20, 2004
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Monday, August 16, 2004
Finally decided to dig out the Inu Yasha CD spindle and started a futile attempt at catching up. The anime is going to end in a month or so, and I'm, what, only about 50 episodes behind? It's not very exciting especially considering the fact that I've read past this point in the manga a long time ago.
No, no, I'm definitely not bashing the show; just berating myself for slacking off and being lazy like usual. Hopefully I'll get to finish the series this year so I can start on the other series that I have saved to watch. I really want to watch Wolf's Rain, RahXephon, Noir, Planetes, Scryed, Uchuu no Stellvia, and.....
No, no, I'm definitely not bashing the show; just berating myself for slacking off and being lazy like usual. Hopefully I'll get to finish the series this year so I can start on the other series that I have saved to watch. I really want to watch Wolf's Rain, RahXephon, Noir, Planetes, Scryed, Uchuu no Stellvia, and.....
Sunday, August 15, 2004
*taken from my post in the Gundam SEED DESTINY thread at AX.com*
Finally saw the Zero Attack promo.
Lacus seems to have two costumes. The one she's seen dancing with isn't exactly the same as the revealing one. She appears to be the only character with large enough endowment to have them shaking when she moves. That's somewhat a comfort. -__-
I'm not very keen on the idea of Impulse having different parts and then merging together, but I like Gaia's transformation, which is the only one I'm interested in so far. From the looks of it, at least the first half will take place on earth and hence the transformability of the units; depending on the size of Armory One, it could be Earth or any of the PLANTs.
It is still not officially confirmed, but the only one shown without a unit is Athrun, and Saviour isn't shown either, so the rumour of Athrun piloting Saviour still stands. Interestingly, Athrun is shown with Lunamaria, kinda like the 1st SEED OP where he is with Cagalli though with less interaction.
The OP "ignited" is typical as far as T.M.R. goes. A section of the song sounds very much like a section of "zip", which is played as an insert in the SEED special edition one.
The transition from SEED to SEED DESTINY is clear as indicated by the main character's names: Yamato -> Asuka (both are names for Japanese era in ancient times). Lacus, as the leader of the "winning faction" from the previous phase, might play a part in helping to unify the sides. I'd like to see what Kira is doing. Is he going to just stay in the back and quietly watch the events unfold, or is he going to step out sometime during the series to testify or even lend a hand? I'd also like to see what part Yzak and Dearka are going to play as they were directly involved with the previous war (and the potential of Dearka/Milliaria). Since SEED DESTINY focuses on a broader scale, characters representing different aspects of the society will no doubt be important.
It's probably just me, but the narrator sounds like Okiayu Ryotaro (seiyuu of Andy Bartfield) to me...
Finally saw the Zero Attack promo.
Lacus seems to have two costumes. The one she's seen dancing with isn't exactly the same as the revealing one. She appears to be the only character with large enough endowment to have them shaking when she moves. That's somewhat a comfort. -__-
I'm not very keen on the idea of Impulse having different parts and then merging together, but I like Gaia's transformation, which is the only one I'm interested in so far. From the looks of it, at least the first half will take place on earth and hence the transformability of the units; depending on the size of Armory One, it could be Earth or any of the PLANTs.
It is still not officially confirmed, but the only one shown without a unit is Athrun, and Saviour isn't shown either, so the rumour of Athrun piloting Saviour still stands. Interestingly, Athrun is shown with Lunamaria, kinda like the 1st SEED OP where he is with Cagalli though with less interaction.
The OP "ignited" is typical as far as T.M.R. goes. A section of the song sounds very much like a section of "zip", which is played as an insert in the SEED special edition one.
The transition from SEED to SEED DESTINY is clear as indicated by the main character's names: Yamato -> Asuka (both are names for Japanese era in ancient times). Lacus, as the leader of the "winning faction" from the previous phase, might play a part in helping to unify the sides. I'd like to see what Kira is doing. Is he going to just stay in the back and quietly watch the events unfold, or is he going to step out sometime during the series to testify or even lend a hand? I'd also like to see what part Yzak and Dearka are going to play as they were directly involved with the previous war (and the potential of Dearka/Milliaria). Since SEED DESTINY focuses on a broader scale, characters representing different aspects of the society will no doubt be important.
It's probably just me, but the narrator sounds like Okiayu Ryotaro (seiyuu of Andy Bartfield) to me...
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Gundam SEED DESTINY (Source: シャア専用ブログ)
From Yamato to Asuka (大和から飛鳥へ). First, the story of Kira Yamato was raised and started. If AA didn't become Kira's place of belonging (居場所), what would have happened? Maybe he'd join ZAFT when Athrun persuaded him and fight to the death for the sake of protecting peace of that place of belonging with Athrun, becoming the ace of shooting down enemy units and feared by the EA soldiers?
Shin Asuka is in a similar situation. Because of the war in Orb, he no longer has a place of belonging and drifts to PLANT. He applies for ZAFT and trains himself with all his might to be the top, so that he can have revenge on those who took away his place of belonging. He is also fighting to protect his place of belonging now.
Shin Asuka is possibly another Kira.
Two years after SEED where Orb was involved in the war damage and caused the lost of his parents and younger sister, Shin acts as the bodyguard of ZAFT Supreme Council Chairman Dullindal. However, Armoury One is under mysterious attack. In order to protect Dullindal, Shin boards the Gundam and witness the mysterious event unfold. With unknown motive for serving in the military and always carrying around a memento of his younger sister, his private life is surrounded by mystery.
Unlikely Athrun who's had special education to hone his talents since little, Shin must have paid much effort to get to the position of bodyguard of the Supreme Council Chairman during the two years. What purpose does he have for such endeavour?
He's meeting Athrun and Cagalli at an early stage. Since Cagalli's father was the Representative Leader of Orb when his family died, what kind of relationship would he have with Cagalli?
From Yamato to Asuka (大和から飛鳥へ). First, the story of Kira Yamato was raised and started. If AA didn't become Kira's place of belonging (居場所), what would have happened? Maybe he'd join ZAFT when Athrun persuaded him and fight to the death for the sake of protecting peace of that place of belonging with Athrun, becoming the ace of shooting down enemy units and feared by the EA soldiers?
Shin Asuka is in a similar situation. Because of the war in Orb, he no longer has a place of belonging and drifts to PLANT. He applies for ZAFT and trains himself with all his might to be the top, so that he can have revenge on those who took away his place of belonging. He is also fighting to protect his place of belonging now.
Shin Asuka is possibly another Kira.
Two years after SEED where Orb was involved in the war damage and caused the lost of his parents and younger sister, Shin acts as the bodyguard of ZAFT Supreme Council Chairman Dullindal. However, Armoury One is under mysterious attack. In order to protect Dullindal, Shin boards the Gundam and witness the mysterious event unfold. With unknown motive for serving in the military and always carrying around a memento of his younger sister, his private life is surrounded by mystery.
Unlikely Athrun who's had special education to hone his talents since little, Shin must have paid much effort to get to the position of bodyguard of the Supreme Council Chairman during the two years. What purpose does he have for such endeavour?
He's meeting Athrun and Cagalli at an early stage. Since Cagalli's father was the Representative Leader of Orb when his family died, what kind of relationship would he have with Cagalli?
Friday, August 13, 2004
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