Gundam 00 — Episode 6
I have EJU tomorrow morning so I’m going to make this quick, hopefully. Gah, curse man’s need to sleep.
Gundam 00 episode 6 introduces the European nation of Moralia, new equipments for Gundam Dynames and Exia and a new foe.
Summary
Moralia is a nation founded just 23 years ago in AD 2284. It’s located at modern day France’s Mediterranean coast (around Marseille) and surprisingly it is not part of the Advanced European Union. Although it has just 180 thousand citizens, over four million foreign workers live in the country. This is because the country’s economy is highly dependent on the private military industrial complex. It attracts foreign investments by giving tax breaks to private military companies.
Of the 4000 plus companies in Moralia, a giant conglomerate called PMC Trust owns over 20 percent of them. PMC Trust is a private military contractor which has its own mercenary army and weapons development programmes. Although they are not part of AEU, Moralia and PMC appear to be heavily involved in AEU’s weapons and space elevator development.
Presumably due to the lack of large-scale conflicts fuelling its military industry, Moralia’s economy is in recession and the country itself is in a bad state. AEU’s big shots are worried about Moralia collapsing and decide to send in troops under the pretext of a joint military exercise with the Moralian forces and PMC Trust. Celestial Being sees this as a challenge and launches an intervention.
We are introduced to Ali Al-Serges (I’m just guessing the name from the katakana), a mercenary working for PMC who was apparently part of Setsuna’s past in Kurdistan.
“Hi, I’m Ali.”
PMC, being a private company, is very interested in obtaining the Gundam for its own nefarious purpose (i.e. making money). The people in-charge decide to modify AEU’s latest prototype mobile suit (which they are contracted to develop) and assign Ali to pilot it and bring back a Gundam.
Thoughts
This episode is much better than the last one. Oh sure, everyone loved episode 5’s laughable “character development” and whatever. I prefer the politics and the nitty gritty details instead.
Interestingly, this guy is apparently the German Chancellor. During the discussion of AEU’s plan to send troops to Moralia, he mentions something along the lines of, “public opinions will prevent my country from sending troops” to which the Angela-lookalike replied, “stop dwelling on something that happened over three centuries ago.” I’m quite sure that she’s referring to World War II. (Or perhaps the guy is British and we’re talking about Operation Iraqi Freedom?)
Human Enhancement Agency Research Lab
We also learn that Soma has enhancements made to the glial cells in her brain. This allows her to utilize some new form of brain wave (脳量子波) in a manner which is not explained, but probably referring to some sort of extrasensory ability (i.e. Newtype sixth sense).
PMC Trust’s private army
On another note, I won’t be surprised if PMC Trust is some kind of allusion to the military contractors that are practically running Iraq today. We use words like “private security contractors” as euphemisms for what they really are: mercenaries. With Haliburton’s power and influence, I don’t doubt its potential to one day break off a chunk of territory from somewhere and form its own sovereign nation…
Screenshots
“Pwease forgive me?”
“Pwease give me solar energy?”
“Pwease accept my feelings?”
“Pwease give me more airtime?”
New hairstyle!
Dynames puts on weight
Exia’s GN Blades (the swords, not the box)
Billy x Sumeragi!
You can hear a million yaoi fangirls cry out in anguish
Military mission or summer vacation?
Batman!
Dual wield!
Over-compensating for something?
Everyone wants a piece of Exia
I really have to go to sleep now. *Drops dead*
November 13th, 2007 at 6:12 am
@Ryuko_Hikaru
It means that the material used for the Gundam chassis is different from the hellions or that the GN Drive is significantly lighter than grunt engines. Something is making these gundams lighter than they seem and they should tell us the reason some episodes in the future…
P.S. Preferably no later than Ep 10
@Shane
CB always equips their Gundam according to the situation and they obviously shown us that at least the Exia is stil in development. And they are also have a strategist that is as excellent as her boobs…
But I agree with your point a bit. I see some great potential in this Gundam so I’m wating till at least mid-season [Ep 15] till I become more critical of the show because I just have a gut feeling that all these interventions by CB is leading to something BIG…
November 13th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I think Moralia is referring to Principality of Monaco in France.
November 14th, 2007 at 12:43 am
maybe that area, but not monacco itself. we know moralia was recently formed, it’s not like taribia, which is just another name for venezuala
November 14th, 2007 at 1:35 am
Awesome,i like reading your Gundam 00 posts
November 14th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Apparently, it’s hard for a normal gun to penetrate Virtue’s (Episode 2) and Exia’s (Episode 6) armour, as shown in the respective episodes. But man, extra equipment for 2 of the Gundams?
I’m anticipating Sumeragi’s arrest, interrogation, and maybe death, looking at Graham Acre’s surprise look when he heard her name. Her ability (strategist), known to the few Union members (you guys should know), is revealing too much of her part in the Celestial Being group.
Just to comment about the new equipments:
- Dynames’ shield: Apparently it was meant for no-evasion-semi-close combat with multiple enemies. Fortunately he got an extra helper (Haro) to take care of evasion and defending abilities while he take down enemies. But is the rifle really the one he had to carry with 2 arms?
- Exia’s “7 Blade”: Apparently not the one that Liger Zero Schneider had. But the 2 new custom blades look pretty promising to enhance Exia’s close range capability.
November 15th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Тге Зкщпкшь вуигзкф врпку сныамагв пврнампаку амоыпнра кнаиакпак впнмпы аневмаивьм ышмуп ар лыраиы впвицрын агшфнеа вумю.
November 15th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
I would like to make a correction, the Virtue is heavier than a Hellion but lighter than an Enact. This doesn’t change my point though, the Virtue is rather light for its mass…
Taken from Gundams.net:
Hellion Base Weight: 58.2 Metric Tons
Enact BW: 66.8 Metric Tons
Gundam Virtue BW: 66.4 Metric Tons
November 16th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Dynames on the front-line can be explained away by the fact that all the units are spread out since their goal is pretty much to wipe out all of Moralia’s armed forces. Setting up as in a sniping position and taking out targets then setting up in another sniping position would take way too much time, so they equipped Dynames with close-ranged combat armour. That plus they probably needed to do testing with the shields. They also don’t like showing the full capabilities of their suits (like the 10,000km shots).
November 20th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Wow I just like these reviews they are so freaking funny! If you can just keep doing them! LOLs Thanks!
December 7th, 2007 at 6:39 am
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/ICANHAZSOLAH128414543647302500.jpg
December 9th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
have you ever thought of using a self healing organic gundanium alloy as a body armor? well. what do you think.?
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:32 pm
The robot inside virtue is a shemale. i mean the robot, not the pilot