Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 20: True × Trial ]

This episode is hands-down my favorite of the entire series so far. I was very worried about Mana and Shingo going into battle with Russia especially since they were so powered-up and their crew seemed to already be significantly affected by mental erosion. I didn’t expect Shingo and Mana to be so enveloped in Junova’s illusions that they’d have illusions about what they want (Shingo having a family) and what they don’t want (Mana having those close to her turn against her). Thankfully they managed to break out of those illusions and successfully defeat Junova all while rescuing their rivals. With this episode though I have a few questions. Just how powerful is Susanoo? Is Susanoo’s power more directly linked to Shingo and Mana? From what I’ve observed so far that seems to be the case but of course I could be wrong. I’m also wondering what the brass’ intentions are. That one bastard seemed to be glad when they thought Susanoo was blown to pieces in the explosion at the end of the battle. Are they in collusion with America or something? I’m guessing the remaining episodes will be looking at that since I doubt Japan vs. America will be happening in the next episode.

Oh, and lastly, Shingo and Mana almost kissed! I gotta give it to Shingo though, he’d rather kiss her when they both don’t have to force themselves because of the situation. I hope their relationship goes at least a little further before the end of the series.

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[ Episode 19: Savage × Specter ]

Wow…I wasn’t expecting India to lose to Russia. I also wasn’t expecting the battle to be so short. Needless to say I was confused to how they lost at first but then I remembered Junova’s mental attack technique. It made India’s Gigantic attack itself…and Lily and Raveena lost their lives. Lily, from her words, already knew what their fate would be though I didn’t even pick up on it when she said she was “an awful woman” in the flashback. That most likely means she already knew their future at that point but just couldn’t tell Raveena about it. Meanwhile, Russia’ crew seem to be suffering from the physical erosion much more than Shingo and Mana are at the moment. I also must say that their kiss scene was pretty heartwarming. It was almost as if they were preparing themselves for the worst-case scenario.

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[ Episode 18: Remaining × Roars ]

Now this was a really good episode. I think India’s Pilot and Translator are my top favorites other than Mana and Shingo so far. I especially like Lily, the fortune teller, who is so beautiful and pretty much prefers to avoid conflict if she can. While her thoughts were right in concern of the battle it just can’t be expected of a country to back down simply because you asked them to surrender…but at the end of the episode I understood why she said what she did. Ishtar is a pretty brutal Gigantic and pretty much crippled Ceres but luckily Evita and Amalia survived the battle thanks to Ceres using the last of its life to protect them. We also know now that India is the country that America was weary of in the episode it was mentioned. With only four countries left that leaves India, America, Japan, and Russia left standing. I gotta wonder what’s in store for us, especially with the brass in Japan plotting something that’s obviously devious.

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[ Episode 17: Quarrelsome × Quest ]

A mother and daughter team. I never really thought about such a team until Evita and Amalia debuted in this episode. They had a rough relationship in the past but all of that smoothed over once Evita understood why her mother never came home at certain times. That is, she was protecting them since the army was basically holding them hostage. I have to say though that I’m surprised that Venezuela even has a Gigantic. They’re going up against India so next episode will introduce their Pilot and Translator. I can only wonder now if there are going to be any casualties…

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[ Episode 16: Past × Peril ]

Hmm. So Masahito and Kana, Mana’s little sister, were once Pilot and Translator for Susanoo in the past. It’s a pity that they’re in the condition that they are in though. Masahito already has to rely on that tube device and Kana is slowly losing herself from her actions in this episode. Mana is also revealed to have the physical erosion or what I call “neon green veins” on her body as well but it seems like no one besides her knows of it. I also find it strange how Shingo only has the physical erosion and has absolutely no mental erosion. Perhaps he is truly special, especially with his negative conformity values that are said to be enough for him to control Susanoo on his own. I hope that Shingo and Mana don’t erode anywhere close to the levels of Masahito and Kana though.

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[ Episode 15: Ominous × Omnipotence ]

Why am I not surprised that America’s Gigantic is so damn powerful? Well, I can’t say much for the pilots except that only the daughter from the duo is likable. I don’t care for the father. I’d like to know how America got their hands on information about Japan and Susanoo’s resonant sympathy ability as well. Leaks are so lame sometimes. I’m glad that Michael and Elena are okay as well though the way their government abandoned them was a bitch move. The first Gigantic I thought about when America commented on being careful of it was Junova-VIII. If that is the Gigantic they were referring to then I would hope that they win or come out in a draw since I’d like to see one more match between Japan and Russia. Another suspicious part of this episode was the order to not using the resonant sympathy on America’s Gigantic. What the hell was that?

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[ Episode 14: Naive × Nobility ]

Aw man. Lucrezia and Leon died. =( I really liked those two and thought that they’d at least escape but it wasn’t meant to be it seems. As for Germany’s Pilot and Translator, Michael and Elena, they’re just children but ones created in a genius program. Elena is my favorite of the two as she is absolutely adorable. She’s referred to as a failure to the genius program though but she is rather happy most of the time it seems. I’m not sure what happened to her at the end of the episode but I’d say she fell unconscious since I don’t think anything happened for her to die.

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[ Episode 13: Maverick × Motivations ]

Next up is Italy vs. Germany. The focus, however, is on Italy’s pilots: Lucrezia and Leon. I really like these two for various reasons but mainly because they’re overall great people. Leon is a Pilot mainly because he wants to earn money to help out all of the poor people in his town. Lucrezia seems to be a Translator to protect her country rather than for money (she seems to not need it anyway). What pissed me off though was that their government deceived them into firing upon the past battle of England vs. France. I don’t know if they’re alone or teamed up with some other government but it is a really bastardly way to fight, especially when the Pilot and Translator are tricked into doing something dirty.

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[ Episode 12: Lost × Legacies ]

Although this was basically a decently crafted recap episode we got some plot progression. Particularly for Mana. She used to be a Squad Leader for Ninja and, obviously, had to leave or at least step down as leader to be a Translator. We also learn that Masahito is alive deep underground and that she visits there for data collection. Everything that occurred there is a mystery, especially when Mana left and another girl showed up to talk to Masahito. Just who is she? Hopefully that question and more will be answered in the upcoming episodes because things are getting very interesting. ^^

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[ Episode 11: Kindred × Knights ]

This episode turned out better than I expected. The Japan vs. Russia battle remains undecided with Shingo and Mana rendering Junova immobile before Susanoo gave out as well. The pilots of Junova are surprisingly very likable from what they’ve shown of their characters in this episode, especially the pilot. I’m really liking this rivalry between Japan and Russia and I hope that the next time they fight it is an awesome engagement to the end. That said I hope Shingo recovers from his conformity issue as soon as possible if it hasn’t already occurred at the end of this episode. And, of course, I’d like to see more between him and Mana as their relationship is just begging for more exploration.

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