Gundam: The 08th M.S. Team Ep. 4: The Demon Overhead

Two Dopp fighters tow the mobile armor Apsaras high in the night sky to begin a field test. Aina serves as the pilot of the Apsaras and begins the test. While there are some minor equipment problems, the Apsaras performs well during the test. At the EFF base, members of the 07th M.S. Team make fun of Sanders while he works on his Gundam. They call him the God of Death and say that his jinx will kill the 08th M.S. Team as well. Sanders starts a fight, and Michel runs off to inform Shiro. Shiro and Michel ride back to the fight on a bike, and Shiro sees that the 07th M.S. Team has ganged up on Sanders. He joins the fight and knocks one of them out, but the fight ends when Kojima arrives. Shiro explains that they are engaging in friendly recreation, and Kojima tells the 07th and 08th M.S. Teams to prepare to move out. At the Zeon base, Ginias assembles his soldiers and tells them that when the Apsaras is completed the Zeon will win the war. He ends the speech by leading everyone in patriotic cries of “Sieg Zeon!” Later, Ginias holds a formal dress party. He congratulates Aina on her good work during the test and tells her to relax herself. The party is spoiled by the crash entrance of an old acquaintance, Admiral Yuri Kellanay. He says he dropped by from Europe to see Ginias’ expensive toy, and he proceeds to hit on Aina. He asks her if she wants to be his girlfriend, and she and her retainer Norris leave the party. Aina is mad that Yuri has shown up because he always wrecks Ginias’ concentration. Norris asks her why the Apsaras project is important to her, and she says it is her brother’s dream. She says it will end the war, though she is not happy that it will have to kill many people in the process. Elsewhere, the 08th M.S. Team camps out in the jungle on a mission. Sanders tells Shiro that he has to resign from the 08th M.S. Team or everyone will die. Karen punches him and calls him an idiot for believing the God of Death nonsense of the 07th M.S. Team. Sanders explains that every team he has been in gets wiped out during the third mission, and this just happens to be their third mission. Karen thinks he is a coward and kicks him in the balls. Shiro says he can’t accept a transfer request during a mission, but Sanders protests. Shiro says he believes the 08th M.S. Team will break the jinx that Sanders thinks he has.

Ginias conducts another test of the Apsaras, and Aina reports some serious mechanical malfunctions. The Apsaras begins to dive, and Ginias orders Norris and the other Dopp pilot to pursue. Yuri tells Ginias that he should have Aina eject from the Apsaras, but Ginias says the Apsaras is too important to lose. As the Apsaras enters EFF territory, Norris begins broadcasting Minovsky particles to cover their flight path. Ginias orders the reinforcements to cover Aina, and Yuri says Ginias was overconfident and now regular soldiers have to clean up his mess. He receives a message that he has to return to Europe, and he tells Ginias to send him the Apsaras when it is completed. Elsewhere, the 08th M.S. Team fights off several Zakus. As they fall back, Karen thinks that the Zakus want to be followed. On the Bloodhound, Eledore picks up something on sonar, and Shiro orders them to hold their positions. Since there are so many Minovsky particles jamming the transmission, Eledore is barely able to make out anything except “Apsaras.” He says it is definitely coming their way, and Shiro orders everyone into ambush formation so that they can attack the Apsaras. Aina stabilizes the Apsaras and flies over the 08th M.S. Team. Michel panics and fires the Bloodhound’s gun turret at the Dopps. With their positions given away, Shiro orders everyone to spread out. Karen tells Sanders she isn’t going to die and rushes in to destroy one of the Dopps in midair. The Apsaras appears and slams Karen’s Gundam into the ground. As Norris circles around, Shiro damages his Dopp. Aina stays behind to cover Norris and allow him to escape safely. Aina fires the Apsaras’ main weapon, which knocks over the Bloodhound and forces Shiro and Karen to stay down. Sanders declares that he is not the God of Death and won’t let anyone die again. He rushes in and attacks the Apsaras with his beam saber. He slices into the Apsaras, but Aina knocks him off. Shiro and Karen then begin shooting at the Apsaras, forcing Aina to escape. With the battle over, Sanders realizes that his jinx is broken.