The mysterious Phantom brings Yushiro and Miharu to a home to rest and tells them that he’ll make arrangements to get them home. The two of them are led into an empty room. Miharu and Yushiro reveal their names to each other. They talk about the vision that Yushiro saw Miharu in. Phantom interrupts them as they are about to talk about ‘the Terror’, telling them that their friends have been notified. Miharu tells Yushiro to go and that they’ll meet again. Yushiro and the other JSSDF members ride back to their base in the jeep. Yushiro doesn’t answer any of their questions, doing nothing but apologizing for leaving without permission. Symbol’s council talks about Belgistan and their failure to capture the JSSDF’s invitator. Meth says he that Symbol has been able to recover Miharu. The council members don’t want the JSSDF to get back to Japan with a sample of their artificial muscle. A pair of JSSDF carriers take off and head towards the airport. Arriving at the airport, it is revealed that the JSSDF command vehicle hasn’t arrived yet. Kiyoharu wants to make sure they get out of the country right away. The command vehicle, heavily damaged from combat soon arrives, led by Tokudaiji and Suemi. Meth calls General Wayne, telling him that they need to make sure to get back the Fake sample that the JSSDF has. The pilots of the JSSDF plane are informed that the airport is demanding an inspection of their vehicle before they take off. Kiyoharu tells Kiyotsugu that he’ll try to delay them and heads outside to meet with the inspectors. Kiyoharu tells the inspectors that their plane is japanese property and he won’t allow an inspection. Kiyotsugu tells the pilots of the plane they need to take off, even if it is without assistance from the airport staff. Kiyoharu talks to Wayne and tells him, plus the the pilots, Kiyotsugu and Hayakawa that because his orders are from the US alone and not the UN, they are under no obligation to follow them. Kiyotsugu tells the pilots to take off now, even though Kiyoharu will be left behind. The runway lights are turned off but the plane is still able to take off successfully.
The JSSDF plane departs from Belgistan and enters its neighboring country Armekistan, which supported Belgistan’s stance. Jun tells Yushiro that its time he becomes clean with everyone. He asks Yushiro what was going on with his dance and why people were chasing him. Armekistan contacts the plane’s pilots and tells them to lower their altitude and change direction since they are intruding in their airspace. Kaburagi also complains about the swiftness of their deployment and whether proper ethics were followed. Two Armekistan fighter planes approach the plane. Armekistan doesn’t respond to the pilot’s statement that they are flying in UN approved airspace. Hayakawa informs Kiyotsugu of the news, who says they should ignore it. The Armekistan planes fire off a warning shot. Hayakawa tells Kiyotsugu that he must be hiding something. The JSSDF plane’s engine is damaged from another attack. Kiyotsugu tells Hayakawa that they have a sample from a Fake and the enemy planes are after that. Kiyotsugu asks whether the back hatch of the plane can be opened during flight. Kiyotsugu tells the soldiers that they’ll have a TA hang from wires outside of the back of the plane and fight back. Nozomi is about to volunteer when Yushiro interrupts him and says he’ll do it. The technicians prepare for the plan. Yushiro gets in Focus One and all crew evacuates the back portion of the ship. The Armekistan planes shoot some more at the plane and re-circle around to the back of the plane. The hatch opens and Focus One jumps out, supported by the wires. Yushiro easily shoots down one plane but the other is able to dodge his initial shots. Yushiro continues to fire and is able to take it out. Back in Japan, Kazukiyo talks to Lt. Col. Hirokawa, who says that things are beginning now.
Quite a disappointing episode, probably the single worst episode of the series. The animation quality takes a big nose dive out of nowhere. Likewise the plot moves barely at all in this episode, focusing entirely on the JSSDF’s evacuation from Belgistan. The character of Phantom is quickly brushed aside at the start of the episode and pretty much all Yushiro gets out of his conversation with Miharu is her name. Having Yushiro’s TA hang outside of a flying plane was quite shocking and unrealistic and deals quite a blow to the show’s realism.
Gasaraki Info
Director:
Ryosuke Takahashi
Writer:
Toru Nozaki
Mechanical Designer(s):
Shinji Aramaki
Yutaka Izubuchi
Character Designer:
Shukou Murase
Musical Composer:
Kuniaki Haishima
Format:
25 episodes
Airdates:
Japan 10.04.1998 – 03.28.1999
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