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Gundam Build Fighters Try Ep. 3: Her Name is Gyanko

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Summary

Sekai writes a letter to his master and details how in place of a martial arts club, he’s joined the Gunpla Battle Club to master the Jigen Haoh school. Mirai and Sekai prepare to leave for school and are greeted by Fumina and Yuuma, who’s acting extra nice around Mirai. As the group walks to school, Sekai realizes that Yuuma is only there because of Mirai. The topic of Yuuma joining the club comes up, and while Fumina would gladly accept him, Yuuma worries that Miyaga won’t approve the transfer. Sekai and Fumina confront Miyaga about the transfer and expect a fight, but he instantly approves the request. Miyaga is only focused on Eri, but no one recognizes her without her glasses. The club members and Ral meet with a teacher who agrees to enter them into the Gunpla Battle Championship. He doesn’t know anything about Gunpla Battle and entrusts Ral to coach them, but Ral goes overboard with more Gundam quotes. On their way to the club room, Yuuma bows and formally apologizes to Fumina for quitting Gunpla Battle. He starts to mention a battle from two years ago, but she stops and him and says he doesn’t have to explain it. She comments that she’s just happy he came back and that Sekai joined the club. Fumina then reveals the team’s name: Try Fighters. In a combat simulation, the Powered GM Cardigan, Lightning Gundam and Build Burning fight against several Hi-Mocks, including one with a custom head cannon. While Fumina and Yuuma perform well, Sekai utterly fails at target practice and just uses his fists. After the battle, Yuuma sees that Sekai doesn’t even know his Gunpla’s name and explains that it’s an improved version of the model that Sei Iori used in the 11th World Tournament. Yuuma comments that the Gunpla has world level potential, but it’s wasted in the hands of an idiot like Sekai. Ral steps in and offers to give them a real right against his Gouf R35. Sekai asks what the “R35” stands for, and Ral answers that it’s his age of 35. The teacher walks into the club room and informs everyone that he’s booked a practice match for them against the St. Odessa Girl’s School. Sekai’s never heard of them, so Fumina explains that last year the school placed in the best four at the West Tokyo regional qualifiers and knocked out Seiho during the first round.

Mirai takes a modeling shoot on short notice, posing for pictures with other girls and multiple Beargguys. The magazine rep asks Mirai if she likes Gunpla Battle, but she answers that Sekai recently got into it. The next day, a crowd gathers in the school to watch the match. Fumina greets Kaoruko Sazaki, who’s nicknamed “Gyanko” because of her longtime use of Gyan-type suits. Kaoruko sizes up the competition and recognizes Yuuma as the winner of the Artistic Gunpla Contest. Kaoruko’s teammates Keiko and Mahiru are intrigued by Yuuma and Sekai, particularly the way they argue. The Try Fighters deploy in a forest stage against team Song Dynasty Vase, which includes Kaoruko’s custom R-GyaGya, Keiko’s Rising Gundam and Mahiru’s Nobell Gundam. Yuuma falls back to provide long-range cover while Fumina and Sekai take the enemies on together one-by-one. Kaoruko moves in to attack and is nearly sniped by Yuuma. Sekai gives chase to Kaoruko and blocks Yuuma’s shot. He follows the enemy team around a corner and is hit by the Jet Stream Attack, which ends with the Build Burning getting sliced in the chest and falling into a lake. The girls then turn their attention to Fumina and destroy her shield and right arm. They back Fumina against a rock wall, but she moves at the last second, allowing Yuuma to snipe through a gap and take down Keiko. Mahiru is caught off guard when Sekai emerges from the lake, allowing Fumina to blast her. Kaoruko unleashes a wave of bombs from her two shields, which prove too numerous for even Fumina and Yuuma to destroy together. However, Sekai uses a Senpu Tatsumaki-Geri to create a whirlwind and destroy the remaining bombs. He then kicks the R-GyaGya and slams it into the ground. He uses a Seiken-Geri punch that smashes through the colony wall and creates a breech into space. As the R-GyaGya is sucked out, Sekai grabs it and pulls it back in. Kaoruko realizes that she’s lost and concedes the battle. Yuuma thinks his sniping could’ve won the match and tells Sekai he had beginner’s luck. Keiko and Mahiru feel bad about their loss, but Kaoruko is totally smitten with Sekai. The next day, Kaoruko comes to Seiho and gives Sekai a bento box for lunch. He’s happy at the thought of having two lunches to eat and doesn’t realize that Kaoruko is attracted to him.

Commentary

Team Try Fighters have their first real battle, and as I expected, it’s pretty rough. Sekai completely sucks with guns and manages to strike a pose very much like Patlabor‘s resident gun nut, Isao Ohta. Not surprisingly, Sekai prefers to just blindly rush in and not focus too much on teamwork. Like Reiji before him, he’s completely ignorant of Gundam, so his lack of knowledge allows him to fall prey to the old Jet Stream Attack. However, in the end he surprises everyone with the sheer power of his Jigen Haoh and manages to show some good sportsmanship. It’s no surprise that Kaoruko is the younger sister of Gyan freak Susumu Sazaki, but she takes his obsession to a ridiculous level. She’s turned the R-Jarja into a Gyan-like unit with the addition of Gyan shields, and she even wears those shields in her pigtails. And of course she would be at the Zeon-inspired St. Odessa school and name her team after M’Quve’s precious vase (which sound checked when she touches her R-Gyagya). It’s interesting that Sekai can recognize that Yuuma has a crush on Mirai, but he’s too dense to see that Kaoruko is infatuated with him. In his letter, he mentions that his master is training in Guiana, which is yet another Domon reference. If we ever see him, I wonder if he’ll just be a Domon doppelganger. We learn a bit about the Build Burning’s background, mainly that Sei used it during the 11th World Tournament. But why did he hide it inside an old trophy, and what’s he doing now? I’m sure these issues will pop up again as the Try Fighters advance through the series.

Overall Rating
3.5/5

Build Fighters Try Info

Director:
Shinya Watada

Writer:
Yousuke Kuroda

Mechanical Designer(s):
Kunio Okawara
Kanetake Ebikawa
Junya Ishigaki
Junichi Akutsu
Kenji Teraoka
Shinya Terashima
Susumu Imaishi
NAOKI
Fumikane Shimada

Character Designer:
Kenichi Ohnuki

Musical Composer(s):
Yuuki Hayashi
Asami Tachibana

Format:
25 episodes

Airdates:
Japan 10.08.2014 – 04.01.2015
Streaming 10.08.2014 – 04.01.2015

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