Mangello examines the data recorded from the recent battle between Daljuan and Layzner. Despite having a speed advantage, Daljuan loses out once Layzner activates V-MAX. Getty and Borne think Gostello just screwed up, and Mangello reminds them that Le Cain’s orders were to come up with a plan to defeat Layzner. Getty calls Mangello a midget, and in response Mangello jumps on his back and sticks a knife against his neck. Borne pulls a gun on Mangello and reminds him that they have a mission. Mangello slices Getty’s face and says he’ll let him live until the end of the mission. Elsewhere, Gostello forces a clock maker to repair his arm. Le Cain summons Rohan and orders him to create a list of all nuclear fallout shelters within a 1,000 km radius. As Rohan leaves, he hears Le Cain request satellite data. At the underground base, resistance fighters prepare to relocate. Mangello delivers his report to Le Cain and asks for additional weapons, which is approved. The report states that the best way to counter V-MAX is to force Layzner to fight in a confined space. Le Cain has some intel on where Layzner is and orders the Demon Squad to go on standby. Gilbert tells Elizabeth that he’s moving on to the new underground base. Le Cain has his men create an overlay on a map using satellite data. With his arm repaired, Gostello kills the clock maker and leaves. Rohan brings his list of nuclear fallout shelters, which when added to the map narrows the rebel base to one location. The Gashlan, El Darr and Dankova launch, followed by multiple squads in hovercraft. Gostello stops one of the hovercraft and kills all the men on it. The Demon Squad crashes through to the underground factory, so Eiji hops into Layzner while David takes care of transporting the incomplete Dolls. Borne uses a flamethrower to torch the factory, but Eiji protects Elizabeth and Simone with a large metal sheet. He then fires calf missiles to block the path behind him.
Getty deploys floating mines, which destroy Eiji’s rifle. Mangello forces Eiji out by firing a few shots, and while trying to dodge the flamethrower, Eiji is hit by mines and realizes he can’t use V-MAX in such a tight space. Eiji tries to maneuver around and punch Getty, but he’s instead tackled by Borne and crashes into a wall. Eiji keeps crashing into the wall while avoiding their fire and being taunted by them. Le Cain is informed of the current status and thinks that Eiji will end up only losing his life. Eiji trips up Mangello and tries to dodge Getty’s snake drills while having his legs held down by Borne. Getty accidentally hits one of the mines, and Eiji briefly breaks free to fight Mangello. Eiji punches Borne, and all three members of the Demon Squad laugh at him. Gostello breaks through the blockade and is immolated when his hovercraft is destroyed. However, Gostello is able to kill a soldier and grab a bazooka after extinguishing the flames. Mangello jumps onto Layzner’s back and tries to drill into it. Getty then attempts to punch Layzner, but Eiji shifts so that Mangello is hit instead. Borne attacks again with his snake drills while Gostello sneaks around and fires his bazooka. However, the rounds end up hitting Getty and damaging the Gashlan. Getty fires one of his cannons, which hits Eiji and Mangello. No one else sees Gostello sneaking around, so Eiji jumps and pushes Mangello into the mines. Gostello fires another round at Getty, which causes him to give chase and break formation. After suffering more damage, Mangello is forced to get off Eiji. While Borne attacks Eiji, Gostello fires at Getty again and takes out his joints. Borne attacks with his snake drills again and accidentally hits Getty, causing more damage to the Gashlan. The Dankova then steps on Gostello, killing him. Getty ejects from the cockpit and is grabbed by Borne. Mangello, Borne and Eiji fly out of the factory just before the Dankova explodes. Rohan reports the news to Le Cain, but he doesn’t take it well.
After spending all their time hiding behind masks, we finally see the faces of the rest of the Demon Squad. With the exception of Mangello, they’re all hideous and should keep the masks on. Mangello devises a clever plan to prevent Eiji from using V-MAX by forcing him to confine in a tight space. However, carrying out such a plan requires coordination and teamwork that the Demons are clearly incapable of. You add Gostello to the mix and you end up with a very chaotic fight where the Demons inflict more damage upon themselves than Eiji does. Gostello finally meets his end and joins the rare club of people who die from being stepped on by a robot. I’m glad that he’s out of the way, as his rabid insanity was slowing down the story whenever he appeared. This episode definitely puts the resistance on shakier footing since they’re forced to abandon their base before the Dolls are complete. However, Le Cain takes no enjoyment from that simply because Eiji managed to escape.
Layzner Info
Director:
Ryosuke Takahashi
Writer(s):
Ryosuke Takahashi
Fuyunori Gobu
Yasushi Hirano
Tsunehisa Ito
Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
Endo Miego
Mechanical Designer:
Kunio Okawara
Character Designer:
Moriyasu Taniguchi
Musical Composer:
Hiroki Inui
Format:
38 episodes; 3 compilation OVAs
Airdates:
Japan 10.03.1985 – 06.26.1986
Format:
38 episodes (TV); 3 episodes (OVA)
Video Release (OVA):
Japan 08.21.1986 – 10.21.1986
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