MospeadaReviews

Mospeada Ep. 25: Symphony of the Light

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Summary

Large numbers of Grabs and Eagers pull back to Reflex Point to defend it from the impending arrival of the Third Liberation Force. Stick and Battlar both shoot at each other, and Battlar tells him that the one with power survives. They both fires missiles at each other, and Battlar damages the Eta Legioss‘ cockpit and leg. Several Iota Legiosses join the attack, but he effortlessly destroys all of them. Aisha runs out into the forest where Stick’s Eta Legioss crashed. In space, the Inbit’s Shell-Dor transports launch massive numbers of Eagers to attack the Third Liberation Force. The fleet’s heavy battleships destroy the Shell-Dors. The fleet commander asks for a status report on Reflex Point and is told that their forces are having a hard time. He orders the preparation of particle missiles as a last resort, and a soldier points out that using them would kill all the survivors of the Second Liberation Force. Ray and the others watch the battle from inside Reflex Point as the Refless gives orders to her forces. Several Unmanned Dark Legiosses breakthrough into the atmosphere, and Yellow tells the Refless that continued fighting could destroy all life on Earth. The Refless states that they defeated the previous two liberation forces and won’t let the third one land on Earth. Jim asks if there’s a way to avoid fighting, and Yellow asks the Refless to leave Earth. Stick wakes up and finds Aisha tending to his wounds. He tries to get up despite his injuries, and Aisha asks him to stay with her. She asks him to think of her, but he answers that he can only hate the Inbit and runs off. Ray and Houquet rejoin the battle outside in their Legiosses and are attacked by Battlar. Battlar kicks away Ray’s rifle, but Ray manages to get him in a grapple hold and asks Houquet to shoot them. Houquet instead tries to kick Battlar, and he manages to break free and knock her away. He tries to take the killing shot, but Ray slams into him. Battlar responds by shooting the Iota Legioss and severely damaging it. Houquet flies down to catch Ray, and Stick appears in the TLEAD to attack Battlar. They both fire volleys of missiles, and Stick lets Battlar get close before firing his last batch. Battlar doesn’t want to die, but his Gosu explodes. After landing, Ray asks where Aisha is, but Stick says he doesn’t care because she’s an Inbit. Ray grabs him and says he’s still thinking about her and should admit he loves her. Houquet says that would make Marlene happy, but Stick points out that she was killed by the Inbit. Ray counters that it’s not just the Inbit’s fault that she died, and humans have to accept responsibility for fighting because it’s the root of all evil.

In space, the Eagers begin kamikaze runs by slamming into Garfish, Horizont and Ikazuchi ships. On the Izumo, the fleet commander is informed that their forces on Earth can’t make any progress. The Refless says that Earth is more like Shadaw and that regardless of who wins, the current hatred will give rise to more hatred. That isn’t what she wanted, so she intends to go where Laytow is guiding them. Dark Legiosses land on Earth and begin attacking Reflex Point. Jim realizes that although the Inbit want to leave, there isn’t enough time now. Yellow decides to help Solzie protect the Earth. The fleet commander gives the order to fire the particle missiles. Yellow and Solzie fly through a corridor, and she asks him if he’s prejudiced against other races. He fires missiles from his Blowsperior to disable several attacking Dark Legiosses. The fleet commander presses the launch button and sends the massive particle missiles into Earth’s atmosphere. The Refless states that she won’t let the Earth be destroyed and filled with Shadaw. Solzie’s Gosu is damaged, so Yellow disables more Dark Legiosses with help from Stick. Ray and Houquet watch from outside as Reflex Point begins to transform. The Refless says that the Inbit came to Earth and found a filthy planet, so they tried to rejuvenate the land and restore it. Based on what they’ve done, she said Earth is about to be reborn to what it once was. The Inbit transform into a massive pillar of golden light and fly into space, destroying the particle missiles. The Refless states that many humans are aligned with Shadaw’s power and prefer destruction. But the Inbit will give up Earth and find new evolution where Laytow guides them. The light then vanishes, taking the last of the Inbit with them. Where Reflex Point once lay is now a green field. Deserts across the world are transformed into forests. Later, Yellow performs a concert in drag for a crowd outdoors. Ray asks Stick if he’s going back to Mars, and Stick answers that Earth isn’t his home. Mint hopes she can see him again, and Jim decides to stay behind and work the land that the Inbit revived. Solzie rides a Bartley through the forest and hears Yellow’s song from nearby. Houquet asks Ray what he’s going to do, and he’s thinking of going home. He says he’s thinking about how to evolve himself, and Houquet teases that he’s still a kid. Yellow shocks the crowd by ripping off his dress and revealing that he’s really a man. Stick takes off in his Eta Legioss/TLEAD and sees Aisha in the forest. He’s glad that she’s still alive, and Aisha thinks to herself how there are still Inbit on Earth who want to live with humans. Yellow continues his concert singing as a man, and Stick flies into space. Solzie watches Yellow singing from the crowd, and Mint elbows a guy trying to feel her up. Houquet and Ray drive off on their bikes, and Jim leaves with Mint and Aisha. As Stick flies by the Moon, he tosses Marlene’s necklace into space.

Commentary

Well, this is the end of the line for Mospeada. The final battle ends in essence with the Refless deciding that Earth isn’t worth staying on. She talks again about how humans are more aligned with the power of Shadaw, so she’d rather go where Laytow is. The Inbit leave the Earth en masse, but the Refless manages to do two good things: she stops the particle missiles from destroying Earth, and she rejuvenates the land that has been destroyed by war. Given the way the battle was going, it seems like the Third Liberation Force didn’t do too much before deciding that Earth was lost and firing its particle missiles. The members of the group go their separate ways, but they’ve all been changed through their journey. Most importantly, the closing scene shows Stick throwing away Marlene’s necklace, which shows that he’s finally been able to put his grief over her and his hatred of the Inbit behind him. We see that Aisha and Solzie have stayed behind on Earth, so I wonder how many other human Inbit are still there. It’s a good thing Battlar died, because a one-dimensional guy obsessed with fighting wouldn’t fit in to a world like this. Overall, Mospeada was a solid journey story with a few occasional bumps. It’s a great example of early work by young staffers like Shinji Aramaki, Yoshitaka Amano and Joe Hisaishi who would all later become big names in the anime and video game industries. The early 80s influence from Macross is quite obvious throughout the series, from the Valkyrie-like Legioss to Yellow’s idol status, or the further step of having musical titles in every episode. Despite Mospeada‘s good qualities, given the flood of mecha anime at the time, I don’t think it would’ve been noticed in the West had it not been a part of Robotech. Interestingly, of the three shows that became Robotech, Mospeada was the least altered. While the Robotech equivalents of Stick and Aisha appear in the Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles movie with some Mospeada mecha designs, there’s no actual connection to Mospeada. Aside from this TV show, there’s also the music OVA Love, Live, Alive. It’s a shame that Mospeada never grew into a franchise of its own, but what we have is a solid product and a classic from the golden age of mecha anime.

Overall Rating
4/5
Mospeada Info


Director:
Katsuhisa Yamada

Writer(s):
Sukehiro Tomita
Kenji Terada
Ryo Yasumura
Satoshi Namiki

Mechanical Designer(s):
Shinji Aramaki
Hideki Kakinuma

Character Designer:
Yoshitaka Amano

Musical Composer(s):
Joe Hisaishi
Hiroshi Ogasawara

Format:
25 episodes; 1 compilation OVA

Airdates:
Japan 10.02.1983 – 03.25.1984

OVA Release:
Japan 09.21.1985

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