By A TV news commentator states that Azanian President Raila Reshep is stirring up controversy by intervening in the Third Congo War. He adds that Azania’s Independence Day parade is generating worldwide attention. Azanian soldiers march through the street, followed by armored vehicles, tanks and a jet flyby where colored smoke is released to recreate the flag. The TV commentator dives into Reshep’s background and notes that he was born in 1965 as the first son of Kibaki Reshep, the Minister of Cultural Science. The younger Reshep decided to avoid his father’s politics and dropped out of studying the sciences to join the military. Reshep was later in active combat along the Tanzanian border and became a platoon commander after his commanding officer was killed in battle. Reshep’s platoon won the battle, and he earned more military victories until he was appointed the commander of Azania’s new Army special forces. When chaos erupted after Azania’s military leader died in 2003, Reshep declared a state of national emergency and was soon elected as president. An interview subject claims that the election was just for appearances because the former leader’s regime was brought down by a coup that Reshep initiated. The commentator notes that Reshep’s policies have been praised domestically and abroad, including reconciliation efforts between Muslims and indigenous tribes, dissolving public corporations involved in corruption and redistributing wealth to stabilize the market. Collectively, these policies are referred to as “African Political Reshapism.” The commentator also notes that Reshep is completely opposed to the Sankt Gallen Agreement, saying in a speech that Exoframes give countries in the southern hemisphere new options for choosing their technology. Watching the TV report on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, Bowman tells Rei and Loewner that Reshep’s ideology means that developed nations will also need to militarize Exoframes. Loewner sees that using Exoframes will lead to the world all being on the same technological base, ending the advantages held by the northern hemisphere, and Rei wonders if Reshep is the mastermind behind this. At the Azanian parade, the tanks are followed by trucks carrying the Azanian Exoframe Mkuki and their pilots, including Jamal and Kayira. The trucks are followed by groups of marching Stranger Executer Exoframes. Loewner tells Bowman that their data suggests someone is conducting Exoframe worldwide, as Rei experienced in Pakistan. Bowman agrees that someone is trying to change war on a global scale with Exoframes. Loewner smokes outside and offers a drag to Rei when he joins him. Loewner asks Rei why he fights, and Rei answers that justice isn’t something people just give you. After the parade, Zahir looks at his Exoframe.
The second season opens with a mostly expository episode that ties together various threads from the first season. Most of this story is told through newscasts, which is reminiscent of two earlier Ryosuke Takahashi works, Gasaraki and FLAG. A consistent theme so far has been how the Exoframes have upset the balance of power held by richer, more developed countries like America. Now we learn that the global effort to undermine that power can be traced back to one man: Reshep. At least, that’s what Bowman thinks, even if they don’t have evidence to prove it outright. If it is all the work of Reshep, he definitely is a shrewd politician and military commander to have managed such a feat. As interesting as all this information is, this episode also demonstrates the limits that come with these half-length episodes. Although this episode’s cast is pretty big, some characters like Jamal, Kayira and Zahir have no dialogue and are essentially cameos.
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