As Loran and Sochie descend into Mistletoe, they are followed by Mahiroos. Harry appears in front of the Mahiroos and asks Sweatson to tell Gym that he has rescued Dianna. The Mahiroos end their pursuit, and Loran and Sochie explore the asteroid. Inside, Dianna, Cancer and Muron find the central control area and activate the colony asteroid’s systems. Cancer sees that the area is important if agriculture is to be developed in space. She mentions that Agrippa and Gym are supposed to be Dianna’s protectors, and Dianna says everyone has a role to fill. She says that she wanted the Kafka family to live on Earth, and she apologizes to Cancer for that. They examine the control console and see Mahiroos approaching on the cameras. A Mahiroo pilot named Yan enters the central control area and tries to take everyone prisoner, but Cancer knocks him out and takes his rifle. The three run to the hangar and find the pilot’s Mahiroo next to the Flat. Dianna and Muron get into the Flat while Cancer steals the Mahiroo. As they travel throughout the asteroid they encounter more Mahiroos, which Cancer destroys. They eventually encounter Loran and Sochie, and Dianna explains to Cancer and Muron that they are friends. They object because the Turn A is one of the legendary Gundams that is the enemy of Spacenoids. Dianna explains that a mobile suit is just a tool and that it depends who is piloting it. She assures them that Loran is trustworthy, and they submit. More Mahiroos attack, and the four mobile suits destroy them. Nearby, the Sumo waits as the Aspite approaches. Kihel tells Harry that she will pretend to be Dianna so she can get close to Agrippa and assassinate him. She tells Harry that she likes him and is willing to do it, but he says she won’t get close enough. He says he is loyal to Dianna and hopes that she will be Dianna’s shield. As she begins to cry, he admits his love for her and kisses her. Nearby, the Willghem approaches one of Mistletoe’s entrances. Miashei launches in a Wad to investigate the area. She finds the lock for the door and opens it for the Willghem to enter.
Sweatson wants to fight with Harry, but one of his pilots tells him they have to wait for Gym’s orders to fight. On the Aspite, Harry and Kihel meet with Gym. Midgard explains to Gym that Kihel is an Earth girl who looks exactly like Dianna and is used as an impostor. Harry asks to borrow a ship to protect Kihel, but Gym is skeptical. Kihel explains that Harry helped her escape from the Willghem, and she asks Gym to fulfill Harry’s request. Kihel says she knows Gym disagrees with her plan for Earth, and he says he could have easily beat the Earth if he had gone down there. Elsewhere, Miashei explores the interior of Mistletoe and encounters stranded Yan. He thinks she is on his side and asks for help, but she knocks him away. Nearby, the Willghem maneuvers through the tight confines of the asteroid. Lily wonders if they can get out, and Guin says they can always use the mega beam cannon to blast their way out. On the Aspite, Kihel asks Harry to promise her that she will die in his arms. He tells her he can’t promise such a thing because he will probably die before her. She tells him that she would then hold him in her arms and take him to Dianna. As Harry leaves, he finds Gym in the hallway eavesdropping. Gym wants Harry to see the battle, and he gives Sweatson the order to attack. As Loran and the others move through the asteroid, Muron is able to make contact with Guin on the Willghem. Miashei returns with Yan and brings him to the bridge. Guin tries to ask Yan questions, but he grabs Yanny’s gun and threatens everyone. He says he isn’t worthy to live and tries to kill himself, but Yanny knocks him out. The Mahiroos begin to lock all the entrances to Mistletoe in an attempt to trap the Willghem inside. Sochie keeps a door open so that she and Loran can escape. Guin tells Loran they will have to meet outside. The Mahiroos begin to bombard the surface of Mistletoe, and everyone is barely able to get out before a large chunk of it explodes. On the Aspite, Gym drinks tea and tells Harry that his dream of total war after 3,000 years will soon come true. In her room, Kihel watches video of Mistletoe exploding and thinks to herself that her charade may have gone too far.
This was a pretty exciting episode filled with some character moments and an interesting chase. It looks like Kihel has fallen in love with Harry, and it seems he feels the same about her. It’s kind of odd how fatalistic she is in this episode and talks so much about death. Gym is a pretty ruthless guy, and it looks like he wants to start a war like no one’s seen. The Moon is probably peaceful, so a warrior like him with no battles to fight is probably craving a battle. The Willghem‘s journey through the interior of Mistletoe reminded me of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called “The Pegasus.” In a similar situation, the Enterprise was trapped inside an asteroid by Romulans and was in a race against time to get out. Now that Mistletoe is blowing up, perhaps the characters will finally get to the Moon soon.
Director:
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Writer(s):
Ichiro Okouchi
Ai Ota
Miya Asakawa
Katsuhiko Chiba
Tetsuko Takahashi
Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
Jiro Takayama
Minoru Onoya
Mechanical Designer(s):
Syd Mead
Mahiro Maeda
Kunio Okawara
Takumi Sakura
Atsushi Shigeta
Character Designer:
Akira Yasuda
Musical Composer:
Yoko Kanno
Format:
50 episodes; 2 compilation movies
Airdates:
Japan 04.02.1999 – 04.14.2000
Theatrical Release:
Japan 02.09.2002 – 02.10.2002
MAHQ is now officially on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mahqdotnet.bsky.social.
Our future on this cursed app is unclear, but expect more posts over there.
Cutaway diagram of the VF-1J Valkyrie Fighter Mode from “This is Animation Special: Macross Plus”(1995). Larger versions on my DA profile:
https://www.deviantart.com/marchly/art/Macross-VF-1J-Valkyrie-Cutaway-Diagram-detailed-973372931
https://www.deviantart.com/marchly/art/Macross-VF-1J-Valkyrie-Cutaway-Diagram-clean-973371729
Art by Kiyomi Tanaka. Original concept by unknown Macross fan. Image built by me
#Gundamn278; Next Episode! With our special guest, Sophia, we finally tackle the second half of the latest chapter of the #Gundam Franchise; #WitchFromMercury! Join us live on 07/20/2023 @ 10:15 p EDT! #MAHQ #Mecha #Anime #Podcast #G_Witch
Live Stream: https://youtube.com/live/fqw4pnuOYF4?feature=share
Comments