Pou thinks that she and Harry can still attack Gym, but he says they have to join with the Soleil. On the ship, Dianna wants to follow Loran to the spot where he lured Gym to. Sochie brings back the rocket punch hand to Corin, and she and Miashei use their Kapools to jump-start Corin’s custom Kapool. He then knocks Sochie and Miashei to the ground and steals their Kapools to provide him with extra thrust power. Bruno and Jacop pick them up in their Flat while Fran transports injured Joseph in his Flat. Lily calls the Almaiya and tells Kihel that they have found the Turn A‘s location. Nearby, the Willghem begins to descend towards the ground. Guin wants to get back to the factory for repairs and to manufacture mobile suits. He thinks that if Gym wins they’ll need all the suits they can to fight him. As the ship crashes, Michael tells Guin he’s not going to listen to him anymore. Loran tells Gym that they don’t have to destroy the world, but Gym objects. He says that Dianna has brought war back to Earth and that humans are wrong to try to forget their instinct for war. He wants to use the Turn X to destroy civilization and begin a new era. Merrybell attacks them and tells Gym that his way of fighting sucks. Loran fights off Merrybell and damages her Bandit. Gym attacks him and destroys his shield. Loran holds him off with both of his beam sabers, and Gym starts the Moonlight Butterfly again. Corin attacks Merrybell and disables her before moving on to Gym. He fires the rocket punch at Gym, and Gym kills him. He tells Loran that humans are most creative when they are fighting and follow their instincts. During the struggle, Loran activates the Moonlight Butterfly as well. Dianna wants to use the power of the Soleil and Almaiya to destroy the Turn X. Lily points out to Guin that he has been abandoned, and he rescues Merrybell when her Bandit crashes. Michael and Yanny fly by with an airship, and Guin and Merrybell climb aboard.
Loran holds of Gym and says he won’t allow him to repeat the Dark History. Sochie gets into a FLAT and joins Harry and Pou in the defense of the Soleil. Dianna has the Soleil activate its protective barrier to prevent the spread of the Moonlight Butterfly. Loran disables one of the Turn X’s arms, and Gym escapes. Loran attacks Gym and slices into the Turn X with his beam sabers. Gym ejects the Turn X top, and the Turn A and Turn X crash into the ground. Loran abandons the Turn A and finds Gym waiting for him. Gym throws him a sword, and they begin fighting again. Loran destroys Gym’s sword, and Gym becomes enveloped in a light from the Turn A and Turn X. Loran runs away as fast as he can, and Gym is encased in a cocoon with the Turn A and Turn X. Sochie grabs Loran with the FLAT and takes him away. After the war ends, Loran returns to the Heim home with Sochie, Kihel, Dianna and Harry. Bruno and Jacop start a puppet theater featuring the Turn A and the Turn X fighting. Lily and the Militia work with Horace and the rest of the Moonrace to repair and refit the Willghem. Loran kisses a crying Sochie before leaving to live with Dianna. Lily and Sochie say goodbye to Kihel as she and Harry leave in the new Laura Rolla. Kihel goes to the Moon and becomes Dianna to govern the Moonrace. Joseph and Fran live in the countryside and raise their baby. Sid takes on a new apprentice and explores the mountains of the Midwest. Keith and Belleen drive to the new Donkey Bakery with their baby and Anise. Kihel is welcomed back on the Moon and gives a speech. Miashei and Ladderum experiment with new planes. Sochie takes a bicycle down to the river and howls to the Moon as she throws Loran’s old toy into the water. Guin and Merrybell sail away in a boat to places unknown. Kihel and Harry watch the rest of the Dark History on the Moon. Loran and his wife Dianna live together in the countryside. On a cold winter night, Dianna finishes eating Loran’s soup, and he says goodnight to her before she goes to bed.
It’s pretty well known that Tomino went through a state of depression during and after Victory Gundam‘s run. If Victory Gundam was the product of a bitter and depressed man, then Turn A Gundam seems to be the product of a man who has overcome his problems. Throughout this whole series, Tomino injected new life into Gundam and a new sense of wonder by doing things differently. Aside from politics and war, the main focus of this series was always the characters, and that shines through to the end. Like Gundam X, the final battle ends early and leaves a few minutes to show a brief epilogue to all the characters. This is undeniably the happiest ending to any of the series that Tomino has directed. Well, it isn’t totally happy in Sochie’s case. It was clear throughout the series that she had feelings for Loran, and you can see she isn’t happy that he went off to live with Dianna. If anything, the fate of the main cast seems to reinforce the old adage that love conquers all. This also is very uncharacteristic of Tomino, but it allows for the perfect ending to the show.This series stands as a testament to what Gundam can be at its best: a human story with compelling characters.
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
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