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VOTOMS Ep. 19: Intentions

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Summary

Gon Nu and Rochina board a helicopter to inspect the front lines. Gon Nu is informed that the Veela are attacking Assemble EX-10 and Niitan. Gon Nu asks Rochina if he still wants to go to the front, and Rochina answers that his only interest is to see Chirico again. At Assemble EX-10, Kan Yu and his men use flamethrowers to burn down trees in a futile attempt to flush out the Veela. The other pilots say it was a decoy operation and think they should go to Niitan. Kan Yu asks them what they will do if the Veela attack the base instead. Villagers run in the streets of Niitan as Veela Standing Turtles use flamethrowers and bazookas to burn the villages. Vanilla uses a hose to put out fires until Coconna’s dress catches on fire. She tells him they have to escape because the Veela are close, but he refuses to leave. Chirico and the others jump off the truck and begin attacking the Veela ATs. Chirico says he’s going to go check on his friends, and Potaria warns him to be careful of the Veela. Coconna tries to drag Vanilla out of the club when flaming logs fall on the bar. She pulls him out just before the building crumbles to the ground. A Standing Turtle approaches them, but Chirico’s Marshydog destroys it and loses its left forearm in the process. The others arrive and help him fight the Standing Turtles. At the palace, Kanjelman is informed that 90 percent of Niitan has been destroyed, so he orders his forces to retreat. Ypsilon insists that he be allowed to go and fight Chirico, and Kanjelman tells him to calm down. Ypsilon tells Fyana that she seems to be taking things very calmly and asks her if she thinks they should be fighting. She tells him that she’s afraid to fight, and he says that’s impossible for a Perfect Soldier. Monica fires a bazooka round near Potaria when she hears about the order to retreat. The Standing Turtle units fall back just as Kan Yu’s AT Flys arrive with reinforcements.

The next morning, Gotho looks at the charred remains of the Fantom Club. The village’s wounded are taken to a field which has been converted into a makeshift hospital. Coconna bandages Vanilla’s arm and says they were lucky to get out alive. Vanilla says that he is always starting over again with his life and would like to have a job where he can accomplish something. Gotho says he is worried about Chirico because of the man that Gon Nu brought back with him. Chirico is brought before Gon Nu and Kan Yu to answer to charges about disobeying orders. Chirico confirms that he disobeyed orders, and Gon Nu dismisses the charges. Kan Yu objects, and Gon Nu says he received complaints from other soldiers as well about his incompetence. He dismisses Kan Yu when Rochina enters the office. Rochina assures Chirico that he’s not going to interrogate him and he says he’ll tell Chirico everything about the PS Project if Chirico helps him get Fyana back. Borough runs some tests on Fyana and finds nothing wrong. Ypsilon asks how it is possible for a Perfect Soldier to be afraid to fight, and Borough says it isn’t easy to program them. He says because Fyana saw Chirico before her programming began it created a problem. Rochina explains to Chirico and Gon Nu that the Perfect Soldier Project’s goal was to create the perfect warrior by integrating computer parts into a human’s body to drastically improve its abilities. He says that a Perfect Soldier is programmed with battle knowledge when it is born and then becomes indistinguishable from a normal human. Rochina offers to compensate Chirico for his help, and Chirico agrees. Later, Gotho helps Chirico work on the disassembled torso of his Marshydog. Chirico tells Gotho he should rebuild the club, but Gotho answers that it doesn’t matter now because the war will end soon and everyone will need to find a new job. Elsewhere, Vanilla decides to enlist and tells Coconna that he’s tired of being a parasite in the war and wants to do something that makes a difference. Gon Nu orders the deployment of all Assemble forces to finally crush the Veela. Vanilla drives over to the dock where Chirico’s gunboat is departing from, but he’s too late to get aboard.

Commentary

As expected, the Melkian officer that Gon Nu was dealing with was Rochina. Rochina contacted Gon Nu earlier and told him about Chirico, which explains why Gon Nu always let Chirico off the hook. This latest time was definitely justified because Kan Yu’s incompetence and arrogance led directly to the destruction of Niitan. The Fantom Club is destroyed, leading Vanilla to make the decision to enlist and play an active role in the war instead of being a profiteer. While Chirico has agreed to help Rochina get Fyana, what does he get out of it, and what does Rochina plan to do with Fyana?

Overall Rating
4/5

Armored Trooper VOTOMS Info

Director:
Ryosuke Takahashi

Writer(s):
Ryosuke Takahashi
Soji Yoshikawa
Toshi Gobu
Jinzo Toriumi

Mechanical Designer:
Kunio Okawara

Character Designer:
Norio Shioyama

Musical Composer:
Hiroki Inui

Format:
52 episodes; 4 compilation OVAs

Airdates:
Japan 04.01.1983 – 03.23.1984

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