Gundam AGE Episode 7
What They Say:
Flit, imprisoned by Zalam for the destruction he wreaked, is brought before their leader Don Boyage. Flit argues that Zalam and Euba should cease their feud over control of Fardain, but is rejected by Boyage. Then, Euba’s boss Ract Elfamel attacks at the lead of a mobile suit squadron. Another war breaks out within the colony. Flit stands forth in the Gundam to prevent it, but a UE assault sparks a three-sided battle. Unable to use beam weapons inside a colony, the Gundam takes on a new form to stand up to the UE!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Gundam AGE did some fun stuff in the previous episode, though it worked familiar themes as well as the group dealt with their issues on Fardain. With younger characters, it’s expected to get somewhat simpler stories for some of it and that’s definitely the case with Flit and Emily as they got caught up with the father who went to rescue his daughter who went above ground amid a series of street battles between syndicates. It wasn’t a surprise either to see Flit grab his mobile suit and try to help, nor that it would be taken the wrong way by those in the street battles who have now placed him under arrest so that the syndicate leader can pass judgment on him for what he did. Flit’s just not old enough to see the ramifications from his actions at this point and it’s critical that he does considering the power he wields.
Amusingly, Flit is brought in to the same man that Grodek is dealing with, Don Boyage. Boyage sees a lot of opportunity in general here with what was wanting from him and offering in return, but now in seeing such a legendary mobile suit as what Flit has, the stakes have changed and he’s intent on giving Grodek everything he wants if Flit will give him the mobile suit. It’s not something you can see happening easily, but you can also see how Grodek may be weighing the real potential against what he wants from the Don and trying to figure out if it may be worth it. Flit’s youthful nature is what’ll be most dominant though as the adult men talk and parley with each other since they’re working in a different way than Flit, again showing the differences between young and older.
While the first half works through this kind of haggling and understanding that Flit comes into, the second half is filled with action as another fight breaks out between the two syndicate sides that exist. This gets the Don into a mobile suit himself and leads to some good action, action which has Flit stepping in to try and stop it all since there are so many bigger issues out there with the UE that’s threatening them all. But it’s hard for old men with grudges to give them up and they have some experience and wisdom that they think can try and twist Flit to their own purposes. Of course, this can go only so far when the UE appear and drop in for an attack themselves with their intriguing mobile suits, and that changes the dynamic nicely even if it is expected. And it lets Flit stand up and be a part of things that will in the end help him and his position when it comes to the Don and others.
In Summary:
Gundam AGE continues to spend its time on Fardain and it certainly has some interesting moments to it as we get more of what’s going on within the colony and how Grodek can take advantage of it. The show focuses more on Flit this time around as he’s drawn into the Don’s plans as he sees so much potential for the mobile suit that Flit has, but it’s a very narrow approach in mind that he has when it comes to old grudges. There’s some good stuff to be had here with what it’s doing but mostly it just builds nicely until the UE arrive and everything goes crazy and hectic as the real battle starts, reminding everyone involved that there’s a lot more going on than they realize.
Grade: B
Streamed By: YouTube