Episode Synopsis:
Shaddiq has changed the rules for student-run companies to prevent Miorine’s GUND-ARM Inc from forming. His goal is to take ownership of the company in exchange for changing the rules back. Instead, Miorine challenges him to a duel to change the rules back. Shaddiq is defeated, the rules are changed back, and the company is founded.
Episode Review:
The latest episode of Gundam: Boring Utena is terrible. I could go on for a long time as to why, but for the sake of (relative) brevity, I will focus on four main points that really stick in my craw.
To begin with, once again we have a duel with ridiculous stakes. Our heroes are fighting just to change back a rule that was arbitrarily changed five minutes ago, while the villain would get complete control of their new company.
Obviously this is lopsided, but it really once again begs the question – why are our heroes so stupid? Miorine is supposed to be calculating and ambitious, so why are all of the duel stakes so one-sided? She should say “If I win, I take Shaddiq’s place on this student council”. Then she can change the rules back AND Shaddiq can’t pull this stunt again five minutes from now. It never feels like the villains lose anything of meaning.
Then there’s the duel itself. Apparently the student council guy in charge of duels can choose any format he wants without appeal, so he picks a 6 v 6 team battle, knowing that the Earth house can only field two mechs.
This also feels arbitrary and ridiculous. Why not pick 20 v 20, since Earth house doesn’t even have 20 people in it? Or 6 v 1, who says it has to be a fair fight? Why not an underwater battle, since Aerial can only use beam attacks? Are there any restrictions at all?
The 6 v 6 battle format leads me into my next point. As mentioned, Earth house cannot field 6 mechs. So they ask the Peil Technologies research lady, and she’s able to get them four mobile suits, no questions asked. What?! Not only is Peil Technologies fully plotting against them, but we’ve seen time and time again that the results of these duels have major consequences on the companies involved, since the performance of their mobile suits shows off their company’s relative advantage over other companies. And now they’re handing over four of them to a bunch of kids with no piloting skills? It just makes no sense. Naturally these mechs are defeated by Shaddiq’s team practically as an afterthought.
Then there’s the fight between Suletta and Shaddiq’s team. Suddenly, Shaddiq’s team deploys their secret weapon – super special anti-Gundam bubble tech! Observers gasp in shock! Suletta’s mech shuts down! But then! Aerial uses! DOUBLE SUPER DUPER SPECIAL ANTI-ANTI-GUNDAM BUBBLE TECH! And its eyes turn blue and it moves super fast and wow, I really thought the Gundam franchise was immune to this kind of pointless one-ups-man-ship special move shonen nonsense. Awful.
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