Gundam AGE ep16: not a bad start. Asemu’s more well-adjusted than I expected.

Flit has a simmering and focused hatred. Emily is as forgettable as ever. Vargas is still old and fat, matter of fact he’s older and fatter (uh duh!). And I could have sworn that was Largan in that antique mobile suit. Or whoever that guy is inside, he has Largan’s luck. But the second “age” isn’t gonna be about these guys, so let’s move on.

I’m surprised. Well I guess this series has nothing to do with Yoshiyuki Tomino, so all that awkward teenage angst has been curbed quite a bit. Asemu Asuno is very well-adjusted for a Gundam pilot.  He’s appropriately set up by his dad to protect his family, which no one else seems to be. And he’s got a dad who is horrible at the job of being a dad. Who knows how Tem Ray would have turned out. He just went bat sh*t insane after that first attack. It looks like Asemu has a little sister, too. This is all so normal and “not-broken” that I don’t know how to take it. Congrats Flit! You are already the most successful Gundam dad in history. Just don’t let your boy die a petit mobile or some other piece of sh*t and the title is yours! He didn’t really breeze through that battle with those two Vagan grunt units (not like any of the initial Gundam battles go that well, or are that exciting).

It looks like the Vagans have solved their space travel predicament the “suspended animation” way, or as they call it, “cold sleep“. And who pops up from those little refrigerator beds? A guy who looks like he’ll be the next Vagan commander and some kid who looks a hell of a lot like Woolf. Matter of fact, Woolf popped out of cold sleep at around episode 3 or 4 of the series didn’t he? I sincerely wonder if they’re related? And it looks like due to his covert assignment for the Vagan Empire, he’ll be the series first masked pilot. I have to say that from what little I’ve seen of the disguise, it works for him.

I believe I’m going to enjoy the little 3-way dynamic they’re trying to set up by having Asemu, the masked pilot and his love interest hang out together. It could lead to some delciously tragic drama. I’m most definitely looking forward to this second “age”.  But I guess I better start by saying I’m looking forward to the seventeenth episode.

Edit:  decided to add this guy’s model-inspired Gundam AGE review again to my post.  It just seems appropriate.  They’re so fun.  Check out his channel for more reviews and some gunpla reviews, too.