Majestic Prince ep14: Level 2 SEED mode

Wow! And just when I thought we’d get some rather character driven arc, with everyone trying to figure out Ange, this show throws that to the wind and decides to FLEX!

This episode starts out with everyone trying to figure out Ange, and just what exactly makes… (I’m going with gender bias for this decision) HIM tick. He’s invited to training with the team and basically whoops each and everyone of them in their chosen specialty. It’s quite humbling, but also polarizing for the team as a whole. The exercises were designed to bring them together, but Ange is so insanely good at everything, that he just comes off more alien to them.

Though this turn of events doesn’t really affect Izuru too much. He’s been suffering from rather straightforward nightmares that point to his fear and anxiety. To help alieviate some of that anxiety, he goes to his favorite quiet spot, the public park’s water fountain (a very beautiful place, too). There he meets Teoria, who has actively sought him out. They talk, and Izuru learns that he’s really no different now, compared to before he had his memory erased. His personality remained intact. From there conversation, we’re again given the hint that they had a rather close relationship before the GDF took his past. She even makes him promise to come back alive from his missions. A promise that would normally make me worry if this were a Macross or Gundam series. Their wonderful converstation is interrupted by his emergency pager however. Looks like it’s time for some action.

Team Rabbits +Black 6 is given the mission to save Team Doberman, who have unfortunately gotten stuck in a series of tricky gravity wells. Considering the place is know as a graveyard for spaceships, you’d think they’d learn to steer clear… *sigh* The more I learn about Team Doberman, the less impressed I am.

As the operation begins, we see that the ship isn’t completely screwed, but time consuming repairs and demolition will have to be done to free it from this space Bermuda Triangle. The entire time even leading up to the start of the mission though, Team Rabbits has been worried about what will make Ange snap. Well, it doesn’t take long for them to get their answer as Prince Jiart and a pair of cronies show up to pounce on their prey. Jiart is clearly aiming for Izuru, but Ange gets bumped and that sets off a grenade! Ange goes berserk again, but this time it’s an ineffective move, as Jiart is more than ready for some rabid dog’s attack. It takes Izuru stepping in for Ange to stop wasting ammo. And that’s when the fireworks really start.

Izuru’s been amped for this mission before it even began, thanks to Teoria’s kind words, but the pressence of Jiart pushes him to a high he hasn’t gotten anywhere near since his first combat sortie. The Red-5 absolutely explodes in light and transform into a majestic form! Through combat with Jiart, Izuru is pushed to the absolute brink, and we get a very Evangelion-esque moment as the Red-5 seems to literally come alive! The battle between the two even pushes Jiart to what appears to be his maximum, as his machine transforms just like the Red-5. What we then witness is a splendid battle too fast, furious and beautiful for words. Unfortunately, Izuru is fighting dead even with Jiart. Why is this bad? Because the Red-5 can’t handle the stress Izuru is forcing upon it. It threatens to break down in mid combat (which already appeared to happen before the tranformation)! Izuru is actually saved in a knick of time by Team Doberman and their ship, as it has just finished being repaired. Everyone, even Ange is left speechless and breathless by what they just saw.

End of episode.

This show! This show right here! Woo! I’m so happy that this is the show of the three mechas series from the Spring season that not only got two cours, but got them back to back. The heat of Majestic Prince’s battles is enough to melt any other fight from Valvrave or Gargantia into nothingness. It’s just amazing, surprisingly detailed and beautiful stuff. Some of the character moments aren’t bad either, mainly Teoria and Izuru’s conversation. Because Teoria is an alien, it’s hard for me to gauge whether her attitude towards Izuru is appropriate or not. It’s hard to figure out exactly what the angle is, though I’m betting on close friendship and nothing more for now. It’s so interesting to me. She seems innocent enough, so I can’t explain why I don’t fully trust her. I can’t imagine that the GDF would purposely use her to manipulate Izuru. Nah! I need to calm down.

And speaking of relationships, the pilots haven’t had great chemistry so far, but Ange really threatens to break that totally at times. I wonder if seeing Izuru snap like he did will help bring Ange some sense when he’s in combat?  The plot is moved ever so slightly forward, but this could be a huge step forward for character development.

Further Reading:

• Episode 13