Da Capo (Gundam Seed 28)

Man, this show likes its recaps - 26 and 27 were (mostly) recap episodes, and while this episode is new content, thematically it's a retread of everything that already characterizes Kira - not least his relationship with Athrun.

Partly it's a reminder that, despite how modern it can feel at times, Gundam Seed is approaching 15 years old; it has its roots in an era where viewers couldn't be assumed to have watched every previous episode. Partly - at least one hopes - it's a deliberate retread designed to highlight which things have changed and which have stayed the same. Kira's parents have hit the screen for what may be their only appearance - but Kira himself is lonelier than ever, perhaps even breaking up with Best Girl in a painful reset of everything (we'll see whether that sticks). Talking to Cagalli he shows a wisdom beyond his years - but Flay is right about his barely-functional emotional state as well. There's a sense of a breaking point, though it's one that's already been stretched out far beyond all reason - I honestly thought at least one death would have happened by now - and it shows in how artificial his conversation with Athrun now seems.

As true, and realistic, as Kira's self-pity may be, it's stretching the limits of what can hold the viewer's attention, yet alone fun. Gundam's deal has always been that the characters have to progress their emotional issues through robot fights; with the action locked away in dry-dock, the show's balance is as compromised as Kira's. I'm tired of this logjam after one episode; I pity anyone who sat through two recaps as well. The show's great triumph is that I'm still engaged - at some point in the past few months, Yzak and Deakka became real enough that I care about how their infiltration effort plays out. But Gundam Seed now needs to get on with it.

Home