With Canaria being injured, Ichiya and the rest of the Tokyo group retreat to try to figure out what to do next. The Unknown don’t hold back however and attack their hiding place. Ichiya has completely fallen apart now that Canaria is injured, and his teammates gently hassle him over their com system about not having more backbone.

Maihime and Hotaru rush in to help by sea, with Maihime using her signature energy sword attack on the large Unknown but with little effect. Asuha and Kasumi arrive by rail and Kasumi has no time for Ichiya’s pity-party for one. As the Tokyo group retreats with Canaria, Kasumi sends up a smokescreen to hide them and simultaneously distract the Unknown.

Once they get Canaria to the hospital, Ichiya and Kasumi wait outside while she’s being treated, and Hotaru informs Aoi of Canaria’s condition. Kasumi says vlcsnap-00007mean things to Ichiya, who is clearly still caught up in his guilt and just agrees with what Kasumi says. Then Ichiya receives a phone call from Gutoku, but the other four representatives go with him to show their support.

Gutoku’s  pissed, and rightly so. Ichiya disobeyed direct orders because he was so caught up in his complex about being the best so he could do all the work and be everyone’s pillar of strength. But seeing Canaria push herself to the point of injury has taught Ichiya some long overdue humility, and he asks that Gutoku allow him to continue fighting alongside the other four Tri-City representatives. Gutoku allows it, saying he’ll lecture Ichiya once the battle is over.

Students from all three cities team up to assemble supplies, firepower and manpower. That night, shortly before their next attack, Ichiya goes to see Canaria in the hospital. Aoi comes in to see Canaria too, and Ichiya asks Aoi to watch over Canaria while he’s away fighting.

Ichiya has become quite the leader. He’s becoming good at rallying the troops and trying to boost everyone’s morale. The other four representatives think these changes are pretty hilarious, and I have to agree. xD   To go from such a sour pickle to someone resembling a decent human being in the span of an episode is a big change in a short period of time, but hey it’s character development and I will virtually never complain about that.

This time around, they’ve had to change their battle strategy. The large Unknown’s armor and firepower have already proven to be far too strong their the Tri-Cities’ standard attacks. Ichiya says they will have to get under the Unknown’s armor and attack its body directly. So the Tokyo crew will first attack the smaller Unknown surrounding Umihotaru, while the Kanagawa and Chiba troops will try to separate the Leviathan-class Unknown from its minions. Hotaru is underwater in a submarine, and she and her team are waiting for a signal before they make their planned move.

In the hospital, Canaria finally awakens but panics when he learns that Ichiya and the others have headed back into battle without her. Aoi tries to discourage her vlcsnap-00025from going, but is unsuccessful. Kosuke and some of the other Tokyo patrol troops show up at Canaria’s hospital room and fly her out to the battleground. I’ll let you guys in on a little secret: even though I know it will probably never be canon, I ship Canaria and Kosuke, just a little. (✿◠‿◠)

Kasumi and Asuha do some impressive manoeuvres involving their train and some explosive, and troops from all three cities start attacking the Unknown. After Hotaru’s sub emerges to join in the strike, the Unknown start to retreat. Just then Canaria shows up to boost everyone’s power with her World, and Ichiya makes a quick decision. He scoops up Maihime and carries her with him to launch a strike at the Leviathan-class Unknown from the air. He uses his World to manipulate the gravity behind her strike, and it’s finally successful. Ichiya skips the celebrations to take Canaria back to the hospital, and they share some private words while they’re flying. Feelings are hinted at, although nothing’s out in the open yet.

There’s a bit of a timeskip forward, and Aoi goes to see Airi and Gutoku to deliver the report about the battle at Umihotaru. But she accidently reveals some kind of golden tag on the back of her neck, and it’s apparently a symbol indicating she’s been to something called the no-entry zone, whatever that is. Gutoku’s reaction implies it could be some kind of forbidden area. Aoi’s marker also apparently has something to do with Canaria, and possibly Kosuke too. Airi and Gutoku jump into action, desperate to call Canaria and get her to safety before something can happen to her, but will they make it in time?

Meanwhile Canaria’s also been released from the hospital. She and Ichiya are walking near the ocean; however they’re being watched from beneath the waves. To Canaraia’s surprise, Ichiya tells her that he’s going to ask for a temporary demotion until he gets his ranking score back up, so Canaria will be the new Tokyo head.

In the final moments of the episode, the thing watching Canaria and Ichiya from underwater strikes out at Canaria. Before Ichiya can do anything, or even move, there is a big hole in the concrete where Canaria had been standing only a moment earlier. Damn, she’d been just about to tell him that she loved him, too.

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My thoughts:
If I thought last weeks’ cliffhanger was a big one, this week’s came out of the blue. Holy shit!  I had an idea something might happen, but it happened so quickly at the very end that my jaw was halfway to the floor before I realized it.

This event raises a few questions. First off, what is the link between the thing on Aoi’s neck and Canaria. Second, what do Gutoku and Airi know that they obviously haven’t told the six representatives?

Second, the increased Unknown presence near Umihotaru coupled with this attack on Canaria is also hinting that the Unknown are intelligent, sentient beings, not just mindless alien creatures who are operating on instinct. From the battle with the Leviathan-class Unknown, the remaining creatures appear to have been able to learn about Canaria’s World powers, and saw that she was able to make her allies stronger. Perhaps they figured that if they were to eliminate her it would leave the troops from the other cities weaker.

There are so many simultaneous mysteries and Qualidea Code just leaves me wanting more. I want to more about the Unknown, their motives and their origins. Why are they attacking Japan? Where do they come from? And is Canaria dead?? I can’t wait for the next episode!

 

Author’s Note: I will be out of town next week, and while I will aim to get my entries out on time, I will be on a laptop with limited functioning and so my entries may be a little delayed.