It was incredibly special to see Tekkadan have the chance to celebrate with a true party, for what was the first time in their lives. They had a number of reasons to celebrate, starting with Tekkadan being accepted by Teiwaz’s boss McMurdo Barriston. They were taken aback by both how quickly McMurdo accepted them, simply based off Naze’s recommendation and how he was very different compared to what they imagined him to be. And this is a big deal. 
Having learned what it means to be ‘family’ and now with Tekkadan and Turbine being identified as ‘Brothers’, it was almost overwhelming for Orga in particular because everything that is happening is so surreal to him. It was his dream and mission to create a family along with a place they can now call home. He was so happy, it is without a doubt the happiest he has been in a long time. He was embarrassed but eager to call Naze “brother” and honestly, not only does Naze probably inspire Orga to carry the role as the “Head of the Tekkadan Family”, but I also think likes the fact he has someone who is older than him to look up to and seek advice from if needed. It was also Naze who provided them the chance to party in the first place since he was able to fulfill Orga’s and Biscuit’s request of aid to sell off the merchandise to the right merchant, and got big bucks from it. With that money Orga decided it was time to celebrate, and bought a whole lot of sweets for the kids and took the older bunch to a pub where he drank his heart out and was the only one who ended up drunk and suffering from a hanger-over afterwards.
Having now pledged alliance with Teiwaz and the Turbines, it looks like Tekkadan will be embracing this new brotherhood. Mika has already made a statement in front of McMurdo, who was impressed by him. It is because of this McMurdo has assigned experienced engineers to take care of Barbados (and they are most enthusiastic about the opportunity). I look forward to seeing how Mika and Barbados will perform together now that Barbados can finally be properly tuned by experts who possess more and better knowledge of the Gundam Frames than the Tekkadan crew. In return I am sure they will learn a lot.
But I think (or at least hope), Naze will be playing a big role, for not just Orga, but to Mika as well. We saw the two bond in a special way of Naze showing Mika what his name looks like written in Kanji with the brush. Mika was mesmerized by how beautiful it was, and told him that he preferred it over the one Kudelia had taught him. His entire face was glowing in a way we haven’t seen before, and it was a nice to see, especially knowing how they will be going through turbulent times from this point on.
The turbulent times I am referring to is of course the inevitable case of war. McMurdo spoken to Kudelia, and told her that his sources say it is true, Makanai, the current head of Arbrau is trying to give Mars their rights back .
However worse case scenario, a war will break due to conflict of interest- and the conflict will continue for a long time regardless if they get their rights. Because of how dangerous this situation is, he extends the offer to take over the responsibility to protect Kudelia in Tekkadan’s place. Realizing she already knew the answer, Kudelia agrees with the offer and the result of her push for Mars’ rights, because she already has blood on her hands. So now Kudelia will be officially escorted and guarded by Teiwaz, but Tekkadan will also be participating in order to continue their role as the original escorts, but under Teiwaz’s wings.
One last thing I wanted to mention was, for one unfortunately there were no follow-ups regarding Kudelia being ‘owned’.
I continue to believe Fumitan knows something about it as this lady is surely not simply a maid as she claims to be. She also appears to be a bit burdened by how Kudelia has so much trust in her. She was taken aback when Kudelia gave her a gift of a necklace matching her own. It was a beautiful gift, but Fumitan seems reluctant to actually putting it on. With her vast knowledge and mysteriousness of her character, I look forward to learning more about Fumitan and her background, along with whatever history she may have, good or bad.
Next week, the Lady in the blue suit returns (I get the feeling she is either a journalist/reporter or a spy…), and it looks like Atra and Mika backstory is coming too! I will be looking forward to it!
Random Note of the Week: Crank, you put way too much faith in that Ein kid. He didn’t understand your message at all.
One of my favourite moments from this episode was when Azee nuggied one of the children for saying that girls are weak, but then one of the other children – whose name she even learned already! – mentioned that Kudelia had gone to the negotiations despite being a woman :3
Admittedly this is because I like Azee even though all we’ve seen of her is literally the fight against Akihiro, her brief talk with Amida and Laffter in the hanger after that fight and then playing with one of the babies before the ‘Sakazuki blood oath’. Then again it’s not uncommon for side characters to become those you’re especially fond of. I just really like how she’s often (always?) in that suit as a symbol of being ready to sortie at a moment’s notice to protect her family. On that note, it’s interesting that she isn’t in the OP with the other girls and even in that brief conversation with Amdia and Laffter she doesn’t seem to fancy Naze quite like the others. That could become interesting.
Going back to the subject of the children, I don’t know if it’s just that this story is dedicated to giving everyone a little growth and development, but especially after seeing the scene where Orga finds out about Ride’s stash of snacks for the little ones… I wonder if we’ll be seeing a Gundam AGE style of story in a sense. I’ve not seen the series, but I know one of the most notable aspects of it were seeing the characters literally grow. If they’re setting up for another ‘Calamity War’ incident as certain resources are revealed then… Hmm.
One last little thing, I hope that Amida’s talk to Atra ending with “as long as you don’t choose the wrong man” wasn’t a foreshadowing of anything unfortunate. It could just as well have to do with her own past and I must say I’m quite curious as to what
I’m focusing down on all these little things, but I really did love each and every part of this episode. I know that for a fact since I was really looking forward to seeing one of the new Gundams! As the episode drew closer and closer to its end I felt that I’d still love it even if we only got a quick look at another ‘Calamity War’ relic. Once it ended and I saw nothing of another Gundam I wasn’t at all disappointed, which might sound odd. This episode was just greatness all around!
As it turns out I mistakenly thought that the exposed Gundam frame of Barbatos as seen in the preview for episode 9 was one of the new Gundams 😛
I appreciate the time they take to address the minor characters, it allows us to have the opportunity to cherish little moments like these in this story. And I find this element particularly important due to the battles they will be facing in the future. It is going to be extremely difficult for the characters, especially the younger kids, especially when tragedy strikes.
Hahaha, well to be fair the Gundam Frame itself looks freaking badass. 8D