Episode 5
Continuing the story where it left off in episode 4, things are tense after Hoshino Eru’s OTF broke out into Hotel form in mid-air while they were in a training exercise. Hoshino is frustrated and discouraged and Hisone is trying to find a solution.
We also get an explanation from Vice-Minister Iiboshi as to why OTFs seek pilot and what these pilots have in common. It’s interesting that they are described as blanks, these women are adults, but still young and consider themselves incomplete. I like the idea of them finding their own identity through the relationship with the OTF.
There’s also a bit more insight into what goes on in the head of the 3 new pilots. Hitomi, for example, as a taller and bigger girl is concerned about the fact that she must have looked scary to the others when she got angry. Eru feels like she’s constatly being shamed by the OTF when she has to pilot him and like she’s not being acknowledged by him because he refuses to follow instructions.
Anyway, eve though these things are going on with the pilots, training must go on and soon enough they are informed about their next mission. The training is important because it’s meant to develop teamwork between the D-pilots. They are also told they might be discharged from their posts if the mission isn’t successful. Hisone is worried, of course! And with reason, she feels like she’s come to depend on Masotan and she needs him and the lack of relationships between her and her teammates is concerning.
There’s a cute and funny bit here where Masotan licks her, trying to comfort her and she licks him back, which becomes a habit later for her to show care for the OTFs. It’s quite edearing in its quirkiness! Nao also extends a metaphorical hand here as she admits she agrees with Eru in how she sees the OTFs. It’s cool because we also get more insight into Nao and why she hasn’t been chosen as a permanent pilot.
The training begins with them being taken to a deserted island out at sea and being told their mission is to return to base before the deadline. They have a week until then and 3 days’ worth of rations and water. After that, they’re on their own.
The first thing they find out is that the OTFs do not want to fly out. Even though the pilots get on and try to take off, it doesn’t happen, so they have to figure out why. Right away Futomomo chomps down on their rations, too so there’s no food or water left. Hitomi starts looking for water out of guilt, though it’s obvious she’s in a desolate state.
Ririko refuses to do anything for the time being and Eru begins building a raft so she can return to base and complete the mission successfully. They never said they had to bring the OTFs back, so she’s trying to take advantage of that loophole. Hisone walks off muttering to herself, lamenting the lack of cooperation from her mates. Everyone ends up doing their own thing, basically.
Later on Hisone finds a source of fresh water, Ririko starts a fire and Hitomi has found food, so they sit around the fire and talk. They realize what they have in common as they talk and become closer. Seeing the dragons play happily, they also decide to hold off returning until the OTFs have had enough fun playing together.
Unfortunately Eru remains the odd one out and she’s still separated from her teammates, but hopefully she’ll open up her heart soon.
Episode 6
It’s obvious by now that this episode will center on Eru and her situation. In the first scene we see her still building her raft while the other 3 D-pilots sleep comfortably. She remembers the first time F-2 swallowed her and the memory seems to affect her badly.
The training on the island continues and Hitomi, Hisone and Ririko are still getting along. They also comment on the fact that their OTFs are becoming good friend but both Eru and F-2 haven’t joined them at all. They suddenly worry that F-2 has been in Foxtrot under the sun all this time and he must be hot, so they go check on him. Hisone ends up licking him and she seems to discover something, but that takes second priority when they decide on what names to start using for each other. Ririko’s use of ‘Lilikos’ and a name and her mention of the chivalrous ‘Ken-san’ totally give her away as an otaku! I can’t but assume Ken-san refers to the main character from Hokuto no Ken.
Soon enough they find a shrine on the island that seems to be dedicated to the dragons. Pretty intriguing stuff, but the upcoming rain takes priority as the sea is angry, but Eru still plans to set sail in her flimsy raft. The other girls try to stop her, but she stubbornly gets angry and tries again, even with her raft in pieces. The other D-pilots take refuge in the cave, but soon enough they go look for her.
Hisone notices that the Nao doll’s head is also in the sea and she wants to rescue it, but Hitomi holds her back. As they struggle, Ririko hears something whistling and then F-2 is nowhere to be seen.
Here the episode shows us some of Eru’s memories, her desire to become a F-2 pilot since she was a child and finally a sort of vision where she sees an OTF in an old-fashioned armor and a lady pilot. Once Eru wakes up, it turns out to be a dream they all had. We also learn that the sound they heard was F-2 making noise so they would find her. 
She was trapped under logs and passed out in the rain. The other pilots refer to him as Ken-san and Eru snaps. Here we finally learn the true reason for her anger and frustration and I must say it was a very satisfying one! Eru has always wanted to be a fighter pilot, but it’s seen as a male-oriented profession. Women aiming for this are under tremendous pressure and no mistakes are allowed, but as a D-pilot, she’s also inherently a caretaker, which is considered a female role, so she feels she’s not being taken seriously.
As she rants, F-2 starts overheating and is at risk of dying. Hitomi, Ririko and Hisone all try to figure out what to do and they want him to change to hotel so he can dive into the sea and cool off, but F-2 won’t listen to them. Hisone begs Hoshino to order him, but Hoshino complains that he won’t listen to her. This is where the truly genius thing happens. Hisone says that the real reason why F-2 won’t go out of Foxtrot is precisely because he acknowledges Eru’s desire to be a pilot for a real F-2, so he tries his best to be a plane at all times, though it’s been said before that this puts tremendous stress on the OTFs, so I’m touched and impressed he could go that far.
Once Hoshino hears this, it’s impossible for her to remain closed-off to F-2, so she walks up to him and tells the girls off for continuing to call him Ken-san. She finally gives him permission to get out of Foxtrot and become his real form. It’s also the first time she calls him by the name she has chosen: Norma.
Norma takes her in and dives into the sea and Eru reminisces the first time they flew together and how excited she was to the point that she lost sight of her goal. Now she has finally accepted her role and she has become closer to Norma. The rest of the OTFs celebrate and now they’re all ready to go home.
The episode ends with the promise of the next training that will get them closer to what the Vice-Minister called the promised Ritual and he brings attention to the Joie lady, who is she and what is her importance? I personally only saw it as a sort of an eccentric lady that served as a guide to Hisone at times, but she might have a bigger role after all.