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Gundam Ep. 37: The Duel in Texas

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Summary

Degwin tells Gihren that the fall of Solomon was to be expected under Dozle’s command. Gihren announces that he will beat the EFF on Zeon’s last battle line, the space fortress A Baoa Qu. Elsewhere, the White Base patrols the area near the abandoned Texas colony to clean up any remaining Zeon forces from Solomon. Fraw takes Amuro’s blood pressure, and he asks her when was the last time they had a good conversation. She says she understands that he’s a soldier now and is glad that he’s strong. She then asks what happened to him on Side 6, and he says he’ll explain it to her once he’s had time to think about it. The Zanzibar approaches Texas colony, and Char awaits the delivery of the mobile armor Elmeth. Since he only has one suit, he decides to let M’Quve handle the White Base. M’Quve wants to prove himself as a man to Kycilia by using his customized mobile suit Gyan. He orders the launch of several Rick Doms to lure the Gundam closer to him. He reminds his men that they will receive a two rank promotion if they defeat the Gundam. M’Quve’s Chibe is detected, and Amuro and Sayla launch in the G-Armor. Mirai tells Bright that work will make her feel better, and he says she can talk to him whenever she wants. Hayato isn’t too happy about still being in the infirmary. Amuro and Sayla separate and individually destroy the Rick Doms. Inside Texas, Char, Lalah and Dr. Flanagan of the Flanagan Institute travel in a wagon. Lalah feels a presence and thinks that Char has touched her heart, but he doesn’t understand what she means. She wonders if someone like her is nearby. Out in space, Amuro realizes that although the Rick Dom pilots are experienced, he’s predicting all of their moves. He destroys the remaining Rick Doms and is attacked by the Gyan. He sees that the whole battle was a trap meant to lure him towards the Gyan.

Amuro attacks the Gyan and is hit by fire from an asteroid that M’Quve was standing on. M’Quve thinks his sneaky tactics have destroyed the Gundam, but Amuro continues to attack him. M’Quve withdraws into Texas, and Amuro follows him. Char and Lalah ride an elevator, and he tells her he’ll make her a better pilot than him. He says that is the reason why he asked the Flanagan Institute to take her in. Sayla destroys a Rick Dom and is attacked by the Chibe and two Musais. As the White Base hides behind an asteroid, Bright orders Kai to launch in the Guncannon and help Sayla. Inside Texas, Amuro opens a hatch and sets off an explosive charge. As the Gundam flies through Texas, it sets off mines in a mine field. M’Quve then attacks with his shield, which contains a missile launcher. Char is informed of the attack by Mulligan, and he thinks that M’Quve simply wants to embarrass him. He knows M’Quve’s plan is foolish, but he has to help an ally in battle. He launches in the prototype Gelgoog Commander Type and tells Lalah to watch the battle closely. M’Quve wonders if Amuro is a Newtype pilot, and Char arrives and attacks Amuro. M’Quve wants him to leave the Gundam to him, and Char says he’s simply helping an ally. M’Quve insists, so Char withdraws to watch the battle. He wants the Gundam to destroy M’Quve for him, and he’s surprised to see M’Quve put up a good fight. Sayla and Kai destroy more Rick Doms, and the White Base destroys a Musai. Amuro and M’Quve duel with beam sabers, and Amuro uses both of his to slice the Gyan in half. Lalah feels Amuro’s presence and tells him to stop fighting because he’s won. As the Gyan explodes, M’Quve thinks about a rare vase he wanted to deliver to Kycilia. Char uses the Gelgoog to shield Lalah from the Gyan’s explosion. Amuro and Lalah then both sense each other and speak mentally, and they recognize each other.

Commentary

Here we have another episode that was substantially different in movie 3. The most major change is that the battle at Texas occurs before Solomon in the movies, but here it is after. Also, M’Quve does not appear in the movie, nor does his personal suit Gyan. It was good to see him finally fight, but of course he was no match for Amuro. Here we have the first actual mention of the term Newtype, and M’Quve certainly is not a Newtype. Amuro’s abilities have developed to the point where he and Lalah can sense each other and speak. This will cause a lot of problems in the near future. On a separate note, we’re also introduced to Dr. Flanagan of the famous Flanagan Institute that researches Newtypes. If he looks weird in the TV series, that’s because character designer Yas didn’t work on him. When the movie trilogy was created, Yas completely redesigned the character in his own style (and ditched the funky mustache).

Overall Rating
4/5
Mobile Suit Gundam Info


Director(s):

Yoshiyuki Tomino
Ryoji Fujiwara (movie 1)

Writer(s):
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Masaru Yamamoto
Kenichi Matsuzaki
Yoshihisa Araki
Hiroyuki Hoshiyama

Mechanical Designer(s):
Kunio Okawara
Yoshiyuki Tomino

Character Designer:
Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

Musical Composer(s):
Yuji Matsuyama
Takeo Watanabe

Format:
43 episodes; 3 compilation movies

Airdates:
Japan 04.07.1979 – 01.26.1980
U.S. 07.23.2001 – 09.12.2001

Theatrical Release:
Japan 03.14.1981 – 03.13.1982

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