Random Curiosity

New OP Sequence

OP2: 「解読不能」 (Kaidoku Funou) by ジン (Jinn)
Watch the OP! Mirror 1 Mirror 2 (25.2MB, XviD)
Just like the last time we had a recap, the following episode showed a different version of the OP sequence with some new images. Of particular interest to me was the hand scene we originally saw in OP1.5 that is continued in this OP to show this shot. Also back is everyone’s favorite Orange-kun, Jeremiah, looking as evil as ever. Perhaps he won’t just be comedic relief from now on. Overall, the really fast pacing of the images matches the song a lot better than the original OP2 sequence. It almost even makes me like Kaidoku Funou as a song…almost.

Summary:

Aboard their submarine, Zero is outlining the new organizational structure to the rest of the Black Knights. Everyone is happy to hear that Toudou is going to be in charge of military affairs, but they question having Diethard, a Britannian, be in charge of public relations and intelligence gathering. Using himself as an example of someone who’s not Japanese, Zero claims that what is needed is the ability to bring about results, and a person’s race, past, and ways have nothing to do with that. Continuing his appointments, Zero names Kaname as vice-commander, puts Laksharta is in charge of technological development, and has Kallen as the head of the Zero-th squadron. Kallen is happy to hear that this squad will be directly under Zero’s control and can be thought of as his bodyguards. Once Zero finally ends his list with Tamaki as the head of the second special service squad, Kallen notices that C.C. wasn’t given an official position, though C.C. doesn’t seem to mind and just plays with her hair. Diethard then tells Zero that he has something he wants to discuss. During all this, Suzaku is attending his knighting ceremony surrounded by a group of Britannians who don’t think he’s worthy. Initially, no one except for Lloyd claps after the ceremony is over. It is only after Darlton starts clapping with Lloyd that the rest of the crowd joins in too.

Sometime later, Diethard convenes a meeting with Zero and the other officers, and he advises that they assassinate Suzaku. Both Toudou and Kaname disagree with the idea because such a cowardly method won’t win them the support of the Japanese people. Since he gets to make the final decision, Lelouch sits in his office thinking while C.C. proposes that all he has to do is to use his GEASS on Suzaku. When Lelouch rejects the idea, C.C. questions if it’s because of his stubbornness, friendship, or pride, and Lelouch admits that it’s all of those. Meanwhile, Cornelia is expressing her unhappiness with Euphemia making Suzaku into her knight and cites that Britannia has a national policy to differentiate the Numbers. When Euphemia vows to change this, Cornelia wonders if her sister understands that this would require becoming the Emperor. Speaking of the Emperor, he is at that moment in a structure above the clouds talking to someone about the construction of an elevator. When one of his subordinates reports something about Schneizel, the Emperor is willing to let Schneizel do what he wants. At school, Rivalz and the rest of the student council hold a party in Suzaku’s honor that was planned by Nunnally. Nina is absent from the celebration and is instead looking at a magazine with Euphemia in it when Lloyd comes in asking for Suzaku.

Lloyd happens to notice that Nina’s computer has several charts and simulations up about Uranium-235, causing Nina to happily launch into a long speech about nuclear reactions and the problems with using Uranium-235 as a fuel. Back at the party, Kallen arrives with her hidden knife, ready to go after Suzaku for Zero’s sake. She ignores Shirley calling out to her and makes a beeline for Suzaku, but Lelouch stops her before she reaches him. Not knowing who Lelouch really is, Kallen claims that she has some important business to attend to, but then while Lelouch is questioning what that business is, Suzaku catches sight of the two of them. Kallen disappears into the crowd after Suzaku comes over to talk with Lelouch about the important thing Lelouch had wanted to say to him earlier. But since Lelouch now knows that Suzaku is really the Lancelot’s pilot, he doesn’t need to talk with Suzaku about Nunnally anymore. It is at this point that Lloyd joins the party with Nina to tell Suzaku that they’ve got more work with the Lancelot and Euphemia. Rivalz is the most shocked out of anyone when he finds out that Milly is Lloyd’s fiancée after Nina asks how Milly and Lloyd know each other.

In any case, Suzaku, Lloyd, and Cecile set off for Shikinejima where Zero has learned that Euphemia is meeting with Britannian nobles. Because this island is not a strategic base of operations, the Britannian force there is limited, so this is the Black Knights chance to capture Suzaku and the Lancelot. After briefing his men, Zero tracks down Diethard and accuses him of giving Kallen ideas. Diethard claims that he only requested reconnaissance from her, though he admits that he implied a few things. He doesn’t see it as a cowardly assassination and instead feels that people might think of it as a hammer of justice; they can hide the truth through the media. All this causes Zero to question what Diethard’s goal is. Diethard reveals that he trembled when he first saw Zero back during the Suzaku rescue operation, and he really wants to film Zero. He sees Zero as the one man who created an organization to overthrow a nation and will, sooner or later, rule the world. Diethard wants to be the person recording this history. Zero, however, points out that if you interfere with an event, then it’s not documenting, it’s fabricating. To this, Diethard replies that there is no information that’s not subjective - after all, journalism is connected with a person’s intent. In the end, Zero warns Diethard that he’s not in charge of military affairs.

The Black Knights attack the base soon after Euphemia and Suzaku arrive on the island. Suzaku vows to protect Euphemia, but she would rather him to go help the base. The Britannian officer with them questions Suzaku’s loyalty until Lloyd points out that doing so is the same as criticizing the royal family. Euphemia wants Suzaku to show his power here so that they can eventually quiet all the talk about him. Suzaku then enters the battle by taking out Tamaki’s Knightmare and sees Zero watching from afar. Zero lures Suzaku to a sandy ditch and then has Laksharta activate a Gefjun Disturber field that disables the Lancelot. He tells Suzaku to come out because he wants to talk and promises to treat him as a prisoner of war according to international law. Under threat of being fired on by the surrounding Black Knight forces, Suzaku has no choice but to get out of the Lancelot. Back in their control room, Euphemia is asking why the Lancelot isn’t moving. Cecile figures out that something is interfering with the Sakuradite used for the drive system, and Lloyd identifies it as the Gefjun Disturber. He had thought that it was only theoretical and concludes that only Laksharta could be behind this.

As soon as he sees Suzaku, Zero explains that he wants him to be an ally. Suzaku refuses and reiterates what he’s said before: results obtained by the wrong means have no meaning. In response, Zero questions the peace they have today and wonders what would have happened if Japan had kept up with the do-or-die resistance seven years ago. He suggests that the Chinese Federation and the EU would have intervened, and Japan today would be divided into three parts still embroiled in war. In other words, the peace today is due to the prompt unconditional surrender. Still, Zero points out that surrender is not what Suzaku’s father was elected for. Instead, this was decided selfishly by whoever killed the prime minister. Because the government was subsequently thrown into disarray, Japan could do nothing but surrender. Thus, the people got their intentions taken from them by a criminal who broke the rules. With Suzaku now in shock, Zero tells him that there’s only one way to atone for it: show everyone the choices they couldn’t choose, including the path to fighting against Britannia that was stolen seven years ago. The alternate path is for Suzaku to force his ego onto many people for eternity, and Zero questions if that is really peace.

Suzaku then gets a message about some incoming missiles and his duty to force Zero to stay. Zero is shocked to hear this, and Suzaku uses the chance to take Zero’s gun and turn the tables. Back at the dock, Euphemia tries to get the officers to call off the attack, but they will only reveal that this is a level-one order they can’t stop. Frustrated, the princess boards a nearby Knightmare to go to the battlefield herself so that she’ll be in enough danger for the attack to be called off. Since the missiles are now almost there, Kallen pilots her Crimson Lotus into the ditch to try to save Zero, but she forgets about Gefjun Disturber field and so her Knightmare screeches to a halt. By now, Suzaku has forced Zero into the Lancelot’s cockpit at gunpoint even as Zero tries to get Suzaku to realize that he’ll die too. The military then radios Suzaku to tell him that his death won’t be in vain because his story will be told for generations to come. Not willing to give up so easily, Toudou orders his Knightmares to use all their ammo to shoot down the missiles. Even more desperate is Kallen who gets out of the Crimson Lotus and tries to get Suzaku’s attention by announcing her true identity.

Even in the face of death, Suzaku declares that a soldier must observe his orders. Zero thinks that it’s easy for him just to obey someone and challenges what Suzaku himself wants to do. Right as Suzaku is saying that this is the rule he decided for himself, a dark shadow suddenly covers the entire area. This shadow belongs to the large battleship now flying overhead which Euphemia recognizes to be her brother’s Avalon. Indeed, it is none other than Schneizel giving out orders. Having failed all his appeals to get Suzaku to understand, Lelouch finally opens the slit on his helmet that reveals his GEASS eye. In that same moment, however, the Avalon opens up with the double barrels of a devastating new Knightmare-mounted weapon.

Preview:

Well they sure know how to end an episode on a high note. There was just so much action and suspense packed into those last couple of minutes. I had been hoping that Schneizel would appear before the end of this first series, and he ended up making quite an entrance with his shiny battleship and new Knightmare (called the Gawain). Of course, I’m sure that the attack won’t have killed any of the main characters (or else the series would end here), though I am curious how they survive. We know that Lelouch was ready to use GEASS on Suzaku at the end, so it seems possible that he got Suzaku to close the cockpit and move the Lancelot away in the nick of time. But if he did use his GEASS, then he won’t be able to ever use it on Suzaku again, and that could screw his future plans.
Those of us who have recently wanted to see more of Kallen got our wish this episode. Almost all of her appearances emphasized just how devoted she is to Zero now, and while she seems ready to give up anything for him, it’s not clear that Suzaku heard her when she revealed who she was in that attempt to save Zero. It’s also not clear to me how she can live through a blast like that at the end if she wasn’t anywhere near her Knightmare at the time.
Other highlights this week include seeing the cool transition from C.C.’s eyes to the Gawain opening fire and having the possibility of a LloydXNina relationship open up. Actually, I suspect that that scene was just so that Lloyd could take a look at Nina’s work and learn about the nuclear stuff. There was also that mysterious girl who we get a brief glimpse of at the end of the episode during the oh-shit moment. She’s also in the preview for next week, so I guess we’ll find out more then.
And finally, no party is perfect unless it’s catered by Pizza Hut. As always, I can’t let such a cameo go by without saying that Pizza Hut Supports the Rebellion.