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Episode 34 – Space Pirates Bisidian
We start off with the Diva reaching space and everyone in awe about it. Looking out a window with Wootbit, Kio gets an odd feeling that someone is out there waiting as we jump to a new person saying “At last, I have you Diva” as we hit the opening credits.
We’re back and it’s over to Zeheart as Fram Nora is giving him a report about the Diva’s disappearance. We learn via her musing that she’s checking to see if he was worth her brother’s life and if not she plans on killing him.
Back over to the Diva and we learn they are travelling through a region of space where many ships have disappeared and such over the recent years. Of course that leads to an alert as an unknown ship appears one that has pirate like markings, calling themselves the Space Pirates Bisidian (or Visidian depending on your translation). The pirates order the Diva to surrender but of course Flit and Natora refuse which leads to the conflict. Of note is that the Captain of the pirates opts to go out as he says he expects nothing less from the Diva and her crew. The Abis squad is deployed with Kio being reassured that his training and experience will make up for his first time fighting in space. Wootbit also notes that this will give the AGE system a chance to gather data.
As the team launches, Kio’s X-rounder abilities picks up on the pirate captain and what appears to be a pirate like Gundam. It is then that the pirate captain reveals that he is Asemu Asuno, Kio’s father and he wants to see how far Kio has progressed as he and his Gundam attacks Kio and the AGE3. Way to go AGE writers, you kinda ruined the suspense rather quickly there. The fight is fairly one sided with Asemu having the advantage and wondering if this is Kio’s limit until Kio shows some signs of being better. On the Diva, Flit is observing the battle and notes how no one knows who the leader is and how the pirate Gundam resembles the Age2. That’s when he uses his X-rounder power to figure out that it’s really Asemu. Speaking of which, we see Asemu musing about how he knows Flit is on the Diva but since he left the military he wonders how much the old man can do along with noting if they’re still worth of the AGE System.
The battle progresses until the Vagans appear. Flit comes with a plan, which both Abis and Asemu realize, to draw the Vagans who they are fighting in between the Pirates and Diva’s forces. During which a number of the units target Kio but he fights them off until they catch him and hold him in place as one of the guys from that desert team is there ready to get the killing blow. Asemu intervenes and until Woolf who did similar, he manages to dodge and kill the Vagan, thus reducing the Desert squad to one last member. Kio asks Asemu why he helped him but gets no answer as the Asemu flies off before firing a small tracker like object at the Gundam.
Back on the Vagan cruiser as Fram apologizes for the mission failure to Zeheart and he reminds her to recall those who died on the mission. We also learnt that she’s really there to spy and report any errors so that her superior, the masked guy Zanald, can use it to displace Zeheart.
Back on the Diva, Flit and Kio speak and Flit reveals that it was in fact Kio’s father he was fighting as Wootbit finds the tracking device that Asemu planted on the Gundam. The episode ends with Asemu explaining to his first officer that he was testing the Diva to find out if they are still worthy of the AGE system and that he believes that they are.
Nimrod’s Thoughts – Another rushed episode although at least we know who the pirate Gundam is now and that it is indeed Asemu being Captain Harlock. I do wish they stretched out the reveal a bit longer as it just felt a bit too quick to drop it to Kio much less the audience that it’s Asemu. The other plot of Fram is also a bit rushed though not surprising. I suspect she’ll eventually side with Zeheart and turn on Zanald.
