In today’s episode, Marina learns a valuable lesson about being a head of state in a volatile country

Poor Head-of-State-chan. :(

Marina is quite a good character, when I think about it–she’s soft-spoken, and you wonder how on Earth she got to be Princess of Azadistan. She’s one of those people that sticks up for what is right, but, because she’s the head of state, just can’t catch any slack. She totally wouldn’t make it as an actual head of state in the real world, but in Gundam-land she’s an effective character. No matter how hard she tries to bring opposing people together, she just can’t do it–human emotions flare far too easily, and, since she’s so timid, she beats herself up for failing to succeed. It’s the fate of all people who have the ability to see both sides of a conflict, and the futility of the situation that, even if someone who’s clearly reasonable and willing to compromise is in power, peace is a far-fetched option. Of course, that’s why Celestial Being is fighting–to create a one-sided peace that exists solely because if it doesn’t, the Gundams rain destruction down upon you until you stop. As many of the characters have pointed out, it’s a non-solution that’s just as bad as any police state.

Setsuna is still pretty personality-less, although every time he bumps into Marina he seems to get +2 personality. Perhaps he’ll level up before then. Mizushima has already said that the seemingly personality-less Gundam Meisters are going to get fleshed out before the end of the first season. We’ve already started to see a bit of that, but the season’s only halfway through its run.

Next episode looks pretty fun, too. Someone has a different Gundam! Or a fake one. Or something. And then they die. Or something.