I could easily say that Dragonaut: The Resonance was overhyped and flopped. Conversely, I could also say that not enough people gave the show a chance and it was tossed aside before being given a chance for redemption. I don’t think the show was outright terrible, but it did have a much longer way to fall since the expectations placed on it were so high.

Synopsis:
Twenty years prior to the anime’s current time, the alien asteroid Thanatos destroyed Pluto and is bound to eventually collide with Earth when it breaks free from Pluto’s orbit. Unbeknownst to the public, Thanatos also harbors alien life forms known as dragons. The International Solarsystem Development Agency (ISDA) is formed, and they create their own dragons to deal with this impending threat.

Fast forward to two years before the current timeline. Three original dragons (Album, Raum, and Atrum) are sent from Thanatos to scout the progress of Earth’s dragon project. Jin Kamishina boards shuttle ISDA029, piloted by his father, along with the rest of his family because of his mother’s work. Album collides with shuttle ISDA029 as it takes off, killing Jin’s family and the entire crew. Album performs a resonance with Jin, taking human form for the first time, and manages to save him. The other two original dragons crash elsewhere and perform resonances to take human form.

The shuttle incident brings infamy to Jin as he is the mysterious sole survivor of the horrific crash. In addition, the ISDA used Jin’s father as the scapegoat, claiming a grievous piloting error on his part to cover up the existence of dragons. Jin moves in with a relative but becomes a social outcast due to the stigma surrounding him. Moving on the the present timeline, Jin unwillingly becomes involved in the story as he is attacked by a rogue ISDA dragon and subsequently saved by Album, who is now a girl going by the name Toa.

The main cast of Dragonaut

If I even remotely attempted to do a full synopsis of the entire 25 episodes, this review could easily turn into a 10,000 word essay. You can check out my summaries up until episode 15, and I also recommend reading Random Curiosity’s summaries.

Many things happen through the course of the story as the bond between Jin and Toa is tested. Things get more complicated as earth dragon Gio enters the picture, creating a love triangle between himself, Jin, and Toa. Jin eventually discovers that Toa was responsible for the shuttle incident, but grows to accept what happened and doesn’t blame her for what happened.

Furthermore, Jin also grows out of his shell as he quarrels with his former friend Kazuki Tachibana, and becomes involved with the Dragonauts’ struggle with Thanatos and the rival Gillard Military force. Through the course of the show, it is slowly revealed that Thanatos is a sentient alien being that cannot be harmed by conventional weapons. Jin and Toa ultimately convince Thanatos to comply with their request to leave Earth in peace, as the sentient asteroid realizes the error of its ways. The two finally get their wish to live a peaceful life on Earth together at the conclusion of the series.

Toa is Jin’s knight in shining armor

Thoughts:
Dragonaut was seriously overhyped with its stellar voicecast consisting of the entire SOS-dan, Junichi Suwabe, Nana Mizuki, and Saeko Chiba among others. Dragonaut really felt like it would be Gonzo’s sci-fi answer to Sunrise studio’s recent successes. Unfortunately several things kept this from happening.

The script was sporadic with many characters making sudden 180 degree personality shifts throughout the show. It’s easy to pick on Kazuki, since he is easily the show’s worst character. Take Suzaku from Code Geass and make him 10 times more unlikeable. A wild Kazuki has appeared! The show tried to give him the proper buildup for his change from childhood friend into a villain, but his motives were still extremely shallow.

Kazuki continually pursues Jin for much of the show simply because Gio willingly chose to travel with Jin. In other words Kazuki isn’t even fighting for a cause bigger than himself. He really makes Suzaku look charming and valorous in comparison. Kazuki isn’t the only one that makes shifts in allegiance and personality but his is certainly the most drastic and unwarranted.

The girls flaunt their goods

The story initially lacked flow. With all the “Rescue Jin” and “Rescue Toa” scenarios, it’s hard to get things rolling smoothly when the focus of the show is these two principal characters. The number of times these two get captured by opposing forces is downright ridiculous. For all the story’s flaws, I’ll admit that the scriptwriters were gutsy to kill off the show’s more interesting characters midway through; The deaths in episodes 16 and 17 really surprised me. The script’s pace finally got on track around this point and didn’t jump all over the place too much anymore. On the other side of the argument, a good 1/3 of the show felt like wasted time.

Like the script, the animation was up and down. I suspect that the animation budget was reserved for the battle sequences. CG rendering was used extensively to animate the dragons in their true form and this admittedly felt out of place. The soundtrack was actually good with some catchy tunes here and there.

Character designs are a love or hate affair. The average female bust size of this show is probably 95cm or so. Giant jiggling breasts aside, I liked the designs. Even though there were a ton of secondary characters, everyone had their own unique look that distinguished them.

Despite all the glaring flaws, Dragonaut could have also done much worse. For all the things it did wrong (horrid pacing, lots of bad scripting, out of place fanservice, and a couple glaring plot holes), it also got some things right like characterization. The show was very much about Jin’s growth as a person and that point was executed pretty well. Many of the show’s other secondary characters were fleshed out pretty well with their own personalities and motives for fighting. When a show gets you attached to some of the characters, it has to be doing something right.

If you could get past the first eight episodes which were admittedly bad, you’ll find that Dragonaut manages to salvage its plot and actually becomes a decent show. It was simply an average show that didn’t live up to extremely high expectations, so it got unduly chastised by the fan community. Give Dragonaut a second chance and you may just find a diamond in the rough.

I give Dragonaut a very fair 5/10.

It was twelve years ago that the Gillard New Emirates entered into a military alliance with the ISDA. Prince Rajna, the elder son of the king, was the one originally intended to act as the administrator of the alliance, but his untimely secret assassination at the hands of Asim and Garnet changed history.

Jin and Akira are met with waves of resistance from Gillard forces as the two approach Mars. Prince Asim orders Garnet to let the interlopers come because he thinks it’ll be interesting. The Avenir lands on the moon to resupply for the upcoming battle with Thanatos. Mr. Kiril meets with the D-Project council in a video conference. Due to Ostrum’s attack on New Ogasawara City, the people of Earth are in a worldwide panic. The blame game is bounced around between the ISDA and Gillard forces. King Gillard tells Mr. Kiril that the recent rogue actions of Gillard forces is isolated within a faction within Asim’s forces, and reassures Mr. Kiril that the ISDA has the nation’s full military backing. Sakaki, also sitting in on the meeting, suspects that there is a greater power at work.

Prince Asim and Toa have a philosophical talk about the foolishness of humanity. Asim has illusions of grandeur that he is above everyone else, but Toa tells him that everything is equal. She argues that while humans have their bad side, they also have a good side to them too. According to her, love can awaken an incredible power. Asim is quick to point out that this power of love is related to Jin, and alerts Toa that Jin is on his way to the palace right now.

Jin and Akira touch down on Mars and easily deal with the surface resistance. The two break through the defensive lines, and even the Agathions prove to be ineffective against the duo. Then again when have the Agathions ever worked? Akira stays behind to deal with a group of Agathions as Jin and Gio break into the palace to rescue Toa.

Asim observes Toa’s reactions as they both watch Jin and Gio storm through the palace and deal with the well-endowed guards stationed throughout. Gio isn’t afraid to hit girls, so he and Jin make steady progress to the top of the tower where Asim and Toa await. Toa calls Asim foolish for taking delight in Jin and Gio’s pain as they continue to watch the monitors. Prince Asim notes that Toa is almost like a human with her diverse range of emotions when it comes to Jin.

Jin and Gio finally make it to the top of the tower, but their princess is in another castle and Jin battles Asim while Gio fights off Garnet. Asim beats Jin around, and Toa’s anger starts to crack the special CSS enforced glass. Jin and Gio deal with their respectives foes, and the power of Jin and Toa’s aforementioned love frees Toa from her prison. Asim goes off his rocker after witnessing the power of Jin and Toa’s love.

The power of love. Right. The best part of this episode was watching Gio smack around all those lady guards. An entirely forgettable episode save for Toa finally getting rescued. Let’s just hope she doesn’t need to be rescued again. Asim’s character sucks, but Asim as a villain >>>>>>>>> Kazuki as a villain. Speaking of which, my money is on Kazuki becoming an anti-hero when he comes back.

3 years before the present, Liner and Jin’s father share a conversation over a cup of coffee. Liner inquires why Mr. Kamishina is letting his skills go to waste when he could do so much more. Mr. Kamishina simply replies that he has something to protect. Our peek at their conversation cuts off when Liner asks if Mr. Kamishina is familiar with the D-Project and the Dragonauts.

Returning to our main story, Mr. Kiril answers the press about the ISDA’s plan of attack concerning the dragon attack. Jin oversees the injured Gio’s recovery after the battle with Ostrum. Liner pulls Jin aside where he and Howling Star extend an offer to officially join the Dragonauts. Jin doubts his own strength, but Liner tells him to believe in his strength. Jin asks why Liner became a Dragonaut, to which Liner responds that he wanted to test his own potential.

Elsewhere Nozaki shares his story with his master, Kitajima, in the ruins of the lab. Nozaki abandoned his original mission to retrieve the Earth-born dragons, and instead decided to take care of the eggs and live among humans. Unknown to them, the two are observed by Sakaki and Yonamine.

Akira and Machina are reflecting on their next course of action when they are approached by Sieglinde and Amadeus. Amadeus tells the two of the D-Project’s newly advanced schedule and of the Avenir’s status. Sieglinde reinvites Akira to join the Dragonauts; Akira refuses and says that she will follow Jin. Akira counters and offers to let Sieglinde join their entourage. Sieglinde refuses and deals with her abandonment issues as Akira and Machina take off.

It is finally time for the Avenir’s launch and preparations are underway. The crew and remaining Dragonauts ready themselves for the shuttle’s launch. Liner reflects on Jin’s question earlier and remembers the conversation with Jin’s father. Back then it was actually Mr. Kamishina that recommended Liner to become a Dragonaut. With this act, Mr. Kamishina handed over the reins of responsibility over to Liner while he stepped out of the spotlight to take care of his family. It was Mr. Kamishina that challenged Liner to test his potential as a pilot as a Dragonaut.

Jin and Gio rendezvous with Akira and Machina on a cliff and the quartet begin their journey to Mars, but things get complicated when Kazuki enters the picture. He launches a surprise attack on Jin as usual since he doesn’t know how to fight fair. The ensuing battle doesn’t impede the Avenir’s launch as the dragons duke it out in the air. Jin dodges a shot from Widow that subsequently destroys a vital part of the shuttle launcher. With the shuttle already in motion it is too late and it looks like an inevitable disaster. Akira and Machina save the day when they hold the catapultup , and the Avenir successfully ascends into the atmosphere.

Kazuki actually gets the better of Jin and Akira for most of the battle. However when Akira’s life is in danger, Jin accidentally destroys Kazuki’s cockpit, sending his former friend flying in the air shortly before disappering in an explosion. There is no time for Jin to grieve for Kazuki as the mission to save Toa takes precedence. Liner tells Jin to continue believing in himself as the Dragonauts and Jin’s entourage head their separate ways. Jin vows to save Toa as he and Akira finally go to Mars. In the midst of all the action, trouble seems to be brewing on Thanatos again.

Kazuki is a pathetic villain. Weak motive, weak personality, weak character. He’s the kind of evil bastard that you hate just because he sucks. Ugh. I know he’s still alive, but I hope he stays out of action for a couple episodes at the very least.

Ending 2: FIGHT OR FLIGHT
Lots of Gundam Seed style nudity in this ending. This ending song is actually pretty catchy, and I’m looking forward to the single release. The still shots are the usual fare and extend the focus beyond just the Dragonauts. The only bad thing is that it confirms that Kazuki is definitely still alive. Guess you can’t win them all.

10 years ago, the destructive power of the Type-X missile to deal with Thanatos is presented by the Gillard Army to a committee. Mr. Kiril and Sakaki are asked about the shuttle that will transport the missile as per the ISDA’s end of the deal. Kiril informs the committee of the shuttle’s failure, but Sakaki proposes the idea of using dragons to do the job instead. It is here that he conceives the idea of using Earth-born dragons to complete the D-Project.

The battle between Ostrum and Atrum (Nozaki) is underway as the battle fatigued Lindwurm Unit watches on. Kitajima informs the group of Nozaki’s true identity as the third original dragon and shocks everyone. Ostrum takes a break from their battle to tell Nozaki about their Mother’s new plan to destroy all the dragons on Earth. Nozaki swears to defend the dragons and the two continue their fight.

Prince Asim has fun with Toa by making her beg to turn off the CSS in her enclosure. Seeing that he has not yet broken her spirit though, he refuses the request and sends her away. Ostrum continues to overpower Nozaki who has grown weak in his time on Earth. Nozaki is distracted by Kitajima’s presence and is easily knocked out by Ostrum’s powerful blast. Upon dealing with his current foe, Ostrum finally takes notice of Jin and Gio in the stratosphere and decides to deal with them as well. The Lindwurm Unit joins the battle again to help even the odds.

*Cue the transformation stock footage to eat up some time*

The Lindwurm Unit provides their support to aid Jin and Gio against Ostrum. Elsewhere, Mr. Kiril desperately begs the Gillard Army to send support to battle Ostrum. Asim decides to withhold his help until the ISDA has inflicted more damage. Hoshi cannot sit by as she worries about Kitajima’s safety on Earth. Hoshi approaches Toa and asks what she would do if the CSS was turned off. Toa tells of her original mission to bring back the dragon eggs on Earth and how Thanatos has now abandoned it. Just as Hoshi removes the CSS barrier, she is shot and killed by Garnet. The distressed Toa cries out, and Jin briefly hears her song until Garnet reactivates the CSS.

Jin heads to Mars to rescue Toa while the Lindwurm Unit holds Ostrum at bay. They manage to do so but quickly fall to the mighty Ostrum. As things are looking grim for the ISDA, Itsuki and Otohime make their reappearance intending to use the Type-X to destroy Ostrum. They push Ostrum higher into space due to the highly destructive power of the missile. However, Ostrum breaks free of her grip and Otohime drops the Type-X. Jin returns to recover the Type-X and carries out the rest of Itsuki’s plan for her. The missile detonates, presumably killing Ostrum. Gio is seriously injured as he and Jin descend back to Earth. With the battle now over, Sakaki orders the D-Project to move into its next phase and to prepare their special shuttle, Avenir, for launch.

All in all, a good episode for Dragonaut. Toa’s screentime was limited this week and it was action packed. The battle between Nozaki and Ostrum demonstrated the power of the original dragons who make almost all the Earth-born dragons look like chumps in comparison. Gio is the exception to the rule though as he carries main character status. Garnet is also just that evil bitch that you love to hate. It’s refreshing to see Aya Hirano take that kind of role and just run with it.

Dragonaut slowly reveals more of the backstory with another flashback. This time we see Mr. Kiril holding a funeral service for the victims of the shuttle crash. All the while, Nozaki watches Kitajima and seems very confused after taking his human form for the first time.

Back to the action at hand, Liner and Sieglinde move in to intercept the raging dragon, but it disappears in a flash of light before they can attack. It moves a distance away and unwillingly assumes a Communicator form. Nozaki orders Kitajima to stay on Tartarus to observe Gio and Widow under the pretense that either one could go berserk. Kitajima locks the two in a special room filled with CSS to prevent them from using their powers and Actualizing. Regardless, Kitajima second guesses Nozaki’s order and leaves the island to return to base.

Nozaki reviews the footage of the neo-original dragon, now named Ostrum, in the command center. He pinpoints that the flash of light is the dragon assuming a Communicator form and that it is still at large in the city. The ISDA orders a citywide evacuation, and they scour the area to find Ostrum. An unfortunate unit stumbles upon the new dragon underground and is mercilessly wiped out. Ostrum then proceeds to slaughter an evacuation group with the pure hatred for humans fueling his rage. In the midst of all the action, Kazuki goes rogue and heads for Tartarus to reclaim his dragon.

Ostrum Actualizes back to his original form and is attacked by Liner and Sieglinde. He easily overwhelms the two pilots with his superior power. Never one to sit idly by, Akira joins the fray after telling Jin to go to Tartarus for Gio. Yonamine approaches Jin and offers to give him a ride to Tararus. The tide of the battle briefly turns when Akira launches a sneak attack on Ostrum.

Jin arrives at Tartarus. For a secret military base, there is no security of any kind. Talk about careless. He has a scuffle with Kazuki who still demands Gio to be returned to him. Jin knocks Kazuki out and rushes into the chamber to see Gio who tells him that Toa has been taken by the Gillard military. However, Kazuki seals the door shut and opens up the floor to drop Jin into the lava pit below. Why is there a lava pit down there…?

Ostrum tosses the Lindwurm unit aside and lands directly above the ISDA command center for a direct attack. Sakaki orders the base to move to the next project phase and the command center descends underground. Kitajima finally catches up to Nozaki and is astounded when he drops the sample dragon, Raum, into the molten lava. Kitajima witnesses a light cast itself upon Nozaki to reveal the silhouette of a dragon. Ostrum interrupts their spat and recgonizes Nozaki for who he really is.

Kazuki drops Gio and Jin into the pit after being rejected once again. Gio finds the strength to Actualize and escapes the prison with Jin. Kitajima watches in awe as Nozaki, an original dragon named Atrum, begins his fight with Ostrum.

Time for some thoughts. Another good episode. There seems to be an inverse relationship between Toa screentime and episode quality. Less Toa = Better episode. Ostrum is just plain merciless and kind of fun to watch. Kazuki has fallen to a new low which is surprising even for him. I predict that Nozaki will lose the battle and either die or become seriously injured. There’s also the possibility that Jin and Gio will interrupt the duel and fight Ostrum on an even level.

We see the first meeting between Hoshi and Kitajima five years ago as the latter is out shopping at a department store with Yonamine. Nanami Hoshi introduces herself as Kitajima’s new subordinate thus starting their supposed friendship. Fast-forwarding to where the previous episode left off, Hoshi radios Garnet, knocks out Kitajima, and takes Album into Gillard custody.

The remaining members of the Lindwurm unit follow Sakaki’s orders to not pursue Akira and Machina. Kazuki thinks back to his reprimand from Sakaki for making up the blatant lie about a secret mission. However Sakaki lets the matter slide and even seems to encourage the occasional impulsive behavior. Akira takes Jin to an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. Much to their surprise the electricity and water are still working so Akira decides to take a shower to give the viewers some fanservice. She walks out into the living room totally nude much to Jin’s chagrin. When asked about their current course of action, Jin responds that he only wants to see Toa again.

Kitajima awakens on the wrecked submarine and makes a beeline swim to nearby Tartarus to contact the ISDA on the radio. Garnet inquires about whether or not Hoshi killed Kitajima as part of the mission. Knowing full well the she didn’t though, Garnet decides to be lenient and lets it slide. The Agathions blast off into space with the command pod in tow back to their home base on Mars. At his own home Sakaki does a little research on Kazuki in his free time. Meanwhile out in space, Thanatos begins a strange countdown with Toa’s departure from Earth.

Sakaki quickly receives word of the Album situation and is brought up to speed on what’s happening. He tells his daughter to go back to sleep as he heads off to the base. Itsuki and Otohime of the Vritra unit practice a simulation run to destroy Thanatos with a special missile named Dragon Slayer. Itsuki briefs her unit on the special Dragon Slayer and the difficulties in their mission to destroy Thanatos. After the briefing ends, Itsuki’s brother, Yuuya, expresses his disappointment in not being able to participate in the mission.

Prince Asim expresses great excitement upon receiving Toa from Garnet and Hoshi. Toa loudly protests to be released and go back to Earth, otherwise something terrible will happen. Asim pays little heed to her warning but is interrupted from his fun when he is informed that a new dragon has just launched from Thanatos. Toa is left in distress as she hears this information, powerless to do anything.

Liner arranges a date with Itsuki over video conference when the line suddenly dies on Itsuki’s end. Liner and the rest of his unit rush to the command center where they are brought up to speed concerning the Vritra Unit’s space base. A new dragon dubbed as a neo-original has crashed into the base, and the entire Vritra unit has been annihilated. Itsuki and Otohime survive the attack and make haste to escape before the base explodes as Yuuya encounters the dragon face-to-face. Otohime is attacked by the dragon on the descent into earth’s atmosphere and takes a hard plunge into New Ogasawara’s waters. The new dragon perches on the shuttle launcher and does it look pissed.

You know, I just can’t shake the feeling that Yuuuya isn’t dead and that he’s probably with the new dragon. If so, then he would have already surpassed Kazuki in accomplishments. It seems odd to introduce a character, learn about their motivations, and then have them die in the same episode. Yeah yeah, I know mecha shows do that all the time but this is Dragonaut. It’s entirely possible to do that just to show how powerful and ruthless the dragons are supposed to be though. The Vritra Unit got owned before they even did anything; Now that’s a preemptive strike. The show is still dragging but the pace looks to be picking up some steam.

Oh yeah, first minor quip. This show has a terrible track record of introducing characters before giving us their name. It took several episodes to learn Sieglinde’s name when she was introduced in the first episode. It took eleven episodes to officially learn Hoshi’s name. The trend is bound to continue.

Second minor quip. The Gillard female uniform makes them look like a bunch of hussies. It must be Asim’s preference to have all of his female officers with their boobs hanging out. Garnet also has that whole strip dancer thong/g-string underwear thing going on. I personally think she looks much better in the spacesuit, because she just looks like a joke of an officer in her normal attire.

Dragons: 1
Humans: 0
Kazuki: Fails at life

In this week’s episode we start by looking a year back at Akira’s Resonance with Machina. Considering that the dragons only showed up two years ago from the present time, those scientists really worked hard on the dragon research. Back in the present Sakaki, Kitajima, Nozaki, and the Lindwurm unit are discussing the Gillard attack as well as the rogue actions of Kazuki and Jin during a video conference with Mr. Kiril. Liner makes a thought to himself about Jin and compliments the young man by admitting he is a skilled pilot.

Liner gives his report on the dragons; Toa is confined for ISDA research while Gio and Widow have been sent to Tartarus, a prison and graveyard for dragons. Kiril states that the defective dragons need to be disposed of which unsettles the Lindwurm unit communicators. Kitajima intervenes saying that because Gio and Widow don’t obey the Resonance, they would actually be very valuable for research; Sakaki argues that Album is all they need now. Akira gets fed up and tells them to not talk about such matters in front of the dragons. Liner makes a timely intervention and cuts the meeting short before Akira is reevaluated by the higher-ups of being unsuitable of her position.

Meanwhile on the island Tartarus, Gio and Widow discuss their roles as earth-born dragons. Gio resigns himself to his fate much like Howling Star did, and Widow tells him that he may be unable to change fate but he can change his destiny. Widow explains their current circumstance of being on the Tartarus. It is a secret dragon disposal site and thus they have been deemed as disposable by the ISDA.

At Jin’s holding cell, Kitajima and her assistant shed light on the Resonance procedure to the bewildered youth. She tells him that the Resonance is a contract and that he has broken the contract between Kazuki and Gio. She then drops the bomb that Jin is Album’s master.

In the briefing room, Sieglinde tells Akira that the surface relationship between the ISDA and Gillard military is patched up for the moment. Sieglinde tearfully asks that Akira not betray the unit because they have already lost Amagi and Kazuki so far. Akira agrees that she won’t be leaving. In the hallway Kitajima and her assistant have a seemingly innocent conversation as the assistant drops a hint for the Professor to get her a birthday present. Garnet reports her failure to capture Gio to the Gillard prince who forgives her. He sets his sights even higher and commands Garnet to now capture Album instead. He tells her to make use of the spy that the Gillard military has placed in the ISDA.

Kitajima, her assistant, and Nozaki prepare to examine Toa when she suddenly breaks free of her restraints and escapes. The Lindwurm units moves out to capture her. Meanwhile Akira frees Jin from his room and helps him escape. Toa arrives at her destination followed by Sieglinde, Amadeus, and Nozaki. She pleads her case to take the dragon eggs but they render her unconscious. Akira, Jin, and Machina arrive at the parking garage, but Liner and Howling Star step in to foil the escape. Machina takes Liner hostage to keep Howling Star at bay so they manage to escape in a vehicle.

With Toa secured in custody again, Nozaki orders a halt to the experiments on Album. The assistant, Hoshi, suggests to Kitajima that they secretly take Album to Tartarus to resume their research. They take a submarine to Tartarus but are soon ambushed by the Gillard army. Hoshi holds Kitajima at gunpoint and tells her that she’ll be taking Album as her birthday present.

This episode wasn’t bad. My only complaint was that it seemed a bit too boob-centric again. We still have to deal with some Jin emo-ness but it’s been drastically toned down from previous episodes. It was also refreshing to see Nozaki placed as the red herring spy to the viewers, when it was actually the unassuming assistant all along. Akira really stole this episode as well with her bold decision to betray the ISDA. The show is slowly starting to get better now and hopefully it will stay that way from now on.

We look back to the day of the shuttle crash from Commander Sakaki’s point of view and find out that he lost his wife and daughter that day. With the truth about the accident made clear by Toa, everyone present is left in a state of shock. The Lindwurm unit suddenly closes in on the secret meeting and the fugitives are detained. Liner questions Kazuki’s actions about taking Toa. The latter lies that he was on a secret mission from Commander Sakaki to capture Jin and Gio. Liner lets him off the hook but is left very suspicious.

Garnet takes a look at a disc that supposedly contains the data for Resonance on it. Her secret meeting with Liner was a bargain for the Resonance data if she would leave Gio alone. She quickly finds out that she has been had when her team analyzes the fake data. The Lindwurm unit embarks from the moon to Earth with Toa, Gio, and Jin in their custody. Liner reports the situation to Sakaki and questions him on Kazuki’s “secret mission”. Sakaki is caught off guard by the revelation but covers for Kazuki nonetheless. After the communication ends Liner’s doubts about the secret mission are confirmed by Sakaki’s hesitant response. Sakaki himself looks deeper at Kazuki’s personal file as well. Kitajima has dinner with her colleague, Professor Nozaki, and the two discuss the research that can be accomplished with Album now in their possession.

Never one to be made a fool of, Garnet and her enormous breasts launch a surprise attack from behind on the Lindwurm unit. The Dragonauts retaliate and make short work of the first wave of fighters. They are baited from the shuttle’s vicinity and soon find out that it was the enemy’s tactic to lead them away. Garnet unleashes her fake dragons, the Agathions, to attack the shuttle and steal Album from the ISDA.

Sensing the danger around them, Gio breaks his restraints and rushes over to Jin’s cell to save Toa. While the Dragonauts are busy with the Gillard Army’s fighter units, Garnet mercilessly orders her ship’s main cannons to fire upon both friend and foe alike. However a new face arrives on the scene and shields the Dragonauts from the blast. She is introduced as Habaragi Itsuki, leader of the Vritra unit, along with her dragon Otohime. Gio reminds Jin of his promise to protect Toa. Jin reflects on the matter briefly and rushes to save her with renewed vigor. He and Gio easily defeat the two Agathions, and Garnet retreats having had her plan to capture Album foiled. They aren’t out of the woods yet as the battle causes the shuttle the enter earth’s atmosphere at an incorrect angle for reentry. When all looks lost for the shuttle, Jin and Gio stage a spectacular rescue and act as a buffer against the atmosphere. Toa is finally brought in to meet Sakaki who shows her the ISDA’s captured dragon in stasis. Meanwhile Jin seems to be captured again…

Noteworthy things: The last few seconds of the opening changed this week to a space battle presumably between the dragons and the Gillard Army. I’m not even going to keep track of the number of times that Jin gets captured or goes emo anymore. The psuedo love triangle between Kazuki, Jin, and Gio continues. In all actuality, the show seems to have gotten over its slump and is getting better. You won’t want to miss the next episode of our favorite space soap opera, Gundam Seed Destiny Dragonaut.

As per the usual, we see a scene two years ago presumably a bit after the shuttle incident. Jin transfers away and parts on bad terms with Kazuki. Back to the present, Jin tells Toa his desire to return to Earth and live there with her. Gio thinks that he is in their way, but Jin doesn’t think so and requests that the three of them live together.

Toa has a dream and receives orders from Thanatos whom she adresses as her mother. She is reminded of her mission before waking up and leaving Jin yet again. He and Gio awaken to find her missing again and they quickly search the area for her. Kazuki and Widow ambush the two in the park. Jin pleads his case to let him go so that he can find Toa. Kazuki will have none of this however and tells Jin that Gio is his belonging. Gio slugs Kazuki in the stomach and tells his “master” that he belongs to no one and proceeds to escape with Jin.

Yonamine has a casual conversation with Liner and dances around the topic of Garnet’s breach into the ISDA while vaguely hinting about his knowledge of Liner’s secret involvement with her. After their exchange is done, Liner returns to his room to discover Toa willing to turn herself over to the ISDA.

The preparations to shuttle Toa back to Earth are underway. On the bridge, Liner tells Kazuki that he will be punished for coming to the moon without authorization. Widow finds Jin and Gio and informs them of Toa’s capture by the ISDA. Jin and Gio have a secret meeting with Kazuki and Widow to try to negotiate the terms of Toa’s rescue. Kazuki takes a sadistic pleasure in taunting his former friend and obviously demands that Gio be returned for the help he is offering. Jin reluctantly agrees with the plan leaving Gio feeling betrayed and upset.

Widow infiltrates the shuttle and easily slips past all of the defenses to rescue Toa. Jin and Gio have a man-to-man talk; Gio asks Jin if he is able to protect Toa, and Jin accepts the responsibility given to him by Gio. Kazuki and Widow bring Toa to Jin shortly afterwards. Jin urges Toa to come back with him, but Toa adamantly refuses. She tosses a familiar memento to him, half of the bracelet that his sister was wearing on the day of the shuttle explosion. Toa finally reveals that she was the one that crashed into the shuttle and killed his family.

Oh noes drama. Just when it seems like the teen drama between Jin and Toa may be resolved, yet another roadblock comes between them. Sigh. So does this mean we’re back to square one? I sure hope not. It sure looks like Toa chose her name from the bracelet she gave back to Jin. The original message said “To Ai” but the “i” was smudged off so it simply says “To A” now. Guess we’ll have to wait until next week to see how this teen drama love fest pans out and inevitably goes nowhere again.

Hooray for the obligatory spa/pool episode. For Dragonaut this cliche has come sooner rather than later. Anyway the show starts with a mandatory flashback, and we see a younger Sieglinde paying her respects at her dog’s grave, who just so happened to be named Amadeus. Jin, Toa, and Gio go to the spa/pool, courtesy of the very generous restaurant owner, to further complicate their little love triangle. Toa compares her situation with Jin to the story of The Little Mermaid, but Jin cheers her up by telling her that their relationship is different. Gio leaves and continues to reflect on Howling Star’s words of his interference between Jin and Toa’s relationship and questions his resolve.

The Lindwurm unit is not far behind the trio. They are assigned to infiltrate the spa to capture Gio and Toa, while Liner attends to his own business away from the mission. Sieglinde uses her sharp deductive skills to confront Akira about letting Jin escape, but ultimately lets the issue slide this time. The Dragonauts and their dragons clown around in the pool while searching for their targets. The ever vigilant Sieglinde is quick to spot Jin and Toa; Amadeus begins his assault as Toa runs away with Jin in her arms. Gio joins the fray as all the dragons become involved in the skirmish. The foundation starts to crumble as the fight takes its toll on the surrounding area. The Lindwurm unit traps the rogue trio in a shallow pool with the ground becoming even more stable. Sieglinde, unaware of the situation, jumps into the pool, the ground gives way, and everyone is separated as a whirlpool draws them into the depths of the colony.

Away from all the action, the reporter Yonamine tails Garnet MacLaine and is shocked to discover that she is having a secret meeting with Liner Cromwell. Jin awakens from the ordeal and finds an injured Sieglinde stranded with him. Akira finds herself stuck with Toa, and all of the earth-born dragons are stuck together in their own area. Jin does his best to attend to Sieglinde’s wound, and the girl has a dream reminiscent of her past. We find out that she is a prodigy that was socially shunned by those around her for her intellect and offputting demeanor, and thus has always been alone as a result. When she wakes up, she opens up to Jin about her loneliness and he reassures her that she is never alone. Jin allows her to piggyback on him as they continue to search for a way out. As she rides on his back, she recalls her early memories of being with her dog, Amadeus, and she finally reveals her name to Jin.

Amadeus, Howling Star, Machina, and Gio combine their strength to destroy a wall, and the water comes rushing in. Everyone is reunited as they all scramble to escape the underground complex. Gio Actualizes into his dragon form and he, Jin, Toa, and Sieglinde escape on their own. Jin drops Sieglinde off on a bench and the rogue trio departs once again. On Earth, Kazuki is hot on their trail as he takes the dragon, Widow, to join the hunt on his own.

…What a goofy episode. I’d say it was 1/2 backstory and character development for Sieglinde, 1/4 development for Gio, and 1/4 fanservice. Howling Star and Gio have terrible choice in swimwear too. Low cut speedos… Oh the horror. Kazuki has gotten even more emo as he sports his new emo hairdo in pursuit of his love interest dragon, Gio. I’m interested to see how the inevitable clash between the former friends turns out.