Turn A Gundam Staff, Production, and Episode Analyses – Episode #18 “Kihel and Dianna”

Turn A Gundam‘s eighteenth episode was broadcast on Fuji TV on August 6, 1999.

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This is one of my favorite episodes, so I’ll have a lot to share in this post. I even own a handful of cels.

Loran and co. are informed that they too have been invited to the Moonrace’s declaration of statehood (Loran, of course, being overly excited about the ordeal since he’ll be able to see his beloved “Dianna”). Later that night, Dianna and Sochie share a sisterly moment; Sochie whines about the idea of having to wear dresses from Lily Bornarjno’s wardrobe, and Dianna chastises her poor manners. When Sochie falls asleep, Dianna realizes that she has to do something before Kihel’s life is put into jeopardy.

Dianna wakes Loran—and only Loran—in his sleep. She reveals to him her true identity as Dianna Soreil and how she has been masquerading as Kihel Heim this entire time, in what was initially just a silly prank. With yesterday’s attempt at her life and now the declaration ceremony, she believes Kihel’s life is in danger and that this charade cannot continue any longer. Loran agrees, and Dianna pleads him to assist her. It’s an intimate moment that shows the amount of trust and goodwill Dianna has for Loran. I really like this scene, because it brings out Dianna’s sense of responsibility and determination to right her wrongs. Plus it was only a matter of time that our main character learns of the ol’ switcheroo. It’s worth noting that for the remainder of the show, Loran’s one of the few people who knows who’s-who during all the Dianna-Kihel swaps.

The next day the Militia and other invited guests assemble at the site of the ceremony, which happens to be where the Dianna Counter first landed. Now that Loran knows Dianna and Kihel have swapped roles, he’s questioning all sorts of things, like if Kihel is capable of forging Dianna’s signature. Curious questions for a curious situation! Loran (as “Laura”), Sochie, and Dianna all sport fancy new outfits for the occassion—all courtesy of Lily Borjarno. Aboard the Soleil, Kihel and Harry discuss the strategic benefits of the statehood declaration. Kihel makes it clear that she has no intentions of widening the current state of hostilities. We learn that Harry’s parents went into cryosleep with the goal of living on Earth as a family later in life, however given their low social status they could only be granted a primitive form of hibernation and his father died. This is one of the few times in the show we get a glimpse at Harry’s personal life.

Wine trucks operated by the Militia also enter the area to serve all the Moonrace members and Earthling guests, and Teteth happens to be with them too. Once many Moonrace guards are sufficiently drunk, Teteth uses the opportunity to steal an outfit and infiltrate the Soleil herself. Remember, her goal is to assassinate Dianna Soreil. The Militia steal an unmanned WaD and have it run amock, and amidst the chaos they roll the wine barrells on the ground and light them on fire to explode. Gavane and his Suicide Squadron—who’ve been keeping watch of the perimeter—use this as a signal to fire a few potshots at the Soleil. Their goal is simply to aggravate the enemy without causing too much chaos. A SUMO engages with them in combat but is successfully destroyed.

I’m going to use K-Dianna (Dianna as “Kihel”) and D-Kihel (Kihel as “Dianna”) for the remainder of this post to avoid confusion.

Meanwhile Loran and Dianna sneak their way into the Soleil, which doesn’t prove very difficult as it’s easy for K-Dianna to act like “Dianna”, given that she is Dianna. They encounter Teteth who briefly mistakes K-Dianna as “Dianna” but then quickly escapes to a higher level when Harry Ord appears. Teteth makes her way to D-Kihel’s room and immediately informs that she’s here to assassinate her, and that Dianna is mistaken to believe that all Moonrace are on the same page. I believe this is the first time Agrippa Maintainer’s name is mentioned in the show; he’s a pivotal character later on, so keep your eye out! It’s clear at this point that there are factions within the Moonrace who don’t agree with Dianna’s handle of the Earth return operation. Teteth reveals that while she has nothing against Dianna personally, she’s simply doing this to regain her honor. She fires at D-Kihel, who barely dodges the shots and makes to escape the room. Teteth chases after her with a knife and D-Kihel dodges those swings as well (she’s rather nimble for a simple noble girl!). Harry arrives at the scene and Teteth escapes yet again.

Once things have settled and the coast is clear, D-Kihel chats a bit with K-Dianna and Loran. She assures them that the declaration of statehood will improve Earth-Moon relations. K-Dianna puts her fait in her and pleads her to tread lightly, and D-Kihel then asks the two of them to return to Guin.

D-Kihel then addresses the crowd. In a rousing speech, she claims that she does not wish to see anymore fighting between the two sides; that she does not wish to see the Dark History repeat itself; that she wants humanity to thrive and for the Earth to regain its former glory; that the Moonrace wish to return to Eaerth and assist in its rebirth; that the Moonrace and Earthlings are all one people with the same eyes, noses, lips, etc., that they are all one humanity. In a shocking heel turn, D-Kihel announces that instead of declaring a Moonrace state, she instead wishes to re-open negotiations with the people of Ameria. K-Dianna feels that D-Kihel was able to speak her mind better than she could, and that she feels safe leaving the Moonrace in her hands for now. Harry and Miran immediately run up to the podium to object, but D-Kihel motions for them to halt. Harry retorts by saying that they can’t keep a military in line with ideals alone, even mockingly calling her “Kihel Heim”. Many members of the Militia suddenly feel emboldened by the fact that the Moonrace have displayed such weak demeanor. They feel that they now have a real shot at winning the war. The episode ends on an ominous note.

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