Turn A Gundam Staff, Production, and Episode Analyses – Episode #29 “Two Aboard the Soleil”

Turn A Gundam‘s twenty-ninth episode was broadcast on Fuji TV on October 28, 1999.

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Dianna is interrogated by Phil and his cronies but she continues her claim that she’s simply “KIhel Heim”. Phil doesn’t appear to buy her façade and they sit her down at gun point. She says that if they execute her, he’ll be a laughing stock for executing a woman who looks like “Queen Dianna” while the real Dianna runs amok. At this point, Phil’s confused because he’s not actually sure if she’s Dianna or not—looks like Harry’s gamble from the previous episode paid off. He commands his soldiers go after the woman Harry had escaped with. He tells Poe that once his “kingdom” is born, everything will fall into place and he’ll make Poe his queen. Dianna is sent back to confinement.

The Willghem lifts off again. Their destination? Manupichi, at the suggestion of Moonrace engineers, to meet up with collaborators and perform further repairs. Sochie, Joseph, and the rest of the Militia follow along. Guin Lineford thanks all the Moonrace guest engineers for their hard work, and he requests them to continue with further repairs to improve the lives of both Earthling and Moonrace alike. Lily Borjarno is moved by the speech and thinks he’s a person who can become the future president of Ameria.

Fran Doll’s out looking for Loran and finds him hiding out in the woods. They talk about the nukes he’s still holding onto as they haven’t found a safe place to bury them. He suddenly realizes that there is an alternate option—to detonate them in space! He’ll follow the Willghem and get rid of them wen the opportunity arises. Fran agrees with the sentiment. As previously mentioned, Kyoto Animation—who’d find themselves involved in many high-profile productions in the 90s—provided background art for a number of Turn A Gundam episodes, and this episode might feature their highlight work. The scene with Loran and Fran in particular has some lush greenery and environments that provide a very ethereal, storybook-like feel.

Harry and Kihel make it to the Lousana port where the Willghem’s stationed. Kihel is certain the Militia intends to head to the Moon and negotiate with Agrippa Maintainer. She demands Guin to halt his plans, because if they go to the Moon then they will die for no reason. She wants the Militia to refrain from causing an even larger calamity. She even goes on to haughtily state that those on the level of “barbarians” shouldn’t toy with higher-level technologies. Guin retorts back that despite all their wisdom, the Moonrace still yearn for conflict and points behind her. Poe’s SUMO and a pair of Muttowooos have come to attack!

Harry and the Militia move to protect Kihel and the Willghem behind them. Joseph, Sochie, and Miashei, along with the Gallop arrive as reinforcements. Guin is confused because he’s unsure if Kihel is actually “Dianna”, as Poe refers to her as “woman” (“女”, “onna”). He says he’ll accept her as “Dianna Soreil” and concludes that the Dianna Counter need both Dianna and Kihel at the moment. As Poe pushes past the Militia defense, Harry calls her a traitor and she remembers the time she joined the Dianna Counter and pledged allegiance to Dianna Soreil—in her confused feelings, she decides that the “woman” doesn’t need to be captured and attempts to kill Kihel. Loran comes out of nowhere to intercept her, and together with Harry they push her back. The Muttowooos attack the Willghem but are fended off by the ship’s mega particle cannon, and they’re finally forced to withdraw.

Back at the Soleil, a guardsperson lets Dianna go free and says that Miran is waiting for her outside. Apparently they believe her to be the true queen. This is the first episode where a character refers to Dianna and/or Kihel as “Dianna-Kihel”, which is a moniker that’ll be used from now on. The roles of “Dianna” and “Kihel” are becoming intertwined and causing much confusion with the characters. Only a few character are certain as to who’s who in most situations (namely, Loran and Harry). If you’re ever confused, pay attention to their eyes and skin-tone; Kihel’s irises visibly have catchlights while Dianna’s don’t, and Dianna’s skin-tone is slightly paler. Dianna’s also slightly taller and, supposedly, has a larger bust. That all said, the in-universe implication is that they are identical in appearance. This is also the first episode where you hear “two in one and one in two”, a recurring phrase as it relates to the show’s theme of dual-identities.

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