Turn A Gundam Staff, Production, and Episode Analyses – Episode #30 “Close to the Heart”

Turn A Gundam‘s thirtieth episode was broadcast on Fuji TV on October 29, 1999.

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Miran leads Dianna to a removable aircraft on the Soleil, and they sneak her on the pretense of conducting tests and inspections at the site of the nuclear explosion. She’s dropped off at a nearby location and met by none other than Meam Midgard. Remember him from earlier? Well, he’s back to play a pivotal role in the plot. He reveals himself as a member of the Gengnham Battalion and takes her into a carrier vehicle. He asks her to be patient, as they’ll soon be embarking on a long boat ride. Dianna is, of course, uneasy, but she doesn’t have much of a choice; she wonders why he’s sending “Kihel Heim” on an ocean voyage. Meam’s cunning enough to see through her guise—or so he claims! He recounts how he previously met Kihel Heim and describes her as a “crass girl who casually branded a firearm”, a far cry from the noble personage of Dianna Soreil. What’s amusing about many of Dianna’s retainers and other members of the Moonrace is that barely any of them know the actual person behind the queenly mask. Yes, Dianna’s noble and dignified, but she’s also just a normal human woman. Nevertheless, she’s happy to hear that Meam recognizes her as the true queen. She surmises that Miran himself was half in doubt about who she is but Meam remains convinced. She reckons that they too are heading to Manupichi.

At the Willghem, Moonrace engineers argue with Militia brass about if Kihel Heim actually is “Dianna Soreil” or not. They claim that she’s too proper and dignified to be “Kihel Heim”, but Michael argues that Kihel is a noble lady herself and could pose as her. The engineers are simply thrilled at the prospect of having their Queen on board. Lily Borjarno states the Willghem’s goal and destination: to head to Manupichi and conduct further repairs, and then to make way for the Moon! Guin and Kihel speak again; he seems to have deduced that she’s actually Kihel and not Dianna, but it’s still left up in the air. She’s clearly gotten quite good at playing the part, which has been amplified by the fact that she isn’t at the Soleil anymore. Personally, I wish Kihel’s side of things was explored more—her trials & tribulations in learning how to be Dianna. It’d have provided a very interesting insight and made her character more believable and relatable. Alas, Dianna is obviously the focus character in this plot (not that I mind, of course, as Dianna is my favorite character), and Kihel as a concept wasn’t added to the story outline until late in pre-production. Anyhow, Guin apparently wishes to negotiate directly with the Moonrace, as he’s realized they aren’t a monolithic society.

Sochie takes off in her Kapool while wearing Gavane’s wedding dress, and Loran chases after her worried that she’ll jump off a cliff or something. Turns out he’s overreacting, of course. She asks him to hold her up in the direction of the nuclear explosion and yells out to Gavane Goonny one last time, askng if she looks good in her wedding dress. It’s an emotionally-charged moment and in the Turn A Gundam movie, the scene plays out as the credits roll—with “After All” as the song, a melody that Yoko Kanno aimed to be reminiscent to an emotional Disney song. After she’s made her peace, she asks Loran if he’s disposed of the nuclear warheads, and he confides to her his plan to detonate them in space. She finds it a good idea and doesn’t want to ever see anyone else use those bombs. You can tell that Sochie has matured from all the recent incidents.

The Gallops leaves to cross the ocean ahead of the Willghem and Lousana Navay. Just as the Willghem itself is about to take off, they’re intercepted by the RRET Team, who are on the hunt for the remainder of the nuclear bombs themselves because they don’t want them to harm Dianna Soreil. Guin uses Kihel (willingly) as a hostage, to force them to back off. Kihel says she accepts their love and loyalty, but their actions are forcing the Militia’s hands. Distraught by the situation, Muron launches an attack at Loran and Sochie who’re standing by at a nearby island. He calls Loran a traitor, but Loran yells that he wishes everyone would just talk to each other instead of fighting. The RRET Team eventually flee, declaring that next time they’ll secure “Dianna”. Kihel explains to Guin that there are Moonrace who have lived on Earth for generations, and the RRET Team are one example of such lineage. She goes on to further explain that Earthlings also live on the Moon and many of them face discrimination.

In the midst of the battle, Sochie discovers that the Kapool may in fact be better suited for maneuvering in water! Remember, the Kapools are based on the Capule from ZZ Gundam, an amphibious mobile suit.

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