Turn A Gundam Staff, Production, and Episode Analyses – Episode #38 “Warrior God Ghingham”

Turn A Gundam‘s thirty-eighth episode was broadcast on Fuji TV on January 7, 2000.

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Loran and Sochie reach the Mistletoe asteroid colony, as a group of Mahiroos chase after them. Harry follows suit and confronts the Mahiroo squad, requesting their assistance. He claims to have rescued “Dianna Soreil” (Kihel) from the Willghem and wants to rendezvous with Gym Ghingnham. Loran apologizes to Sochie for dragging her into this mess because of his desire to save Dianna, but she takes no offense. Instead she views Dianna and Kihel as “two peas in a pod”, which is a great character development moment for her. Recall that her entire purpose for joining the Militia was to get vengeance for her father’s death, of which she viewed Dianna as responsible. We’ll get to see more of this as the show progresses.

Dianna and the RRET Team arrive at Mistletoe’s control center and power on the internals of the colony. They marvel at the beauty of the still-living trees and surrounding greenery. Dianna’s ancestors built the colony to modify crops so that they could then be harvested in space. Insects and water were also necessary for the vegetation. They notice a Mahiroo squad member patrolling the area on foot and the RRET Team quickly pin him down. They use this opportunity to escape to the hangar and steal his parked Mahiroo. Loran and Sochie hear the sounds of battle and make their way to the RRET Team’s FLAT and stolen Mahiroo. Loran finally returns to Dianna’s side. The RRET Team are wary of the “Gundam” of legend, however Dianna eases their fears by stating that Loran is a trustworthy individual and that mobile suits are simply tools at the end of the day. They fend off the chasing Mahiroos and begin to make their way out as a group.

Harry and Kihel share a moment in the SUMO’s cockpit. She confesses her love for him, but he coldly responds that he has no room in is heart for anyone other than Dianna. Kihel pleads that if he says that he loves her, she’ll do anything he requests—even assassinate Agrippa. Harry says that she’s allowed to torment him as she sees fit, but in the end he just wants her to act as Dianna’s shield; “if I say I’ll love you in exchange, doesn’t it sound so fruitless?” He then moves to moves to kiss her. It’s an odd moment, but one filled with much romantic passion and tension. Harry and Kihel’s relationship and how it develops over the course of the show is an interesting point of discussion. Out of the two main pairings (the other being Loran & Dianna), it’s definitely more visible and direct in its presentation. Loran & Dianna’s relationship is told through the lens of Loran, who’s much subtler in his actions and mimics the soft-yet-reliable elegance of a Takarazuka knight; while Harry & Kihel’s is told through the lens of Kihel Heim, an Earther noble who’s put into a precarious position and falls in love with her newfound knight. It’s a difficult situation to navigate for both parties, as Harry does indeed care for Kihel as well. Tetsu Inada (Harry’s voice actor) views the kiss scene as a romantic moment, but apparently Tomino revealed to him that it wasn’t meant to be romantic at all. Rather, Harry felt sorry for rejecting her love and wanted her to stay quiet in that particular moment. A lady & casting a forbidden love which cannot be publicly accepted, alas. Nevertheless, they make a cute couple!

Harry and Kihel board the Gendarme. They’re greeted by a welcoming party befitting of a queen, despite the fact that Gym knows via Meam that Kihel is not actually Dianna. Harry requests a vessel, so that “Dianna” can be escorted back to the Moon. When Kihel herself speaks, Gym is immediately taken aback, unable to believe she isn’t the real Dianna. Gym, Harry, and Kihel have a back-and-forth where Harry claims they need not waste any more time on a “lowborn” on Mistletoe (referring to “Kihel” here, who’s actually Dianna of course). Kihel reprimands Gym for his warmongering tendencies, but Gym fires back by mocking her failed Earth Return Plan. He would have invaded and conquered Earth much quicker, but Kihel reminds him that her plan was to return to Earth, not invade it. Harry and Kihel are led to their quarters, where Kihel requests that if she is to die, she wishes that it’ll be in his arms. He claims that he can’t commit to that promise, because there’s a chance he may die before she does. She’s even willing to attempt to feign as Dianna even better in the future, but Harry does not want to put her in further danger. There’s a lot of passion in the room! He turns to leave, but Gym is standing right outside the doorway. It’s passively implied that he may have been eavesdropping, but he doesn’t say anything of it. Gym asks Harry to observe the deployment of the Mahiroo squad with him on the bridge. The squad, which had been waiting to resume their attack on the colony, finally are given the go-ahead to commence formation.

Loran and co. get in contact with the Willghem, which has arrived and entered the colony, but they struggle to find their location. The Ghingnham Army outside bombard the colony exterior and close its shutters in an attempt to cave them in. Gym and Harry observe the battle from the Gendarme’s bridge; Gym wanted their inaugural battle to be filled with fireworks, so he’s very satisfied. He reckons this attack will crush the Earthlings’ morale and allow him to invade the Earth with ease. Harry holds back his feelings and simply thanks Gym for lending “Dianna” a ship. Loran, Dianna, Sochie, and the RRET Team are able to escape the colony as it explodes, but it’s unclear if the Willghem and its crew made it to safety.