Fly! Gundam (翔べ!ガンダム Tobe! Gandamu?) is the 9th episode of Mobile Suit Gundam. It first aired on June 2nd, 1979 in Japan and on August 2nd, 2001 in North America. This episode was written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama.
Synopsis[]
Fraw walks around White Base, informing everyone that it is time to eat. When she comes to Amuro, she finds him lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling. He tells her how he's barely slept since they left Side 7, and when he has the time, he can't. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees the battles he's fought in playing in his mind.
On the bridge, White Base receives a transmission from the Federation. It states that White Base is to break through enemy lines as quickly as possible and make it to the open sea. Lt. Reed suggests that they abandon White Base, but Bright doesn't consider that an option, believing that would take away any value in what they've done up to now.
Bright contacts Amuro, telling him to go on patrol, but Amuro refuses, saying he is sick of the battles. Ryu thinks they are relying on Amuro too much, and decides to go off on patrol with Hayato. They fly out in two Core Fighters, and begin patrolling the area.
Nearby, Garma and Char are flying in the Gaw, and Garma prepares to fly out himself. Char thinks it is a bad plan, but Garma is insistent that he prove himself to his sister. He thinks that Char couldn't understand because he doesn't have any family ties. They receive warning that two fighters are nearby, which makes Garma even more determined to go out, declaring that he'll take them both down.
Hayato and Ryu find the Gaw, but don't have enough firepower to fight it. Char manages to convince Garma to come back inside, and instead follow the Core Fighters to White Base and attack. He sees the patrol as a sign that White Base is somehow at a disadvantage. The Guntank and Guncannon are readied, and Bright tells Amuro to prepare for battle, but he refuses. Bright is about to snap, but Sayla holds him back. Amuro refuses to go unless Bright promises he can get some sleep afterwards, but this only angers Bright more.
As the Guntank and Guncannon are released, Bright bursts into Amuro's room, demanding to know what he's doing. Bright grabs Amuro pulling him off the bed, and eventually punching him in the face. Amuro asks how he could hit him, and Bright calls him a spoiled brat, proclaiming that they've been catering to his every need up to now.
Ryu, Hayato, and Kai try to hold back the Dopps, but are running low on ammo. Garma tells Char that he thinks the reason White Base is being so cautious is because Gundam, which he doesn't see out, is somehow unable to be launched. He flies in, preparing to finally take down White Base once and for all.
Bright slaps Amuro, who then angrily declares he's never going to pilot Gundam again. Bright leaves to the bridge, saying he is too disgusted to even look at him, and that he'd expected him to surpass Char's abilities up to now. Fraw asks Amuro for the manual to Gundam, and volunteers to operate Gundam herself. Based on Bright and Fraw's words, Amuro has a change of heart and runs off to the hangar to get ready.
Char is impressed by Garma's abilities as he watches the battle. The two pilots of the Gaw wonder if this is a good idea, but Char says Garma said he'd call for help if it was necessary. As he says this, he unplugs a key cable for the Gaw's communications so any communication from Garma cannot be heard.
Gundam is launched, and Amuro uses its rocket nozzles to make a large jump up to the Dopps, firing on them. Amuro takes out all of the Dopps except for Garma, who loses his right wing. He tries to tell Gaw his plan to finally destroy Gundam by luring it into the Gaw's firing range, but due to the break in communication nothing happens. Garma heads downwards, and Amuro follows, but is stopped when a Medea Supply Plane suddenly appears before him. The captain tells him about the Gaw behind the clouds, and warns him to stay away.
Back at the Gaw, Garma finds the plug, which Char has now fixed, thinking dirt on it was the reason for it not working. Garma accuses Char of leaving him to die, but Char says he didn't want to damage Garma's pride and knew his piloting skills would serve him well. Garma eats it all up.
The Medea's captain, Lieutenant Matilda Ajan, supplies White Base with what it needs, and also take the injured evacuees and the Salamis crew, including Lt. Reed. She tells them that due to the Federation's rough times, White Base will not be supplied with a new crew, and will function as a fully recognized battleship. She leaves, with Amuro smitten with her.
Important Events[]
- Characters Introduced: Matilda Ajan, Tamura
- Ships Introduced: Medea
- The scene where Bright slaps Amuro would go on to become an iconic moment in pop culture, and is often referenced in other Japanese media.
- First signs of Amuro's feelings for Matilda.
Staff[]
- Script: Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
- Unit Director: Eikichi Kojika
- Animation Director: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko