Yui is saved when Yamamoto pins the tank Beta with the forklift, and she saves him by killing it. They get back to work, arguing over who should stay behind to detonate the prototype. After successfully exposing the cannon’s core modules, Yamamoto goes below and is ambushed by Beta. Yui can only put him out of his misery, and it isn’t long until she too is surrounded. Yuuya saves her at the last second, and pulls the shrapnel out of her arm while Stella covers them. The main force of the Beta are converging on the hangar.
There were times during this episode when we started to wonder whether really would be the end of Lt. Takamura Yui. After all, she’s dead-set on scuttling the cannon, bushido dictates she sacrifice herself to protect others, and we flashed back to when she was still a bright-eyed student in Kyoto. Also, she’s not the only main character. While killing her off would be piss us off to no end, it would no doubt be a bold, audacious move, no doubt providing fresh motivation for Yuuya. But the question we asked at the end of last week’s review is answered in the affirmative, and that works for us, too.
Unfortunately, Corporal Yamamoto – who had a target on his back the moment we first saw him – isn’t so lucky, though you could say he died with honor. Doing so didn’t require staying alive as the Beta eat him, which is why Yui’s mercy shot was fully justified. And while we still maintain they’re pretty stupid looking, they can also be downright frightening in such close quarters, dwarfing the tiny, delicate Yui. Yuuya’s peril-extending first-aid aside, Yui’s still not leaving until that cannon is destroyed. The cannon that, we reiterate, is the potential savior of mankind. Silly humans…
Rating: 7 (Very Good)
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