I'll largely skip over the rescue scenario, since it's pretty much a blatant set-up anyway to add more Yuuya/Cryska/Inia bonding and introduce Tasha personally. I wonder if there's something to
creb's suggestion above about some kind of control mechanism on the Twins. The one thing I did like about the scene was that it showed how much of a naif Cryska really is ("lab rat" springs to mind) about real-world social concerns (this shows a different side of her comment to Yuuya about being Japanese as well in the previous episode...although it also introduces a different question, such as why if she doesn't think ethnic differences are relevant among the USSR, why she would think they'd apply in the U.S.? Or is that a product of Party propaganda that she's been fed?). I also liked how Yuuya assumed they were mechanics; sure, there's the kid-soldiers issue (and how it points out how much more relatively normal U.S. life is in this setting compared to everybody else's), but also, if Zhar Flight is supposed to be this elite squadron, you'd expect them to have some level of self-respect.
I don't know about anybody else, but VG's comments on the boat about the Caribbean seem to me to be almost a lampshade-hanging about how ridiculous that arc was in terms of tone in the middle of the series.
Yuuya and Yui managed to go the whole episode being friendly to one another. And respecting each others' professional opinions. It was
weird seeing that!
Good to see Yuuya make the point about how the "eight minutes of death" really applied more to 1st-gen TSFs while still respecting Yui's combat experiences, and Yui acknowledging that while still showing that she's suffered losses.
Always glad to have political subplots; I wonder what's up there. Intriguing point about the railgun's design not suiting the Japanese TSF combat/design philosophy, which goes to show you what happens when Military Contract A and Military Contract B are sent out by different groups to different people, then are expected to be used by the same fighting force. Cute to see Yuuya, who'd I'd expect to
want to fight at long range (or at least be more comfortable in that role) instead wanting to try out the Shiranui 2nd's close-range capacity and get right up in BETA's faces.
I strongly expect some of the Zhar Flight kids to get nommed. I also strongly expect that this will lead to some defrosting on Tasha's part. Especially if they get nommed because they're too busy trying to stab Argos Flight in the back to watch their
own backs.
Lastly...am I crazy, or was there a little Bilingual Bonus slipped in when Chobi was looking for the PX, 'cause I don't think those Russians were laughing because she was an outsider to mock, but because she was
standing right in front of it when she asked?
