Fafner: Exodus

[Destiny_Gundam]

I wonder if the

Spoiler

person in the red crystal is Koyo? That'd be neat.

Time will tell.

It's probably Misao.

[LightningCount]

I wonder if the

Spoiler

person in the red crystal is Koyo? That'd be neat.

Time will tell.

It's probably Misao.

That thought crossed my mind, but I'm not sure if I like that idea or not. From my vague recollection of the movie's closing, I thought Soushi was allowed to come back into existence because Misao went out of existence, like a trade. On the other hand, I suppose it would reemphasize the themes of the movie of Misao learning and changing.

[Amion]

I was under the impression Koyo died for good in the movie. I vaguely remember the mecha he was in getting blasted, with the core especially shattering in a sign that he was no more.

I much prefer the idea that Misao basically gave Koyo the keys to his remnant festum and let him take charge of it. That would be nice.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Koyo's core didn't shatter, it teleported away.

Misao left his human body (which Soushi took over) to block the nuke as his Sphinx type self. Given how the Festum work I wouldn't be surprised if his conciousness still exists within the hivemind and his Mir just needs to make a few body for him.

[Amion]

It also means Koyo will probably be making a return, then. Nice to know. He was the reason I even managed to get to the good half of the original series.

[Dark Duel]

Upon rewatching, as much as it annoys and angers me...

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what happened to Hiroto...doesn't surprise me. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but Mamoru gave the Helmet of +10 Narm up to Hiroto, who then passed it on to Mimika, right? I seem to recall Hiroto referring to himself previously as "Nidaime Gobain"
Then I remembered what happened not long after Mamoru passed the Helmet on to Hiroto.

So yeah, that was a major Death Flag that I had forgotten about...I'm still fully expecting either Sakura or Canon(Though I hope not...especially not the latter, no offense to Sakura) to bite the dust by series end, and probably at least one of the third-generation Island pilots. I also expect Jonathan's team to take some casualties(*prays it's not Ai*). I just hope that the other side take their casualties. Like Dustin and his entire team. Or at least him and that chick on his team, anyway.

Getting to see Koyo again would be...interesting. I liked Koyo quite a lot. I couldn't friggin' stand his parents, but him I did like.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Hiroto had a ton of death flags in addition to that. But it got to the point where they made it so obvious that it might have been a red herring.

[Amion]

I'm betting, sadly, that it's Canon who dies. The way she keeps going on about "What do I have to do to change the future?!" leads me to believe it's her life that must go. She dies, and Koyo (maybe) and or Festum Fafner hybrid she saw takes her and her Fafner's place.

Maybe literally: wasn't the mystery Fafner where hers had been before she flashed forward?

[Destiny_Gundam]

Whelp, it finally happened.

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Or did it? Losing your physical form doesn't mean death in Fafner so Canon could return. Even if she doesn't it's a fitting end. She started as the girl who would die if she was ordered to but in the end she gave up her life by her own will and chose her own future. The real heart rendering bit is how she was given a chance to have a future alone with Kazuki but she chose not to take it.

Interesting tidbit: Canon's final weight was 21 grams, which is supposedly the weight of the soul.

[Dark Duel]

Okay, so I just spent the better part of the last twenty minutes bawling my eyes out, as I'm sure anyone can guess.
I've had a feeling for a while now that something like this was going to happen, but daaaamn. And the way they went about doing it, to boot, makes it that much more heart-wrenching to me.
That said, this is Fafner, after all, so it is by no means definite. Or maybe I'm just hoping.

On an other note, one interesting little tidbit that

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she left behind...

The file she was working on, referencing something called the “Einherjar model”. I am wondering what exactly that could be. A quick Wiki search tells me that "Einherjar" is Old Norse, and refers to, in Norse Mythology, "those that have died in battle and are brought to Valhalla", where they "prepare daily for the events of Ragnarök".

So, what could the Einherjar model be? A next-generation Fafner, perhaps? - maybe that is what the orange Mystery Fafner that she saw really was? And if so, is this information that Canon obtained somehow as a result of her forays into the future?
Or is the Einherjar something else?

I'm speculating, of course. But it's a question, isn't it?

[Raikoh]

Eyes glued for the whole episode. Mimika and Reo had a really touching scene, perhaps my favorite of all the Fafner romances thus far. I'm also glad that Sui's parents weren't just "Koyo parents mark II" and had a chance to realize their folly.

And of course there's the big part of the episode...

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As much as I love Canon and was desperately hoping she'd make it to the end of the series intact, I honestly can't feel heartbroken when she went so peacefully and content. Well, that's not entirely true, the second half of the episode had my heart being torn out of my chest but in that "Berserker you're strong" satisfying way.

Fafner really knows how to put my brain in a frying pan, though. What was Canon's ability? From what I could tell, she assumed it was the ability to see the future, and then change that future to cause the present to autocorrect and cause the new future she created to happen? But in reality it was that she was changing the future TO the bad one with her subconscious desires?

I get the impression she wants to become a part of Tatsumiyajima so whatever her ability is, the island will be able to use it. After all, the island has a more complete grasp of everything that's happening than most of the other characters.

[Henyo]

CANON!!!!!!!!!!!!

good thing my mother was sleeping when i watched her vanishing...

and i think i got yuri googles on too hard. Seri and Orihime's scenes together...

[Amion]

I don't see any Yuri going on between Seri and Orihime. But to each their own.

Farewell,

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Canon. As feared, she gave her life. The part Destiny pointed out with her final weight being that of her soul was a touching.

I have to say her death didn't hit me with as much meaning as I wished. Didn't like the music in the background.

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I doubt we've seen the last those who've died. Those Festum tree things are growing. . . I think this is what Orihime said by "the assimilation factor can no longer kill them, only their human bodies will be lost" or something to that measure. They assumed it was Festum traits. But mabye it's that they become what Festum are to the Mir, extensions. They're still aware, but they are not basically inside the Well of Urd or whatever it's called.

No doubt that Fafner Canon saw was one she or the other fatalities will pilot ere the coming of Altair.

[Raikoh]

Spoiler

I doubt we've seen the last those who've died. Those Festum tree things are growing. . . I think this is what Orihime said by "the assimilation factor can no longer kill them, only their human bodies will be lost" or something to that measure. They assumed it was Festum traits. But mabye it's that they become what Festum are to the Mir, extensions. They're still aware, but they are not basically inside the Well of Urd or whatever it's called.

No doubt that Fafner Canon saw was one she or the other fatalities will pilot ere the coming of Altair.

I recall a theory was that

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the pilots are "assimilating" with their Fafners. Example being that Reo has parts of his body disappearing but it isn't causing him any damage because there are parts of him that are linked with his Fafner, or Rina's chronic exhaustion is related to her Fafner since she only feels it when the Fafner is shut off, not when it's activated.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Actually

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the pilots are changing into forms best suited for their powers. The 'best form' simply doesn't necessarily match the human form.

[Amion]

Exactly as Destiny states. Though it seems that might as well be death for some.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Maya. Damn girl, stone cold killa!

[Dark Duel]

Man, they just had to pour some salt on the wound with that opening sequence, didn't they? Beautiful as it was.

Now, a few points on the new OP theme first. I like the song, as I have all of them - and the title, DEAD OR ALIVE, is intriguing. I still prefer EXIST(The first OP), but I like this one too.
Perhaps much more telling are the images that are shown in the OP, and I don’t mean the glimpses at the different characters as children.

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First, the mystery of the orange Fafner Canon foresaw is apparently solved in the OP, in which upgraded forms of several of Tatsumiya Island’s Fafners appear, including one that, judging from its coloration, is probably an upgraded MkIII. This Fafner and the one Canon foresaw are one and the same.
And then there is this machine. I am not sure if this is one of the Island’s Fafners or not, but it seems to differ rather substantially from the others. Probably is one of them, though.

Other than that, there’s a handful of NUNS units, Sein and Nicht…and my personal favorite unit in this series other than the Salvatore models,

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Mark XIII also appears, and it looks the same as it always did. Whether the appearance of XIII in the OP after what happened at the end of the last episode means anything or not remains to be seen.

As for the episode itself yet, it confirms that the Mystery Fafner was indeed what I speculated since the last episode

Spoiler

one of the Einherjar models.
Now the Einherjar are designed to, from what I could understand, maximize the life expectancy of the pilots by treating/minimizing the assimilation phenomenon. Kinda hafta wonder why they hadn't thought of that already, but oh well *shrugs*

Meanwhile, Orihime confirms that although Canon has disappeared, she does apparently still exist somehow, somewhere. YAY?

Then, the biggest d*** Festum ever attacks, and that demented grin on the Azazel-type “Walker” creeps me the f*** out. Dunno how the gang is gonna get out of this jam, especially without either of the God-bots.

Speaking of which, it seems like as ever, Kazuki et. al.’s biggest problem

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isn’t so much the Festum as it is other humans, who now are trying to assassinate Kazuki and Soushi specifically. Not surprisingly, the ones responsible are that [CENSORED] Dustin and his sadistic little [CENSORED] teammate. And yeah, Maya saves the day. But daaaaamn, I didn’t quite expect that.

At long last, Kazuki finally gets a friggin’ haircut. About time.

A new ED as well, which I like. Interesting to me is the shot near the end that shows

Spoiler

four Fafners surrounded by Festum: The two Salvatore models, a dark brown one that looks like an Einherjar model, and the Mark XIII.

The fact that Mark XIII still appears so prominently in both the OP and ED, as coupled with what Orihime-chan said, that to me tends to suggest we haven’t seen the last of Canon…maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part, but that’s what I think.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Spoiler

First, the mystery of the orange Fafner Canon foresaw is apparently solved in the OP, in which upgraded forms of several of Tatsumiya Island’s Fafners appear, including one that, judging from its coloration, is probably an upgraded MkIII. This Fafner and the one Canon foresaw are one and the same.
And then there is this machine. I am not sure if this is one of the Island’s Fafners or not, but it seems to differ rather substantially from the others. Probably is one of them, though.

Spoiler

The upgraded Fafners are all Einherjar models. The Fafner Canon saw in her vision was her Fafner, just glowing orange.

That last one is the Zero Fafner from the movie.

Other than that, there’s a handful of NUNS units, Sein and Nicht…and my personal favorite unit in this series other than the Salvatore models,

Spoiler

Mark XIII also appears, and it looks the same as it always did. Whether the appearance of XIII in the OP after what happened at the end of the last episode means anything or not remains to be seen.

My guess would be

Spoiler

Canon from the past will show up to take part in the battles she had changed in the future.

As for the episode itself yet, it confirms that the Mystery Fafner was indeed what I speculated since the last episode

Spoiler

one of the Einherjar models.
Now the Einherjar are designed to, from what I could understand, maximize the life expectancy of the pilots by treating/minimizing the assimilation phenomenon. Kinda hafta wonder why they hadn't thought of that already, but oh well *shrugs*

Meanwhile, Orihime confirms that although Canon has disappeared, she does apparently still exist somehow, somewhere. YAY?

Spoiler

They didn't have the technology until Canon brought it back from the future.

They confirmed that Canon joined the Gordian crystal just like all the other dead people.

[LightningCount]

Caught up through 17 now...

The last two episodes have somehow reminded me more of the first series than Exodus in their tone and pacing.

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Canon's "end" was well-done, but like Amion, it didn't fully get me. Things just moved so fast with Canon and her time-warping over the last episode-and-a-quarter. While the end part was touching, I didn't fully care for the pacing leading up to it, and I felt disconnected after a while with all those future battles. Like Raikoh, I really didn't fully comprehend what was going on. I'm happy that there's maybe a cure on the horizon for the pilots, though. Is that a direct result of Canon? Anyway, things have been pretty grim lately in the show. Hopefully next episode picks up with a little more to cheer about.