SYNOPSIS

Karala is running tea down to the engineering section when the Ideon Gauge lights brightly. The Solo Ship suddenly begins speeding through space. Just as suddenly, the ship stops, and a beam of light appears from the Gauge in the engine room, causing Karala and Joliver to disappear. A stunned Bento reports this to Bes, and the colonists panic, believing it to be a new Buff Clan weapon. A drunken Sheryl interjects that it's all meaningless as they're all just pawns of the Ide anyway. The pair rematerialise on Doba's flagship, the Bairal Jin. It's as much a surprise to the Buff Clan as it is to them, and the pair do their best to find some cover in the huge craft. Doba recognises Karala on a monitor, and confronts her. Back on the Solo Ship, the Ide uses the radar to show the colonists Karala and Joliver's location, and they set off on a rescue mission. Karala tells Doba the Ide has brought her to him to negotiate a peace, and that because of their fighting its' power is becoming increasingly uncontrollable. She tries to prove that Earthlings and Buff Clan are the same people by telling Doba she's pregnant with Bes' child. In a rage, Doba attacks her with an energy sword, but Joliver gets in the way, taking the blow on his back. Karala bluffs with a device Joliver was carrying to get Doba to back down, and the pair escape into the Bairal Jin's corridors. Doba orders her to be killed on sight.

The Solo Ship emerges from DS drive right in front of the Bairal Jin, and Bes orders it to ram the Buff Clan ship, the barrier protecting it. Doba launches heavy mechas to defend the ship, while the Ideon takes off from the Solo Ship. Joliver and Karala find a pair of Buff Clan spacesuits and try to escape towards the ship in a shuttle. Bes spots them on a monitor, and orders the Ideon to retrieve the pair. However, just as the Ideon reaches them, a stray shot destroys the shuttle. Cosmo is enraged, and the Ide transmits his angry words to Doba and Gindoro. Bes is shaken, but orders the colonists to withdraw. However, as the Ideon heads back, a ball of light rises up in front of it, containing Karala and Joliver - saved by the Ide. Cosmo takes them back to the ship, which enters DS drive and escapes. Doba orders his forces to pursue them until they are destroyed.

However, the meeting between Karala and Doba was intended to be a last chance for both races to get along. As it failed, the Ide is invoked, and wipes out both races.

NOTES

Sheryl Formosa: Gije's death has finally finished off whatever was left of Sheryl (she was never really enamoured with the Solo Ship anyway), and she now seems to spend most of her time drunk.

Karala Ajiba: Karala's pregnancy is finally revealed, after hints beginning in episode 35.

Joliver Ira: Joliver notes that if Bes hadn't fallen for Karala, he'd probably make a move himself. This isn't massively surprising - Joliver's actually one of the first colonists after Bes to accept her, even if it was in his usual grumpy way.

The Ideon: The battle here is stark evidence for just how much power the Ideon has now, as it wipes out multiple Zigg Mack and Ganga Lubu mechas with its' missiles, whereas earlier in the series a one-on-one fight with these types would be a struggle.

The Ide: Despite him being something of an unwanted passenger, the Ide translates the Buff Clan language for Joliver, and again translates Cosmo's rant for Doba and Gindoro.

REVIEW:

Erm... wow. First things first, episode 39 is another excellent slice of drama. The confrontation between Karala and Doba crackles, while it's nice for Joliver to get a bit of the spotlight. The rescue attempt is a visual tour-de-force, and there's a wonderful double-bluff in there as we think the pair escape, then think they're dead, and then realise they're not.

Considering Tomino has taken out two regulars in the past two episodes, it works well on first viewing, and is still dramatic on repeat watches. The intended episode is surprisingly optimistic in fact, with Bes and Karala reunited and a new cause to fight for in the baby.

Now, episodes 40-43 crammed on the end in about a minute are a different matter. I realise the show was cancelled late in the day and everything had to be hurried (of the two minutes, there's probably about 30 seconds of new animation, which is repeated, with random extant footage from other episodes spliced in), but even aside from the massive abruptness, it's garbled and near-indecipherable unless you've seen Be Invoked and can fill in the blanks.

It doesn't help that it doesn't actually work - if Karala and Doba's meeting was the last chance, why doesn't the Ide wipe everyone out then, but instead allow the Solo Ship and Ideon to successfully rescue Karala and Joliver, and even protect them when the ship is destroyed? It's a real shame, as it gives a fantastic episode a bitter and perplexing aftertaste.

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