[Fanmix] Gundam Wing Episode 25: "Tragedy And Triumph"

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Mobile Suit Gundam Wing takes place in an alternate universe in which habitable colonies have been established in space. The anime is chiefly about a war between the people living in space and the people living on Earth. The main characters of the anime are the five teenage Gundam pilots—Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei (their names are intentional number puns). They are initially formidable players in the war, yet grow increasingly disoriented as the shifting status quo leads them to question what they are fighting for. Episode 25: “Quatre VS Heero” marks the half-way point of the series. I chose this episode for the waywardmixes  challenge (Round 16: One Episode) due to its mixture of tragic and triumphant scenes.

 

Prior to this episode, Quatre suffers the trauma of watching his pacifist father blow himself up with the raw material which the militant organization OZ wishes to seize by force in order to create more weapons. As a result, he vents his anger by using his newly built Gundam to destroy entire space colonies whom he perceives aren’t worth protecting anymore. Heero and Trowa intervenes Quatre’s destructive rampage with OZ mobile suits, but are overpowered by Quatre’s Gundam. Quatre finally comes to his senses when Trowa allows Quatre to destroy his mobile suit while he is still in the cockpit of the mobile suit. Trowa’s death triggers Quatre to remember his own kindness.

Meanwhile, Lady Une, one of the major antagonists of OZ, disagrees with OZ’s new direction towards producing mobile dolls in order to render human combatants unnecessary for warfare. She retaliates by unlocking the cells of Duo and Wufei, the two pilots who are imprisoned by OZ in earlier episodes. Lady Une is shot, but her efforts result in Duo and Wufei’s successful escape with their upgraded Gundams.

To find out more about Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, click here.

Listen to the mix here.

1) The Glitch Mob: Beyond Monday (Instrumental)

2) David Bowie: Cat People

Still this pulsing night
A plague I call a heartbeat
Just be still with me
You wouldn't believe what I've been through
You've been so long
Well it's been so long

And I've been putting out the fire with gasoline
Putting out the fire
With gasoline

3) Muse: Take A Bow

What we've become is contrary to what we want
Take a bow.
Death, you bring death and destruction to all that you touch.
Pay, you must pay
You must pay for your crimes against the earth.

4) Linkin Park: New Divide

So give me reason to prove me wrong,
the wash this memory clean.
Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes.
Give me reason to fill this hole,
connect the space between.
Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies across this new divide.

5) Black Cards: Baby Blackout

I've got sunshine in my bones
How do I get it out to them?
I'm a police escort into heaven
And come back, come back again

Damn, I'm a head case
Doc gave me a new face
Even my problems got problems

6) Within Temptation: Bittersweet

A bitter thought, I had it all
But I just let it go
Hold your silence, It's so violent
Since you’re gone
All my thoughts are with you forever
Until the day we'll be back together
I will be waiting for you

7) Fall Out Boy: What a Catch, Donnie

They say the captain
Goes down with the ship
So, when the world ends
Will God go down with it?

8) Skillet: Hero

I need a hero
Who's gonna fight for whats right
Who's gonna help us survive

I need a hero
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I need a hero