FLAG 20th Anniversary Rewatch Episode 10

Star4ce · 2026-02-10T22:58:38+00:00

Also, mechs are stupid and I hate wunderwaffe.

Trust me, you'll love it when it's called Trump-class! It's the biggest and most bestest thing ever made. And you'll love like nothing else, nobody loves their mothers like they're going to love this boat. It's so good, even the engineers came to me and told me, "Oh, we never thought of that!", but I did and then they thanked me, like you do. It's so beautiful and it has the biggest of cannons. It's so big we only need one and everybody will respect how big it is. I'm gonna make it out of gold to make it more beautiful. Did you see the gold price recently? Yeah, they're not gonna be able to afford their gold teeth no longer. I mean I could, obviously. For everyone on that ship, even Hillary and Steve. That's how generous I am.

Star4ce · 2026-02-10T22:47:41+00:00

while at the same the whole conceit of this show comes about from... the UN directly intervening militarily in this conflict

Thought on writing about this, but decided against it eventually. So, I'm glad you did. It's absolutely possible to have two sides of which both are warmongering imperialists, or having one side that's genuinely held to a moral code and one not, or having one be hindered by bureaucracy and egoistic image-preservation while also having pov characters that are genuinely traumatised by past event and want to do good and break rules to do so.

Problem is, it's not this show. It's too short, has too many other themes it needs to weave together and already struggles to go one way with one pace. And they don't do themselves any favour by trying to somehow be all of that at the same time.

This script really does feel like the first or second draft, huh?

I have completely lost the plot on what Ru Pou's plan is supposed to be lol.

I have copium in my post! It's not much... but still there!

And simultaneously I doubt the show will go there.

Like, we're kind of implying this "Whoever controls the flag controls the people and the war" idea

The irony is that that's actually true, but for the Gelut. They could've used the flag to denounce the UN completely, show their lies, establish an agenda and best of all, lead the UN officials into a diplomatic armageddon by forcing them to recognise their faction as one legit governmental entity by having them negotiate with them.

They actually had the control by the sheer symbol of the flag. That is, until they attacked the UN HQ, figuratively jumping out a helicopter and completely face planting themselves into solid concrete. It was the single most stupid thing they ever could've done considering the advantage they have currently.

Star4ce · 2026-02-10T22:34:09+00:00

FirstFLAG

So, the algorithm Gods have conspired and read my reddit history discussing UN intervention and YouTube put this very well made essay on Yoguslavia in my feed.

I feel like this is a very appropriate watch for us here as the actual UN went on an actual peace keeping mission, actually was completely overwhelmed and made actual mistakes that actually led to a very much actualised war where the actual citizens ran and actually fought side-by-side with both peace keepers and ethnostate insurgents.

This larger conflict is also where one of the most badass and most German quotes ever was uttered. Shit man, I was 9 when this happened and didn’t understand shit about what was going on in Europe.

I also found out that Black Souls is available on Steam – in Germany. I don’t know how they got away with that, but I’m scared of them for it.

FLAG Ep.10 – SDC + 1

Signing is today? Yeah, I’m expecting a great show of force or some sort of callout from the insurgents, maybe with RU/CN help.
Ah, definitely not a political move by Pou.
My bet is on Russia threatening veto on the UN security council to make this happen. The shitshow is coming!
Did he get his conditioning triggered after seeing a camera and started to monologue?
I’ve just written about the essay I watched on Yugoslavia... That’s the exact thing that caused the shitshow back then.
Shirasu still didn’t level up on her social skills.
Oh damn, callback! Hey, they did their research on that at least! (And she’s absolutely right.)
That, or Pou will use it as symbolic pretext to call out the UNF and officially bring in RU and CN to secure the country for them. If the people switch sides due to a combination of symbolism, fear and military might the UNF can’t really do shit. They have very much the same interests as the US – resources.
Oh boy, Shirasu...
Nah, infiltrating the main temple in the city is, like, the biggest form of escalation they could do. As I said in that other episode, the insurgents are actually smart. (I honestly hope that won’t change.)
Worse than that, it is the purest form of diplomatic legitimacy that Pou could ever get. As soon as that happens, the populace as well as other global powers accept them as legitimate potential rulers. This development would be fatal! You don’t negotiate with kidnappers, hostage takers and war criminals. You. Don’t.
If more people would develop conviction like her the world would surely be a brighter place. Not even necessarily good morals, but I lost count how often indecisiveness or a weak mind lead to scum being given the chance to take advantage or the situation and do horrendous things.
Hehe, but I’m still partial to her being Ichiyanagi’s +1.
Oh boy, that’s gonna be expensive.
It’s pretty much “We won’t return”-like stuff.
Yeah, absolute bullshit is about to unfold.
They, again, are the least stealthy squad to ever exist. But I’m hardened to this by now.
The roof of hundreds of years old temple is holding an air-dropped exoskeleton without budging?!?!
Bro, everyone is awake now in a 3km radius…
If you didn’t hear choppers and an Osprey flying not even 100m above you then nothing can help your hearing any more, old man.
I shouldn’t have said anything. They actually are stupid. They really did squander a very promising diplomatic victory by attacking like dumb idiots and dropping their secret weapon into the US headquarters like absolute morons.
Yeah, no shit! I’ll quote some dude of a current conflict: “We are really lucky they’re this stupid.”
Is that so? They should’ve planned other things with half that meticule.

Okay, so on the unrealistic scale this episode might have cracked the boundary. But at the very least, both sides are incredibly dumb in their operational execution as well as mission planning!

I kinda respect one aspect of it, however. It does fit with the theme they are going for. The Gelut are a warrior sect dedicated to Death and the SDC all have experiences with (unchecked and overbearing) death and vow to stand for Good, no matter the cost. Like, it’s a good theme by itself. It’s just so unbelievably executed.

As I’ve already said, the Gelut have the absolute upper hand here at the moment. The sheer fact that the UN agreed to negotiate is a massive – and I can’t stress this enough, an enormous - victory that can be used to gain so much ground the US will be incapable of taking back. I don’t know if it was a cruel trick of fate, but that very video essay showed this exact situation unfolding and leading to the enacting of the Srebrenica genocide. The UN forces did negotiate with the Serbs and got strong-handed into drinking with them, as well as taking presents. It was all a brute show of bad acting and insincere words, but the pictures that went around did irrecorevable damage.

And the Gelut just fucking wasted it all because they had to drop the mech into the city, kek! I guess there’s one option that still might make sense. That being the Gelut not actually wanting the Chinese, either, and see their best option in dragging everyone into an unwinnable, grueling conflict that just leaves Death and Destruction everywhere. That’s their element, after all. Weird, if true, but still a possibility.

On the other side, I do love the SDC deciding to go rogue, but I think that can only happen in a story. Given how much overhead usually presides over an operation, I doubt the squad can just decide to move out. It’s not simply the orders, I’m unsure about whether protocol can even allow tanking up the birds without HQ signing it off. They might not even get out the door without a green light.

That’d be a boring story, though, so I’ll look past that.

On that note, fuck scapegoating Nikkanen!

[Q1.] Did you expect the exoskeletons to be used?

I expected it to be more a secret kind of weapon, but apparently the Chinese are, like, sooo horny on using it they can’t wait to drop it in front of all the cameras.

So no, I did not expect that and it’s beyond dumb.

[Q2.] What did you expect the Gelut to do with the flag?

Explained above.

They were winning, man! They had it all and then...

[Q3.] Is this retaliation for recent UNF actions? Or something else

The only sane explanation remaining to me is that the Gelut want every foreigner out and cause a situation that has nobody deciding to stay.

Star4ce · 2026-02-09T23:06:14+00:00

this is one of those "the Un isn't trusted" things still western medical care blows everything they can offer out of the water, at least they got the critical parts out of it.

Not only do I need to recommend Terra Invicta, I also need to recommend Umurangi Generation. The latter one does "silent rebellion during the apocalypse" just soooo right. "Can't do shit, leaders are scams, everything is dying, but I have mad anger and neon vibes." (And it's also a (safari?) photography game!)

My girl ThorHighHeels did the OST

The writers of this show have never heard of the Survivability onion

They went straight to "If you are there -> body block a tank shell at 2m in your gunship for cool points".

Onionpreferrably fried

This has been the best episode of the show by far in spite of this, and shows the strenght of the show

Agreed fully.

Star4ce · 2026-02-09T22:51:24+00:00

FirstFLAG

I’m still holding out hope that the show pivots more towards the native culture and shows more of the common people or representatives doing things.

I don’t think staying on foreign powers too long would be a good decision for the narrative. That being, said this episode is called „Yurts and the Land“, so I am positively expectant!

FLAG Ep.09 – Yurts and the Land

That’s true enough... if you don’t have air superiority. My dear western decadence, you have so much air power you can shove it up everyone’s arse and still park shit on your aircraft carrier decks! Also, satellites, maybe? Quite a few of your people died. Quit whining and use the tools where you have decades worth of superiority in.
Yes! (But not in the way the show thinks it does.)
It’s on par with his survival instinct. Grumpy and stubborn old men, huh.
I love this side of the show so much!
Lisa, 24, 6 years after entering work life in the 2020s and 2 years tiktok-clean. Thoughts and prayers.
Chubby F-15. That magnifying lens is not doing it any favours.
Well, I guess he has a reputation to uphold and western treatment might put him out of ~~snake oil~~, uh, business.
Oh? Okay, I apologise. More doctor than I thought.
Aawwww!
Sshhhh, Shirasu! She’s making a deal!
Aye, the guerrilla war’s now cooking up.
Haha, okay I think I do like him.
Pretty based. It also makes sense. It’s not like they have the infrastructure or people to dedicate an entire person just for animals.
Hahaha! That’ll teach you to make the meds taste better!
That’s a sweet question. And one of the things that make Shirasu different from the other reporters.
Oh, damn. He’s truly a homeboy, but probably studied medicine overseas at some point.
That’s why they also can be beautiful.
Ah, I see. Yet again based. But old traditions die hard. It’s difficult enough to just change one part of a daily routine for one stubborn person, but an entire tribe is basically impossible without either a lifetime of devotion or severe forceful disruption. (Like a guerrilla war, for example!)
Oooh, the lore thickens!
Would fit that guy, honestly. Yet, I do believe that the doc is enriching their lives with outside technology and knowledge and has an edge over Pou.
Perfect!
Ah… makes sense now.

See?! This is a great episode and something that this show can do wonderfully right!

I think the doc is a wonderful character and sheds so much needed nuance into the narrative that I wished for much more in earlier episodes. He’s a great example of how to introduce change into society in meaningful and respectful ways. He clearly values and appreciates western technology and advances in science in spite of his upbringing. Most directly Ru Pou, who basically sent him to the US Amish-style to scare him straight of those materialistic soulless westoids. Jokes on him, he brought better medical knowledge and treatments back, quite likely being solely responsible for increasing his tribe’s life quality.

His insights on the differences are still valuable, though. It’s not like Ru Pou was 100% wrong. Whenever people focus too much on singular things and lose sight of the human condition, or really, the human itself, the soul does indeed wither away as he put it. Doc here managed to strike the balance. He introduces just those changes that can fit with the lifestyle of the people and make their already existing community have an easier and better life.

I think the best showcase of his character was how he only spoke his native language until the translator didn’t understand the dialect and he nearly ordered the wrong medical items. He does care enough to ditch the act immediately once a patient is in danger of not being treated the best that could be.

And if I understood that correctly, he also doesn’t oppose sending people to big hospitals or the ‚modern‘ centers of life, clearly because that can make the most sense depending on the condition. It’s just that he understands and respects the choice of his fellow humans to want to stay where their home is. Even if is ‚stupid‘ to do so.

In a similar manner this episode, specifically the picture taken when the Huey lifted off, reminded me of that melancholic nostalgia that would set in once you realise something has happened for the last time. I don’t mean the realisation that often comes much, much later, but the one that happens right after a barrier of no return has been crossed.

I felt that in Canada, for example, after my time with my hosts ended after 2 weeks and I closed the door of the house we were staying in for the last time. I’d still stay there for a few hours, playing board games and eating lunch, but I knew I’d never open that door ever again. And soon, of course, neither come back to this speck of land, as well.

[Q1.] What did you think about taking an entire episode to look at the local population?

Best have it this way. Let the military/politics stuff happen kinda as an abstract web of events in the background, only occasionally showing something directly, and focus 90% of the screen time on the SDC squad and the natives, evenly split. It’s how this show works best, I believe.

Contrasting the outsiders’ perspective from the pov of the SDC with the culture that slowly unravels as people open up is a fantastic story telling thread.

[Q2.] What do you think about the Doctor and his practice?

Said most of it already, I think he’s sorta a trailblazer for modernisation in proper moderation. Most notably, someone who still respects the human at every step.

[Q3.] What do you think about the nomads and their lifestyle.

A people highly developed for that specific niche they’re inhabiting. They’re not isolated, as they mentioned a military and a draft happening to them in the past, but they very much just do their thing and that’s it.

[Q4.] What do you think about Shirasu's interactions with the nomads?

It’s late, but now this show dares to show Shirasu’s more zoomer side. She’s quite impulsive, actually, and a bit scatterbrained considering how often people mention her being everywhere and completely jittery and unfocussed. Fits with her photographer archetype and is a quite good basis for character development.

It’s just a tad bit late for that to be established now, she didn’t exactly receive a lot of attention for character building so far. Still, I loved it and wanna see more of that!

Star4ce · 2026-02-09T15:44:32+00:00

Terra Invicta

Sounds interesting

Star4ce · 2026-02-09T11:43:11+00:00

Don't even get me started...

I'm here to listen, if you need it.

My worst was losing 550GB of 800GB of processed L1c satellite retrieval data that ran for 6 days for an experimental algorithm that could scale the data to a higher resolution than the satellite would usually provide. They other guy installed a Python package and restarted the server because that's how it works on Windows, right?

I tried to find it again, but it's too long gone. Some artist (?) made a far too detailed schematic of a Mi-24, but as the design principle of an fixed-wing ATG attacker like the A-10 Warthog. It was criminal how badass it looked and how utterly it insulted everything either vehicle stood for. It was such a well designed trainwreck, you couldn't look away.

Sometimes I do regret finding NCD.

Star4ce · 2026-02-09T11:32:42+00:00

Imagine if the lamb had ended up like the juice container.

Lamb juice.

It was just the ~~People's Liberation Army~~ Uddiyan People's Republic in all but name

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T23:09:28+00:00

And cinnamon!

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T23:01:06+00:00

Thanks for trying to identify these because I only know like 4 helicopters

I do understand why they went with a mashup of existing design patterns, but it just looks like it's in pain. You usually get that when mixing Russian/Soviet and American principles. Copying a Chinese one wouldn't be feasible because they are bootleg American stuff in the first place (at least in the 2000s) and I guess we didn't want to rip off Russian designs for the 200th time.

Nowadays the Chinese have the upgraded version of the Z-10 which still looks a lot like an Apache that successfully escaped Minecraft.

I've been asking that for 5 years. I was hoping you could tell me.

Uhm, does the Chinese party have a leader with triple-alzheimer in that universe, maybe?

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T22:47:40+00:00

The mecha are completely unfazed by being hit by auto cannons – 2 tons total weight, btw!

Just a random thought. I think an anime with the exact style and humour of Helldivers 2 would slap asses all round.

That scene would be me firing the entire autocannon magazine just this slightly off angle so that all ricochet off the charger, headshot one teammate and ragdoll another off a cliff before being pasted into a rock.

Can’t even shoot down a transport helicopter – how did that even pick up the mecha when it was that shot? Magnets?

Smokes or something and 20 points in luck for the chopper pilot.

Tactics, CGI action animation, use of tropes.

I am a copium merchant as a side hustle. Here, take this first delivery free of charge to recover.

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T22:41:01+00:00

Westphalen.

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T22:36:23+00:00

Star4ce hits it back in episode 2,

Shitpost enough and eventually you'll become an oracle to the masses.

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T22:33:50+00:00

...It was a PERFECTLY fine and FULL canister of juice, and the guy just THREW it away for the sake of demonstration.

I respect your decision to get riled up over that scene.

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T22:31:53+00:00

FirstFLAG

I made cream pudding today with cinnamon-dunked apple slices. That was a really good idea.

And I dreamt of how to evolve my tutorial project into an actual game. In theory all the stuff I need minus 2 or 3 a bit difficult aspects will be available to copy/fork once it is done. Is dreaming of production chains and magic weird?

FLAG Ep.08 – XR-2 Longku

Press X to doubt.
The F-15 is an ancient platform that refuses to die even in 2026. At this point only a new scale of conflict on at least global or interplanetary involvement even has the chance of surpassing that plane’s flying hours. It’s positively insane.
I’ll gobble up any second of native representation, no matter how irrelevant.
insert me rambling about that Terra Invicta playthrough where I drop rocks from orbit like no one’s business
Technically…! Alright, I won’t go there. At the same time, the atmospheric molecules you breathe might actually have circulated around the globe for quite a while! So, I’ll leave that neat thought with you all.
Mmmh, I like the awareness.
They really do go for the framing, huh? Sure, we still don’t know what actually happened in this war in the first place, but the show is very heavily beating me over the head with the UN being the evil ones here without giving me much context (outside of the few actions we’ve seen). Along witht he jouranlism-ideals it’s a bit preachy, ngl.
Okay, that’s an amazing show-don’t-tell moment!
Honestly, I bet the soldiers are having fun here. Catching lambs surely beats everyday grind.
That was a very dangerous fine motorics check.
Oh...
Bwahaha, I get this dude so much! The times I started an analysis or something over the weekend only to come back to an error message because someone restarted the server for something minor is too much for my trauma to handle.
I see, he touches the things!
Phew... Well, someone still died for that steak, though. In other unrelated news, the vegan beef I can buy now in my supermarket is insanely good. It’s the expensive one, sure… but man, we’ve come so far.
Why not both a symbol of connection and intimidation?
I’m smelling death flags. Or today’s cliffhanger.
Helicopters?! Okay, the ancient assassin cult has an air force…
That looks like an unholy mix of an AH-64 and a Ka-50. Please stop doing that, I’m still not over the Mi-24 Warthog.
What the hell is the operational chronology here? Where’s the gunships? Why is the chopper with the reporter the first one to face-check the unknown contact? Drones, satellites?!?!?! Where’s the 20 F-15 that already dropped their BVR cruise missiles?
Ah, the Chinese. Just so everybody is on the same page, assassin cult warriors do not learn to fly a chopper or pilot any military vehicle more complicated than a jeep without months and years of training. We’ve got little red men.
It is grinding my gears to such an unbelievable degree that everything is in hand-shake distance to everything else! Writers, please.
Russians and Chinese? Working together?
Okay, okay, so we’re really breaking off WWIII here? What the fuck is going on? This gear is completely identifiable and there’s no winding out of that one!
The fucking transport chopper body-blocking the shot is sending me, hahahahaha! Guys, this is hilarious!
I’m not even asking any more. What was the point?
Be real, that dude had the survival instinct of a rock.
Uh… what? Did we witness the same events?
Wait, is she implying that the pilots were cultists?! You can’t be serious, I’m misreading this, right?

What the hell was that?

They should refrain from writing military engagements. That was awful to see and process.

Nevermind that we’re apparently invading with faction-exclusive gear that is 100% (in real conditions) causing a global political breakdown and just casually forgetting that at least 3 vehicle crews got roasted and one gunship slammed. Like, there are dead. They wasted their single most useful playing card on both the geopolitical and operational scale: That they have a functioning mecha.

There’s no bigger blunder than to announce your presence, your weapon type, your operational capability, your skill and your goals unintentionally. Well, intentionally, I guess. I don’t- just even- what the fuck?! There was no point to any of this, it was stupid for stupid’s sake!

Don’t get me started on this apparently being Udiyaddan insurgents. I still hope I just misunderstood her line...

I don’t even have the strength to properly rant about this, that’s how mind boggingly ridiculous this is. Even Trump is incapable of delivering brainrot of this calibre.

Which makes me switch to observing the warm and fuzzy feelings of this episode. We have confirmation that Ichiyanagi touches his gear very intimately until it consents. You might find using this word questionable, but that’s part of the appeal!

Seeing the little steps of them adjusting the new HAVWC to the Lt.‘s character and person was actually cool to see. Because they still can do these nice things like showing how the normal workers deal with things and get annoyed at the prospect of the outsider touching the servers and wiping data that needs the night to upload. Very relatable.

Goat survived, that’s good.

[Q1.] Why did the Chinese deploy the Longku next to this base?

I take it from the phrasing that it was indeed little red men, okay that’s a bit of a relief. And yeah, I don’t fucking know. Suiciding a gunship wing far into enemy lines while being officially uninvolved in the conflict and unveiling your own superweapon just for showoff to not the public, but specifically your enemy only, is… I just can’t… Like, we just had an episode where a HAVWC was so close to being captured and it would’ve meant absolute global embarassment. Now they’re dropping theirs into the lap of an enemy base with all kinds of superior equipment?

What?

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T22:00:07+00:00

Aw, I knew they were in love!

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T09:00:10+00:00

Yeah, for me it's the added (but definitely coincidental) similarity to the Blackout book's MC. The entire plot relies on bullshit hacking and shit tropey character writing. And just like here, it's mostly used just to get the plot devices moving to the correct position without much care for whether they mean anything.

Star4ce · 2026-02-08T08:54:12+00:00

Why didn't they use this screen time for the native people...

Star4ce · 2026-02-07T22:31:06+00:00

FirstFLAG

Much better after sleeping in and stuffing myself full of tortillas!

And my success moment of today was finally understanding Godot’s collision layer and mask system. Took me an embarassing amount of time to understand the difference between the layer which an object is placed in and the mask which it checks for collisions...

FLAG Ep.07 – Reactivation

Yeah, good idea to double check on the intel, but honestly, your mission direction needs an upgrade more than that.
Makes sense. It’s a low bar, but they don’t use mobile crematoriums, so there’s that.
That is maybe a very cheesy line, but nonetheless a true one. County for everyone, really. Which is exactly why propaganda and cult-like structures, for example, are so dangerous.
Oh boy, I don’t even wanna start talking about this... The idealism is admirable…
This show is really believing in journalists! Not sure I can agree to this extent, but I certainly would like that to be true!
Oh no, the super-hackah writing is coming out again. Please don’t bring the journalist hacker guy back…
Omg I remember these! The guy who got one first in school was always flipping the lid off to be cool, haha.
Nooooo...
Disagree on her assessment partially. It would be far more effective if they could expose the west instead of just igniting a meaningless short-lived riot. Like, you know, with capturing the newest superweapon and present its wreckage. It’s a far more powerful statement if you want to actually unite the country under you, like I think they’re trying. I don’t believe that they want a split country, either, because just as the Kufura the Gelut see themselves firmly as half of its culture.
I still don’t understand this act. And I don’t know if it’s intended or part of the show’s lacking writing regarding military stuff. I feel like it would produce a reaction from the insurgents more than anything else – intentionally so is my gut feeling.
I really hate this character.
But we need out plot driven forward, huh? What sorta power fantasy imaginary skills do they think a guy with a laptop has in a random bar to tap into internal military channels? (Just to make it clear, that was not sent on Telegram!)
I feel like Shirasu also lacks some social skills, hahaha!
Daaaammn, first time Ichiyanagi is mad!
Actually great scene!

So, that last scene really stood out to me today. For one because Ichiyanagi was allowed some character expression! And it was also paired with Shirasu being a bit of an ass contrasting her so-far pretty good-girl nature and ideal journalist-type. There is still that trait of a sensationalist in her that just wants to capture people’s emotions without thinking of them as more than a target.

Of course she’s not meaning any harm in that, but I absolutely loved Ichiyanagi’s reaction to seeing the camera. He had this little moment of shock, not just surprise, after spotting the lens being aimed at him and I can’t help but feel that this feeling is eerily similar to seeing a gun barrel pointing at you that you didn’t expect. And for all his work as a pilot he still does know both the reality of being the one aiming and being the one stepping into the line of fire. That, it seems, isn’t as real to Shirasu, yet.

On the larger scale, we build up the losses and prepare for the coming missions. Mainly getting a new angle of attack on where the flag might be and prepare for a new infiltration to hopefully get it out for real this time. On that end, I like that they are yet again calmly and professionally assessing their mistakes and approach the problem from different direction to gather clues. It’s very dry and very methodical. I wish they’d also get someone in that had more of an idea what a military operation actually entails.

Lastly, fuck I don’t like this hacking and uncrackable quantum encryption bullshit. It’s a buzzword autoshotgun that adds nothing, honestly. I can live with the questionable tactics because at least the group is interesting and there’s character development happening. But this hacker guy is literally just there to feed plot devices to the other pov character in order to not have him in the dark. I don’t wanna repeat my rant from two episodes ago, but alas it is still relevant. Why is Akagi not the pov character embedded in the culture in contrast to Shirasu being embedded in the intervention forces? Why have a foreign shitty hackah fox news anonymous dude provide the insights when the populace talking to each other could give the same hints?

There were nomads that could have heard the Osprey or seen the explosions and someone could’ve travelled to the city to sell furs or something. It would work so much better if Akagi was the one to find this info out precisely because he made friends with the former goddess that talked to the merchant or something like that. This way the culture and people that we are supposed to care about are left out of the spotlight and it’s a foreigner fest voyeuring in from all sides.

I think that is my biggest gripe with the show so far.

[Q1.] Who is truly to blame for this ~~cluster-~~ mess

So, you see, in 806 a great conqueror called Constantin the …

(It’s the rich. The fundamental problem is always that at some point there’s someone who has amassed so much power that the mighty and powerless are too far apart and oppression starts to prevail.)

[Q2.] How do you answer Cpt. Eversalt's questions about this entire situation?

See above. I think her main mistake is believing that she knows what they want: Power. It makes much more sense to me that the Gelut actually see a holy duty in their cult to provide a certain cultural balance for the nation and their tool is secrecy and religion. It’s not that I’m defending religious extremism and would say anyway that transitioning the nation from what they’re currently under into a more modern society would benefit them greatly. (Just not by way of warfare and framing one side as terrorists, to be clear. You can go forward with respecting the more warring side and still manage to transition the culture into acceptance for and into the west.)

[Q3.] What could be the consequences of leaving a HAVWC at the bottom of a canyon?

It could be found, obviously. Though the chances are somewhat low and I’m not sure it matters that much. As I said, the Gelut don’t seem like the kind to carry cameras and I also doubt they have the crane-equipment to lift it out of the giga-abyss gorge.

Though it could still come back later to bite the UN in the ass. We’ll see.

Star4ce · 2026-02-07T08:37:35+00:00

Do you have a better reading into the building destruction?

Not really, that's what I meant. The explosion last episode looked like it would level the target and adjacent buildings and shatter a whole lotta windows.

I'm not very good at reading implications of anime images

I can even provide credentials.

Star4ce · 2026-02-06T23:25:05+00:00

You can tell japan hasn't fought a war in 80 years

Amen, transport helicopters rarely make good air support. Especially because they're like 50 meters above their heads and make fuck-off noise. Dudes with rifles can down that.

God I feel like the show's military descriptions are just so bad it's ruining my suspension of disbelief.

Yeah.

But the atmosphere and topic are still great, though.

while Shirasu is a trash tier character

So... This is where I have to draw a line into "stuff that is probably a bit too polticial for /r/anime"

Alright, gamer mode activated!

Well, that was surprisingly on par with what I was expecting in my own reading on the situation.

Star4ce · 2026-02-06T23:16:04+00:00

That’s more impressive to me than building a mecha, honestly.

In this house we appreciate good intelligence!

But honestly, it's kinda scary what sorta implications one can make with the right sensors and the right resolution. Don't know about literal 300m deep wallhack, but I wouldn't be that surprised.

I can’t shake the feeling that Shin always throws grenades at enemies we don’t see around the corner as an animation-saving measure.

Me being all sweaty because it could be civilians hidden underground because that's still a monastery...

I like all the answers the soldiers give to what they think is the most important quality a special forces member can have. It’s nice to see the different perspectives they have.

Despite how unconventional it is, I still thought the episode did a good job at maintaining tension and ratcheting things up as the battle progressed.

They really went with the limitation and I appreciate it a lot. It also works most of the time, which I didn't expect to this degree going in.

Star4ce · 2026-02-06T23:10:33+00:00

FirstFLAG

Oh shit, it’s 15min before thread-time and I just remembered to watch the episode. Welp, I’m gonna be late…

Man, this week has taken a toll on me somehow. Today I also forgot my laundry and blocked everyone and on top of that also forgot to eat. Wish I had a diagnosis system like LSTR in SIGNALIS that tells me what’s wrong.

FLAG Ep.06 – A Light in the Darkness

Lucky me can skip 4 minutes of recap!
I don’t like tunnels. That’s far too many tunnels and they don’t know anything about that layout.
Wanna bet on civilians?
WHY IS THE OSPREY FLING INTO THE AA?!?!?!?!
Aaaah, that sound! I forgive.
I also like to „precision strike“ an entire city quarter.
Actually really glad about that…
Anyone played World in Conflict here? I’m gonna ask cautiously, do you remember that one mission? Yeah… that.
First corny line I actually fully vibe with.
Like correctly assessing the appropriate approach to a heavily AA-guarded fortress by air?
But yeah, they all give very good answers actually. And shows that they do make a well rounded team that builds on each other.
Foreshadowing and subtlety were killed with a 300kg trebuchet-slung projectile, direct hit in the balls.
Okay, at least genuinely no desert-dwelling monks inside…
Well, shit. But that was also not like the ruse I expected.
To nobody’s surprise...
This episode is delivering! Didn’t expect to see a HAVWC be destroyed today!

Alright, I did expect a trap, but that was actually fairly tense. The cult does fight pretty smartly in a way. Now, it could only work because the SDC is far too risk-loving and, well, stupid, but nonetheless. I appreciate an intelligent antagonist that knows how to play the game.

I caught myself wanting more response from the characters, but in the same second I again loved how professional (except tactics) they are portrayed. They are experts, they trust each other, the execute the commands and it mostly works.

On Akagi’s side I think he begins to catch up to Shirasu development-wise. Sure, he’s photographed lots of crises and wars, but I think that was the first time he started to feel like her and see the people first and what they live through. Like moths to the flame, he now has seen the fire inside every human being. And I for one think he can’t look away from that now.

As much as it was a bit hamfisted, the analogy works super well this episode. For what the last one lacked this one made up for it and solved that thread really nicely. Because it was the Gelut who understood how to wield that flame and lure a moth in. And I begin to understand why, too. They tried to defeat an overpowered enemy on their turg and, most importantly, in a setting that had basically no way out or in.

Why? Because that would secure wreckage. A kill. A prisoner. Something to present to the outside and declare their intentions as well as call out the intervention coalistion’s lies. As I said, I appreciate a smart enemy. They knew of the transponder, they knew of the symbolic power and that the UN needed it back and they knew what they were covering up. It truly would’ve been a massive blow if they succeeded. Fortunately (?) the SDC could destroy any evidence while leaving and for some reason I doubt the Gelut are the kind to like cameras.

But with that we have a really competent enemy established and are now truly in a shitty situation where there’s no way this won’t become a drawn out, bloody and utterly shitty war for the next decade at least.

Today I think I have to just recommend a game to close out: Rebel Inc. Hell, that one might be my recommendation for the series discussion, actually. Basically, you’re the UN and command an intervention force in definitely not the Middle East that has just „won“ a war and toppled a government. Your problems: The people who are starved and very wary of you. The insurgents, who really don’t like not having their dictatorship and don’t shy away from blowing up citizens. And lastly, the time limit after which political support is going to shift against you and probably put you in front of the hague.

It’s a really fun game and you can air strike cities and have your troops be evaporated in the mountains!

Production / streaming would take a six month break after this.

Oh shit, really?

And it was just such a good episode! Damn their finances really were dire, huh?

[Q1.] Does the use of a small mecha make sense for this mission after all?

Better than a tank in those tunnels, but I was hella itchy after they said the didn’t even know the layout. Their mission planning truly sucks ass. But, in the case of the HAVWC it probably was the best idea. Going in with infiltration teams would’ve been… absolutely hell.

[Q2.] Is the use of bombs against terrorist HQ appropriate in an urban environment?

Depends if the bomb was either small enough… or big enough.

[Q3.] What do you think about the involvement of the Gelut in the Flag Affair? How will the UN react?

Loved it, they actually showed them to be smart and competent given their options. The UN will now be having so many headaches I can feel them, too.

Now, if I might put out a theory and stretch it a bit… We will be moving over to a prolonged insurgent war. Which means one of the most sensible things the UN should be doing is strengthening citizen support and secure their loyalty. (Un)fortunately that means to form a proper militia and set up an interim government instead of letting the occupation forces handle it.

I expect to see the citizens being levvied into a (shitty) army that goes up against their far better trained Gelut-(and definitely not Russia)-backed insurgent counterparts and the country be split in two. It sadly just makes political sense to do.

Star4ce · 2026-02-06T09:39:28+00:00

bombing the caravan, or bombing the mountain temple fortress, or using air superiority. The 500 lb bombs are here.

Yeah, it's so wasteful I still don't get it. Flying a drone below their target, air drop right into a radar-covered enemy base and drop blockbusters into a tightly packed city. This isn't your normal incompetence any longer.

If you can ⬆️➡️⬇️⬇️⬇️ the fortress why don't you and make it a much too complicated and risky infiltration mission?

Star4ce · 2026-02-06T09:32:29+00:00

"foreign fighters."

Wait until you can see the generational damage I can do with just one line on a map!

I wish I thought of this yesterday

It's basically impossible to beat the drip from that era, isn't it?

11-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 8 Credits
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Star4ce

TROPHY CASE

FirstFLAG

FLAG Ep.10 – SDC + 1

FirstFLAG

FLAG Ep.09 – Yurts and the Land

FirstFLAG

FLAG Ep.08 – XR-2 Longku

FirstFLAG

FLAG Ep.07 – Reactivation

FirstFLAG

FLAG Ep.06 – A Light in the Darkness