Gundam Build Divers is back with a sequel series, Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE, that is just as referential as its predecessor. It would take a keen eye and bottomless Gundam knowledge in order to catch the more obscure references it makes to every corner of the Gundam multiverse. Fortunately, we have Gundam expert Tom Aznable to help.
Welcome back to Deep Dive, Tom Aznable’s reader-favorite column all about catching the more esoteric aspects of the Gundam multiverse that make it into the show. Nothing passes Tom’s eagle eye for spotting this stuff (we suspect Newtype abilities), but this column focuses specifically on rare sightings and deep cuts. Read on to see what you may have missed:
Episode 03: A Place to Protect
Luna Two, Mobile Suit Gundam (anime)
Hinata’s idea for a new Gundam Café menu item, the Luna Two croquette, comes from the Earth Federation asteroid base that the White Base docks at following their escape from Side 7 in the early episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam. Looks like Hinata has either been hitting the books or started watching the original series. I’d honestly be shocked if this doesn’t actually end up on the menu at the Gundam Cafe considering how heavily it’s been featured in Re:RISE so far.
Patrick Colasour (Gundam 00) getting faded
The immortal Patrick Colasour cameos in every single episode of Build Divers, so I don’t normally point him out unless there’s special about it. This appearance, however, is so literally blink-and-you’ll-miss-it that it had to be included: Patrick’s cameo totals less than a second and is almost entirely during a crossfade. Only 2-3 frames of him are not in the fade, and by that point all you can see onscreen is his elbow.
Lalah’s Swan, Mobile Suit Gundam (anime)
During Hiroto’s flashback to the time he spent with the mysterious Eve, we get a bit of Lalah Sune imagery. In Lalah’s first appearance, she and Amuro Ray witness a swan falling from the sky to its untimely death. The swan has gone on to become emblematic of Lalah, and if that’s being invoked here it probably means that Eve and Hiroto were parted under tragic circumstances.
“He used me as a springboard?”, Mobile Suit Gundam (anime)
Continuing the use of paraphrased Mobile Suit Gundam quotes from last episode, here Kazami is paraphrasing Gaia of the Black Tri-Stars. During Amuro Ray’s first battle with the Tri-Stars, he dodges their signature Jet Stream Attack formation by bounding off the head of Gaia’s Dom, prompting a surprised Gaia to exclaim “He used me as a springboard?”
