Without a doubt, this episode belongs t0 Mao-nee-san who inflitrates a Mafia stronghold to capture the traitor Vincent Blueno. That wig really suits her. As does that evening dress. ^_^ Good grief, I am developing an Oneesan complex!?
After luring, lulling and stunning Blueno, she has to struggle not to kill he who was responsible for the deaths of her comrades. While trying to sneak out, they are found out but luckily are rescued by Sousuke and his arms cache.
Mao in that evening dress and firing lots of heavy calibre weaponry is *the* hawtness. It was even more hilarous when Sousuke didn’t know what an evening dress was and assumed that Mao was wearing some kind of weird ops swimsuit.
On the helicopter ride back to the TDD1, Mao also played Big Sis and Superior to Sousuke. It’s the pre-emptive pre-burnout counselling session in which she tells him that he is over-burdened with guarding Kaname, going on missions, piloting the Arbalest and studying in a high school. Something’s gotta give. But it is clear that even though he doesn’t quite realise it, he is rather attached to Kaname and is reluctant to let her go.
The telephone conversation was actually quite a tender one - one of the few interactions between Sousuke and Kaname which I didn’t absolutely hate as their concern for each other was just frothing under the pot lids without any physical violence inflicted on the former by the latter. And marvellously blended in with the hilarous absurdity of how incongruous Sousuke’s speaking manner was and the dramatic irony of Kaname thinking that she was having a normal telephone conversation.
The holographic meeting was very cool. Quite nice also to see the bickering between the Information Bureau (intel) and Ops - this could definitely happen in real life. A bit surprised to see that Mithril is part of the family business for Tessa, given her father’s past involvement and that of her “uncle” General Amitt (edit: Admiral Borda). The connection to her brother is finally explicated and the question of “Just what the heck is Leonard doing?” just sounds like that disaster prelude of a rhetorical question, “What could possibly go wrong?”
Overall, another good action-packed episode.
Sousuke obviously hasn’t seen Madlax, otherwise he would know that wearing an evening gown makes you invincible during special ops.
First, Nemu *imoutu* chan, now Mao *onee* san… brother, you take sis-con to greater heights. :) And yes that silhouette-on-jeep is VERY Madlax.. :)
I hope Sousuke realises that only girls are allowed to wear evening dresses. LOL. -_-;;
Prob not sis-con but maybe more specifically elder-sis/tough chick-con. Anyhowz, there’s no way I can wrest the crown from His Stripeyness himself, the King of Siscon. ;P
*covers eyes.