So the episode opens with Ryu napping in the cockpit of the GP, which kind of brings me back to when I was in medical school and I was also in crew when I was in medical school, which meant I was getting up and 4 a.m. four days a week to practice on the water and attending classes every day (the guys would cut class) so I was chronically sleep deprived. I would try to put myself on maintenance therapy of caffeine, and I REALLY think I would have bought lapsang chousong in bulk if I'd known about it (Hello, Ennien-sama, I hope I am not the only one who was wondering if lapsang chousong really exists!). Anyway, I was constantly falling asleep in class, especially when the instructor would turn down the lights and bring out the slide projector.

So Ryu's wrist communicator is lying on the control panel, flashing, and Ken is like Ryu Ryu respond what's wrong we can't conjoin without the G-5 respond Ryu respond please then we get Ryu snoring some more and then Jun saying Ryu and then we get Ken saying Ryu what's going on and then some more of Ryu snoring, like we get the point already.

Cut to a ship in the big blue sea. The ship's captain sees a sinister (aren't they all) mecha approaching from the sky, which reminds me of a discussion on the ML about whether there would be a draft for the war against Galactor, which led to a discussion about whether the general population knew that there was a Terrorist Organization Determined to Take Over the World, and you'd think that people would start to get the picture what with all the funky animal-shaped machinery that would appear every-so-often and make a general nuisance of itself, but no the ship's captain hasn't a clue, he just says whatever in the world is that and his crew is just as clueless. The mecha is shaped like a ray and it emits rays and destroys the ship and leaves, and let me just say that the word for ray in Japanese is "ei" so I don't think the writers intended for there to be a pun.

Then we get the Period Play Narrator from Hell that tells us the Mysterious Ray-shaped machine attacked the ISO's ships one by one, but the GP never appeared, and we get essentially more of the same, the Ray zapping ships in the big blue sea.

Cut to Nambu's office. Ryu is looking like he has a bad case of indigestion, and the Team is surrounding him and his wrist communicator is sitting on Nambu's desk. Nambu is looking at Ryu like he also has a bad case of indigestion, and asks Ryu and what do you expect to accomplish by leaving the Team, and Ryu says he has a family back home so he'll go stay with them and be a fisherman.

Ken is yelling what's a mistake or two, just be careful next time, and Jinpei is saying like nothing happened that all you have to do is learn from your mistakes. And I am thinking, that usually applies to when several hundred people DIDN'T die from the mistake in question, Ken, and a person like Ryu wouldn't be so darn CASUAL about the whole thing, unlike you, Jinpei.

Ryu says I'm tired of the SNT. and the Team can't believe it, and Joe is like what do you mean by that. Ryu goes on to say that Ken and Joe and Jun are always going out and getting all the action, while he stays in the GP, and that he's tired of it. Dr. Nambu asks Ryu do you really mean that and Ryu says that's what he's always thought, and I am thinking if you want to be a fisherman you are going to be going out to sea catching fish and DEFINITELY not napping. Then Ken yells some more that's not true, you're not that kind of man, and though I would tend to agree with Ken I still want to tell him WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY. Ryu says all he wants is to be like a normal person and have lots to eat and nap whenever he pleases and to not hold that against him. Joe spits out go home then, if that's what you want, I don't want to work with a lazy bum like you, like would it be too much to think that you understand, oh, I don't know someone you RISK YOUR GOSH DARN LIFE WITH EVERY DAY a little better?

Nambu says to Ryu once he leave the SNT he can never come back. And Ryu says he does understand that, and Nambu says fine, if you feel that strongly about it, then leave, we couldn't care less about you anymore, and I am thinking, Dr. Nambu, would it be too much to wish YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND SOMEONE YOU SEND OUT EVERY DAY TO GET KILLED A LITTLE BETTER?? Ryu says yes sir. Ken shouts Ryu, and I am wondering if the fanfic people had fun with this one.

And let me just say that this is totally Japanese aesthetics, the silent hero who won't voice his true feelings...and that there are so many people who seem to believe that following this aesthetic rule is the beautiful thing to...

Ryu is on a red superexpress train home, and the train looks just like the shinkansen only it is red. (For you non-Japan residents, the shinkansen is the superexpress train, also known as the bullet train because of its speed and its aerodynamic shape, and it is never, never, never called "the Shin", which is what an American friend of mine called it, and it drove me crazy because it gave me visions of the lower half of a person's leg travelling at 200 km /h.) Ryu says aside, Ken, Joe, Jun, Jinpei Dr. Nambu...I'm sorry, the truth is I love you all...and as much as I like Ryu, I am wondering if the fanfic people had fun with this one. Ryu goes on to say, but I can't forgive myself for the mistake I made, goodbye, I'm never going to forget you...and I am not going to comment anymore on this except to say, MORE JAPANESE AESTHETICS.

Cut to a fishing port, where a man in glasses and a pot belly and a bald head and a mustache is speaking to other men, and he is saying at any rate, since we know that they're contaminated, all the lobster and the sturgeon have to be destroyed and the other fisherman are like it is all your fault, how are you going to take the responsibility, just we thought we were finally going to be able to make a living, are you telling us to starve? And if I were the fat man with the bald head I would be yelling something like WELL WE'LL JUST SHIP THE CONTAMINATED LOBSTER AND SEE HOW THE CONSUMER GROUPS LIKE THAT AND THEN WE WILL SEE IF WE WILL STARVE OR NOT WHEN NO ONE WILL BUY ANYTHING THAT COMES FROM THESE WATERS, but he is much nicer than I am so he doesn't say anything, and instead there's a chubby little kid with blond hair shouting it's not Pa's fault, which makes me think "you go, kid!". Then the kid sees Ryu and shouts, so he must be Ryu's little brother, and the fat man with the bald spot says Ryu, so no wonder he's much nicer than me, he's Ryu's dad.

Ryu is like hi, I'm home, and Dad says didn't expect you here, when did you get here and Ryu says just now, looks like you've got problems and Dad says that the fish they've been farming are contaminated even though there's no factories here for miles so they can't figure out how. Ryu says there's a scientist called Dr. Nambu at the International Science Organization, and that he's sure he can help, and the other fishermen have all heard of Dr. Nambu, and they all think that talking to Dr. Nambu is a wonderful idea, so I suppose these lines are spoken to establish that Dr. Nambu is the Brilliant Prominent Scientist.

Dad is happy to see Ryu cooing look how you've grown, and I used to HATE being told how much I'd grown by my relatives because I was the shortest one in my class and hated every minute of it, so every time any aunt or uncle told me I'd grown I had to control this urge to shout "BUT NOT NEARLY ENOGUH THANK YOU!". Dad goes on to say that he thought Ryu was working at a yacht harbor, so what was he doing home and Ryu is like um, vacation, yes, that's it! (Does anyone know where Ryu is supposed to be from? Judging from his accent he is from the Tohoku area, but in 1972 there was no Shinkansen in the Tohoku area*)

Then we get the Narrator from H*ll again, who says "When he analyzed the polluted lobster, Dr. Nambu discovered that the pollutant was a waste product of the manufacture of an unknown new metal", and how many more times are we going to hear in this story, "unknown new (insert whatever you like here)"? Dr. Nambu looks up from his work to say that only Galactor could manufacture something like this, and that he needs to investigate also, and Ken is like what are you talking about. Dr. Nambu says the ISO is responsible for popularizing fish farming, and the fish farmers wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for the ISO, and that the ISO has a responsibility to help the fishermen, but I am thinking that if the fishermen hadn't taken to farming they still would be getting contaminated stuff as long as their fish lived in the waters in question. (And is lobster considered a fish? I don't think so.) Jun whispers to the team so Dr. Nambu is worried about Ryu, too, and thank you very much sexist screenwriter for that totally contrived line to display your stereotype about female intuition.

Cut to Ryu and Seiji in wetsuits and underwater, and more from the Narrator from Hell saying that since there were no factories in the area, Ryu began own investigation, thinking that there might be something from the sea. They see the ray mecha, and emerge from the water. Seiji goes did you see that, what is it? Ryu says he doesn't have a clue either but to follow it under the continental shelf you need special equipment. Seiji is scared because the ray is big like a monster, but not as scared as I am wondering how many earth science/ geography students are confused about Ryu and Seiji following something UNDER the continental shelf.

Cut to fishing port. Nambu arrives carrying what looks like a styrafoam container, which I am hoping is not actually an environmentally unfriendly styroafoam container. Ryu's dad says Dr. Nambu! Dr. Nambu says sorry it took so long but I have made an antidote, and if you spray this over the feed, it should counteract the contaminant. Ryu's dad points out that if the toxic waste is flowing in from somewhere, no matter how much antidote we feed the lobster, it won't make any difference. Dr. Nambu says that the SNT will investigate the origin of the toxic waste. The Team says Roger, and recently when I told a senior resident that I'd done three studies while I was covering for him and they were all ready for him to read and write reports for he said "roger" and I had the worst time trying to control myself from bursting into a fit of giggles. Seji is like, it's Gatchaman, way cool, the real thing. Ken sees Ryu. Ryu turns and runs. Ken follows him to a boathouse, and comments that Ryu is wearing a wetsuit for shore diving and asks where he is going. Ryu says none of your business, and Ken says they have to find out about the water and the fish. Ryu wants nothing to do with it.

Ken goes you're hiding something, aren't you, tell me, and I am thinking you're not his superior anymore, at least not for this episode. Ryu hollers no way, and I am thinking, you go Ryu. Ken hollers to wait. Seiji yells Ryu, you Dummy, Gatchaman is on our side, and Ryu shouts at Seiji to shut up, and runs off. Seiji starts crying you dummy, Ryu, you're going to be killed by that ray monster. Ken wants to know about the ray monster and Seiji says that he and Ryu saw it and that it is really big. Ken says, "all right, Seiji, will you promise me that you'll keep that a secret between just you and me?"

Seiji is all excited that he is keeping a secret with Gatchaman. Ken says it's a man's promise and they shake hands. Seiji says I'm Seiji Nakanishi, remember my name!

And I'm getting ready for Ken to pull another AWOL.

Ryu is under that water in scuba gear and some kind of underwater bike. He is saying, aside, that the SNT is here, which means that the ray monster is Galactor, and that he'll get the Ray monster and win back their respect. But IIRC, he'd never really lost their respect to begin with, only his own. Ken is following Ryu in much the same gear and is saying, aside, Ryu, you're no match for them alone, wait. But then that must mean that Ken thinks he and Ryu together, ARE a match for the Ray...conceit?

Ken sees Ryu's craft abandoned and freaks. He sees the ray mech go into an open hatch, (UNDER the continental shelf I suppose, like between lava/ magma and the continental shelf these writers REALLY need to go back to junior high school again), and says, again, aside, "so there is a Galactor Base here after all!" Ken follows the ray and hides underneath it to enter the base UNDER the continental shelf. Inside the base there is an entire fleet of rays. Ken takes off his wetsuit and goes to Birdstyle. He jumps on a transport bus, which is really, really not smart, but this is McGuyver's third law in effect, which is "for the purpose of proving McGuyver's First Law, inconsistencies of the characters' competency and intelligence are of miniscule importance."

And there's a Galactor leader who has Ryu all tied up, literally, and is all googly because he never expected Gatchaman to come to them. He wonders how to enjoy his good fortune and decides upon leading the car to the gas chamber and gassing Ken with red nerve gas. Then he orders the Transport Machine to be engaged, and these GRASPERS pick Ken up and carry him away, and I am sitting in front of the TV with my mouth hanging open in disbelief, like, GRASPERS??

The Narrator from H*ll says "it has been two days since Ryu and Gatchaman suddenly disappeared. Dr. Nambu and the others continued their desperate search." Then after being put through that torture I get to hear Sasaki Isao's, sorry, Joe's beautiful voice question Ken's right to be the leader of the SNT if he's going to pull AWOL's the way he's done.

I am thinking excuse me, Mr. Asakura, YOUR TEAMMATE HAS BEEN GONE FOR TWO DAYS AS HAS YOUR EX-TEAMMATE AND ALL YOU CAN DO IS QUESTION LEADERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS??? (Though I would tend to agree with you about the tendency to pull AWOL's...)

Jinpei sees something on the monitor and asks what it is. Nambu orders them to zoom in on it, and it's Seiji on his rowboat, sitting with his arms crossed, saying to himself Ryu will be all right because Gatchaman is with him and Gatchaman can take on any kind of monster. But if MY brother were out there with Ken of all people in the world I would be worried (for more reasons than one), but I only know this because I am a part of the viewing audience and an avid fanfic reader. Seiji sees the GP and is impressed until he sees a flail at a water landing, saying that it doesn't seem to know how to land though...

Jinpei gives Joe a difficult time about Joe's skills at landing the GP. Dr. Nambu asks Jun to get Seiji, and Jun leaves the ship to do so. (Why wasn't Jun flying the GP? She's done well with it before...Dr. Nambu's sexism, perhaps?) Then we get more of Jinpei giving Joe a hard time about his landing, or lack thereof, and that it was scary. Joe tells Jinpei to shut up, and that he's not exactly enjoying having to fly the GP. Jun brings Seiji into the ship and says over here, there's nothing to be afraid of, but Seiji isn't afraid, just impressed, hollering way cool and things like that. Dr. Nambu asks Seiji, what he was doing in the sea on his rowboat. Seiji gets all flustered and says he wasn't doing anything. Jun tells Seiji, "Gatchaman and your brother Ryu haven't been back in two days. If you know something, I really wish you'd tell us." Seiji announces that he's going to use his right to remain silent.

Jinpei yells that Gatchaman and Ryu might be caught and killed by Galactor, is that what Seiji wants. Seiji is like Gatchaman is invincible, and Dr. Nambu says Gatchaman is human, too and if they don't do something soon, something really bad could happen. Seiji starts bawling that he made a promise to Gatchaman that he wouldn't tell anyone that he and Ryu saw a big ray monster, and that they have to save Ryu and Gatchaman.

Cut to Ryu in a dark prison cell, still in his wetsuit. A Green Guy, otherwise known as a Galactor Goon, otherwise known as Cannon Fodder, opens the door, and he says hey, fatso we've checked you out and it seems pretty clear you're the Union leader's son and not a member of the SNT. Ryu asks if he is free to go, and the Green Guy says are you kidding, you're going to be killed. Ryu freaks like killed, no, please, let me live, don't kill me and goes on his knees and begs for mercy, but we get a shot of him glancing up with a murderous look at GreenGuy. The Green Guy laughs and is like shut up you big lug of a coward. Ryu jumps up and grabs him, hollering what did you do with Gatchaman and throws him against the wall. The Green Guy collapses. Ryu demands again where is Gatchaman, but then sees that he's knocked GreenGuy senseless, and says oops, I think I hit him too hard.

Cut to the Purple Doberman on Speed on the monitor, saying, "Galactor Technology has at last completed our latest weapon, the Black Ray. With this weapon we will conquer the earth!" The Commander wants to know when they will attack. PDOS says, "we will attack tonight at six o'clock, when people are in their homes relaxing and watching television, we'll burn all the world's cities all at once!"

And I am thinking 1) if you want to conquer the world you should at least know about time zones and the fact that it is never six o'clock all over the world at once, and 2) how totally cute and contrived is this line because Gatchaman was originally broadcast in Japan on Sunday nights at six every week (and a great big shout out to Susan Johnson-sama for this info! ^-^)

The Commander says you got it and that preparations for an attack will begin at once. PDOS tells the Commander to show them the power of Galactor. The Commander asks what he should do with Gatchaman, and we see Ken is inside a glass box of some kind, and PDOS says you've already performed every kind of torture and nothing has worked, so you may as well just kill him, and I am thinking ooh boy the fanfic people must have had a FIELD DAY with that line about having "tried every kind of torture". The we see PDOS wearing a look of shock through the mask and monitor, and shouting "Who are you!" and it's Ryu, but Ryu shouts Ken, even though that's not an accurate answer to the PDOS's question.

Ken's transparent box begins to move, and Ryu is trying to push it back. PDOS hollers for the crew of the Black Ray to engage at once and open the water ports two and three.

We see buttons flash and Ken escapes from the capsule and hurls the Birdrang, which hits a button which closes hatch to the compartment, locking the two of them inside.

Ryu tells Ken that he's sorry he got Ken into danger. Ken says you'll die with me, won't you, and Ryu says of course he will, and I am thinking "hard work, friendship, victory, much?" Ken remarks to PDOS since the Black Ray hasn't been boarded yet, if we open the water ports now, the Green Guys will drown. PDOS is like don't you dare, you'll lose your own lives too. Ryu shouts shut up and throws a chair at the monitor, shattering it, and says serves you right.

Ken says he wanted at least to give Ryu time to escape, but there's no time. Ryu replies that he's glad he gets to die with you, as the base fills with water. Ken says over his wrist communicator that they've succeeded in the destruction of the Continental Shelf Base. Nambu freaks that Ken is all right and asks how he plans to escape. Ken says escape is impossible, credits Ryu with the destruction of the base, and requests Dr. Nambu to reinstate Ryu in the SNT. Ryu is deeply moved. Nambu says he will reinstate Ryu and is asking if there's a way in and if he had air.

Jun remarks Ken went without saying anything to them so that he could bring Ryu back, and Joe spits out a four letter word and says if he'd told them sooner they would have gone to help them. Jinpei notices bubbles coming out from the sea floor and points it out to the rest of the Team, but Ken says it's too dangerous to come in, and tells everyone goodbye. Dr. Nambu freaks. Joe says "all right, we're going in!" and Dr. Nambu freaks some more about their saying they couldn't escape which means they don't have their scuba gear and that they don't have much time. The GP tries to get to the entrance but it is too big and can't get any closer to the entrance of the base. Jun says to hurry or they're going to be out of air soon, and if I were Joe I would be giving Jun a non-geographic location where she can take herself. Dr. Nambu says it's up to Jinpei now and orders him to go. Jinpei says Roger and runs, and I REALLY wish they would stop saying roger.

Cut to Ken and Ryu in the compartment filling with water. Ken says when the water reaches the ceiling of this room, it'll be the end for them. Ryu is happy that he gets to die as a member of the SNT, and Ken points out that Ryu's the one that quit. Ryu says he didn't want to quit at all, and that being alone was a lot worse than what is happening to them now, and I am thinking could you please, please freak just a little bit because you are going to die a painful death by drowning?? But if that weren't bad enough, the two of them start to LAUGH together and then HOLD HANDS, and I am thinking 1) Ken deserves EVERYTHING (and when I say everything I mean everything) the fanfic people haul on him, and 2) "friendship, hard work, victory, McGuyver's First Law..."

Sure enough, we see Pac Man...um, sorry, G-4, making its way through the Continental Shelf Base.

Ken asks if Ryu is all right, as if it really matters if the two have given up on trying to get out. Ryu says he is, and I am wondering how on EARTH Ryu's hair is still sticking out in all directions even when wet.

Then we get another shot of Jinpei in the G-4, making his way to the two of them, and Jinpei is saying aside, Aniki, Ryu, hold on, which I'm not even going to comment on.

Cut to the water filled chamber. Ryu says Ken. Ken says goodbye everyone. Ryu says Ken. They sink together. True to McGuyver's First Law, G-4 buggy breaks through the closed hatch, opens its mouth and spits out an O2 tank, and Ken and Ryu fit the mouthpieces and are swallowed (no pun intended) by Pac Man (sorry, couldn't resist any longer...)

So it's the happy ending with Seiji and the fishermen waving. Seiji says Ryu's lucky because the GP is taking him home. Then we get the Team aboard the GP, and Nambu is fitting the communicator on his wrist and says there, everything is back the way it was. Ryu says thank you sir. The Team applauds. Joe gives Ryu his pilot's seat back and says that he'll leave the flying to him. Jinpei says that Joe's flying kept him in a cold sweat. Joe is in the process of sending Jinpei's backside to a non-geographic location when the Narrator from Hell cuts in to say the wonderful friendship of the SNT brought Ryu back and strengthened the bond between them, fight, Horned Owl Ryu, go Gatchaman, to protect peace on earth, and I am wishing Joe would, while he's at it, give the Narrator a non-geographic location to go.

Can you tell I like Ryu? I want to date Joe, have Jun as a best friend (I know she doesn't talk that way when she's off screen!), watch anime with Jinpei, and have Ryu as a husband (and continue an affair with Joe!). I haven't much use for Ken. (^.~)