VOTOMS: Roots of Ambition (Spoilers a plenty)

Soon we will all get acquainted with just how tough Sergeant Major Chirico Cuvie really is…

Now that I am pretty much done with college I can finally get to taking care of some unfinished business namely watch the entire VOTOMS series in chronological order, sadly I only have the original series, Pailsen Files, Roots of Ambition, Last Red Shoulder, and Big Battle on hand. I hope to unearth Shining Heresy some time this century but I can’t seem to find it at the moment. Nevertheless I plan on watching it in chronological order instead of order of release. As an introductory movie I am not sure if it works or not since I saw Pailsen Files first which actually comes after this one. Still while Pailsen Files seemed chock full of huge cinematic mecha battles Roots of Ambition doesn’t seem to toss out as many Scopedogs on the screen, though since there was no CG I suppose doing it the old fashioned way prevented such a sight, not that it made it a terrible movie. As a starting point it does establish what Chirico is and gives a description of what Pailsen thinks he is.

In the end I kinda felt sad for Carson.

Chirico doesn’t really grow much as a character and to be honest I suppose the real main character is the Red Shoulder Unit that includes Chirico, Carson, Gregore, Byman, and Murza. For an elite unit even the Red Shoulders seem to suffer from horrible attrition though given how regular units suffer far worse I suppose percentage-wise Pailsen’s unit might actually suffer less than the regulars because of their intense and lethal training. As for the initiation I am surprised that the Red Shoulders could actually field two or more Corps though in the Gilgamesh military I suppose that number is hardly impressive considering the tens of millions of soldiers that can be fielded at any one time (up until this point in universe the biggest battle was 20 million men on the Gilgamesh side, late one upped to 120 for the Invasion of Monad) as Pailsen Files would later show. I like how Leeman basically denoted the last four standing as survivors and returns. Even if Chirico is nigh unkillable it seems that it still doesn’t prevent him from failing and having to rely on his comrades. During the cannibalism Chirico might have ended up a mere survivor instead of a return had it not been for his battle buddy Carson. While in Pailsen Files it seemed that the regulars actually function like a military unit the Red Shoulders are pretty much a penal battalion in all but name, certainly while their training is superior it is far more lethal and I can see why the Chief of Staff was pretty ticked off that Pailsen was killing off huge numbers of regulars (not to mention wasting Scopedogs) to find the guys he wanted for his Red Shoulders. Certainly as an exercise in economy of force Pailsen probably failed since even his Red Shoulders could be dragged down by a mass of Balalant troops.

Well at least things get better when Chirico has to shack up with the boys for Pailsen Files, and all the experimenting will be done on Kochak.

As an introduction to the VOTOMS universe I think they could have done a bit better, though since it came out after the main series I suppose they can’t be faulted much for it. Nevertheless calling it the Third Invasion of Sunsa, coupled with the LZ and planet in general as a desert wasteland one can sense that this really has been a 100 year war. Underlying much of the movie is the question of luck versus training, while there is a certain value to being well trained being lucky is more often or not better than being better trained, even in military history there are generals who emerge victorious due to dumb luck. I did chuckle a bit when Gregore asked if Chirico was immortal…perhaps old Patrick was somehow related. The only thing that sort of bugs me is that we never get to hear what it is that Chirico says to Pailsen, though I suspect that we will come to it eventually in the main series. I am not sure if Leeman really had his head on straight or if Pailsen was still on his rocker given how broad the events that are of great benefit to Chirico have very broad classifications, though I suppose Chirico really is that lucky, or at the very least insanely resilient with a high damage tolerance. After all he did fight with a broken pelvis and got pretty banged up from time to time. Still at least Chirico isn’t a one man army as he did need Carson to watch his back from time to time and needed Gregore, Murza, and Byman to put him back together. I did like the credits as there was a Type 61, and it seems that Gergore got himself a decent cigar, Byman was picking up chicks, Murza was looking pissed, and Chirico said something that put the fear in Pailsen. It was also a good set up after Carson dies, but not before passing off his information to set up the trial of Pailsen that we will see in Pailsen Files. It’s nice to see that Chirico was always this nonchalant when dealing with people, though I suppose having that high pitched sound every time one thinks about his past would probably engender the same reaction in most people.

Certainly few mecha pilots ever had such intense training.

Overall a fairly good film to introduce the lay person the VOTOMS saga, I think that the rest of the series will not disappoint even if there is the complete absence of CG created BIG HUEG battles. I can see why VOTOMS is considered on of the few remaining real robot series that have survived up until now, even if Chirico is super human he’s not some infallible Jesus, at this juncture it seems that Chirico has a long way to go to reach godhood, if that is even his goal. For now it seems that merely surviving is a victory for him, and I doubt he deludes himself with any romantic notions. If nothing else at least he acts like a disenchanted twenty something guy which is rather refreshing given the more recent trend of mecha pilots. I still love the poor humble Scopedog, even if it has armor made of paper at least it makes for more interesting and more importantly huge Heinlein-esque battles remiscent of Starship Troopers. Even with the elite Red Shoulders attrition still affects them.

I have to say that is one ugly baby…

Well to a degree, yes. As a defensive tactic it is unreliable, but highly reassuring.

You have no idea Gergore…

Say hello to my little friend…

You mean there is another whole Corps?

I’d like to see them try…

Indeed this is the first time Pailsen has actually been early.

Is Chirico Cuvie going to have to choke a bitch?

Perhaps it was luck, perhaps it was because Pailsen couldn’t shoot his way out of a paper bag…

I am surprised you even hit at all.

The red ones go faster.

Third time is a chram…right?

Gilgamesh Prevails!

Scopedog…

I need more Scopedogs!

Ah the Balalant Fattie, at least they look impressive.

At least it did not involve some contrived childhood promise or pinky swear.

Best confession EVAR.

ZOMG Carson got he ultra rare Red Shoulder Omnibus!

I take it Chirico already has a copy…

What else could he be doing other than waste valuable military resources?

This death was permenant…

Close combat with lumps of metal…

I have to wonder how annoying it must be to clean that out after combat, carbon build up must be nasty.

Hey Type 61s…

There are so many…

What ass kissers we have here…

Oh shit indeed…

Gregore took your smokes!

I had no idea Byman was into old men…

Murza is always mad…

Now that is a parting shot.