binoculars for birding: When Destiny Takes Over: Athrun x Cagalli (Part IV)

When Destiny Takes Over: Athrun x Cagalli (Part IV)

The amount of support and feedback I received for the latest (and overall) AsuCaga analysis was phenomenal! Thank you for the kind words as they are the best motivation to finish the series. I couldn't get this up earlier since I was waiting for resources that, unfortunately, didn't come through but I'm grateful of your patience. At the same time, I was trying to learn how to make GIFs...that failed nicely. Stills will have to do for now.

Without further ado, let's begin the last part of this analysis. The only disclaimer I have here is that this post is much more image & text heavy than my other posts. At this point in the series, please keep in mind that Athrun and Cagalli begin to walk on their separate paths so despite the fact that they are closer in distance physically, they are on two different levels politically.

In the last article, I ended with Athrun's unconventional - and repetitive - return to the Archangel. He was cared for by Cagalli, as was noted by AsuCaga fanboy Kira, and Meyrin was looked after by Miriallia. Athrun's been the focus of this manifesto of sorts for obvious reasons but let's talk more in depth about my favourite girl in the SEED series: Ms. Cagalli Yula Attha.

This was a lovely edit from one of the official Director's Concept AMVs because it portrayed Cagalli's mindset perfectly throughout Destiny. The left-Cagalli is in the shade whereas the one on the right is facing the light but both are surrounded by flowers, which is a nice touch.

I'm happy the video ended on this image since she didn't receive much screen time on the show. Although, there was a lot of compensation for demoting her character to secondary in the form of official images and videos. It was sad that it took a lot of edits from the studio to be able to give her character some justice for the Special and Remastered editions. From hesitant & immature to confident & independent, I'm going to go over the details that made her so and you can form your opinion of whether or not a relationship was viable at this point in her life.

The only media source that depicted her character perfectly was The Edge. Cagalli's characterization and tribulations were perfectly shown with this cover image:

Shinn was her Guilt and Uzumi was her Ideals. Not a great combination, especially with Uzumi's suicide, eh?

Without a doubt, the manner of Uzumi's death was terrible in Gundam SEED in comparison to Fllay's & Lacus' fathers death. The reason I say terrible was because he chose it. The last scene they have together in real-time highlighted the fact that she took him for granted and decided to be headstrong child (which is difficult for a politician) instead of working towards a harmonious relationship. His death does coincide with the traditional Japanese honour system as he chose to sacrifice himself for Orb instead of living for his daughter - it was a community vs. individualism decision here. Therefore, his death can be considered honourable. It was of interest that Uzumi and Patrick's death reappeared in Destiny more so than the others, showing the impact their values had on their children.

To stress the significance of this honourable death and the effect it had on Cagalli, it was mentioned over and over that she was daddy's little girl. But not necessarily in a direct way. Take a look at what her driving factor was in Destiny:

It wasn't often we saw Cagalli alone, without Kira or Athrun so I appreciated this moment. She was at a point in leadership where she was reminded that she wasn't a child and needed to mature. Her preferred method of handling things wasn't working anymore. These were similar words her daddy tried to ingrain in her.

In a show that heavily depended on romantic relationships - Shinn & Stellar's bond wasn't flushed out as a sibling relation until the remastered version was released so I don't count them - Uzumi & Cagalli's relationship was refreshing. It wasn't Athrun that was her priority, as seen when she missed breakfast with him in an early episode, it was her country solely because her father entrusted it to her. She knew about her biological parents, their backgrounds as well, knew Kira was her brother but didn't maintain a healthy relationship with him, as Kira alluded to after kidnapping her from her wedding, yet her adoptive father's legacy was what she chose to commit her essence to. I strongly suspect if Uzumi was still around, she'd be training to become a better pilot and fighter instead of refining her skills as a politician. Choice and freedom existed during his rule and Cagalli benefited from it.

Throughout the show, Uzumi's and Cagalli's relationship was touched on in passive ways, most notably through background songs in scenes in which Cagalli and Uzumi parted & when Cagalli piloted Akatsuki for the first time.

The translated lyrics to Akatsuki no Kuruma can be found here and I completely disagree with those who say this is an AsuCaga song. It wasn't. It was a Cagalli & Uzumi song - the lyrics were so damn depressing and reflected what she must have felt when losing her sole parent.

Since Uzumi's deah was heroic, it weighed on her for two years. It was the beginning of a guilt cycle for Cagalli because in all honesty, how the hell does an 18 year old compare to someone with years of experience, confidence and ingrained beliefs to the point of dying for them? Instead of spending more time at home and learning diplomacy and politics from her father, Cagalli desired to be part of the action; as mentioned before, she had the luxury of freedom while Uzumi lived. The last choice she had was to pilot Strike Rouge in the final war in SEED, a decision I'm sure Kisaka regretted.

So how does someone adapt from a life of choice to one without, especially when being a hot head was in their nature? Without the guidance of experienced politicians? Kisaska was great in military hence a great adviser in regards to strategy, Erica was phenomenal in areas of innovation but where was her political guide?

Athrun Zala, who joined the militia at 16 because of his mother's unfortunate death? Good God no. He was a soldier at the end of the day, that's what he knew.

As I've mentioned before, Kira was her rock, doubling as a faithful adviser but even he was slightly idealistic in his beliefs, proven when Captain Todaka said that the Archangel would eventually find the right way. Kira also questioned a few times whether what they did was right. His development came from Lacus, who was politically minded, and from his position of being the third party. If anyone noticed, Lacus wasn't heavily involved in Cagalli's battle aside from providing her generic advise. I felt it was because she didn't know Orb's policies nor had any reason to prior to her failed assassination attempt. She was given the backseat so Cagalli's advisers came in the form of Kira and Murrue, mostly Kira as he proved the two years with Lacus was what he needed. He provided his sister of the emotional and physical reassurance she needed that was given to him two years ago and he became respected among the Orb military as well:

Who else had stood up for her thus far?

For this reason alone, my love for Kira x Cagalli was rekindled. Although he supported her to no end, eventually he'd have to let go of her hand. The turning point in her character came in the Last Battle of Orb. It was finally time for her to stand on her own two feet and make difficult decisions. It was a foreshadowing of - potentially - decades to come.

The guilt and insecurity she held onto needed to be released as well since they were a massive obstacle to confidence. When she received the Akatsuki, she finally received the closure she needed to hear from her father - to be happy. If hearing your parent's encouraging voice after two years didn't alleviate the guilt you've been harbouring for thinking yourself as a shitty leader, then surely nothing else will. She had been holding onto Athrun's ring for so long because that too was a choice and I think she kept it because she felt the only sliver of happiness could come from him. He was her unexpected variable and she could keep him. Since Uzumi gave her 'permission' to be happy, I feel she learned that Athrun didn't have to be her only source of happiness and that she had to let him go for the moment.

This scene was phenomenally crafted and provided justice to Cagalli's character and journey. This was the last we see her cry so forcefully and I felt it to be a bittersweet ending to the confusion and frustration she underwent in the majority of the series.

Here's a video for nostalgia's sake.

The background that played was Honoo no Tobira, a song I can only associate with Cagalli. It was much more optimistic than Akatsuki no Kuruma and spoke to the bond between father and daughter - he'd always be with her no matter what. Returning momentarily to The Edge cover, I hope that the average reader can appreciate the awakened Cagalli it depicted: a sombre Uzumi, Ideals, and an angry Shinn, Guilt, turn their back to the vibrant and bold Cagalli. They couldn't hold her down anymore.

Again, it was important that Kira wasn't on Earth at this moment because it proved Cagalli had finally achieved confidence on her own. It also gave Erica and Kisaka a chance to come to her. She could read the situation - circumstances that needed a proper General Commander with a combination of an authoritative and charismatic nature. I'm sure the soldiers of Orb couldn't have been happier to have her back. I mean, they only expressed their happiness verbally and all. Considering the professionalism of Orb's military, especially when compared to ZAFT's militia and Atlantic Federation of hiding a terrorist, their verbal favouritism of Cagalli was kind of a big deal. In SEED, she was giving orders, though faulty, during the attack on Orb. These soldiers definitely trusted her and under her now efficient orders, Orb wouldn't burn like before. There would be no more like the tragic Shinn.

Of everyone on the show, I feel she was the most patriotic character. She was true to her country over and over, despite being informally exiled. But she's back and ready to go, with her father's blessing.

The Battle of Orb was quite a milestone for not only Cagalli but Athrun as well. I always find it intriguing that when it came to Athrun and his identity, it was Lacus that spoke the necessary words, In Destiny, this scene nearly paralleled the one to Athrun's awakening in Gundam SEED. Then, she was much more forceful and used her own words but here, she understood Athrun had gone through enough to comprehend who he was. He just needed that push.

This scene concluded Athrun's cognitive dissonance in a few minutes. Lacus paralleled Durandel's words to Athrun except she represented true choice instead of manipulation. This was made obvious with Athrun's minor flashbacks in the remastered edition. To remove choice was Durandel's true goal and Athrun & Cagalli constantly proved that being truly human can be difficult. The scene also reminded the audience that Lacus had the same skill set as Durandel, the difference being that she chose to use her skills for the good fight. Something Athrun could finally do now that the rosy glass was gone and he had a better picture of reality.

Lacus' push was what Athrun needed as he had been persecuted for choosing the Archangel and defecting from Zaft not too long ago. Although Orb wasn't his country, it was Cagalli's and his new home. It wasn't made clear but I believe that he made the decision to stay in Orb at this point. Again, it wasn't his country but it was where the most important people to him were and where his heart wanted to be - among those he loved and cared for. In both series, he was always the last one to join the fray but when he did, things truly became better in the long run.

So now he knew who he was, thanks to Lacus. She said he was Athrun and really, only he knew what that meant. Durandel took advantage of his solider mindset, of needing to be given orders but with everything that happened until then, Athrun came to a few realizations. At that moment, Kira was fighting solo against Rey and Shinn, two of the biggest threats. He would fight the good fight, like he always wanted to do. Eff his injuries. During his launch scene at the end of episode 41, we finally saw the awakened Athrun Zala.

Another aspect of Episode 41 to be admired was the cinematography. The juxtaposition in the latter half showed the progression of both characters beautifully, more so in Athrun's favour since Cagalli had her moment in the episode before. It served nicely to emphasize that Athrun was just becoming his own person in comparison to Cagalli, who hit the ground running into her role of Head Representative in a chaotic period.

In the compilation below, Cagalli's words overlapped into Athrun's scene and spoke the reason for their falling out - difference in opinion. The second line of screenshots showed Cagalli & Athrun getting their shit together and though the scenes didn't portray them as a couple, it linked them together and provided the foundation for them to make healthier choices in regards to one another. And the best part was the Special Ending that tied it all together.

Why was this particular ending important? Well, take a look below:

In SEED, Kira & Fllay's relationship was the most developed and to showcase Kira & Lacus relationship, the series compensated through opening and endings. The same thing was done with the endings of Destiny. As the endings go on, we see that the first one as them being happy and intimate but slowly lose physical and eye contact. Coupled with the song choices, each scene was well executed. This was why the last ending was amazing. Great cinematography!

The episodes following this was a test of character on both Athrun's & Cagalli's part. Cagalli would always put her country first, no matter what. To be Head Representative meant more than a career for her, especially when seeing the consequences of war in the form of Shinn Asaka. Too bad they never reconciled - they'd be fun friends to be around with their impulsive ways.

But I digress.

Returning to the story at hand, the original four have been reunited. I admire that Cagalli made her speech on her own but kind of disappointed when that moment was interrupted by Lacus for her to have her moment. That aside, it was time to wage war against ZAFT because surprise surprise, the same conclusion was reached by ZAFT as in SEED. There were some differences with the final fighters though, the major one being that Cagalli couldn't go.

She took responsibility as a leader should and stayed behind. The country nearly fell apart without her and it could return to that state without reliable leadership. In the scenes in which she addressed her military prior to launch, Athrun and Cagalli took a leap of faith in regards to one another, as if to compensate for the absence of understanding.

Cagalli chose put her relationship aside with Athrun because rebuilding Orb was much more important. Although Athrun was shocked that she removed the ring, his comprehension of the situation set him aside from Kira. Athrun could understand her on an emotional level and I'm sure Cagalli knew he would. This decision was quite controversial in fandom since there was only a shallow interpretation - that Cagalli "gave" Athrun to Meyrin.

Um, I watched the original and remastered again and saw no evidence of that. What I saw was Cagalli feeling terrible that she couldn't watch over him since the last time he went to battle, he almost blew himself up. Remember? She saved him that time - and perhaps the bond she felt to him became stronger because she was able to stop someone from suicide unlike her father - but who could possibly do that this time? Lacus was obviously going to be preoccupied with the battlefront and Kira so Cagalli, despite not knowing Meyrin very well, made a request that she care for Athrun.

Obviously, Meyrin wouldn't have any idea of what happened in the last war between the two or how close Athrun came to suicide since she only knew the Gentleman!Athrun. Tears were quite prominent in her eyes because it was time to let go of her old self.

As Cagalli walked away from Meyrin, she had a flashback of the infamous hug scene. Of course, this was huge because the only times Athrun made a move was during significant moments such as when he apologized to her for being insensitive while talking about Patrick, when they had their first kiss and now, this. Usually it was Cagalli who was more physical so it wasn't a surprise that she was shocked when he stepped forward.

See, their hug, their first mutual expression of intimacy after all the chaos, showed that they had finally reached reconciliation, that they finally understood one another. Kira didn't have to be a middle agent anymore although he and Lacus were initially worried that Cagalli had taken off her ring. He informed them what both he and Cagalli thought, showing that in a way, they ascended the Kira x Lacus relationship. They were in-synch without needing to be near each other and the Remastered edition made this obvious after the hug. Honestly, it felt like a bit of a cop-out.

During, Cagalli's expression was amusing since I believe she was attempting to be sensitive to his situation and feelings. She smiled at him but there was uncertainty. Would he accept her decision? The fact that he was the only one to step out to hug her was also significant. I'm not sure Cagalli's expression can be seen but she looked near tears when he hugged her and when the camera panned away, we saw that the AsuCaga fanbase (Kira, Lacus, Murrue) were content with this. The edge had a much more beautiful image of Athrun's serene expression that pulled me in more:

It really, really sucked that this hug was the last image of them together. They seem to find roles that suited them but again, it would've been great if there was a moment in the anime where Athrun had thoughts of Cagalli. Thankfully, The Edge had the chance to pace properly and included this:

I want to end with this, one of the most significant moments of AsuCaga, in my opinion. Although Yuna was a twat, he was right in many ways. Consider the scenes from 5:38, some of which I've transcribed below.

Everyone will eventually be upset if you, the maternal figure of this nation, continue to act like that, even if it's okay for you to be like that now. Earlier, I made a report and made a pledge at your father's tombstone. That I'll defend both Orb and Cagalli with my life.

Yuna! That's -

Although it'll be hurried, it's been decided that our wedding will take place at the same time as the signing of the treaty. After all, the citizens are rather agitated by the recent turn of events. It'll also serve to show them that we, the leaders of this country, are dedicated to working together for this country.

But that's...wait a second, Yuna! I'm still...!

[Yuna sees Cagalli's ring] You're not a child anymore, Cagalli. I feel a little sorry for you that it's a little early but we're both Naturals and Orb will ally with the Atlantic Freedom. It was an impossible notion. You live in an entirely different world from him to begin with - he's a Coordinator.

Yuna!

There's no point in yelling at me or would you rather tell the citizens that you chose to marry him instead?

Orb was a neutral territory, yes, but remember that in Gundam SEED, Kira kept his nature a secret. Though subtle in the beginning, it showed the audience that tension existed between Coordinators and Naturals in a peaceful nation. It's not so different from the world today.

Following the Fall of Junius Seven, people were pissed. While Cagalli & Athrun could have made an example of the racism, it could've gone the opposite way, As Yuna implied it would. Coordinators were still a threat and Yuna used this fact to manipulate Cagalli's weakness.

As much as I love Canada and its policy of inclusiveness of all religions and cultures, there are tensions among groups. All that's needed is a third party tragedy and boom, the hatred explodes, as seen with the Paris attacks in November and increased hate crimes against Muslims. Same thing with Coordinators and Naturals. Remember that genocide occurred in SEED but because it was an act of war, it was overlooked after the final war.

Remember that this show is about racism and prejudice. Yuna even included Kira, her brother, as someone she had to keep a distance from. So her decision to go through with the marriage was not one many would understand since many of us live in privileged worlds. We can definitely criticize her giving into public demand and therefore racism but in all seriousness, she was 18. There was still a lot she needed to learn despite being a war hero. It was easier for Kira and Lacus to become a union politically, Mwu and Murrue and even Shinn and Luna. But the Coordinator/Natural relationships were the ones that faced a lot of scrutiny and I don't think the creators could reconcile it easily in accordance to the C.E. universe's canon. It's a hard enough union to follow through with in our world with some groups.

That being said, though Athrun chose to fight for Orb in the last battle, there wasn't any way that he'd get a high ranking title since he proved himself untrustworthy multiple times in regards to military action. In the final Special Edition, Athrun was given the insignia of Admiral but the Remastered edition showed Athrun as a Commander, meaning that his initial position was demoted. I'm glad this happened because it meant he'd have to work his way up and have his fellow soldiers trust him again. As the Gundam wiki pointed out, him becoming a member of the Orb military meant that he must've become a citizen, showing that he was dedicated to Cagalli's cause and finally used his true identity.

I'm sure Cagalli was aware of the politics regarding Athrun and had Athrun do things the right way instead of granting him a higher rank as easily as she did for Kira. Her brother did deserve it though. I strongly believe this would have caused turbulence in the loyalty Orb's Army had towards the Attha family. She couldn't pull a "Lacus".

Now, fast forward to a time where Athrun was still Commander. In the aftermath of the war, everyone seemed to go to their respective locations. Taisetsunabara @ Tumblr translated excerpts of an Omake (so give her a thanks in a PM if you appreciate the effort!) written by the main writer which gave insights to the entire situation.

As I mentioned in the previous part, there were tensions between Cagalli's VA & scriptwriter so it would explain why there was merely a mention of Cagalli and an absence of her presence. I disliked that but couldn't expect anything else in consideration of the situation.

What I've learned to expect from the creators was that if left to Fukuda, he'd make it possible via different means to showcase the AsuCaga relationship, such as director's concept videos, openings and endings, etc. But if his dear Waifu had her say, then she'd push for AsuMey.

The reason I think this is due to the fact that the Minerva crew thought Meyrin was dating Athrun, Athrun was uncomfortable about the topic but didn't outright say no, and that Meyrin is now in Orb for a promotion. It was obvious that she retained feelings for him but understood that there was still something between Athrun and Cagalli.

While Athrun and Cagalli probably see each other more than the Omake let on, they clearly haven't reached that point where they could become a couple again. Because of the racial tensions, I don't think it'd happen for awhile. If Athrun continued to be loyal and Cagalli continued to visit the Defence Headquarters, I'm sure they'd accept their relationship after seeing their feelings were pure. It would make it easier to announce it to Orb because the military would have Cagalli's back even if the politicians didn't. Should any uprising occur, the military was there for them.

It may sound farfetched but it is politics and Cagalli now knows better.

I'm not bitter about it but stating this from an objective perspective. I'd rather have more sole Cagalli time than anything. But the reality was that she'd only be included into conversations when it came to relationships. The message I received by the end of the show was, if you're not a Coordinator, your story doesn't matter in the end. The Omake spoke to that.

So while I'm not bitter about the relationship between AsuCaga & AsuMey not being confirmed properly, I'm bitter about the racial message that was forgotten. Gundam SEED was great for it and I loved the AsuCaga, KiraFllay, ShinnStellar & DearMiri relationships that meant much more because of the theme. If the studio ever came across this article for whatever reason, this is my request:

Please show that Cagalli is happy, even if she isn't with Athrun.

Yes, it's an anime therefore she's not real. But media is a strong force. In retrospect, I had more respect for the show after the failure that was the Naruto end, where women were relevant only as a uterus. The women in this series at least had a decent backstory and had more going on for them than their significant others.

To me, Cagalli was as natural as they come, she represented an independent woman who had to develop her potential, not someone like Lacus who knew the right words from the get go. That to me wasn't natural. While Lacus & Cagalli were both good role models in many ways, the latter tells young girls that it's possible to be your own person and that it's okay to depend on others in times of great doubt. I don't mean to bash Lacus here but in Destiny, hers and Kira's identity were very much intermingled with one another in comparison to SEED.

Because the series depended so much on romantic relationships, probably to appeal more to a female audience, Cagalli got the short end of the stick. I truly hope Athrun's feelings for her are legitimate and he stays with her should another Omake come into production.

They were attracted to one another for a reason, after all. While they can't go back to that time, I'm sure they can become a reliable life partner to one another. Keep your love for this OTP strong and who knows, maybe the studio will eventually cave and give the fans a wedding or a glimpse into married life, even if to sole purpose is to make more money ;)

And here is where I end. I want to convey my deepest gratitude to those who have stayed with me from the beginning (especially kiyuair, thank you luv!) and have encouraged me time after time. Thanks to those who have made this series of articles a success by sharing it with their fellow fans and thanks for all the feedback you've provided me.

I'm sure many of you had some moments while shipping these two that would be considered 'catty', as one user mentioned and I'm not saint either, but the important thing is that we can look back and view this series as objectively as possible. I recently realized how much footage and moments I missed while writing this so please feel free to add your thoughts here! To wrap up, here are some icons & avatars for you ~~with a strong Cagalli bias~~ <3