IGPX Episode 16: Vulnerable Mind

Original Japanese title: Vulnerable Mind

Takeshi, Liz and Amy have a lot of work to become the League Champion, and Team White Snow may be the opponent that shows them that they need some work. The team members can't seem to get along and Takeshi and Liz have got to get along to pull off a win here. Can Team Satomi form a master plan to beat Team White Snow, an unfamiliar team to them? This episode introduces Team White Snow's mechs and even more of IGPX City and Team Satomi's facility. It also introduces the training the team does.

Spoilers Below

Don't scroll down any further if you want to avoid spoilers! The action reports, music credits and screenshots contain some spoilers from the episode!

Report #1

Team Satomi vs. Team White Snow

A team with a downturn in popularity races a relatively unknown team.

Due to sudden, unexpected construction and maintenance on Course Route 2, the second and third matches of the season will see schedule changes. The first race that will be held after this construction, which will be the first race in the IG-1 in 20 days, is Team Satomi vs. Team White Snow. Lucky Point Corporation (the officially recognized bookmaker of the IGPX) is predicting that Team White Snow's chances of winning the race are nearly double that of Team Satomi's. This prediction is based on Team Satomi's one year of experience racing in the IG-1 and from what could be taken from their first race: there was a gap in their fighting style between where they were on that day and what it would take to make them feel like a team worthy of winning the championship title.

We mentioned Team Satomi's mechs were damaged in a previous report, but during those 20 days, they were able to repair them fully. It appears also that the issue of their OS software failing during the last race has been resolved. But Stewart McKay, long-time reporter on everything Team Satomi, says, "I have come to admire Team Satomi's pilots' individuality, in regards to their team formation, but this has also become a negative point for them." McKay also pointed out that the team feels "crippled" from within. Perhaps what Team Satomi needs now is not new ideas for their mechs or new battling techniques but a psychological overhaul.

On the other hand, we have Team White Snow battling for the first time in the IG-1. They are a bit ominous this year, as it is their first year in the IG-1 and nobody has ever seen what they are capable of at this stage. What kinds of strategies is team leader Zanak Strauss planning on a field that they have never raced on before? And there is an ever-piquing interest in newcomer Max Elrich and what she will show on the track. There's also word that Team White Snow are fans of Team Satomi. If that's true, then coming into this race having analyzed Team Satomi should be a given. Will the victory go to last year's beginners or this year's beginners? We can't wait for this match to play out!

Music Credits

Toonami Version

"The Cult"

By Brian Lock

Album: Der Soundtrack

Heard: As Mark talks with Miss Satomi

"Hiperbole"
By Skalpel
Album: Konfusion
Heard: During the team meeting

"Easy Muffin"
By Amon Tobin
Album: Bricolage
Heard: After the team meeting

"The Harp Song"
By DJ Vadim
Album: USSR: Art of Listening
Heard: When Judy and Max talk with Amy

"Pulse"
By Hexstatic
Album: Master-View
Heard: During the training simulation session with the three
Team Satomi pilots

"Shivers"
By Skalpel
Album: Konfusion
Heard: Towards the end of the simulation session

"The Lighthouse"
By Amon Tobin
Album: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Soundtrack
Heard: Just a few seconds of this song is heard before the
commercial break begins

"Verbal"
By Amon Tobin
Album: Out from Out Where
Heard: Before the race begins

"El Cargo"
By Amon Tobin
Album: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Soundtrack
Heard: During a majority of the race