Jean - Defend the Campus!!



Laster and Holi build a personal mech for Jean, which recieves its baptism of fire when the Dinoforce attack his school!


 * English/Malay dub name:  "Meekon Saves the School"
 * Also known as: "Jan, Protect the School"

Synopsis


Out in space, the Dinoforce work to repair the damaged hull of the Thunder Arrow while inside, Deathsaurus rages at Goryu and the Breastforce. He blames their incompetence for the failure of their recent mission, and when Leozack attempts to point out that it was actually the fault of Deathsaurus's miscalculations, he finds himself seized by the head and dangled off the ground. After a tense moment, Deathsaurus calms down and drops Leozack, instructing the Decepticons to focus their efforts on destroying Star Saber and Victory Leo. Goryu grins widely, chuckling to himself that he'll be able to show up Leozack with a new plan he has come up with...

While Star Saber is busying seeing Perceptor off as the scientist heads back into space, at the Shuttle Base, Jean and Holi are staggering through the halls with armfuls of mechanical parts. After refusing to tell the curious Wing and Waver what they're up t, they bring the parts to Laster, who is, at Jean's request, constructing a mech for the boy to pilot so that he can help the Autobots more than ever before. When Holi asks what Jean plans to name it, he informs him it's a secret.



The following morning, in the forest outside Jean's school, Illumina waits for Jean to arrive. She is shocked to see Jean's mech stomping up the hill and hides behind a tree, thinking the robot is a Decepticon, but when Jean pops the cockpit and reveals himself, she comes running up in delight. Illumina is not the only one surprised by this sight, howeverhiding in the foliage nearby are Rairyu and Kakuryu, who have been spying on the school as part of Goryu's plan. After some confusing decision-making, they choose to go and report their leader, while Illumina climbs aboard Jean's mech, and the pair head to school together. As one of the school's sisters closes the gate, Jean's mech comes leaping over the fence, much to the shock of the pupils and faculty. Illumina's friend Joyce is particularly suspicious of the pair's "morning drive," but admits that she think Jean had got a lot cooler.



In the hills around the school, Goryu prepares the Dinforce to enact his "Plan For Me and By Me" plan that he came up with, but Kakuryu and Rairyu's report of a "new Autobot" makes him cautious, and the team decides to investigate first. Their "investigation" consists of shooting the living bejeezus out of it, which unfortunately happens just as Jean is giving Illumina, Joyce, Rami and Clump a ride. Jean dodges the Decepticon blast completely by accident, but Goryu is unfazed and decides to press ahead with his plan anyway, ordering the Dinoforce to attack the school in order to draw out Star Saber. Determined to save his friends even though his mech has no offensive weapons, Jean confronts the Decepticon dimwits in a desperate stand-off. With both sides unsure of what move to make, Jean eventually decides to try and lead them away from the school, just as Goryu decides to try and circle around him. The result is a bizarre high-speed sideways-shuffle by both parties, which ends with the Dinforce tripping over each other as Jean high-tails it off the campus.



On the edge of the atmosphere, the returning Star Saber receives an SOS from Holi informing him of the attack on the school, and that Victory Leo has already headed out. Star Saber quickly joins Victory Leo en route, and the pair race to the school, arriving just as Goryu catches up to Jean's mech and is about to crush it. With Goryu's foot planted firmly on top of the mech, Star Saber and Victory Leo are unable to do anything as the Dinoforce open fire on them. Jean is able to turn the tide when he releases the only "weapon" his mech has: a barrage of smoke grenades that blinds Goryu, causing him to stumble backwards and set Jean and his friend free. With Star Saber and Victory Leo staring them down, the villains promptly combine into Dinoking, but the two Autobots follow suite and merge into Victory Saber. Although this would normally spell instant defeat for the Dinoforce, Dinoking has created a new weapon for himself: the mighty "Dinoblater Cannon", which he unleashes upon Victory Saber. Alas, the cannon is no match for Victory Saber's power, and he slices Dinoking back into the Dinoforce with his Saber Blade. As Victory Saber holds his blade aloft over the collapsed pile of Decepticons, Goryu rises and begs for mercy for his troops, offering to submit to Victory Saber's wrath if they are spared. At Kakuryu's urging, however, the rest of the Dinoforce seize Victory Saber's legs and throw themselves between Goryu and Supreme Commander, crying out to their leader to escape. After a moment, Victory Saber sheathes his sword and turns away, tells Goryu that he has been blessed with good troops, and to rest and heal for their next meeting.



As the sun sets over the school, while Victory Saber apologizes to Headmistress Mabel for the disturbance, Illumina tells Jean how cool she thinks he looked fighting the Decepticons. Blushing furiously, Jean asks Illumina if it would be okay for him to name his mech after her. Turning just as red, Illumina agrees... at which point Jean reveals that he had already painted the name on, peeling off a strip of paper to reveal the "Illumina II" logo on the mech's side. Joyce, however, thinks that the "Joyce II" would have been a much better name.

Stats
Written by:  Hajime Suzuki

Original airdate: 31st October 1989

Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Animation and/or technical glitches



 * The "Illumina II" logo on the side of Jean's mech is the subject of a thorough Engrish-mangling, appearing as "Irumina II."

Continuity errors

 * The Thunder Arrow was not involved in the battle in the previous episode, and as such, it makes no sense that it's so badly damaged.

Transformers references

 * Perceptor finally returns to join the main Autobot force in space, after having been on Earth since "Ginrai Dies!!" Oddly, Minerva and Wheeljack are not shown to go with him.
 * Jean's classmates return after a prolonged absence from the screen. Illumina, Joyce and Rami haven't been seen in over two-dozen episodes, having last appeared in "Move Out! Rescue Team", while Clump was more recently featured in "Fight to the Death!! Antarctic Battle", only eight episodes ago.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * There was a two-week break between the previous episode and this one when the series originally aired.
 * Yet another episode that defers use of one of the show's stock title cards, presenting the title as white-text-on-black.
 * This episode features the solitary appearance of Waver in robot mode in the whole dang series. In this episode, he is voiced by Shinobu Satouchi, whereas in his only previous speaking appearance, in "Fight to the Death!! Antarctic Battle", he was voiced by Yoshikazu Hirano.
 * Breaking with the tradition of the last couple of episodes, Perceptor is referred to by name for the first time since appearing in Victory.