Elpeo Ple (エルピー・プル Erupī Puru?) (often translated as Elpeo Puru) is a fictional character who appears in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and the Char's Deleted Affair: Portrait Of Young Comet manga. She is a newtype, who first appears fighting for Neo Zeon under Glemy Toto, for which she pilots the AMX-004 Qubeley Mk-II.
Personality & Character
Ple has an upbeat and energetic character who delights in things that make her feel good, such as ice cream, bubble baths and Judau Ashta. She views the world as her playground to reasonable degree, but can be very serious when she needs to be. She enjoys piloting her Qubeley and wants nothing more than to play with Judau, who she is attracted to by a Newtype connection in a way that is both similar, but very different from how characters like Amuro Ray and Lalah Sune as well as Kamille Bidan and Four Murasame felt intrinsically connected to each other. She also feels a strong connection to Ple Two which she doesn't understand, her feelings towards Ple Two flow over a wide range, but eventually she decides that they are one and the same. While Ple curiously does not touch minds at all with the nearby Newtype Haman Karn, she is contacted by Kamille Bidan, who's Newtype abilities increase exponentially as he recovers from the reticent state he was left in by Paptimus Scirocco. Ple and Kamille never have much contact, but Ple trusts him and heeds his warnings.
Ple has very clear and strong feelings for Judau and tends to get protective when any other females are involved. Her two main rivals are Roux Louka and Leina Ashta. Eventually Ple's feelings of resentment towards Leina die down a bit and she is able to handle things calmly, however when Leina becomes violent she quickly returns to a more angry attitude and fights her on the beach.
Skills & Capabilities
Ple shows powerful Newtype abilities that allow her to feel the presence of other Newtypes. She is able to strongly attune to Judau, Kamille and Ple Two. Her Newtype abilities are also further evidenced by the simple fact of her ability to pilot a machine that uses funnels.
History
After an encounter with double Zeta's Newtype pilot, Judau Ashta, she becomes obsessed with him, referring to him as "big brother" and insists he play with her. This could be because, since she is an only child, she could want an older brother figure.
Because of her attachment to Judau she leaves Neo Zeon to join the AEUG aboard the Argama. Aboard the Argama she is seen as troublesome by the ships crew, constantly wanting to be with Judau. She dies protecting Judau from Ple Two who is piloting the MRX-010 Psyco Gundam Mark II.
Her newtype "spirit" remains influential however, convincing Ple Two during the Battle of Axis to stop fighting Judau, which in turn leads to the death of Glemy Toto.
Picture Gallery
_and_Judau_Ashta.jpg "Elpeo Ple (Elpeo Puru) and Judau Ashta.jpg (18 KB)")
Notes & Trivia
- Her name is a pun on the title of a Japanese manga magazine titled Lemon People, which was often referred to as "L People".
- Ple is one of early anime character with lolicon concept. In fact, her voice actress Chieko Honda comment that Ple is supposed to be "cute" for older audience (「おじさんから見てかわいいという感じで」).[1]
- Elpeo Ple and Ple Two appear to be identical twins, although their actual relationship is never explained in the series. Haman makes the assumption that they are twins, which Ple Two denies, saying that she "has always been alone." This leads to speculation that she could be a clone of Elpeo created by Glemy to further his newtype research. At her end, when she attacks Ple Two, she shouts "Die! my self". It is also possible that both Ple's were simply created by Glemy in his lab. This is supported by the fact that when he goes to wake Ple Two out of her cryogenic sleep, multiple sleep pods are visible. These other clones are suspected to be the pilots of the black Mass production Qubeley's that appear in the final episode and kill Chara Soon. Haman refers to them as "Glemy's Ghost." Ple Two is referred to as Ple's clone in the video games Dynasty Warriors Gundam and Gundam Battle Assault.
- In Gundam Evolve 10 (which plays in U.C 0089) Judau rescues a Qubeley which has escaped Neo Zeon. At the end of the episode, there is shown a pilot, whose face isn't seen but the pilot suit resembles the one of Ple Two.
- In Gundam Unicorn (which occurs in U.C 0096) there appears an eighteen year-old "Ple Twelve" clone as Marida Cruz.
- Elpeo Ple won Animage's Anime Grand Prix Award in 1986 in the category of favorite female anime character of the year
References
- ↑ ジ・アニメ誌1986年8月号による）
External links
Template:Universal Century characters