Episode 8

Episode 8
Episode	8
Manga chapters	Chapter 21-Chapter 24
Original air date	May 29, 2012
Story arc	Mondo Grosso Arc
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Mondo Grosso (モンド・グロッソ, Mondo Gurosso^?) is the eighth episode of the anime and the first and only episode of the Mondo Grosso Arc.

Rival arms dealer Amalia Torohovsky tries to cut Koko Hekmatyar out of a UAV deal in London, prompting the latter to plan and execute a fierce and decisive counterattack.

Summary

In East Sussez, England, Lutz is hunting through some woods for Jonah and chalks up his failure to find him to his police background, whereas Jonah has an advantage from growing up in the mountains. On a shooting range earlier, Valmet shows the team some paintball guns that they will be training with and chews out Lutz for being the only one who was hit the last time they were in a firefight. Lehm directs Jonah and Lutz to play capture the flag in the woods with the objective being to capture the other person’s flag. Jonah is not enthusiastic about this, but Koko Hekmatyar gives him an incentive by suggesting a point system and offering him a feast if he reaches 50 points. Lutz continues through the woods where he is under observation by Jonah. He is worried about his inability to shoot Chinatsu back in Dubai, whereas before he had no problems shooting hostage takers or terrorists. Jonah takes advantage of Lutz’s lack of focus to shoot him in the butt in the same place where he was previously shot back in South Africa and runs off. Lutz chases after him in a rage and is led into a prepared site where Jonah had rigged some tripwires and snares. Lutz sets off the traps and is caught, setting him up to get blasted with paint balls. Back at the range, the team laughs at him and he vows to do better next time.

Koko meets Amalia.

The next morning, Koko and Valmet prepare to meet with the representatives of a European country at their embassy in London during a hearing of the UAV introduction committee. At the embassy they learn from Tojo that their competitor is submitting their trump card, the Neuron. They also see Amalia Torohovsky, whose beauty Koko praises, shocking Valmet. When Amalia notices them she heads over and asks Koko to be gentle.

At Hyde Park, Koko tells Jonah about Amalia and he learns that she is trying to sell UAVs this time. They meet Schokolade, who tells Koko that her plan to sell American Predators to Country A will also help with their sale to Country B. Before Schokolade leaves, Koko tells her that she knows that Scarecrow is also tailing her and gives her a diamond, having her keep an eye on the Americans to make sure that they do not back out. She then heads out to meet with Country B officials along with Lutz and Ugo. However when they get to a hotel she is shocked to discover that Amalia has beaten her and is turned down by the contact, and the same scene is repeated elsewhere. The final contact, Marikis, is amenable to the Predator and tells Koko that Amalia is moving quickly. She also learns that he heard from HCLI HQ that her import scheme was exposed by an Italian paper. Elsewhere, Amalia notes that it is actually more of a tabloid as one her men offers to leak the news to another paper if necessary. She observes that Koko is attempting to sell surplus Italian predators, making the move appear to be a civilian transaction, and her subordinate compliments her on beating Koko by moving faster. Koko returns to Hyde Park as the sun sets where she informs Jonah that she has actually spread all the information that she wants and that the rest will be outwitting Amalia.

The rest of the team in Country B.

Koko calls Schokolade in Germany, setting events in motion.

In Country B, R wonders whether Wiley and Valmet will be enough support for Koko, but Lehm tells him not to worry. They also know that they are being tailed by Amalia’s people. However Tojo suggests that if he concludes the negotiations with Country B they can go home faster, causing everyone else to have a laugh about it. Back in London, Koko has been holed up in her hotel room working, which causes Valmet some concern. However she allays this when she wonders if all the snacks she is eating will go to her breasts so they become as large as Valmet’s. Outside the hotel, Koko’s communications are being monitored. The eavesdroppers hear her make a call to Schokolade admitting defeat and what her plan was. She ends by saying that she will go to the meeting the following day as a formality. Amalia has also been listening in on the conversation and tells her man that she was glad she did not quit acting, as there is a larger world out there where money can be made through deception and where one is punished if caught acting. She notes that all of Koko’s calls for the past three days have been acting and are nothing but lies, which Koko confirms to Valmet. In Bonn, Germany, Schokolade complains that she is surrounded by so many manipulators and that that a diamond is not enough compensation for this. Amalia comments that they still do not know who Schokolade is and speculates that Koko is preparing some sort of attack to tear down the web she has woven. Just to be sure, they will talk to the Country B leaders again.

At the hotel, Lutz and Wiley drop in and the former observes that Country A’s troop movements that the US wanted stopped have stopped, which appears to be part of her ploy. Amalia meets that night with Marikis, who receives the sudden news that the Luftwaffe is purchasing 20 Predators directly from the Americans. He then leaves to negotiate with Koko as Amalia realizes that the latter’s offensive has begun. Back in Germany Schokolade is happy that she was able to deliver the contracts to the military people connected to Koko. As Amalia leaves, she learns that Spain has also brought Predators and is then hit with the news from the general who Koko first tried to meet with that a new investment bank named Euro Hekmat IB is buying up all the stocks of his dummy corporation, forcing him to leave immediately. Amalia realizes that Koko is going for the kill, not just tearing down her net. She calls Koko and asks to meet with her immediately, which the latter agrees to.

The meeting occurs on the waterfront, where the first thing that Koko asks Amalia is if she is armed or has snipers deployed nearby. She responds that her bodyguard is armed but denies that she will try anything suspicious, which Koko vows will be met in kind. On a freighter in the harbour, Lutz and Ugo are hidden beneath infrared stealth cloaks and spot a sniper team deployed via night vision. Ugo suggests that Amalia really might not know about them, as Lehm had relayed to them that Country B had sent backup when they left England as Lutz sees a second solo sniper. Ugo observes that Koko was not waiting for an ambush for three days, but holding back.

Lutz fires on the second sniper.

Amalia tells Koko that she should have realized since they met that her face is a mask. Koko replies that Amalia did see through her own attempts to confuse her, but she also knew when she saw her that she is an arms dealer who has never seen a battlefield. If she has never seen them in use, then she does not really know what she is selling. Amalia counters that two arms dealers facing off is a battle and that if someone were to enter without any backup they would need to back off, but Koko denies this is what she means. Amalia finds the discussion stimulating as she has realized that she has discovered a worthy opponent. She concedes defeat and states that today’s enemy may be tomorrow’s friend before approaching Koko and putting her arms on her shoulders. Koko however suggests that this way of doing this needs to be rethought. Amalia then asks if she can buy the shares of EAE stock that Koko’s shell corporation and they begin negotiating. Nearby an EAE employee is monitoring the conversation and directs both snipers to fire. However Valmet then appears behind her and severs her headset cable before alerting Koko, who signals Lutz to fire. He fires two shots directly into the barrels of the opposing snipers’ rifles’, disabling them. Koko tells Amalia that they were just removing some obstacles and as Valmet pulls up, offers a 5% premium to Amalia, which she accepts. Valmet wonders why she was so nice to Amalia and Koko thinks that it was because she was told that it was nice talking to her. She does admit that Amalia was tough and would rather not encounter her again, but knows that it will happen.

Anime and manga differences

Chapter 21

• The chapter has an opening sequence showing Jonah running through the countryside.
• Valmet fires a single paintball at the target.
• Jonah observes Lutz from behind some bushes as opposed to within them.
• The chapter mentions that Lutz was formerly with a police anti-terrorist division but is not clear which one. The flashback sequences of Chinatsu are shorter.
• Lutz is shot first in the right butt cheek. He is grabbed in the wrist by a single snare, making the shot pattern of the paintballs different.
• Koko's outfit for the meeting is different.
• The Country B official shown speaking is named Kuroto.
• Amalia is shown noticing Koko at the same time that Tojo points her out.

Chapter 22

Koko tells Schokolade to make sure that the US stays in the deal.

• The meeting between Koko and Amalia is depicted as a flashback.
• Schokolade wears a white shirt. Koko and Jonah are shown when the former tells Schokolade to make sure that the US does not pull out of the UAV deal.
• The police pull Koko over when she leaves Hyde Park on suspicion of carrying illegal firearms.
• Amalia notices and laughs at a story about Elvis Presley in Milan in the web tabloid.
• Jonah is shown catching a duck twice in Hyde Park.

Chapter 23

• The Euro Group is not shown tailing Lehm's group in Country B.
• Tojo is comes out of the SUV window when he suggests that he will wrap up the negotiations quickly.
• Koko watches TV and is shown with less snacks on her bed. Valmet's newspaper has less detail.
• Koko's position when she calls Schokolade is different. The German city that Schokolade is in is not named. A visualisation of a wolf tearing through a web is shown when Amalia suspects that Koko will try to break out of her net.
• The news coverage that Lutz brings up is shown on channel DNN and shows APCs instead of tanks.
• The scene of Schokolade going to get dinner is different.
• Nassos is shown having arrived at the hotel before Amalia and the consultant reach the door.

Chapter 24

• Koko and Valmet are already at the meeting point. One of the EAE snipers is shown keeping them in his sights.
• Lutz and Wiley as well as the EAE snipers are not shown as much during the meeting.
• Valmet is facing away from Amalia when the latter concedes defeat.
• Koko and the rest of her squad are shown flying out of Heathrow, where Koko gets a text message from Amalia.

Debut appearances

• Dassault consultant
• Marikis
• Nassos
• Amalia Torohovsky

Organisations

• EAE Corporation
• Euro Group

Trivia

• Mondo Grosso means "large world" in Italian.
• Tojo, Wiley, Mao, R, Ugo, and Lutz are featured in the shell cartridge during the ending credits for the first time since Episode 6.
• The newspaper Valmet is reading in the hotel room is The Whitefox Times, a reference to White Fox, the studio that animated the series. The front page article is about the Japanese population falling in 2011, while the back page has a headline which reads "Bolt beaten in Stockholm", referring to Usain Bolt's loss to Tyson Gay in the 100 m there in August 2010.
• The "Neuron UAV" that Amalia Tolohovsky is mentioned as pitching to prospective clients is a real UAV currently in development by Dassault Aviation.
• The snacks on Koko's bed include Kettle Chips, M&M's, Ritz Crackers, and Lay's potato chips, albeit with modified logos.
• The news station is shown as BBG, a pun on BBC.
• This is the first episode in which no deaths occur.